Obadiah Bush

Obadiah Newcomb Bush
Born	January 28, 1797(1797-01-28) Penfield, New York
Died	February 9, 1851(1851-02-09) (aged 54)

Obadiah Newcomb Bush (January 28, 1797 – February 9, 1851) was an ancestor of the Bush political family. Born in Penfield, New York to blacksmith Timothy Bush, Jr. (1761–1850) and Lydia Newcomb, he left home during the War of 1812. On November 8, 1821, he married Harriet Smith (1800–1867) in Rochester, New York. They had seven children, among them James Smith Bush.

In Rochester, Bush became a schoolmaster and was 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.

In 1849, he traveled to California due to the gold rush, leaving wife and children behind. After two years, he was on his way home to reclaim his family and take them west, when he died aboard the ship and was given a sea burial.

References

• Mansfield, Stephen (2004). The Faith of George W. Bush. Tarcher. ISBN 1585423785. 

Persondata
Name	Bush, Obadiah Newcomb
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	January 28, 1797
Place of birth	Penfield, New York
Date of death	February 9, 1851
Place of death