| There are many
theories about Buss origins the strength of which may
well lie in what one wants to believe. Dr
Henry Buss, in his privately published book Eighty Years
Experience of Life, offers a cogent and
(probably) carefully researched opinion, though
unfortunately it is not easy to corroborate. According to
Henry: "At the Restoration in 1689 William and Mary
brought over in their train from Holland, a Mrs. Buss,
who held the situation of nurse to the Princess Anne,
afterwards Queen." It seems that her children and
grandchildren spread themselves chiefly in the county of
Kent, in England. Not much is known about the intervening
years until William Church Buss settled in the village of
Bromley in Kent about the year 1775. From this point on
the connection to my branch of the Buss family is well
known.
Halbert's Registry of
Busses states that the name appears to be "both
locational and patronymical in origin. It can be
associated with the French, English and German meanings
of one who came from the Bus (wood) in France; dweller at
the wood or thicket; descendant of Burgio".
Halbert also publishes a reproduction of a Buss coat
of arms from Rietstap Armorial General (right,
below), but I consider this to be a complete
fabrication with no foundation in fact. Halbert has
done directories for the names of many families and it
appears that apart from the actual name listing there is
nothing distinctively useful in these publications. It is
a sheer commercial venture.
There is a Buss family crest which in
its various forms depicts a ship or boat. According to
Francis Fleetwood, Dutch fishermen used to go to sea in a
fishing boat called a busse (top right).
If this connects with the Mrs. Buss who accompanied
William and Mary to England then her forebears may have
been fishermen in Holland. But this is sheer supposition.
All that can be said is that this hypothesis holds more
weight than Halbert's suggestion.
Almost any English dictionary states that buss
is an obsolete word for a kiss, possibly based on the
French word baiser, to kiss. Americans buss
the table - or clear the dishes away in readiness for the
next customer in the grill. So by the etymology route
Busses could once have been romantic waiters. Needless to
say, you should not take this seriously!
|
 The orginal of this EX LIBRIS plate was
prepared by Francis Fleetwood Buss.
Detail: A Dutch Herring Buss - the
sailing boat in the background.
HALBERT'S phoney crest.
|
