Born in
Burlington, New Jersey, on February 2, 1732, Cyrus Bustill was the son of Quaker lawyer Samuel Bustill and Parthenia, a woman of African descent whom Samuel enslaved. After Samuel Bustill died in 1742, his widow, Grace Bustill, arranged for the sale of Cyrus Bustill to fellow Quaker Thomas Prior (or "Pryor") with the understanding that Prior would allow Cyrus to train and earn enough money as an apprentice baker to purchase his freedom. By 1791, Cyrus Bustill was recorded as owning twelve acres in the black settlement of Guineatown between the
Abington and
Cheltenham townships in
Montgomery County, Pennsylvania. Their children include
Grace Douglass, David Bowser Bustill, and Mary Bustill. Considered the founder of the prominent
Bustill family, his descendants include
Paul Robeson (1898–1976),
David Bustill Bowser (1820–1900)
Sarah Mapps Douglass (1806–1882),
Robert Douglass Jr. (1809–1887) and
Gertrude Bustill Mossell (1855–1948). Cyrus Bustill died in 1806. His grave is located at the
Eden Cemetery in
Collingdale, Pennsylvania. ==References==