Obadiah Bush

Obadiah Newcomb Bush (January 28, 1797 – February 9, 1851) was an American prospector and businessman. He is an ancestor and founder of the Bush political family.

Early life

Obadiah Newcomb Bush was born on January 18, 1797 in Penfield, New York. His father, Timothy Bush Jr. (1761–1850), was a blacksmith; his mother was Lydia Newcomb (1763–1865). His paternal grandfather, Capt. Timothy Bush Sr. (1735–1815), was an American Revolution militia captain.

Bush served in the War of 1812.

Career

In Rochester, New York, he became a schoolmaster. He also served on a committee that nominated candidates for justice of the peace. He and his brother Henry, a manufacturer of stoves, were known abolitionists. He served as vice president of the American Anti-Slavery Society and supported the Underground Railroad. He petitioned the New York State Legislature to secede from the Union in a protest against slavery, after which The Rochester Daily Advertiser accused him of encouraging anarchy. Abigail Bush was the wife of his brother Henry.

In 1849, he travelled to California "with the forty-niners during the gold rush".

Personal life and death

Bush married Harriet Smith (1800–1867) in Rochester, New York on On November 8, 1821. They had seven children, among them James Smith Bush. He died aboard a ship on his way back to California and was given a sea burial.