The Family History of Lucy Ellender “Ellen” Butler
Mother of The 6 Steele Brothers
of Georgia and Their 3 Sisters
Pa and Granny Steele and
her dog “Doodie”
Pictured Celebrating their
64th Wedding Anniversary in 1933
Lucy Ellender “Ellen”
Butler was born on October 3, 1851 on a cotton plantation
in Dooly County,
Georgia
She married Walter Simeon
Steele on February 18, 1869 in Pike County, Molena, Georgia
She died on May 6, 1937 in
Clayton County, Georgia
She and Walter are buried
at Berea Church Cemetery, Henry County, Hampton, Georgia
The Butler Coat of Arms
The Butler surname came to Ireland with the
Anglo- Norman invasion of the 12th century, led by the forces of Strongbow. The
surname came from a common occupational name for a wine steward or the chief
servant of a medieval household.
This Butler
Family emigrated in 1632 from Braintree, Essex England
to the
Massachusetts Bay Colony and Boston
Butler
Coat of Arms
The
Butler Coat of Arms has a Quartered Escutcheon, The Blazon for the Butler Coat
first indicates that it is a quartered shield and then identifies the Tincture
(or color) of the 1st and 4th quarters as being Or (yellow or gold, in this
case, yellow). Next, the Blazon describes a band across each of these yellow
quarters, in the Chief position, (meaning "across the top") as
Indented (or diagonally scalloped) and tinctured Azure, (blue). Next the Blazon
describes the 2nd and 3rd quarters as being tinctured Gules (red). The Butler
Blazon then numbers and describes the Charges applied to the red quarters as
"six Cups Or" (or six golden goblets). By convention the charges are
divided evenly between the 2nd and 3rd quarters, giving three Cups to each
quarter. The heraldic "Cups" are covered wine goblets, and are common
to many of the various Butler arms. Although probably not exclusive to the
Butlers, these Cups are quite rare in other arms compared to the more common
charges.
Butler
is an occupational last name derived from the old French “bouteillier” which
comes from the Latin word “buticula” means bottle. ... Modern variations of the
name include Boutler, Buttlar, and Buteler. Counties associated with the name.
Waterford, Wexford, Kilkenny and Tipperary. Coat of arms motto
Among the symbols on the shield are bottles,
since the first Butlers were bottlers to the king thus deriving their name; a
cross for the crusades with a mark for each time a member of the family went on
a crusade; a gold portion for participation in the Battle of the Field of the
Cloth of Gold, and a lion, for affiliation with Richard the Lion-hearted. Also
on the crest is the family motto, Comme
je trouve, meaning I take things as I find them. Flanking the main part of the shield are a falcon and
griffin, traditional heraldic characters.
The Family History of Lucy
Ellender “Ellen” Butler Steele
The Mother of The Steele Brothers of Georgia
1821 The Steele
family story that Lucy Ellen was born October
3, 1851 on a plantation on the banks of the Flint River in southwest
Georgia is true. The location has been a
mystery until now. The plantation was in
Dooly County near Byromville which is between Turkey Creek and
the Flint River. This Butler Family
Story begins with a little girl orphaned
at age 8 and followers the family back to 1632 when William Butler arrived in
Boston from England. The family history dates back to 1525 in Essex
England and as founders of Hartford,
Conn. Their migration south through the
Carolinas and to Georgia was as pioneers seeking new land for settlement.
Lucy
Ellen Butler’s father was Matthew
Crumpler Butler, born in Sampson Co NC in 1812. He acquired land in the 16th
District of Dooly County through the 1821 Land Lottery. In this 1821 Land Lottery lots were 202.5
acres. The land lottery program was organized
under the then GA Governor John Milledge after the Land Treaty was signed with
the Creek and Muscogee Indian Treaty by William
McIntosh at Indian Springs, GA.
Mathew
died December 31, 1859 of typhoid
fever. His son Lott H Butler also died in December 1859. On January 1, 1860 Lucy Ellen’s mother, Mary
Ann and her oldest sister Anna Maria also died of typhoid fever. At the time of his death Matthew Butler owned
own a large cotton plantation, 6 slaves, real estate valued at $7,000 and
personal property valued at $8,270. .
