Exchanging Buster Letters 1906-1911

*SIDENOTE: In response to the belief that the Busters had Irish blood is derived from the Scot-Irish culture in which the Busters had not only been heavily influenced based on the regions where they lived, (to read more about the Scot-Irish history, click here,) but also by the historical complexities that the English Busters found themselves in Ulster, Ireland, (to read more about English-Irish history, click here.) It's important to note that during the time the Busters lived in Ulster, it was illegal for the English to marry the Irish, although not illegal for the Scottish to marry the Irish. It wasn't until a couple of Busters, who had married into the Woods family while in America prior to the American Revolutionary War, which began mixing the Anglo-Saxons with the Gaelics. The Woods clan were of English, French, and Scottish decedents, and were of nobility, marring into the Bruce and Campbell clans.  Sir John Woods married Lady Isabella Bruce, possibly linking back to King Robert the Bruce of Scotland. Sir Michael Woods married Lady Mary Margret Campbell, decedent from Colin Campbell, 3rd Earl of Argyll who joined King James V to fight against the the highlander insurrection. So, hereditarily speaking, the Busters were of English and Scottish origins, not Irish, who had assimilated into the Scot-Irish culture in both Northern Ireland and Virginia/ Kentucky regions.

Letter: Macon, Mo, July 11, 1906

Mrs. Ryland Todhunter, Lexington, Mo 

Dear Madam:

In reply to your letter of April 25th, but recently received, will I say I was very much pleased to hear from you, like you, am very much interested in my family history. I have never yet found a person by the name of "Buster" who was not related to me. I have never been able to trace our family further back than Virginia and about the year 1790. As I have it, four Busters came from Virginia to Wayne Co., KY, many years ago and settled just northeast of Monticello. I have been on the ground and made inquiry concerning the family. There were four boys; Mike, who came to this State and died; John, a Hardshell Baptist preacher, and my grandfather, who came to this county and died leaving quite a family; "Jockey" Bill, who went to Texas and succeeded, he and his son, in making quite a fortune. One of his boys, John W. , now lives in Texas. A few years ago I helped buy him a train load of thoroughbred cattle to stock his ranch. The other son lived and died in Wayne Co., KY, and I now have an aunt living in Clinton Co., KY. I was in Kentucky in 1893 and went out to the old neighborhood in which my family lived. I found my family had been quite prominent in the early history of Wayne Co., having held quite a few of the offices in that county. My grandfather married into the family of Tuttles and later into the Baker family, both Kentucky families. My great-grandfather's name was Charles Buster. You will see how we have kept the name down to the present., and they came from Virginia to Kentucky. My grandfather certainly had Irish blood in him as his language indicated it. He used to tell me when I was a very small boy that his grandfather, if I am not mistaken, anyway some one of his relatives was a soldier in the Revolutionary War. My grandfather was a soldier in the War of 1812. I have heard your name spoken of by my grandfather, but I was such a small boy when he died that I don't remember much about it.
C. G. Buster pp. 212-213


Letter: Macon, Mo., July 18, 1911
Mrs. Jas E. Cantrill, Georgetown, KY 

Dear Madam: 

In reply to your very welcome letter will say it gives me pleasure to give you all the information in my power concerning our family tree, and while my knowledge is very limited, I know that we are related; and as you are going to Monticello will say I was there in 1893, and, in conversation with the older inhabitants, I found that my grandfather, John Buster, came from Virginia when a small boy with his family and that he afterwards moved to Missouri, and preached the Gospel as a "hardshell", for his entire life, dying at the age of eighty-five years; that he was a pensioner of the War of 1812 and I have his picture with a like company of soldiers taken in 1874. My grandfather had a cousin that came to Missouri about the time that he did by the name of Mike Buster, and also a cousin moved to Texas by the name of J. W. Buster, who grew wealthy in the cattle business. I do not know my grandfather's family except that I was informed that he was one of a large family and was one of the youngest children, in fact, was born as a diminutive child of 3 pounds; that he has four brothers that I have heard him speak of and one in particular by the name of Charley. In fact, my father's name is Charley and my name is Charley and we have 2 or 3 other Charleys- hence, you see, the name is a favorite name. Again referring to my trip to Monticello, will say I examined the old records and found that several of our relatives were office holders in the county of Wayne; that the family lived just northeast of town on what is now known as "Sinking Creek". Of course, I will be glad to hear from you as to what you find out and I will ask you to write to me. Now, coming to the more modern family history, will say, I have never met a Buster that did not trace his ancestry back to my relations. My grandfather was a man of large influence in the pioneer days of Missouri and I yet hear of the old people recalling some of his characteristics. He boasted of his Scotch blood and was known as a wise and witty preacher. He preached during the Civil War and notwithstanding our border warfare he was never disturbed-a very remarkable thing. 

C. G. Buster, pp. 213-214

Resource: http://www.ourfamilyhistories.org
Resource: http://genealogytrails.com/ken/wayne/chapter_10.html#buster-woods