Family records show that Cornelius "Neil" Bush married Ruth Bamel.  Cornelius was probably born about 1750. 

Cornelius and Ruth probably had several children including a son, Edwin Bush.

 Edwin Bush, son of Neil and Ruth (Bamel) Bush, was probably born about 1772-1774.  Edwin married Atheadatia Smith about 1793. They had at least two sons, Onel Bush, who was born March 10, 1794 and died in 1835, and Edward Bush.

Edward Bush was born April 1, 1796, possibly in Ohio. He was the son of Edwin and Atheadatia (Smith) Bush. Edward married Mary Garner. They had at least two children, Amelia Bush, who was born August 1, 1827 and died December 23, 1834, and Elbridge Gerry Bush.

We are unsure when the Bush family migrated to Ohio. Unfortunately, many early census records for Ohio have been lost. Edward may have been living in Ross County, Ohio in 1830. The census shows 1 male 20-29; 1 male under 5; 1 female 20-29; 1 female 10-14 and 1 female under 5.

Edward Bush died in 1835, the same year his brother Onel Bush died, and just a short time after his daughter Amelia died. They may have all three died of the same cause. We did not find Mary on the 1840 census, so she may also have died during that time.

Elbridge Gerry Bush was born December 8, 1829, in Ohio, the son of Edward and Mary (Garner) Bush. He settled in Fulton County, Illinois prior to 1850.

(Note: Elbridge Bush is listed as Eldridge Bush on the 1850, 1860 and 1870 census records. His marriage license shows his name spelled Elbridge in the upper section of the license and Eldridge in the lower section. The name appears on two different headstones and is spelled Elbridge on the headstone that actually marks his grave and Eldridge on the memorial headstone that markes the graves of the other family members.)

The 1850 Fulton County, Illinois census shows Eldridge, age 20, a farmer, born in Ohio, living with the family of Mary Snyder in the Town of Center. The Snyder family would soon become in-laws to Elbridge. The Snyder family lived next door to the Edwin Nichols family. One of the Nichols daughters married a Snyder. Elbridge would soon marry another of the Nichols daughters.

Elbridge married Anna Elizabeth Nichols on October 16, 1856, in Fulton County. Anna Nichols was born August 20, 1836, in Illinois, the daughter of Edwin F. Nichols and Hester (last name possibly Hyde).

The 1860 Fulton County, Illinois census shows Elbridge and Anna in Lee Township, living near the Snyder family and next door to the Nichols family. The census shows Eldridge, 29, a farmer, born in Ohio; Ann, 24, born in Illinois; Carl, 2, born in Illinois; and Louis, 1, born in Illinois. Elbridge is shown to have real property valued at $1500 and personal property valued at $450.

In 1861, Elbridge and Anna's son Carl W. died at about four years of age. Their son Walles Edward was born In 1862 and died in 1863. Both children are buried in Guernsey Cemetery located a few miles from Bushnell, Fulton County, Illinois. Old weathered headstones mark their little graves.

Civil War draft registration records dated July 1863, list Elbridge G. Bush as a "subject to do military duty" from Lee Township, Fulton County, Illinois.  The record shows he was a married, 33 year old farmer, born in Ohio.

The 1870 Fulton County census, Lee Township, shows Eldridge, 40; Ann, 35; Louis E., 10; Frank L., 6, Artemus B., 3, and Edward E., 7 months. Anna's mother is living next door with the Snyder family. Elbridge is shown to have real valued at $3000 and personal property valued at $900.

Elbridge died near Bushnell, Fulton County, Illinois, on February 7, 1872. He is buried beside his sons Carl W. and Walles Edward in section 16 of the Guernsey Cemetery near the McDonough County and Fulton County, Illinois line. The cemetery, long unused and abandoned, is overgrown with rank grass and weeds. The cemetery is located just north east of Bushnell (between Bushnell, in McDonough County, Illinois and Checkrow, in Fulton County). Directions are: go north on Hwy 9 / 41, then east on Hwy 9 when it splits from 41. The cemetery is about 3 6/10 miles from the junction of the split on a hill on the left side of the road. (There is a county road right before you get to it, Brecker Road 250 E.) Albert Wren, who recently visited the cemetery, said there are old weathered markers at all three graves. (The name is spelled Elbridge on this headstone. There is also a large monument in the Winfield-Scott Cemetery near Winfield, Iowa where Annie and most of the other children are buried, which also bears the names, birth and death dates of Elbridge and both sons who are buried in Fulton County, Illinois. The name is spelled Eldridge on this memorial marker.)

Annie moved her family to Louisa County, Iowa, probably between 1872 and about 1879.

The 1880 Louisa County, Iowa census, Elm Grove Township, shows Ann E. Bush, head, 45; L. E., son, 20, farmer; F. S., son, 17, farm hand; A. B., son, 13, farm hand; E. A., son, 9; and Eugene, son, 7 years old.

The 1900 Louisa County census, Elm Grove Township, shows Ann E. Bush, head, 64, born August 1835, in Illinois; widowed, had given birth to 7 children, 5 children still living, a farmer who owned her farm; Frank L., son, 36, born February 1864, in Illinois, single, a farmer; Art B., son, 34, born October 1865, in Illinois, single, a farmer; Edward A., son, 31, born December 1868, in Illinois, single, a farm laborer; and Eugene L., son, 28, born June 1871, in Illinois, single, a farm laborer.

 Anna died February 14, 1916. She is buried in the Winfield-Scott Cemetery near Winfield, Henry County, Iowa.

Children of Elbridge Bush and Anna Nichols

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