The death of these 4 family members left Lucy
Ellen and her 6 brothers and sisters orphaned.
It can be assumed that other family members cared for these
children. The details of their care is
not clear, but Matthew Butler explicitly requested in his Will that proceeds
from his estate be used for the care and education of his children.
After
Lucy Ellen Butler was orphaned at age 8, the 1860 U S Census shows Lucy Butler
age 8 and Charley W Butler age 5, each with assets of $305, living with a 59
year old widow woman named Fannie Fuller in the 26th District of Sumter
Co GA near Americus, GA. The 1860 Census of Sumter Co GA shows Fannie
Fuller has land valued at $1000 and personal property valued at $3500. .Apparently, this kind widow lady took in 2
of the Steele children to raise. The
child, Charley W Butler, is a mystery because he is not listed on any family
list, but later records show he was born in 1854.
Frances
“Fanny” Bailey Fuller had married James Anderson Fuller and they had 7
children. James Anderson had served in
the military and had won land in the 1827 Land Lottery. By 1860 Fannie Fuller’s children were grown and James
Fuller had died in 1853 at the age of 63. In 1850 Fanny had lived in Meriwether Co GA near her daughter Mary
Frances.. In 1860 she was living in Sumter
Co GA. Then she moved back to
Meriwether Co and lived with her daughter, where she died at age 61 in
1862. Now Ellen and Charley Butler were orphans
once again.
Fanny
and John Fuller’s daughter, Mary Frances Fuller (1830 – 1910) , who
married Rhodom Maxey Brooks (1832 – 1891) while living in Meriwether
Co, GA in 1851. They had 7
children. Records show that Mary Frances
and Rhodom Maxey Brooks continued to care for Lucy and Charley Butler after her
mother died. R M Brooks served as a
Private in the Civil War, 1st Regiment, Georgia Infantry, Company
F.
By
1867 the Brooks family had moved to Pike County, GA Milita District 505,
which is present day Molena GA.
The 1870 Pike County Census shows the following Brooks family
members:
Rowdon
age 38, Mary Frances age 38, Henrietta age 16, James M age 14, William age
12, Rowlin age 11, John W age 9, Simon age 6, Eddie age 4, Mary
E age 5 months and Charles Butler age 15.
All of the children of age are attending school. Lucy Ellen Butler is not listed in the
household at this time.
On
February 18, 1869 Lucy Ellen Butler married Walter Simon “ W. S.” Steele in
Molena GA in the presence of the R. M. Brooks family and was married
by Rev. James Weaver. A copy of this
Marriage Certificate is in the Steeles of Georgia collection. Rev James Weaver had a store and post office at
a place near Molena called Weaver. Walter
Simon and Lucy Ellen Steele had 9 children including the 6 Steele Brothers of
Georgia. The family history is published
at www.steelesofgeorgia.blogspot.com
The
Brooks Family lived in Pike County, Molena, GA for generations. Mary Frances Fuller Brooks lived with her son
John Winfield Brooks in Molena until her death at age 79 on Jan 22, 1910. He had a wife and 5 children and he was a
railroad conductor. He moved to Arcadia,
DeSoto, FL where he died On Mar 11, 1932 and is buried in the Molena Cemetery. Her son William Henry Brooks (1860 – 1898)
was a farmer, had a wife and 4 children and lived in Molena. Her son James Maxey Brooks (1855 – 1931) was
a railroad conductor, had a wife and 5
children and lived in Molena. His son,
Roscoe at age 19 was also a railroad conductor.
His son James at age17 was a merchant.
His son Basil at age 16 was a bookkeeper. There are 26 burials of members of the Brooks
family in the Molena Cemetery located east of town on Hwy 105 Spring Road. Possibly, some of the Brooks Family still lives
in the area. We are thankful they cared
for our Grandmother. Ellen and Walter’s son, Morton Steele, named his 2nd daughter Mary
Frances Steele, Ellen’s granddaughter,
possibly in honor of Ellen’s surrogate Mother, Mary Frances.
