Elizabeth Bushman

Sharing our Links to the Past by Wally and Frances Gray: Elizabeth Degen 1802-1878

Two sketches

1.) Our Pioneer Heritage, Vol. 6, p.485

Elizabeth Degen Bushman was born September 12, 1802, in Holstein, Basselland, Switzerland. Her father was John Casper Degen. Her mother died in childbirth when Elizabeth was four years of age and a year later her father married again. Six children were born of this union. In the fall of 1816 Mr. Degen brought his family to America.

Elizabeth was married to Martin Bushman in Lancaster, Pennsylvania in 1827. He was the son of Abraham and Esther Banks Bushman. They made their home in Lancaster until 1840 and during the years seven children were born to them. That year the Mormon missionaries came to their home and brought the gospel to them. Feeling their teachings were from the Lord they accepted them and soon moved with other Saints to Nauvoo, Illinois. After the exodus of the Mormons from that city the Bushman's went to Hiland Grove, Ohio, and here they planted crops and stayed a number of years. In the fore part of 1851 they arrived in Salt Lake City.

One week later the family made its way to Lehi and there Elizabeth began her service as midwife in the community. She brought three hundred and fifty seven babies into the world and the most she ever received was $2.50, for more than two weeks work. Most of the time she walked on these errands of mercy but sometimes she rode on an old hayrack. The last visit she made was during a rainstorm. A cold developed and she never got out of bed again. S he was ill six weeks and then was called home May 21, 1878, at the age of seventy-six years.

See also the Life Sketch of Martin Bushman and Elizabeth Degen by Their Son

See also Biography of Martin Bushman and Elizabeth Degen

2.) From Maria Elizabeth Bushman Smith - The Life Story of Our Mother by Derryfield N. Smith, Published by the Maria E. B. and Silas D. Smith Family Association, Altamonte Springs, Florida, 1982, p. 24.

In the spring of 1878 John Bushman was relieved of his assignments as supervisor of farming for the St. Joseph settlement and appraiser for the property turned over by the new arrivals to the United Order so that he could return to Utah to bring his family down to Arizona. It was a joyful reunion when he arrived in Lehi on 4 May 1878. His aged mother, Elizabeth Degen Bushman, had been very ill and it was fortunate that John had returned to be with her for a couple of weeks before she passed away on 21 May. S he had lived a most useful life, was beloved by everyone in Lehi, and her great faith had been an inspiration to all who knew her.

In her later life Elizabeth Degen Bushman became the good Samaritan of every village they lived in. She was an exceptionally gifted nurse and was renowned as the loving, successful midwife of the town of Lehi. Because of her reputation and affection, it was said she served as midwife at the birth of almost every baby born in Lehi during her life there. Nearly every family in Lehi had an Elizabeth named in memory of her.

©1998-2008 Wallace F. and Frances M. Gray. This web page may be freely linked. To contact us send to grayfox2@cox.net Their home page is http://www.geocities.com/wallygray25/index.html

The following is from Find A grave.com:

Elizabeth Degen is one of my favorite ancestors in the Bushman family. Perhaps it is because we have treasured her German Bible for years and years and have something tangible that she actually held in her loving hands. In her Bible she wrote in German and to the best of our knowledge this is the translation: "Jesus is the most beautiful name of all that came from heaven. Gracious, splendid virtuous who became God himself. No other name far and wide compares to it." Elizabeth loved Jesus and she loved others. She was a true disciple of the Savior and went about doing good.

She was a most beloved member of the Lehi community because she helped, as a mid-wife, in the delivery of so many babies. Women often named their daughters after Elizabeth. She gave birth to ten of her own children.

Elizabeth was born in Holstein, Basel, Switzerland, to John Casper Degen and Anna Maria Graf. Elizabeth married Martin Bushman in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, March 20, 1827, and they were pioneers into Nauvoo and on to the Salt Lake Valley. They raised a noble family and many descendants now bless their names. I know that we do.

Charles & Eleanor Law Johnson, December 2009

GEDCOM Note

James has 1 ox no wagon and 250 lbs of meat. This photo has been colorized, but you still can't tell the actual color of the bedspread. The colorization tools, for example, don't do well with reds--they just turn them dark. It's hard to know what the true color might have been. I'm not sure who's upstairs. This is a brief history of the Anderson Pioneers,Cheney Ancestors, Barker Family, Bushman-Turley Family and Christensen-Anderson family. Picture of Martin and Elizabeth Degen Bushman home in Lehi, Utah taken on 11 April 2015 Gravesite of Martin Bushman and Elizabeth Degen Bushman with the restoration of original headstones in the Lehi City Cemetery, Utah. Picture taken 11 April 2105. Original headstone of Elizabeth Degen Bushman as it has been restored to her gravesite in the Lehi City Cemetery, Utah. History of Elizabeth Degen Bushman. Courtesy of the Daughters of the Utah Pioneers. Martin Bushman and Elizabeth Bushman Jacob Bushman death certificate. Born 27 July 1830 and died 25 March 1919. Parents listed Martin and Elizabeth Degen Bushman. Martin Bushman and Elizabeth Degan home in Lehi, Utah. Original Elizabeth Degen Bushman photo in the possession of Ann Lewis in Orem, Utah. Back of Original Photo of Elizabeth Degen Bushman Copied from Sylvia Bushman Bradshaw's book Presented by Margaret Ann Bushman Russon (Great Granddaughter) This original photo is in the possession of Ann Lewis in Orem, Utah. Bedspread woven by Elizabeth Degen Bushman Bushman's in Lehi Cemetery Original photo of Elizabeth Degen Bushman Bedspread woven by Elizabeth Degen Bushman. From: J. B. Bushman roundup : organ of the John Bushman family - v. 38, no. 3 (July. 1976)an-roundup-organ-of-the-john-bushman-family-v-38-no-3-july-1976?viewer=1&offset=75#page=7&viewer=picture&o=info&n=0&q=
From: J. B. Bushman roundup : organ of the John Bushman family - v. 38, no. 3 (July. 1976)an-roundup-organ-of-the-john-bushman-family-v-38-no-3-july-1976?viewer=1&offset=75#page=7&viewer=picture&o=info&n=0&q=
Martin Bushman