Paolo Busti

Paolo Busti, or Paul Busti (17 October 1749 – 23 July 1824), was the principal agent of the Holland Land Company from 1800 until his death.

Paolo Busti
BornOctober 1749
Lombardy, Italy
Died23 July 1824
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Spouse(s)Elizabeth May
Paul Busti, Saint-Mémin Collection of Portraits, Group 36, 1801–1807

Early life
Plaque to honor Paolo Busti at the Holland Land Office Museum, Batavia, New York. Placed in his honor by Batavia's Italian-American citizens.

Busti was born in Lombardy, Italy in October 1749. He was the son of Giulio Cesare Busti and Marianna Zappa. Busti grew up in Milan and received his education in Italy.[1]

Career

He spent his early years working in the banking industry in Amsterdam, in his uncle's counting house, and moved to the United States in 1797.[1]

Busti succeeded the first company agent, Theophilus Cazenove, who returned to Europe in 1799. He established the Holland Land Company Office in Batavia, New York,[2] and hired his friend, Joseph Ellicott as one of his land agents and surveyors.[3] Busti, whose office was in Philadelphia, visited Western New York twice during his twenty-four years as leadership.[4]

Personal life

Busti was married to Elizabeth May, the daughter of John May, Jr. and Martha Naudin. The May family were of English origin and her father, uncle and grandfather were contractors, suppliers, and ship builders for the Dutch navy. Her older sister, Martha May, was married to Isaak ten Cate, of one of the Holland Land Company investors.[5] Paul Busti and Elizabeth May were married 14 February 1794 in Amsterdam. They had no children.[2]

Busti, who was predeceased by his wife in 1822,[6] died on 23 July 1824 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.[7]

Legacy

The Town of Busti, New York in Chautauqua County is named after him.[2]

References
  1. Committee, Paolo Busti Cultural Foundation Executive (1992). The Legacy of Italian-Americans in Genesee County, New York. Heart of Lakes Publishing. Retrieved 30 April 2019.
  2. Toal, Barbara Ann (2000). Batavia. Arcadia Publishing. p. 7. ISBN 9780738504674. Retrieved 30 April 2019.
  3. LaChiusa, Chuck. "Paolo Busti". buffaloah.com. Buffalo Architecture and History. Retrieved 30 April 2019.
  4. Publications of the Buffalo Historical Society. Bigelow Brothers. 1922. p. 39. Retrieved 30 April 2019.
  5. Vies, A. B. (1922). "Bijdrage tot de genealogie van het geslacht May". De Nederlandsche Leeuw (in Dutch). 40: 230–235. Retrieved 7 October 2021.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: date and year (link)
  6. "Elizabeth May Busti". www.nga.gov. National Gallery of Art. Retrieved 30 April 2019.
  7. Juliani, Richard N. (2010). Building Little Italy: Philadelphia's Italians Before Mass Migration. Penn State Press. p. 337. ISBN 9780271042480. Retrieved 30 April 2019.
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