Lucy Ellender “Ellen” Butler’s Family
Dooly
County, Vienna, Georgia
1821 Her
father was Matthew Crumpler Butler and was born December 24, 1812
in Sampson County NC, located just west of Fayetteville NC, where his father
had received a land grant of 400 acres to create a plantation. Matthew and other members of the Butler
family won land grants in the 1821
Georgia Land Lottery for land in west Dooly County GA near the town of
Bryomville located between the Flint River and Turkey Creek.
In 1840 he owned 6 slaves – 3 males under
10, 1 male under 23, 2 females under 10 which means he had 5 slave children and
1 grown male slave. His family consisted of himself, Mary Ann and one child,
Anna Maria.
In 1850 he owned 4 slaves – 1 age 12, 1 male age 10 and 1
female age 8.
1859, December 31
- Matthew Crumpler Butler died of Typhoid fever, but was not
recorded until 1860. He made a verbal death bed Nuncupative Will
as shown below. At the time of his death he owned 5 slaves
- 1 male age 45, 1 male age 25, 1 male age 21 , 1 female age 18 and 1
male age 12, real estate valued at $7,000 and personal
property valued at $8,270. It was a
large cotton plantation. His oldest
son Lott H Butler age 17 also died in December 1859.
1860, January
1 Her Mother Mary Ann Forehand Butler died of typhoid fever at age 44. She was born in 1816. They met
and married in Dooly County , Vienna, GA.
located just west of I-75 in South GA.
1860, January 1 ,
their oldest daughter Anna Maria, age21, died of typhoid fever .
1860, January 1 - The
remaining 7 Butler Children became orphans – they are:
Arabella “Belle” age
18, Fort age 16, Frances age 14, John age 12, Caroline age 10, Lucy age 8, Josephine age 5 , and M A age 1. The child Charley Butler is later found
living with Lucy and a widow lady named Frances “Fannie” Fuller. The arrangement for these children is not known, but Matthew’s will stated that his estate provide
for the care and education of his children.
Mathew and Mary
Ann Butler had 11 or 12 children:
- Anna Maria
Butler b. 1838 –died January 1, 1860
of typhoid fever
-Arrabella “Belle’
Butler b. Nov 1841 – d.
6-23-1919, married 1-30-1879 to Cornelius Patrick (1825 – 1899) a farmer. At age 38, Bell lived in Dist 1, Dooly Co GA,
at age 43 she had one child, Lillie M Patrick b. 1884. In 1900 she lived in
Vienna, GA. Cornelius Patrick died
2-22-1899 in Dooly Co GA. As a widow
Belle lived with daughter, Lillie, who married Charlie Hollon, who had one
child, Luther. Before marrying Bell,
Cornelius Patrick was married to Lydia Rackley Kelly (1838 – 1876) and they had
4 children John, Sarah, Anthony and Pernal.
After his first wife died, he married Bell. In 1910 Belle age 68 is
living with Lillie and Charlie Hollon in Cooling Town in 1st
District near the Dooly Tower, which could be the Walton Lookout Tower near the
intersection of Highways # 257 and # 215.
-Lott H Butler
1842 – died December 1859 of typhoid
fever
- Fort M Butler
1843 – 1863
- Frances Butler
1846 –
- John Foster
Butler 1851 – 1924 A farmer,
lived and died in Vienna, GA. He married
Ella Larette Patrick on 1-25-1876 in Drayton, Dooly Co GA. They had 8 children: Clara
Lena, Matthew Patrick Butler, Ava Mae,
Effie Estelle, Johnnie Bell, Annie Lou, Jerome Brown Butler and Bessie Louise. In 1910 he had a boarding house at 3rd
Street, Vienna, GA with 12 boarders. In
1920 at age 70 he owned a house on Pine
Street , is a merchant selling ice. Daughter
Bessie lives at home and is a stenographer for Empire Cotton Oil Co. He had 2 boarders, a lawyer named Robert D
Landan and Annie Landan. Son Jerome B
Butler lives on Pine St with his family and is a merchant in Thomaston, GA.
- Sarah Elizabeth
“Babe” Butler 1851 – 1871 She
was born in Macon Co GA and died at age 20 in Baker Co GA. She married James Walter Walters (1842 –
1911) and had 2 children, Walter Calvin Walters (1867 – 1926) and Sarah
Elizabeth Walters (1870 – 1936) Walter Walters also married Margaret McCollum
((1849 – 1927) and had 11 children Carrie, Lavonnie, Chad, Clarence, Clifford,
Dodie, Jammie, Madge, Thadeus, Toy and Willie.
