Gypsy Heart
Gold Member
Isabella James was born a Tennessee Baptist of German American extraction. Little is known about Isabella's childhood except that she was born sometime between 1804 and 1809 and that her father and one brother were ministers. Yet there must have been something extraordinary in her up‑bringing since she had the courage to marry a black man in the south of the United States in 1831. Perhaps Isabella's unorthodox marital choice was possible because George Washington Bush was such a striking and unusual man. He was quite capable of inspiring profound love and special daring.
Isabella met George when he was around forty years of age. He had already lived a lifetime of independence and adventure and, as such, cut quite a romantic figure. George Bush was approximately six feet tall, broad shouldered and had a most imposing appearance. He weighed around one hundred and eighty pounds, had dark eyes, a roman nose, a heavy beard and a vigorous and dashing air.
Missouri was a "slave state" in a nation which legitimized one man owning another. Even though George Bush was legally a free man, and wealthy to boot, slave laws tended to denigrate everyone of the black race. "Free" blacks were in fact only "quasi‑free." For example, only four states allowed black male citizens to vote in 1830 and most northern states, as well as all the southern states, forbade marriage between the races. George and Isabella's oldest son, William Owen, was not permitted to attend public school in Missouri because he was "of color." The Bushes had to hire a private tutor in order to educate their children while their neighbors sent theirs to state supported schools.
People in Missouri refused to sell George Bush many of the things he needed, they would not do him the "honor" of accepting his money. This was because most Southerners wished to discourage any influence that successful free blacks might have on their enslaved brethren.
Surely George Washington Bush had made every effort to win acceptance from his fellow Missourians but it gradually became clear to him that it was not possible
George Washington Bush was not immune to the excitement of the frontier and all that it meant in terms of adventure and fresh opportunity.
In 1841, the first group of immigrants set out for Oregon Territory. In 1843, two hundred families crossed the country on the Oregon Trail. The Simmons‑Bush party left Missouri in the Spring of 1844. The little band whose roots lay in Tennessee and Missouri joined a "train" for the Willamette Valley which totaled eighty wagons. The Bush family started the journey with 40 six Conestoga wagons filled with supplies for the trip.
In 1845 the Oregon Territorial legislature passed a law forbidding slavery in the territory but at the same time seeking to insure there would be no permanent settlement of free blacks in the region. The law stated that any black who settled in Oregon would be subject to thirty-nine whip lashes for every two year period in which he or she remained in the territory. Oregon did not invent this kind of cruelty. Illinois had passed similar legislation earlier.
During July of 1845, Michael Simmons traveled over much of western Washington. When he came upon the falls of the Deschutes River, at the point where the falls drop into Puget Sound, he felt that he had located the party's new home. The power that these falls generated would make it possible for the settlers to grind the wheat they would grow. Later they might build a sawmill which would give them a source of cash through the manufacture and sale of forest products. Beyond the splendid potentialities of the falls, the existence of the British outpost, Fort Nisqually, and the Puget Sound Agricultural Company meant there would be some additional human buffer between the small Simmons-Bush group and the complete wilderness, If the Hudson Bay Company could be persuaded to help the settlers rather than remaining adamantly opposed to any American settlements north of the Columbia, then this new journey to an even more remote corner of this country would result in a perfect home for all of them and a secure sanctuary for Isabella, George, and their children
George built about a dozen little log cabins on his land where the new settlers might stay until they located a spot where they wished to stake their own claim. He wouldn't have dreamed of charging any of them rent, regardless of what their opinion of a black man might be.
All hungry travelers were made welcome and greeted with hospitality. On one occasion a train had become lost on its way through the mountains and as a result, their trip had taken them much longer than planned. The terrible winter of ‘52 caught this unfortunate group still in the mountains so that when they finally arrived at Puget Sound, they were terribly frozen and near starvation. George and Isabella fed the entire group for quite some time because the Bushes were the only people in the area with any surplus food. The Bush’s attitude was that any repayment was unnecessary. What they did hope was that those people they had helped would show similar generosity to others in their turn.
George and Isabella never sold anything to newcomers. George told these people he could attach no price to food he gave them but that they might return what they wished when they were able. "Return it when you can," George would say and George and Isabella fed a great many hungry people over the years. It did not seem to matter that George Bush’s oath was not accepted or that it would take a special act of Congress to give him legal title to his farm. His selfless attitude earned George the respect and affection of his neighbors, partly on account of his race. People saw him as a genuine folk hero.
In 1863 George died suddenly of a cerebral hemorrhage. At the end, he had not time to tell anyone, not even his dear wife Isabella, where the family’s money was buried. Many years before, George had taken the silver which they had brought across the country from Missouri and the excess cash accumulated during their life in Washington Territory and buried it in a secret location on the farm. It was a pity that despite their long and felicitous years together, George kept the place where he had hidden his wealth secret, even from Isabella. He was, after all, a man of his times. George surely would have wished his wife and children some ease but his death denied the benefits of all that money to them. He never regained consciousness after the instant in which he was stricken and that kept his secret forever. Judge Hewitt had always done all the legal work for the family, but even he had not a clue as to where the money might be buried. Isabella would just have to forget it and go on. She did just that until her death in 1866.
It was even rumored that George and Isabella carried one hundred pounds of silver, some gold bricks, and a number of $50.00 "slugs" concealed in a false bottom of one of their wagons. A $50.00 slug was a piece of gold, shaped in an octagon and, while not United States currency, did circulate widely where currency was scarce.
