The Bushnell family were first represented in America by three brothers who came together from England. The grandfathers of our subject were Elijah Bushnell and Zephaniah Chase, the latter of whom lived in Martha’s Vineyard during the Revolutionary War and had his potatoes taken from him by British soldiers, except a few that he succeeded in secreting. Anson and Elizabeth (Chase) Bushnell were natives of Connecticut and Massachusetts respectively. To them were born three sons and two daughters, namely: Alvin W.; Horace, who resides in St. Paul, Minn.; Eunice, deceased; Mrs. Mary Minor, whose home is in York, Neb.; and Lewis, a magnetic physician in Chicago.

The gentleman with whose name this sketch is introduced passed his boyhood in the Empire State, receiving his education in the common schools. His first venture in the way of gaining a livelihood, was that of hiring out as a farm hand at $134 per month. In 1835 he went to New York City, where he learned the trade of a carpenter, making the metropolis his home two years. He then came to Peoria County, Ill., and for a number of years carried on a farm and also worked at his trade. In 1848, he sold his estate and removing to Chicago engaged in the grocery trade, which he abandoned in 1851, to return to this county and become a resident of the county seat. He embarked in the lumber business and afterward became engaged in the manufacture of building materials—chiefly of asbestine stone, which is used for sidewalks and other purposes.

The career of Mr. Bushnell has been an honorable and industrious one and he is surrounded by comforts. He occupies a pleasant residence on Fourth Street, where hospitality abounds and refined tastes are indicated by the neatness and beauty there to be seen. He is numbered among the reliable citizens and held in good repute by neighbors and associates. He has been a member of the Board of Supervisors two terms, and in politics is a Democrat of the old Jackson type. He belongs to the Old Settlers’ Society and the Scientific Association. His family now consists of his wife and an adopted daughter, May. They had another adopted daughter, Ella, whom they reared from childhood, giving her the advantage of a literary and musical education. She died December 19, 1889, aged thirty-seven years.

The maiden name of Mrs. Bushnell was Jennette Case, and she was born August 29, 1818, in the town of Sandy Creek, Oswego County, N. Y. Her parents were Imri and Chloe A. Case, natives of Connecticut and Vermont respectively. She became the wife of our subject July 12, 1841, and has proved her worth as a sympathizing companion for “lo! These many years.” Since 1849 she has been a member of the Baptist Church and a faithful follower of its teachings.

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