- Carrie Butler
1852 – 1921 – married J M Walters died suddenly in Montezuma, GA July 29, 1921
* Lucy Ellender “Ellen”
Butler Steele 10-03-1851 – 5-06-1937*M. Walter Simeon Steel, Molena, GA 2- 18-1869
? Charley W Butler
1855 –? Later he lived with Lucy Ellen and the Fuller and Brooks families
-Clifford,
Josephine Butler 1857 – 1945
- Mary Butler
1859 – 1918
The Death Bed Nuncupative Will of Matthew Crumpler Butler
It is my Will and desire that I shall be
buried in a Christian manner and that all by lawful debts be paid out of my
effects; and that the residue of my property be kept hence on the place where I
now live, until the youngest child becomes of age in monies, my younger
children I want sent to school so as to get a fair English education.
It is my Will and
desire that Gabril Butler, William Roberts and John A Forehand execute this M
Will and see that my wishes are carried out.
And in the event of my wife marrying again then I desire my property be
equally divided amongst her and all my living children.
And in the event of my children
any of them marrying, then I wish my Executors to give them that assistance
from my estate, which they consider reasonable and just.
I also wish that my
nephews Gerimiah Butler and Jackson Butler be sent to school until they are
able to work.
We eo certify this to
be the last Will and Testament of Matthew Butler made this 30th
December 1859.
Stephen B Stoval Daniel G
Wilder Rob G Smith
State of Georgia} Ordinary Court of said County
Dooly County} 3 February Adjourned from 1860
Before me Samuel A Lassiter
Ordinary of said county, personally came Gabril Butler & William Roberts
Executors of the Nuncupative Will
of Matthew Butler deceased and produced before m the nuncupative Will of said
deceased and the Witnesses to the same to wit, Stephen B Stovall, David G Wilder & & Robert C Smith which said
G Wilder & Robert C Smith which said witnesses being duly sworn in open
court depose and say the last request
and proper hereto attached contains the last request and disposition of the
personal property & effects of Matthew Butler late of said county deceased
and the same is true in all its points.
Sworn to before me in open court
this 13th February 1860
Shamuel R Lasseter, Ordinary
- Stephen B Stovall - R C Smith
- Daniel G Wilder (X) mark
Note - A nuncupative will is a verbal will that must have two witnesses
and can only deal with the distribution of personal property. A nuncupative
will is considered a "deathbed" will, meaning that it is a safety for
people struck with a terminal illness and robbed of the ability or time to
draft a proper written will. Real property cannot be transferred in this form
of a Will.
The 1891 Dooly County Courthouse
Originally, a wooden
courthouse was built in Drayton. In Dec. 1841, the legislature moved the county
seat from Drayton back to Berrien, which it renamed Vienna. The legislation
directed Dooly County officials to make the move by Feb. 1, 1842 -- so
presumably a courthouse was quickly erected in early 1842. This wooden building
burned in 1847 and was replaced by another wooden courthouse in 1849. This
structure was later replaced by the current courthouse. The Dooly County Courthouse, built in 1891 of
granite, slate, and brick, the structure is listed on the National Register of
Historic Places. The courthouse was
renovated in 1963 and again in the late 1980's.
Georgia Land
Lottery
Eastern settlement of The State of Georgia began as land was
acquired from the American Indians. The
distribution of this land was done by several schemes. Land Indentures were awarded to veterans of the Revolutionary War
and Civil War, by the Headright System and later by the Land Lottery. The Butlers participated in the Lottery after
the Creek and Muskogee Indian Treaty was negotiated and signed by William
McIntosh at Indian Springs, Georgia. On January 8, 1821 a Treaty was signed for a
long strip of land east of the Flint River to the Ocmulgee River. On February 12, 1825 a Treaty was signed for land west of the Flint River to
the Alabama State line. The U S
Government paid the Indians $200,000 to be paid in $50,000 installments. Indian Springs is now a Georgia State Park and William McIntosh's old hotel is a museum.
