Kentucky Ancestors, Volume 46, Number 2 - Kentucky Historical ...

sold by a daughter, Catherine (Kate) Bustard, to the
French Legation in Dublin. 25
Ebenezer Bustard died at the dwelling on Lower
Baggot Street in 1882. His lengthy will provided
that his estates, including “stock, crops, cattle, horses,
Carriage houses, saddle horses,” were bequeathed to
his eldest son George who was to hold the total estate
in trust for the benefit of all Ebenezer’s children and
his wife Margaret. Margaret Bustard was specifically
given “all my silver plate and plated wares and all my
carriages, Cars, and Carriage horses” and £20,000.
She and her unmarried daughters could live at
Belleville House and £20,000 was to be invested
for the benefit and support of daughters, Margaret,
Catherine Adelaide Minerva, and Mary Jane Maude
Maria Louisa and their heirs. A cash sum of £3,000
was provided for each of his sons, George, John, and
Robert Tyler. The “residue” of his estate, after all
other provisions had been met, was to be divided with
one-third to his wife and the other two-thirds equally
distributed among “all my children.” 26 According to
one descendant all of the estates were “taken over”
by the Irish Land Commission in 1921. During the
period of the Irish Rebellion and the establishment
of the Irish Free State owners often were required to
sell their land and in some instances land was seized
by the government. The Land Commission was
authorized to acquire land from large land owners for
distribution to former tenants. 27
The Bustard family was an important part of
the development of early Louisville. The Irishman
John Bustard came to Louisville when it was still a
frontier town with great potential for development
and growth. He quickly took advantage of the
opportunities available and established himself in
business while accepting the civic responsibilities
necessary in the development of the community.
He became a prosperous business and financial
leader with considerable land holdings. John
Bustard supported religious and social efforts and
was a respected man in the town. Ebenezer Bustard
continued the family’s involvement in the business
and financial development of Louisville as it grew
from a town into a city. Although foreign-born, the
Bustards’ assimilation into the culture and society of
their new home appeared to be complete and settled.
In the end, however, familial obligations and loyalty
caused the family to abandon their home of seventysix
years and return to Ireland. Perhaps if a second
72 | Kentucky Ancestors
generation had matured and been established in
the city some of the family would have remained in
Louisville. Instead the surviving children of Ebenezer
and Margaret Bustard settled and lived their lives
in Ireland except for John (Jack) Bustard, born in
Louisville, who immigrated to New Zealand and
lived there in the city of Wellington. One of his
daughters eventually settled in Australia. 28
ENDNOTES
1 The memorial and graves are located in Section 5, lot
175, Cave Hill Cemetery, Louisville, Kentucky.
2 John R. Keble, The History of the Parish and Manor
House of Bishopthorpe (Leeds, 1905), 11-12, 16-19.
3 Early Kentucky Settlers: The Records of Jefferson
County, Kentucky, From the Filson Club History
Quarterly (Baltimore, 1988), 410.
4 Calendar of Bonds and Powers of Attorney, Book No.
1, Jefferson County, Kentucky: 252; Deed Book, No.
7, Jefferson County, Kentucky: 94, 118, 506.
5 Kentucky Gazette, 20 March 1804, quoted in Karen
M. Green, The Kentucky Gazette: 1801-1820
(Baltimore, 1985), 41.
6 County Court Minute Book, No. 7, 1805-07,
Jefferson County, Kentucky, 4, 68.
7 Ibid., No. 8, 1807-09, Jefferson County, Kentucky,
156.
8 Old Chancery Court Case Index, 1780-1845,
Jefferson County, Kentucky, 50-51.
9 Louisville Gazette and Western Advertiser, vol. 1, no.
2, 1 December 1807; The Louisville Correspondent, vol.
4, no. 20, Monday, 22 January 1816. These citations
are found in Lola Frazer Crowder, Early Louisville
Kentucky Newspaper Abstracts, 1806-28 (Galveston,
1995), 3, 44.
10 Ibid, Louisville Public Advertiser, Vol. 1, No. 98,
Wednesday, 15 September 1819. See case files 395,
780, 812, 942, 1090, 1255, 1276, 1322, 1339, 1461,
1662, 1696, 1891 , 2241, and 2242 of the Chancery
Court of Jefferson County, Kentucky.
11 Circuit Court in Chancery, Jefferson County,
Kentucky, September Term, 1834: Circuit Court in
Chancery, Jefferson County, Kentucky, Chancery File
2241.
12 Will Book 3, 1834-46, Jefferson County, Kentucky:
97; Deed Book 7, Jefferson County, Kentucky: 118.
13 U.S. Census, 1820, Jefferson County, Kentucky, 21;