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as alCopyright 2000-2019 John N. Lupia, III
Samuel Charles Bushnell (1887-1957), was born on August 17, 1887, at Peoria, Illinois, son of William M. Bushnell (1864-), a general freight agent for the railroads, and Laura Smith Bushnell (1866-1948).
Blue eyed Sam Bushnell was a 6'-2" weighing 190 lbs., and followed in his father's footsteps becoming a general agent for the railroads. He collected stamps, coins and paper money, especially old mail of the Gold Rush Era, and broken bank bills. He was very active in Missouri numismatics and a friend of Eric P. Newman. Both were active in several numismatic circles and societies together.
The 1900 U.S. Census lists Bushnell living with his parents at 4235 McRee Avenue, St. Louis, Missouri.
In 1903, he joined the Chicago, Peoria & St. Louis Railroad.
In February 1907, he ran an advertisement as a paper money collector soliciting old broken notes and CA paper money when he was living at Oak Park, Illinois, in the Philatelic West, Vol. 35, No. 2, February (1907) : ad on recto 56thleaf, or display ad on recto of the 11thfrom back end of the magazine.
In 1907, Bushnell became a buyer U. S. paper money from Burdette G. Johnson, St. Louis Stamp & Coin Company. This is gleaned in "A Tribute to the Late Burdette G. Johnson," The Numismatist, June (1947) : 421-422. Both Carl W. Lounsberry and Bushnell weres friends for forty years and school chums growing up together.
On February 26, 1908, he married Gertrude May Waggoner Barnes (1886-1977), daughter of Samuel Barnes and Jennie A. Waggoner Barnes. They had children : Wilbur Samuel Bushnell (1909-1993), Frances M (1919-), Richard B (1915-), Charles Hunt Bushnell (1922-2007), and William Everett Bushnell (1926-). Gertrude Bushnell was also an avid stamp collector with her husband.
In 1938, he was chairman of the St. Louis Numismatic Society exhibition committee.
In June 1939, he exhibited his collection of U. S. paper money, fractional currency, especially Missouri State bills at the St. Louis Numismatic Society and also at the Missouri Numismatic Society.
On June 10, 1940, he was unanimously elected president of the Missouri Numismatic Society.
Bushnell purchased paper money and broken bank bills from Smith & Son (q.v.).
In September 1941 he moved to St. Charles, Missouri using R #1, Box 94 as his mailing address.
On April 26, 1942, he registered for the draft during WWII.
Bushnell was an aerophilatelist, i.e., he collected covers sent via air mail service and prized the postage and post-markings. He was also a member of the American Air Mail Society since 1933. Daily Cosmos-Monitor, July 8, 1947 page 1.
In October 1953 he was listed in The Numismatist as a donor to the ANA Library.
The 1955 Centennial of the St. Charles, Missouri Post Office was researched by Bushnell having its origin in St. Peters on December 31, 1855.
Oak Grove Cemetery, Bel-Nor, St. Louis County, Missouri.
He died on August 25th, 1957, 8 days after his 70th birthday, at St. Joseph's Hospital, St. Charles, Missouri.
He was a member of the Missouri Historical Society.
Bibliography :
The Air Post Journal, December (1932) : 28
American Philatelist (1933) : 385
Hobbies, Vol. 40, No. 8 (1935) : 44
The Numismatist, June (1938) : 525
The Numismatist, June (1939) : 469, 476, 496
The Numismatist, July (1939) : 578
The Numismatist, November (1939) : 868, 945
The Numismatist, January (1940) : 50
The Numismatist, July (1940) : 526
The Numismatist, September (1941) : 697
The Bulletin of the Missouri Historical Society (1946) : 113
Daily Cosmos-Monitor, July 8, 1947 page 1
The Western Brand Book, Vol. VI (1949-1950) : 38
St. Charles Daily Cosmos-Monitor, Thursday, December 29, 1955, pages 1, and 46
The Numismatist, June (1958) : 696
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