1782 The
Butlers come to Georgia from North Carolina
Matthew Crumpler
Butler’s Parents -
John
A Butler (1782-1848 and Lucy Crumpler
Butler (1783 - before 1860)
Father - John A
Butler was born August 2, 1782
in Sampson Or Duplin County, NC.
1804 At age 22 he married Lucy Crumpler in Sampson
or Duplin County NC. The boundary lines
of these 2 NC counties changed over time.
He was granted land in Dooly Co GA through the Land Grant program
for settlement in the new territory. They
had 10 children. He died
at age 65 on January 26, 1848 in Liberty
Co, GA
Mother – Lucy
Crumpler was born in1783 in
Duplin County, NC. She died between 1850
-1860. At age 29 she married John A Butler in NC and
died in Dooly County, GA possibly in the Lilly community Dooly Co GA.
Lucy and John A Butler had 10 children:
- Jacob Butler 1804 – death date unknown
- Isaac William Butler 1806 – 1856 He
married Elisa L West about 1836 and had 9 children. This was his 2nd marriage. Isaac is buried in the Lilly City Cemetery,
Dooly Co GA. The 26th
District Dooly Co 1850 Census shows:
Isaac Butler age 43, a farmer, with land valued at $1300, Eliza age 33,
Elizabeth age12, Adam J age 10, Jackson L age 9, Eliza E age 7, Isaac W age 5, William J age 2 and Nicey West
age 23.
- Adam Butler 1808 –
-Robert Butler 1810 –
* Matthew Crumpler
Butler 1812 – 1850 (direct line ancestor) (In Robert Butler’s Will he refers to the
Crumpler land which indicates the Crumpler family were neighbors o f Matthew Butler’s family and
how they met and married.)
- John Butler 1815 –
- Penny Jane 1817 – 1887
-Anna Ellizar 1819 –
- Phillip Raiford Butler 1821 -1869 The 1850 U S Census of
26th District of Dooly Co GA shows Phillip R Butler, age 27 a farmer
with land valued at $1000. His household
is Sarah age 20, Frances M age 2, Sarah C age 1, John G age 2 mo.
- Gabriel N Butler 1824 – 1868 He had a daughter named Ella
(Mcinvale) who died 12-3-1936 and is buried at Mount Vernon Baptist Church
Cemetery, Lilly, Dooly Co GA.
John A Butler’s 2nd
marriage to Sarah Elizabeth Benton (1786 – 1860) In Liberty Co GA, Sarah - born in Bladen Co NC 1786, died
age 74 in Liberty Co Hinesville, GA in 1860. John
and Sarah had 3 sons:
- George Butler b. 1832, James Butler b 1834, John Butler b.
1826.. Sons George and John are listed as laborers. John Butler is a farmer with land valued at $2430. Household members include Lucy age 66, maybe his first wife, and Gabriel age 25, John’s brother.
The 1850 Census of District 26th of Dooly Co, GA
shows other Butler family members as
neighbors:
*Phillip R Butler age 27, farmer, real estate valued
at $1000 and family – Sarah age 20, Trammell age 2, Sarah age 1
*Isaac Butler age 43, farmer, real estate valued
at $1300, family members Eliza age 33, Elizabeth age 12, Adam J age 10, Jackson
L age 2, Eliza E age 7, Grace W age 5, William J age 2 and Nicey West age 25
Jesse Butler
age 35, a farmer with land valued at $600 and the following family
members: Margaret age 50, William H age
13, Cornelia E age 8, Samuel A age 10, Margaret Mikell age 19, James Mikell age
16 a laborer. Next door is William W Winn
age 32, a school teacher which probably why people in these households can read
and write.
* Ezekiel Butler
age 38, farmer, land valued at $3000.
Family: Eliza age 41, Sophia age 10, John J age 9, Sarah J age 8.
*Sophia Butler age 50 female, born in NC, family
members – Grace F age 8, John M age 6 and Jane Wilson
 |
| Revolutionary War 1775 - 1788 |
1735 The Butlers in North Carolina
|
Revolutionary War 1775 -
1788
|
John A Butler’s Parents
Major Robert Asa Butler, Jr and
Margaret Travers
Major Robert
Butler served in the Revolutionary War.
His service record shows he was born in Maryland in 1728 but other
records state he was born in Sampson Co NC.
