Busby Scrapbook



Thomas Busby Sr. Mary Knight-Busby

Transcription from The Wakefield (Nebr.) Republican, Thurs. Jan 14, 1982, entitled "Founding Families - The Family of Thomas Busby Sr.":

Thomas Busby Sr., was born at Stow near Humbolten Huntingdonshire England Aug. 24, 1828 and died July 25, 1918. Mary (KNIGHT) Busby was born at Newton, Huntingdonshire England on Jan. 16, 1837 and died at Wakefield April 1, 1923.

They were married and left for America, along with his brother Jonathan, in 1853. They came to Illinois and farmed for a year or two, and because of drought decided to move. They moved to Arcadia, Wisconsin to a farm where most of their children were born and grew up.

In 1879, Thomas Busby Sr. and a friend, J. F. Alexander came to Nebraska looking for land. They first went up the Platte Valley but did not find anything they liked and on the way home, they headed for Sioux City, IA. Mr. Busby bought a farm a couple of miles from LaPorte, Nebr., a little town where they thought the railroad would come through, but for some reason the railroad to LaPorte wasn't completed and was later routed through what is now Wakefield. The farm was 5 1/2 miles from Wakefield. Mr. Busby bought his farm for $4.50 per acre. Mr. Alexander bought a neighboring farm for $3.75 per acre.

The Busby's did not move to the farm until 1883, but John and Thomas came out and broke the prairie. John then went back to Wisconsin to live. The Busby and Alexander families drove 100 head of cattle from Wisconsin to Wakefield during the summer of 1883. It took them most of the summer.

The Busbys had a large family of 11 children. Mark and Andrew died as infants. The others were: Thomas Jr., John (who remained in Wisconsin), William, Oliver, Florence, Mary, Emma, Lillie, and Charles.

Thomas Jr. married Welsh immigrant, Elizabeth Furlong (born in Cosheston 1884) in 1906 and bought a farm about 5 miles NW of Wakefield, where he planted a large grove of evergreens. Thomas is credited with bringing a shoe box full of pine seedlings from Wisconsin to Nebraska. The Busbys were also well known for keeping bees.

Children of Thomas & Mary Busby

Children of Thomas & Mary Busby
(taken 1896)

Back Row: left to right: Charley, Mary, John, Lillie, Thomas, William

Front Row: Florence, Oliver, Emma



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