Through research, education, and civic engagement, the WITNESS STONES PROJECT, Inc. seeks to restore the history and to honor the humanity and contributions of the enslaved individuals who helped build our communities.
Witness Stones Placement
Since 2019 the Greenwich Historical Society has collaborated with The Witness Stones Project on this initiative that seeks to teach school-age children about enslaved persons in their hometowns. Students from Sacred Heart Greenwich and Greenwich Academy have researched the lives of Cull Bush Sr., Patience, their children, Phillis, Milley, Rose, and Cull Bush Jr., Candice Bush, her son Jack, and daughter Hester Mead, and Charles. Together, we are bearing witness to the lives of these enslaved individuals who lived, worked and loved in this historic home.
According to Historical Society research, approximately 300 enslaved people resided in Greenwich. Altogether, about 15 enslaved people worked at the Bush-Holley House. All lived and worked for David Bush and family at the Bush-Holley House. “Witness Stone Memorials” cast from cement and bronze with engravings of each person’s name, known birth and death dates and primary occupations, are placed in a garden below an attic believed to be where most of the enslaved people lived.
Students and teachers from Sacred Heart Greenwich and Greenwich Academy worked in conjunction with the Historical Society in researching the daily lives of the enslaved. The annual ceremony is the culmination of their work over many months.
So far, 10 memorial Witness Stones have been placed.
May 27, 2021 Ceremony
The May 27, 2021 ceremony honored four individuals — Cull Bush and his partner Patience, and Candice Bush and her daughter Hester Mead. Dennis Culliton, founder and executive director of The Witness Stones Project, and Teresa Vega, historian and genealogist gave opening remarks. Teachers Kelly Bridges and Angela Carstensen, from Sacred Heart Greenwich, and Kristen Erickson and Bobby Walker, from Greenwich Academy, worked with their students to research the lives of Cull, Patience, Candice and Hester. Their hard work and research was presented in a set of speeches from student representatives of each class and read during the ceremony. After closing remarks those in attendance had the honor of witnessing the placement of the stones.
May 25, 2022 Ceremony
The May 25, 2022 ceremony honored Jack, eldest son of Candice and brother of Hester, and Cull Jr. youngest son of Cull Bush Sr., and Patience. Dennis Culliton, founder and executive director of The Witness Stones Project, and Teresa Vega, historian and genealogist gave opening remarks. Teachers Heather Coffey and Angela Carstensen, from Sacred Heart Greenwich, and Bobby Walker, from Greenwich Academy, worked with their students to research the lives of Cull Jr. and Jack. Their hard work and research was presented in a set of speeches from student representatives, Isabella Nedder and Gabrielle Hughes from Sacred Heart Greenwich, and read during the ceremony. Teacher Bobby Walker presented his student’s speech for Greenwich Academy. After closing remarks those in attendance had the honor of witnessing the placement of the stones.
May 24, 2023 Ceremony
The May 24, 2023 ceremony honored four individuals — Charles, and sisters, Phillis, Milley, and Rose. Dennis Culliton, founder and executive director of The Witness Stones Project, and Teresa Vega, historian and genealogist gave opening remarks. Teachers Heather Coffey, Jillian Wolf, and Chris Cunningham from Sacred Heart Greenwich, and Bobby Walker, from Greenwich Academy, worked with their students to research the lives of Phillis, Milley, Rose and Charles. Their hard work and research was presented in a set of speeches from student representatives read during the ceremony. After closing remarks, memorial Witness Stones were placed for the four alongside their friends and family who were honored in years before.
Cull Bush Sr.
Cull was one of the 15 known enslaved persons held at the Bush-Holley House. The earliest known record of Cull is in the first United States Census in 1790. Although we do not know when Cull was first enslaved at the Bush household, we know he was held there until 1803, the year of his emancipation.
Cull spent half his live enslaved, but that is only half of his story. Cull was also a father of 6. He was a loyal partner to the mother of his children, Patience, who too was enslaved by the Bush family. Once freed, he was a head of a house and a landowner who bought and sold property in Cos Cob. Most of all, Cull was an achiever. In a world systematically stacked against him Cull created a family, a home and a career.
Patience
Phillis
Phillis was one of the fifteen enslaved people held at the Bush-Holley House. She was the oldest child of Cull Bush Sr and Patience, who were also enslaved by the Bush family. We know that Phillis lived in the Bush household with her family until the age of 9. We also know that she is no longer there by the age of 19. It seems that after the death of David Bush, the Bush family began to send Cull and Patience’s daughters out to serve in other households once they were old enough to work independently.