His name is on the NC Artillery Militia list of Duplin Co NC with a pay
voucher #74 $68.10. He served under Col
James Kenan of Duplin Co Militia. After
the war he received 3 land grants totaling 1190 acres in Sampson County
NC. He died 4-6-1802.
Two Spouses: Margaret
Travers and Delilah Rhodes
Father – Major Robert Asa Butler, Jr - was born on April 7, 1735 in Bertie Precinct, Sampson County, NC.
In 1761 in Sampson Co NC at age 26, he married Margaret Travers (1740 – 1786)
1783 at age 48 he
was a resident of Duplin Co NC.
1790 at age 55 he
was a resident of Sampson Co NC.
1800 Robert lived
in Sampson Co Fayetteville NC
Sampson Co and Duplin Co NC boundary lines were changed and
disputed about 1719.
Land Grants: These grants were both to open up for
settlement and rewarded for service in the
Revolutionary War
1795, Feb 3 -
Robert Butler received a Sampson Co NC Land Grant of 200 acres
1799, June 10, Robert Butler Senior received a
Sampson Co NC Land Grant of 400 acres
1788, June 7,
Robert Butler Jr received a Sampson Co NC Land Grant of 90 acres
Mother – Margaret Travers Butler b. 1740 d. 1786.
Major Robert Asa Butler
and Margaret had 12 children:
-Lusia Lucy 1762 – 1782
- Sophier 1763 – 1805
-Desia 1766 –
-John 1767 - 1768
-Gabriel Winston 1768 – 1828
- Robert Learance 1770 –
1839
Suffer 1771 -
-Travis Traverse 1772 – 1859
-Betsy Nancy 1776 – 1786
- Margaret “Polly” 1777 – 1850
-Gabriel 1779 -1825
Sally Sallie 1780 –
*John A (Jno)
Butler 1782 – 1848 Direct descent father of Mathew Crumpler
Butler who married Lucy Crumpler
-Elizabeth Betsy 1785 – 1786
-Patricia Patience 1785 –
In 1785 Robert Asa Butler married Mary Williams (1768 –
1823) in Sampson Co NC
In 1786 Robert Asa Butler, Jr married Delilah Rhodes Royal
(1758 -1826) in Duplin NC. She had a child of her own -Reddick Rhodes, and
Delilah and Robert Butler had 4 children
–
-Cherrywine Butler 1787 -1788
-Betsy Butler 1789 –
Robert Asa Butler III 1790 –
Robert Adam Butler 1791 –
The following transcribed Will of Robert Asa Butler, Jr refers to land near the Great
Coharie Swamp. This area is located
north west of Wilmington, NC; west of I-40 which originates in Wilmington, NC;
near Hwy 421; east of Fayetteville, NC and north of Clinton, NC. This area is Sampson County NC or Duplin County
NC. The boundaries of these two counties
changed several times over the centuries therefore the county designation
varies depending on what year the reference is made. The creeks that Robert Butler refers to are
in the Cape Fear River Watershed.
ROBERT BUTLER’S WILL (Robert
Butler, Jr – transcribed from a printed copy) March 26, 1802
In the name of God Amen. I,
Robert Butler, of the County of Sampson and State of North Carolina, being sick
and weak in body but sound in mind and memory, thanks be given to God, do herby
make and Ordain this my last Will and
Testament as followeth.
First in all I give and
bequeath, in Witness, to my beloved son John Butler a certain piece of land on
the west side of Great Cohary, taking the pea field beginning at the mouth of
the Spring Branch thence to a stake, a corner, on the great run of said Cohary
opposite William Clinton’s, thence up said run half way to the Beverdam Swamp
and corners, thence to the west side of Great Cohary swamp to the mouth of Long
Branch and with the same the head thence a straight line by the flax (?) hole
and gum pond to my own back line and down the same to Boykin’s branch to the
corner there a straight course to the head of the Spring Branch and down the
same to beginning, also the services of a bound boy named John Williams during
his servitude, and a feather bed and furniture, two cows and calves, and a bay
mare.
