Paul Busti, or ''Paulus Busti'' or ''Paolo Busti'' (baptised 17 October 1749 – 23 July 1824), was the chief operating officer of the

Holland Land Company The Holland Land Company was an unincorporated syndicate of thirteen Dutch investors from Amsterdam who in 1792 and 1793 purchased the western two-thirds of the Phelps and Gorham Purchase, an area that afterward was known as the Holland Purchase ...

from 1797 until his death. He was one of the first prominent real estate operators in the Philadelphia area.

Early life

Busti was born in

Lombardy Lombardy ( it, Lombardia, Lombard language, Lombard: ''Lombardia'' or ''Lumbardia' '') is an administrative regions of Italy, region of Italy that covers ; it is located in the northern-central part of the country and has a population of about 10 ...

(Italy). He was the son of Giulio Cesare Busti, a Milanese banker, and Marianna Zappa and was baptised ''Pauolo Ignatio Gerardo Maria Busti''. Busti received a liberal education; he spoke several languages.

Career

From 1771, he was sent to

Amsterdam Amsterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Amstel'') is the Capital of the Netherlands, capital and Municipalities of the Netherlands, most populous city of the Netherlands, with The Hague being the seat of government. It has a population ...

, working in his uncle's

counting house A counting house, or counting room, was traditionally an office in which the financial books of a business were kept. It was also the place that the business received appointments and correspondence relating to demands for payment. As the use of ...

. He lived at Herengracht 455 (

Golden Bend The Gouden Bocht (English: "Golden Bend") is the most prestigious part of the Herengracht in Amsterdam, Netherlands, between Leidsestraat and Vijzelstraat. Until 1663 the Herengracht reached as far as the present Leidsegracht. From that year o ...

) and 619. (In 1796 the Bolongaro Simonetta Company liquidated.) In 1797 he moved to the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

. Busti was named ''Agent General'' of the Holland Land Company following the departure of

Theophilus Cazenove Theophilus Cazenove, or Theophile Cazenove (13 October 1740 – 6 March 1811), was a Dutch financier and one of the agents of the Holland Land Company. Life and career Theophilus Cazenove was baptized in the Westerkerk in Amsterdam as the son o ...

in 1799. Busti supervised resident land agents located in

Barneveld, New York Barneveld is a hamlet (and census-designated place) located within the Town of Trenton in Oneida County, New York, United States. The population was 284 at the 2010 census, when it was an incorporated village. The name is derived from the name of ...

Cazenovia, New York Cazenovia is an incorporated Administrative divisions of New York#Town, town in Madison County, New York. The population was 6,740 at the time of the 2020 census. The town is named after Theophilus Cazenove , Theophile Cazenove, the ''Agent Gener ...

Batavia, New York Batavia is a city in and the county seat of Genesee County, New York, United States. It is near the center of the county, surrounded by the Town of Batavia, which is a separate municipality. Batavia's population as of the 2020 census was 15,6 ...

and

Meadville, Pennsylvania Meadville is a city in and the county seat of Crawford County, Pennsylvania. The city is within of Erie and within of Pittsburgh. It was the first permanent settlement in Northwestern Pennsylvania. The population was 13,388 at the 2010 censu ...

. Busti approved the establishment by

Joseph Ellicott Joseph Ellicott (November 1, 1760 in Bucks County, Pennsylvania – August 19, 1826 in New York City) was an American surveyor, city planner, land office agent, lawyer and politician of the Quaker faith. Life Ellicott was born in Bucks Cou ...

of the Holland Land Company Office in Batavia, New York, In 1802

Harm Jan Huidekoper Harm Jan Huidekoper (April 3, 1776 – May 22, 1854) was a businessman, philanthropist, essayist and lay theologian, a vice president of the American Unitarian Association, and a founder of the Meadville Theological School. Early life Huidekope ...

transferred to Philadelphia to become his assistant. Busti dealt with

Robert Morris (financier) Robert Morris Jr. (January 20, 1734May 8, 1806) was an English-born merchant and a Founding Father of the United States. He served as a member of the Pennsylvania legislature, the Second Continental Congress, and the United States Senate, and he ...

Aaron Burr Aaron Burr Jr. (February 6, 1756 – September 14, 1836) was an American politician and lawyer who served as the third vice president of the United States from 1801 to 1805. Burr's legacy is defined by his famous personal conflict with Alexand ...

John Dunlap John Dunlap (1747 – 27 November 1812) was an early American printer who emigrated from Ireland and who printed the first copies of the United States Declaration of Independence and was one of the most successful Irish/American printers of his ...

and

Alexander Hamilton Alexander Hamilton (January 11, 1755 or 1757July 12, 1804) was an American military officer, statesman, and Founding Father who served as the first United States secretary of the treasury from 1789 to 1795. Born out of wedlock in Charlest ...

(the treasurer). Busti kept a diary and as a farmer he made notes about improving agriculture, and the weather.Building Little Italy: Philadelphia's Italians Before Mass Migration by Richard N. Juliani
/ref> Twice Busti visited

Western New York Western New York (WNY) is the westernmost region of the U.S. state of New York. The eastern boundary of the region is not consistently defined by state agencies or those who call themselves "Western New Yorkers". Almost all sources agree WNY in ...

during his twenty-four years as leadership. There he met with Francois Adriaan van der Kemp, and John Lincklaen.

Personal life

In 1794 Busti married Elisabeth May, the daughter of John May, Jr. and Martha Naudin. The May family were of English origin and her father, uncle and grandfather were

shipwrights Shipbuilding is the construction of ships and other floating vessels. It normally takes place in a specialized facility known as a shipyard. Shipbuilders, also called shipwrights, follow a specialized occupation that traces its roots to befor ...

, contractors, and suppliers for the

Admiralty of Amsterdam The Admiralty of Amsterdam was the largest of the five Dutch admiralties at the time of the Dutch Republic The United Provinces of the Netherlands, also known as the (Seven) United Provinces, officially as the Republic of the Seven ...

. The Naudin family were merchants of French descent. Elisabeth's older sister, Martha May, was married to Isaak ten Cate, of one of the Holland Land Company investors. Busti, who was predeceased by his wife in 1822, died on 23 July 1824 in

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

Legacy

The Town of Busti, New York and the village of Busti in Chautauqua County are named after him. There is also a Busti Avenue in Buffalo, New York, and the Paolo Busti Cultural Foundation in Batavia, New York.

References

External links

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Cultural Identity and Paul Busti
{{DEFAULTSORT:Busti, Paolo 1749 births 1824 deaths Dutch emigrants to the United States People from Lombardy Businesspeople from Amsterdam