Elizabeth (Degen) Bushman (1802 - 1878)

Born 12 Sep 1802 in Hölstein, Basel-Landschaft, Switzerland

Wife of Martin Bushman — married 20 Mar 1827 in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, United States

Descendants

Died 21 May 1878 at age 75 in Lehi, Utah, Utah Territory, United States

Elizabeth (Degen) Bushman was a Latter Day Saint pioneer.

Elizabeth became a member of the LDS Church between 1830 - 1848.

Biography

Elizabeth was born in 1802^[1]. She was the daughter of John Casper Degen and Anna Maria Graf.

In 1816, at the age of 14, Elizabeth emigrated from Switzerland with her father and step-mother, as well as the other children. The voyage on the ocean departed from Amsterdam, Netherlands (Holland) took 17 weeks and they suffered from the scarcity of provisions and water. The trip was delayed because of unusually calm weather, increasing the cost of the voyage.

Elizabeth was bound out to serve to work to pay for their passage across the ocean. She worked 3 years and 10 months to repay the debt. Her father died when she was 18.

Elizabeth grew to be an ambitious woman skilled in the art of spinning, weaving, housekeeping, and making butter and cheese. These accomplishments fitted her happy married life with her husband, Martin, who was a farmer.

She married Martin Bushman, 20 Mar 1827.

In 1840, missionaries from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Elisha H. Davis and H. Dean brought the Gospel to them and they converted.

Martin Bushman took his family, leaving their loved ones in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, and joined the church in Nauvoo, Illinois, a journey of 1,000 miles with horse and wagon.

After the expulsion of the saints from Nauvoo, They lived in western Iowa for 4 years until accruing sufficient means to ultimately cross the plains to Utah.

They traveled with the Easton Kelsey Company in 1851departing from the outfitting post at Kanesville, Iowa (present day Council Bluffs). They originally departed about June 10, but turned back due to Indian trouble. They left again June 29. The company arrived in Salt Lake City between September 22 and October 7, 1851.^[2] After their arrival they settled in Lehi, Utah.

She passed away in 1878 and is buried in Lehi City Cemetery, Lehi, Utah^[3][4]

Sources

1. ↑ Elizabeth Degen, Evangelisch-Reformierte Kirche Bennwil, including Holstein (Basel) Kirchenbuch, 1567-1865, Microfilm # 128149; Image 438, Christenings, Top of page: AD 1802, Record # 25
2. ↑ "Utah Mormon Pioneer Overland Travel Database, 1847-1868," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QK9B-CZF3 : 10 February 2018), Elizabeth Degan Bushman, 22 Sep 1851; from "Mormon Pioneer Overland Travel: 1847-1868," database, > The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (https://history.lds.org/overlandtravels/ : 2004-).
3. ↑ "BillionGraves Index," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QGPK-ZXFQ : 25 March 2019), Elizabeth Degen Bushman, died 21 May 1878; citing BillionGraves (http://www.billiongraves.com : 2012), Burial at Lehi Cemetery, Lehi, Utah, Utah, United States.
4. ↑ Find A Grave: Memorial #95821

See also:

• "Family Group Records Collection, Archives Section, 1942-1969," images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QS7-99Q1-3Q6S?cc=2060211&wc=WWF8-F7D%3A352086301%2C352545201 : 20 May 2014), D > Defanti, Andrea (1775) - De Gooijer, William (1789) > image 689 of 1284; The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, compiler, Family History Library, Salt Lake City, Utah.
• "Utah, Missionary Department Missionary Registers, 1860-1937," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QKDW-THNS : 26 February 2016), Elizabeth Degen in entry for Jacob Bushman, United States; records extracted by FamilySearch and images digitized by Church History library, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints; citing Missionary Register v. 2, Missionary department missionary registers 1860-1959, CR 301 22, Church History Library, Salt lake City, Utah.
• "United States Census, 1850," database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MZ4J-J8K : 19 December 2020), Elizabeth Bushman in household of Martin Bushman, Pottawattamie, Iowa, United States; citing family , NARA microfilm publication (Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.).
• "United States Census, 1860", database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MH2W-3BB : 18 February 2021), Elisth Bushman in entry for Martin Bushman, 1860.