Milley was willed to David’s Widow, Sarah, after his death, and would have served her, or had the money for her labor sent to Sarah, until she was legally freed on her 21st birthday by the Gradual Emancipation Acts. We do not currently know where Phillis lived and worked after she left the Bush household. No records of her in freedom have been found. If you have any information about Phillis, please contact hlodge@greenwichhistory.org.
Milley
Milley was one of the fifteen enslaved people held at the Bush-Holley House. She was the second child of Cull Bush Sr and Patience, who were also enslaved by the Bush family. We know that Milley lived in the Bush household with her family until the age of 6. We also know that she is no longer there by the age of 16. It seems that after the death of David Bush, the Bush family began to send Cull and Patience’s daughters out to serve in other households once they were old enough to work independently.
Milley was willed to David’s daughter, Charlotte, after his death, and would have served her, or had the money for her labor sent to Charlotte, until she was legally freed on her 21st birthday by the Gradual Emancipation Acts. Knowing this, we are unsure where Milley was living at age 21. Charlotte had married and started her own household in Stamford a few years before. Records show that there was a Black woman living in the Stamford house, but we cannot know if it was Milley. No records of her in freedom have been found. If you have any information about Milley, please contact hlodge@greenwichhistory.org.
Rose
Rose was one of the fifteen enslaved people held at the Bush-Holley House. She was the third child of Cull Bush Sr and Patience, who were also enslaved by the Bush family. We know that Rose lived in the Bush household with her family until the age of 4. We also know that she is no longer there by the age of 14. It seems that after the death of David Bush, the Bush family began to send Cull and Patience’s daughters out to serve in other households once they were old enough to work independently.
Rose was willed to David’s daughter, Grace, after his death, and would have served her, or had the money for her labor sent to Grace, until she was legally freed on her 21st birthday by the Gradual Emancipation Acts. As Grace did not marry or move from her parents’ house before Rose’s 21st birthday, it is likely that Rose remained a maid for hire until she came of age. No records of her in freedom have been found. If you have any information about Rose, please contact hlodge@greenwichhistory.org.
Cull Bush Jr.
Cull Bush Jr. was one of the 15 enslaved people held at the Bush-Holley House. He was the youngest child of Cull Bush Sr. and Patience, who were also enslaved by the Bush family. Unlike his five older sisters, who were sent to work in other households once they were old enough to work independently – sometime between the ages of 7 and 12 – Cull Jr. grew up in the Bush household with his mother. His father, who has been freed just a year after Cull Jr. was born, lived nearby and was likely a continued presence in his life.
Thanks to the Gradual Emancipation Acts, Cull Jr. was freed when he turned 21 years old. He built a home next to his father’s in Cos Cob and married a woman named Cordelia. The couple had nine children together and their descendants continued to live in the area for generations to come. Some still live locally to this day.
Candice Bush
Hester Mead
Jack
Jack was one of the 15 enslaved people held at the Bush-Holley House. He was the oldest child of Candice Bush and the brother of Hester, who were also enslaved by the Bush family. Jack was among the last of the enslaved children born in the Bush-Holley House, along with his sister Hester and their peer Cull Jr. However – unlike the children born the decade before – Jack, Hester and Cull Jr. all lived and worked at the Bush household until they came of age. This meant that jack had the benefit of growing up with his mother and a tight-knit family group, which was not a common experience for enslaved children of the time.
Jack, Hester and Cull Jr. were all freed by the Gradual Emancipation Acts when they turned 21 years old. Once he was a free man and his choices were his own to make, it appears that Jack chose to leave Greenwich for good. We have not yet discovered records indicating where jack went to build his new life, leaving his adulthood a mystery. If you have any information about Jack, please contact hlodge@greenwichhistory.org.
Charles
Charles was one of the fifteen enslaved people held at the Bush-Holley House. Unlike most of those enslaved by the Bushes, Charles does not appear to be related by blood to the other enslaved individuals in the house.
Charles was a teenager when David Bush died in 1797. He is named in the will Inventory that year, but he was not willed to anyone in particular. Three years later, Charles is gone from the Bush household along with the only other two enslaved people named in the inventory but not given in the will; Jupiter and Peggy. It is likely that they were sold or given away during this time.
We do not know what happened to Charles after he leaves the Bush household. As he was born before the passing of the Gradual Emancipation Acts, his freedom was not guaranteed by law. There was a free man named Charles Moore in Greenwich of the right age and time to be Charles, but we cannot know if that was him or another. If you have any information about Charles, please contact hlodge@greenwichhistory.org.