I likewise give to my beloved
son Robert Butler the land and plantation where I now live beginning at the
great run of Cohary to the corner of the aforesaid and up said run to the mouth
of the Beaverdam Swamp and up the same to the mouth of my mill branch and up
the same and across the small ___? a
corner, thence Crumpler’s below the Bee Pond thence with blazed trees by the
Gum Pond to my old line and with the same to the point ? first mentioned to
John Butler and with the same to the great run of Cohary which land and
plantation I leave in possession of my beloved wife, Delilah, during her life
or widowhood and afterwards to my said son Robert as aforesaid (turns over to)
and by named Henry after my wife is
before mentioned.
I also give to my wife’s son
Reddick Rhodes seventy acres of land in the County of Sampson beginning at the
union of the Beverdam Swamp run near(ly) north course to a post oak below the
mouth of William New Branch thence to a corner formerly Byrd’s now Gabriel
Holme’s, thence to a pine in the Beverdam Swamp thence to the beginning and a
colt and the cattle that is now called Reddick’s, and a bed and furniture.
I also give to my beloved son,
Travis Butler, 200 acres of land beginning in mouth of the Gum Branch and up
the same near the head corners at a pine and crosses to a corner thence to the
(? ___)
Mill Swamp into a state thence to the beginning, also 200 acres more on
the head line joining Crumpler’s land on both sides.
I also give to my daughter Sally
Butler, Patricia Butler, Betsy Butler and Cherrywine Butler – to each a colt
and tack (a whole line eligible) and a Negro girl named Airy with her increase
to the above said Betsy, and a Negro girl named Susanna with her increase to
the above said Cherriwine.
And my daughters Lusia Brown,
Tuffus? Ryals and Desia Culbrath, deceased having received their legacies, I
further give to the said Lusia 5 sterling, to said Tuffus 5 sterling, to the
heirs of the said Desia 5 sterling.
And I also give to my beloved
wife, Delilah, a Negro woman named Jean without any reserves
And I desire that my Executors
sell my stud horse to defray necessary expenses, the money left is to be
divided between my wife the said Delilah and the legatees that is now with her
as they come of age and it is my intent that all the legacies that I have
herein given to the within legatees unto them, their heirs and assigns.
And my plantation where I now
live as before mentioned I leave with my stock of every kind, household goods
all within and without of doors I leave in the hands of my said wife during her
life or widowhood to raise the children upon and dispose to the legatees as
above mentioned.
And I the said Robert Butler
acknowledge this to be my last will and Testament and leave my said wife as
Executor to the same.
In Witness whereof I have
hereunto set my and seal, March 26, 1802
{F. A. Cooper
Test. {William (X his mark) Butler,
{Robert (X his mark) Butler, Jr
1703 The Butlers Move South to North Carolina
Major Robert Asa Butler Jr’s Parents
–
Robert Asa Butler, Sr and Anne Wood
1728 Robert Asa Butler Sr was born in Edgecombe
Precinct Bertie County, NC
1735 he married Ann or Anne Wood (1715 -1769) in Edgecombe, NC where she was born.
Her parents were John and Jane Wood. She died Feb 21, 1767 in Duplin or Bladen Co,
NC
1769 at age 66
Robert Asa Butler died in
Duplin County NC.
Note: In 1722
Edgecombe County was formed from a part of Bertie County NC. At one time this area was called Albemarle
County but then divided into smaller counties.
This area is located at the western end of Albemarle Sound. Edgecombe County is located to the west near
present day I-75, Rocky Mount and Tarboro, NC.
The children of
Robert Butler, Sr and Anne Wood:
-Jethro Butler 1724 – 1761
- Luke Butler 1732 -
- Margaret Butler 1735 – 1758
-William Butler 1736
–
- Major Robert Asa
Butler Jr. April 7, 1739 -1802 * Direct Ancestor and Father of John Butler
- James Butler 1745 –
- Jesse Jethro Butler 1746 – 1848
-Charles Butler 1748 – 1819 born in Craven, NC
Parents
of Robert Asa Butler Sr –
*** William
Butler, III moves south to North Carolina
1684 William
Butler, III (1684 – 1737) and Susannah Hartwell (1684 – 1730)
William Butler, III was
born in Essex, Massachusetts.
