Dorcas is the earliest of the 16th known enslaved individuals held by the Bush family. She was originally enslaved by Sarah Bush (then Sarah Isaacs) and her first husband Benjamin Isaacs in Norwalk. She is willed to Sarah upon Benjamin’s death in 1775. Sarah remarries and moves into the home of her new husband, David Bush, in 1777. Dorcas was to go with her but it is unclear if Dorcas ever arrives in Cos Cob.
It appears that in chaos of the moved and the marriage, Dorcas finds the chance to flee. Only 14 years old, Dorcas self-emancipates and joins the British Army. By this time, Britain had promised freedom to any enslaved individual who joined their cause and promised to end slavery in the colonies if they won the war. Several others enslaved by the Bush family also joined the British army during this time.
After the war, the British Army sent Black Loyalists to Canada to prevent them from being re-enslaved. In 1783, Dorcas boarded the ship Concord for Port Mattoon, Nova Scotia. In 1784, Port Mouton burned to the ground. She then moved to Chedabucto Bay, later renamed Guysbourgh. In the winter of 1785, The British supply ship sending aid to the Loyalist population in Guysbourgh was overtaken by Americans. Most of the town starves. It is unknown if Dorcas was among the survivors.
