Busher History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Germany

The bountiful region surrounding the Rhine river is the birthplace of the name Busher. A single name was, at one time, all that people needed. However, increasing ease of travel and the burgeoning populations forced people to adopt a hereditary surname to set themselves apart from others. A common form of surname found in the Rhineland was the local name, a name taken on from a place-name. Originally denoting the proprietorship of a village or estate, the German preposition von, which means from or of, used with local names, was taken as a mark of aristocracy. The surname Busher was given to someone who lived near bushes or a thicket. The distinguished name Busher is derived from the Old German word busc, which means thicket or brush.

Early Origins of the Busher family

The surname Busher was first found in the Rhineland, where the family became noted for its many branches within the region, many houses acquiring a status and influence which rivaled that of the landed aristocracy. In their later history some branches were elevated to the ranks of nobility as they distinguished themselves through their contributions to the social, political, and economic developments of the nation. The earliest individual bearer of this name to be mentioned in ancient chronicles was Cuentzlin in Busch of Wuerttenberg (1381).

The Bussche variant claims descent from Lord Everhardus de Busche in 1255. The Lords von dem Bussche were originally from the County of Ravensberg on the border area of Ravensberg and the Prince-Bishopric of Osnabrück.

Early History of the Busher family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Busher research. Another 241 words (17 lines of text) covering the years 1234, 1387, 1475, 1534, 1623, 1704, 1729, 1793, 1832, 1840, 1842, 1908 and 1913 are included under the topic Early Busher History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Busher Spelling Variations

In the medieval era, many different cultural groups lived in the German states. There are thus many regional variations of German surnames from that era. Westphalians spoke Low German, which is similar to modern Dutch. Many German names carry suffixes that identify where they came from. Others have phrases attached that identify something about the original bearer. Other variations in German names resulted from the fact that medieval scribes worked without the aid of any spelling rules. The spelling variations of the name Busher include Busch, Buesch, Buscher, Buescher (Westphalia), Bush, Buesh, Busher, Buesher, Busche, Bushe, Pusch, Bussche, Bussch and many more.

Early Notables of the Busher family

Notables with the name Busher during this period were Isaac Posch (died 1623), who was an Austrian composer and organist. Clamor von dem Bussche, was a Lieutenant General in the Hanoverian army. He fought with distinction in the army of the Duke of York during the revolution, and died in battle in 1793. His son, Hans von dem Bussche, lost his right arm fighting at the...
Another 66 words (5 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Busher Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Busher migration to the United States +

The great European flow of migration to North America, which began in the middle of the 17th century and continued into the 20th century, was particularly attractive to those from the Rhineland who wished to escape either poverty or religious persecution. Many of those who left the Rhineland to seek their fortunes in the prosperous and free New World settled in the major urban centers of the United States and Canada. In the United States, the settlers from the Rhineland passed through immigration centers like that of Ellis Island, most of them moving on to Pennsylvania, Ohio, Texas, Illinois, California, and New York. In Canada, the majority of Rhinelanders settled in Ontario and the prairie provinces. An examination of passenger and immigration lists has revealed many important settlers to North America bearing the name Busher, or one of its variants above:

Busher Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Anne Busher, who landed in Virginia in 1634 1
Mabell Busher, aged 14, who arrived in Virginia in 1635 aboard the ship "Merchant's Hope" 1
Robert Busher, who settled in Nevis in 1654

Busher Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Peter Busher, who landed in South Carolina in 1755 1

Busher Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

John Busher, age 22, who settled in New Orleans, La. in 1821
George H. Busher, age 27, who arrived in New York City in 1823
John Busher, who landed in New York in 1840 1
Fredrick Busher, aged 20, who arrived in New York, NY in 1849 1
Henry Busher, who landed in America in 1861 1

Busher migration to West Indies +

The British first settled the British West Indies around 1604. They made many attempts but failed in some to establish settlements on the Islands including Saint Lucia and Grenada. By 1627 they had managed to establish settlements on St. Kitts (St. Christopher) and Barbados, but by 1641 the Spanish had moved in and destroyed some of these including those at Providence Island. The British continued to expand the settlements including setting the First Federation in the British West Indies by 1674; some of the islands include Barbados, Bermuda, Cayman Island, Turks and Caicos, Jamaica and Belize then known as British Honduras. By the 1960's many of the islands became independent after the West Indies Federation which existed from 1958 to 1962 failed due to internal political conflicts. After this a number of Eastern Caribbean islands formed a free association. 2

Busher Settlers in West Indies in the 17th Century

Mary Busher, who landed in Barbados in 1680

Contemporary Notables of the name Busher (post 1700) +

Peter E Busher, Professor of Natural Science at Boston University
Sydney Edmund Busher (1882-1953), English cricketer

Citations +

Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_West_Indies