Lydia N. Bushfield (maiden name: Nieswander) was born around 1807 in Virginia. She married Samuel B. Bushfield sometime around 1830, and they had at least six children: Ella, born around 1831; Catherine, born around 1833; Joseph, born around 1835; Samuel, born around 1837; Harris, born around 1839; and Mary, born around 1845. The family lived in Allegheny, Pennsylvania, and her husband worked as a merchant. They eventually moved to Wheeling, West Virginia, and by 1870, they owned $6,000 of real estate and $4,000 of personal property. Lydia died in Wheeling on February 16, 1877.