John was the son of Johannes Thrush and Sarah Siever/Seaver from Pennsylvania. His grandparents were Jacob and Catherine Thrush from Germany.
At some point John left Pennsylvania and was in Lee County, Iowa before 1840.

Early Oregonians Index, 1800-1860
Name: John Thrush
Birth Date: 1819
Birth Place: Dauphin, Pennsylvania, USA
Death Date: 1 Feb 1890
Death Place: Coos, Oregon, USA
Cemetery: Hultin, Thrush Cemetery


In the 1850 census of Lee County, Iowa, Elizabeth's mother "Elizabeth Trimble" age, 65, born 1785 in New Jersey is living with the family, she died after 1850, but before 1860, as she is no longer in the census records with the family.

The Thrush family crossed the plains from Iowa by Ox team
to California in 1854 , they spent two years in California mining for gold,and daughter Elizabeth was born in 1855.
They arrived in Oregon in 1856 .
They were in Douglas County by 1857 where their daughter Lydia was born. They remained there until sometime after 1870 ,John and some of his family moved to Coos County, Oregon.

Coquille City Herald, 11 Feb 1890)
Thrush, John ~ killed 1 Feb 1890 (
Pioneer History of Coos and Curry Counties, OR: Heroic deeds and thrilling ...By Orvil Dodge, Pioneer and Historical Association of Coos County, OR

A FEARFUL DISASTER.
On February, 1890, at three o'clock p. m. a landslide occurred at Randolph that resulted in the instant death of John Thrush and his grand-daughter, Miss Mary Russell. They lived in the upper end of town in the old Thrush residence. The slide came from the hill at the rear ot the house and carried the structure and its occupants into Randolph slough. The house was badly crushed, Richard Thrush, youngest son of the old gentleman killed, was badly cut in the side of the head and stunned to unconsciousness. Billy Hutchinson and a young brother of Miss Russel were also grandchildren of Mr. Thrush, and the only other occupants of the house, escaped uninjured. Miss Russel's body was found badly crushed, and was buried on Monday. Mr. Thrush was 72 years of age and left a host of relatives and friends in deep sorrow and mourning. Miss Russel was a daughter of J. N. Russel of Randolph and also is very deeply mourned. She was 19 years old. It was feared that the slide would carry the whole town away. A deep crack in the hill back of Randolph hotel caused much alarm.
Research by JMB