Recollections: Legends of Yesterday - The Bush Family

­­This is a reprint of original articles by Hugh Woolley, a longtime resident and community leader of Graceville. Woolley published these articles in The Graceville News more than 20 years ago.

Originally published in the October 17, 2002 edition of The Graceville News.

The County Heritage Book is really gaining ground. Stories like today’s example are beginning to come in regularly. The deadline was set for October 31st of this year. The good news is the final deadline will be set sometime after January 1, 2003. If the committee did not have deadlines, people would drag around to last few days and say, “It’s too late and I can’t do it.” So get on the ball and get your family written up for the book. Thanks to Jane Pennington for the good write up about the book last week.

The following was written by Sidney Bush for The Book.

Douglas was born to Thomas Brock and Clebe Brown Bush on March 23, 1912 in the Noma, Florida community. He was the fourth of ten children. He received all of his formal education at the school that was located in Noma.

Douglas married Leo Register on August 26, 1933 and he farmed for other people until they bought a farm in 1936 located in the Poplar Springs community. Their first child Sidney C. Bush was born April 5, 1937 and their second and last child Katie Susan Bush was born August 28, 1939.

The Bush Family - Doug, Leo, Susan, and Sidney

In 1940 Douglas and his brother-in-law, R.C. Register, Jr., bought a grocery store on the main street in Graceville, Florida. They named the store Bush and Register Grocery Market and operated it until 1943 when they both were drafted in the military during World War II. Records show that Douglas was on a ship 300 miles downwind when the first atomic bomb dropped on Japan. He was with the first group that occupied Japan after their surrender. Douglas was honorably discharged December 31, 1945 and he returned to Graceville and became part owner of a store and Collins Old Mill. His wife Leo helped operate the store and he operated the mill. The water ground corn meal was sold under the label “Register’s Water Ground Corn Meal”. Douglas and his wife Leo sold their share of the store and mill in 1954.

Douglas and Leo built a new store in Graceville located in the triangle of Cliff Street and Peanut Road. Leo operated the store and Douglas went to work for West Florida Electric. The store with the name “Doug Bush Grocery-Market” stayed in operation until his death April 29, 1976. Leo remained in the house he built behind the store until her death August 24, 1997.

Their son Sidney C. Bush married Mary R. Carter February 11, 1960. Sidney retired as a Master Chief Petty Officer (E-9) from the U.S. Navy and returned with his wife to Graceville in October 1975.

Their daughter Susan Bush married Peter Dobrowolski June 10, 1957 and moved to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania where they still reside.

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