After his father died, Owen had a newer and bigger house built from split cedar. This home remained standing alongside the Olympia airport until it was torn down in 1974. The descendants of Isabella James Bush lived on in the Bush homestead for one hundred years. The family tree is documented in "Family Records of Washington Pioneer" by the Daughters of the American Revolution without any allusion to the fact of the family’s racial origins.
http://www.ci.tumwater.wa.us/research george & isabella bush.htm
Isabella met George when he was around forty years of age. He had already lived a lifetime of independence and adventure and, as such, cut quite a romantic figure. George Bush was approximately six feet tall, broad shouldered and had a most imposing appearance. He weighed around one hundred and eighty pounds, had dark eyes, a roman nose, a heavy beard and a vigorous and dashing air.
Missouri was a "slave state" in a nation which legitimized one man owning another. Even though George Bush was legally a free man, and wealthy to boot, slave laws tended to denigrate everyone of the black race. "Free" blacks were in fact only "quasi‑free." For example, only four states allowed black male citizens to vote in 1830 and most northern states, as well as all the southern states, forbade marriage between the races. George and Isabella's oldest son, William Owen, was not permitted to attend public school in Missouri because he was "of color." The Bushes had to hire a private tutor in order to educate their children while their neighbors sent theirs to state supported schools.
People in Missouri refused to sell George Bush many of the things he needed, they would not do him the "honor" of accepting his money. This was because most Southerners wished to discourage any influence that successful free blacks might have on their enslaved brethren.
Surely George Washington Bush had made every effort to win acceptance from his fellow Missourians but it gradually became clear to him that it was not possible
George Washington Bush was not immune to the excitement of the frontier and all that it meant in terms of adventure and fresh opportunity.
In 1841, the first group of immigrants set out for Oregon Territory. In 1843, two hundred families crossed the country on the Oregon Trail. The Simmons‑Bush party left Missouri in the Spring of 1844. The little band whose roots lay in Tennessee and Missouri joined a "train" for the Willamette Valley which totaled eighty wagons. The Bush family started the journey with 40 six Conestoga wagons filled with supplies for the trip.
In 1845 the Oregon Territorial legislature passed a law forbidding slavery in the territory but at the same time seeking to insure there would be no permanent settlement of free blacks in the region. The law stated that any black who settled in Oregon would be subject to thirty-nine whip lashes for every two year period in which he or she remained in the territory. Oregon did not invent this kind of cruelty. Illinois had passed similar legislation earlier.
During July of 1845, Michael Simmons traveled over much of western Washington. When he came upon the falls of the Deschutes River, at the point where the falls drop into Puget Sound, he felt that he had located the party's new home. The power that these falls generated would make it possible for the settlers to grind the wheat they would grow. Later they might build a sawmill which would give them a source of cash through the manufacture and sale of forest products. Beyond the splendid potentialities of the falls, the existence of the British outpost, Fort Nisqually, and the Puget Sound Agricultural Company meant there would be some additional human buffer between the small Simmons-Bush group and the complete wilderness, If the Hudson Bay Company could be persuaded to help the settlers rather than remaining adamantly opposed to any American settlements north of the Columbia, then this new journey to an even more remote corner of this country would result in a perfect home for all of them and a secure sanctuary for Isabella, George, and their children
George built about a dozen little log cabins on his land where the new settlers might stay until they located a spot where they wished to stake their own claim. He wouldn't have dreamed of charging any of them rent, regardless of what their opinion of a black man might be.
All hungry travelers were made welcome and greeted with hospitality. On one occasion a train had become lost on its way through the mountains and as a result, their trip had taken them much longer than planned. The terrible winter of ‘52 caught this unfortunate group still in the mountains so that when they finally arrived at Puget Sound, they were terribly frozen and near starvation. George and Isabella fed the entire group for quite some time because the Bushes were the only people in the area with any surplus food. The Bush’s attitude was that any repayment was unnecessary. What they did hope was that those people they had helped would show similar generosity to others in their turn.
George and Isabella never sold anything to newcomers. George told these people he could attach no price to food he gave them but that they might return what they wished when they were able. "Return it when you can," George would say and George and Isabella fed a great many hungry people over the years. It did not seem to matter that George Bush’s oath was not accepted or that it would take a special act of Congress to give him legal title to his farm. His selfless attitude earned George the respect and affection of his neighbors, partly on account of his race. People saw him as a genuine folk hero.
In 1863 George died suddenly of a cerebral hemorrhage. At the end, he had not time to tell anyone, not even his dear wife Isabella, where the family’s money was buried. Many years before, George had taken the silver which they had brought across the country from Missouri and the excess cash accumulated during their life in Washington Territory and buried it in a secret location on the farm. It was a pity that despite their long and felicitous years together, George kept the place where he had hidden his wealth secret, even from Isabella. He was, after all, a man of his times. George surely would have wished his wife and children some ease but his death denied the benefits of all that money to them. He never regained consciousness after the instant in which he was stricken and that kept his secret forever. Judge Hewitt had always done all the legal work for the family, but even he had not a clue as to where the money might be buried. Isabella would just have to forget it and go on. She did just that until her death in 1866.
It was even rumored that George and Isabella carried one hundred pounds of silver, some gold bricks, and a number of $50.00 "slugs" concealed in a false bottom of one of their wagons. A $50.00 slug was a piece of gold, shaped in an octagon and, while not United States currency, did circulate widely where currency was scarce.
After his father died, Owen had a newer and bigger house built from split cedar. This home remained standing alongside the Olympia airport until it was torn down in 1974. The descendants of Isabella James Bush lived on in the Bush homestead for one hundred years. The family tree is documented in "Family Records of Washington Pioneer" by the Daughters of the American Revolution without any allusion to the fact of the family’s racial origins.
http://www.ci.tumwater.wa.us/research george & isabella bush.htm
