Sarah Lewis Bush (1920- ) Collection (KC0237)
Sarah Lewis Bush was born on September 17, 1920 in
Kansas City, Missouri.
She received her High School Diploma from Central High School
in 1937; her Associates degree from Kansas City
Junior College in 1939; her A.B. from University of Kansas
in 1941; and her B.S. in Library Science from the University of Illinois
in 1943. From her graduation in 1943 until
her marriage to Walter Bush in 1946, Sarah Lewis (Bush) held several library
positions in Kansas City.
Shortly thereafter, the Bushes moved to California, where they
have since lived. They have two
sons: William Read Bush, and Robert
Nelson Bush.
The papers in this collection span three generations of Sarah Lewis Bush’s
family: from her grandfather, Dr.
Charles Wesley Burrill; her parents, Evelyn Burrill Lewis and William A. Lewis;
to her brother, William Charles Lewis.
Charles Wesley Burrill was born in
Pittsfield,
Massachusetts, October 21, 1845.
At the age of 18, when the Civil War broke out, he enlisted in the army.
After the war, he attended
Rush
Medical
College, and later, Northwestern School of Medicine.
He graduated from the latter in 1872.
Burrill practiced in Chicago until he came
to Kansas City, Missouri in 1879.
He served as a General Practitioner in Kansas City for some 50
years. Of note is his position as
Surgeon General of the Grand Army of the Republic, circa 1921-1927.
Dr. Charles Wesley Burrill and his wife, Viancie Emery Burrill had two
daughters: Lettie Evelyn (Evelyn),
and Edith Viancie. Evelyn Burrill
(Lewis) was Sarah Bush’s mother.
Evelyn Burrill (born January 2, 1876) attended the
University
of Illinois.
She graduated after 3 years with Phi Beta Kappa honors in 1902.
She returned to Kansas City as a teacher.
For a number of years, she taught in the History Department of Central
High School of Kansas City.
She was also president of the Kappa Kappa Gamma Alumni organization in Kansas City.
In 1912, Evelyn Burrill married the head of the History Department at
Central
High School, William A.
Lewis. She remained active in the Women’s
City Club, the American Association of University Women, and the Kappa Sorority
Sisters for many years. She died on
April 8, 1966.
William A. Lewis was born at Flagg Station, near
Rockford,
Illinois, December 1, 1872.
He received his B.A. and M.A. degrees from the
University of
Michigan and continued his
graduate studies at the Universities of Kansas, Chicago, Cornell and Harvard.
William A. Lewis came to Kansas City in 1902, and
soon became the Head of Central High School’s History Department.
He taught there until the High School moved from 11th and Locust to
another location in 1915. The building at
11th and Locust then became the site of
Kansas City’s Junior College.
William Lewis continued at the Jr. College as head of its History and
Social Studies Department until his death in 1942.
Evelyn and William Lewis were the parents of three children:
William Charles, Bethlea Evelyn, and Sarah Lillian.
Correspondence, newspaper clippings, and other documents regarding members of
Sarah Lewis Bush’s family: Dr.
Charles Wesley Burrill, Surgeon General of the Grand Army of the Republic and
doctor in Kansas City, Evelyn Burrill Lewis, and William A. Lewis, educators in
early 20th century Kansas City. Also
included are several items of historical interest, such as a political flyer
from approximately 1890 and postcards from the Emery Bird Thayer Company.
1888-1972.
47 folders.
INVENTORY
© WHMC-KC,
University of Missouri
updated:
Friday, August 08, 2008
Western Historical Manuscript Collection-Kansas City
(816) 235-1543 WHMCKC@umkc.edu