Cyrus Bustill, the son of a white slavemaster and an enslaved woman of color, was born in 1732. He was sold to a Quaker named Thomas Prior who taught Bustill the bread-making trade.
In 1769, Prior freed Bustill who went on to become a successful baker on his own. During the Revolutionary War, he was commended for supplying American troops with baked goods at the Burlington docks, and reportedly given a silver piece by General Washington. In 1787, Bustill became one of the founders of Philadelphia’s Free African Society. He was also actively involved in the Underground Railroad in Philadelphia.
Bustill retired in 1797 and then built and opened a school for African American children in 1803. He died in 1804. His descendants include actor/activist Paul Robeson (great-great grandson) and grandson David Bustill Bowser was an abolitionist and an artist best known for his portraits of Abraham Lincoln and John Brown.
_________
Mixed Experience History Month is the annual blog post series created by writer Heidi Durrowcelebrating the history of the Mixed experience. Established in 2007, Mixed Experience History Month is an effort to highlight the long history of folks involved in the Mixed experience. Please look for more profiles of people, places and events of the Mixed experience every weekday of May at Lightskinned-ed Girl, the blog! Thanks for reading. And check out some of the previous year's profiles: 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011.
