Bustill (Joseph Cassey), 1822-1895

Joseph Cassey Bustill was born in Philadelphia in 1822 to David Bustill and Elizabeth W. Hicks (a.k.a. Mary Hicks), members of a prosperous family of people of color; his father had English, African and Lenape ancestry. Joseph's brother was: Charles Hicks Bustill (1816–1890), who became prominent in the Underground Railroad.

Joseph married Sarah Humphreys (1829-?) and they had a child: Anna Amelia Bustill (1862-1945). He worked as a school teacher. But, like his brother, he supported abolitionism and became active in the Underground Railroad, serving as what was called a "shipping agent" to arrange shelter and passage for fugitive slaves.[1]

Career
A member of a group of activists at the Longwood Meeting in Kennett Square, Pennsylvania, Joseph C. Bustill "supported the efforts of some of the most outspoken abolitionists of antebellum America," according to historian Mary Ellen Snodgrass. Employed an educator at a school in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, he also co-founded the First Colored Presbyterian Church.[2]

In chronicling the life of her father, Anna Bustill Smith wrote: "He was always a polished writer and convincing speaker. He was the youngest member of the remarkable Underground Railroad, being only seventeen." She then added that, as with her cousin, Paul Robeson, her father "was 'a citizen of no mean city'—a Philadelphian of the Philadelphians—and was able to add to its honor and glory."[3][4]

During his time with the Underground Railroad, Joseph C. Bustill reportedly protected more than 1,000 runaway slaves, according to his daughter, operating in concert with William Still, the leader of the Pennsylvania Anti-Slavery Society, as well as Harrisburg Underground Railroad agents Thomas Morris Chester and William and Mary Jones.[5