BIOGRAPHY: John W. Bush, Esq. born Nov. 15, 1841 – photograph

Happy Birthday!

JOHN W. BUSH, Esq.

BIOGRAPHY and GENEALOGY

(b. 1841 -d. 1911)

Jefferson County, Alabama

John W. Bush, Esq., attorney at law, Birmingham, Alabama, was born Nov. 15, 1841, near Williamsburg, Virginia. His father, William Bush, a descendant of one of the original Jamestown settlers, was a planter, and from 1851 until his death, Feb. 1862, was chief justice of James City county court at Williamsburg, VA. He was also a member of the Virginia legislature.

John W. Bush ‘s mother, Melinda (Finch) Bush , was a daughter of Henry Finch of Charles City county, Virginia., and was a direct descendant of Sir Heneage Finc, one of the lord chancellors of England. John’s mother died Nov. 10, 1862.

John W. Bush was reared in Virginia, and was a student attending William and Mary college at the outbreak of the Civil war. He enlisted in Lee’s Virginia rangers, a company raised by Capt. W. H. F. Lee, son of Gen. Robert E. Lee. For a short while in his campaign in West Virginia he was a courier for Gen. Robert E. Lee. He served temporarily on the staff of Gen. S. H. Barton. He belonged to Stuart’s cavalry. Bush was engaged in many of the great battles fought by the Army of Northern Virginia, and was twice wounded—on the 18th of August, 1864, at White Oak Swamp, and on the 27th of October, 1864, on the Boydton plank road. He was with the army at Appomattox Court House, but did not surrender, having escaped with many of his comrades.

John W. Bush taught school and studied law when the war ended and was admitted to practice in the district court of appeals at Williamsburg, Va. Soon thereafter he moved to Uniontown, Ala., and commenced the practice of law, where he lived for twenty years. He represented his district in the State senate from 1878 to 1882. In 1887 he moved to Birmingham, Alabama, practiced his profession with his son, George E. Bush.

John W. Bush was a member of the Episcopal church, Bar association, Birmingham Commercial club, Camp Hardee, United Confederate Veterans, and he was commander of the Fourth brigade of the Alabama division of United Confederate Veterans. He was appointed by Governor Joseph F. Johnston as special judge and presided in the city court of Birmingham, Alabama.

He was a Royal Arch Mason, and served as high priest of bis chapter for six years, and served as master of Uniontown lodge No. 50, at Uniontown, Ala., for ten years. John W. Bush had three brothers in the army; two of them died. Joseph R. Bush, a brother living in 1900 was wounded, captured and was in Camp Chase, Ohio, when the war ended.

John W. Bush traced his lineage to Revolutionary heroes, one of whom is Major R John W. Bush . He was married on the 21st day of October 1869, to Sallie Evans, daughter of Matthew Ryan and Sarah S. Evans, of Mobile, Ala.. Sarah was the sister of Mrs. Augusta J. (Evans) Wilson, a distinguished authoress.

Of John and Sallie’s marriage there were three known children,

1. Howard E. Bush, a civil engineer,
2. George E. Bush
3. Augusta Evans Bush (January 15, 1873 – March 8, 1895) married Starr Kealhofer. They had a child Starr Kealhofer Bush.

John William Bush died July 5, 1911 in Mobile and is buried in Magnolia Cemetery in Mobile, Alabama. His wife, Sarah died October 4, 1913 in Birmingham, Jefferson County, Alabama. She is buried in Magnolia Cemetery in Mobile.

SOURCES:

1. Notable men of Alabama By Joel Campbell DuBose VOLUME III
2. Find A Grave Memorial# 106407941 # 115573411 # 115572719

This biography can be found in Biographies of Notable and Not-so-Notable Alabama Pioneers Volume V

About Donna R Causey

Donna R. Causey, resident of Alabama, was a teacher in the public school system for twenty years. When she retired, Donna found time to focus on her lifetime passion for historical writing. She developed the websites www.alabamapioneers and www.daysgoneby.me All her books can be purchased at Amazon.com and Barnes & Noble. She has authored numerous genealogy books. RIBBON OF LOVE: A Novel Of Colonial America (TAPESTRY OF LOVE) is her first novel in the Tapestry of Love about her family where she uses actual characters, facts, dates and places to create a story about life as it might have happened in colonial Virginia. Faith and Courage: Tapestry of Love (Volume 2) is the second book and the third FreeHearts: A Novel of Colonial America (Book 3 in the Tapestry of Love Series) Discordance: The Cottinghams (Volume 1) is the continuation of the story. . For a complete list of books, visit Donna R Causey

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