the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ, In celebration of Black History Month the Ridgewood blog recognizes the contributions of Black Founders and Patriots who fought and contributed to the founding of this Great Nation .
Cyrus Bustill
Cyrus Bustill was born in Burlington in 1732. His father was an English lawyer and his mother a slave. Because the status of the child follows the status of the mother, this meant that Bustill was a slave. He was trained to be a baker by a Thomas Prior, who was a Quaker. At the age of 36, Bustill got his freedom. During the American Revolutiion he helped the army with something it had a great need for, bread. He was commended for this service and received a silver piece for General George Washington.