He married Susannah
Hartwell (1684 – 1730) in Essex,
Massachusetts USA
**They had one
child - Robert Asa Butler Sr ( 1728
- 1769) - Director Ancestor
father of Robert Asa Butler, Jr
1737 - August
2, William Butler, III died at age 77 in Duplin County, North Carolina
Parents of William Butler, III -
1653 Lieutenant William Butler, Jr or II (1653 – 1730) 4 marriages
1653 Father
Lt. William Butler Jr was born in Ipswich, Essex, Mass and died
in Chebacco (Essex) August 2, 1730
First Marriage: 1673 July 2
at age 22 he married Sarah Cross
(1656 – d. age 50 on 7-21-1703) in Epswich, Essex, Massachusetts. Sarah Cross died before July 21, 1703
Lt. William
Butler, Jr and Sarah Cross had 9 children:
*William Butler, III June
1677 -1723 -** direct ancestor
Sarah Butler 7-23-1680 – 1748
Thomas Butler 9-15- 1682 – 1765 twin
Ralph Butler 9-23-1682 – May 1684 twin
Hannah Butler 1685 – 1729
Elizabeth Butler 1686 – 1741
Tillie Eliza Sarah Butler
Mary Ann Butler
2nd
Marriage: 1703 At age 50 on July 21,1713 he married Mary Ingalls (1648 – 1711) In
Ipswich, Essex, Massachusetts
3rd
Marriage: On July 21, 1713 when he
was 50 years old he married Mary Ingalls.
Her parents were Samuel and Ruth Ingalls
William Butler, Jr
and Mary Ingalls had 3 children:
2 of the children died young
Samuel Butler 1704 – 1723
John Butler 1706 - 1755
Mary Butler 1707 -1800
4th
Marriage: 1713, August 3, At age 60 on
October 3 he married Abigail Metcalf (1665 – 1732) In Essex,
Massachusetts She died after him and
married in 1713 to Lt. Simon Wood.
August 2, 1730 Lt William butler died at age
77 in Ipswich, Mass.
More about Lt.
William Butler He was one of the
founders of the Butler Family in America.
He took the freeman’s oath in Ipswich, Massachusetts Oct 11, 1682 and
was a yeoman there in 1688. He did not follow his father, William Butler and
uncle Richard Butler to Hartford, Conn. but stayed in Ipswich, Mass where he
was granted land.
Yeoman: A yeomen farmer owned his own modest farm and worked it primarily with family
labor remains the embodiment of the ideal American: honest, virtuous, hardworking, and independent. These same
values made yeomen farmers central to the republican vision of the new nation.
On Jan
29, 1711 Lt Butler gives his son Ralph “one half of the house I now live in –
that is, the northwest end, the old end
that father Cross live in – with two acres of tillage, etc. This farm was in Chebacco (became part of Ipswich then Essex) and had been bought by William Butler
1695 of Capt. Stephen Cross and Robert Cross, Jr, sons of Robert Cross,
Sr. Note his second wife was Sarah
Cross. Lt Butler was also referred to as
“senior, farmer and yeoman”. He was a considerable land owner in Ipswich.
Lt.
William Butler fought in the early Indian wars, acquiring his title. From August 12 – 29, 1696 Lt Butler
participated in with Capt Francis Wainwright and some of his company on an
expedition to the eastward. In 1707 he
was Colonel of the Red and second in command in the expedition under Colonel March against Port Royal, Nova Scotia. The expedition was unsuccessful. The expedition was sent out again under Col
March and Col Townsend. The expedition
once again failed. This was
during the war between France and England over North America, the colonies and
the American Indians.
From the
Ingalls Genealogy: Lt William Butler was
a yeoman at Ipswich, admitted to the church 1673, Freeman 1681, selectman 1683,
and deputy 1690. His will was made 1716,
proved Jan 22, 1717.
The
Butlers Came To America In 1632
12 years after the
Pilgrims Landed at Plymouth Rock
In 1632 aboard the ship Lion, Steven Nicholas Butler (1580 – 1633), his wife Sarah Ann Elliott Butler (1588 – 1662). His two sons William Butler, Sr 1st (1602 – 1684), his wife
Sarah Ann Edwards (1578 – 1662) and 2nd son Deacon Richard Butler
(1608 – 1684) whose wife and child had died in England sailed on Ship Hector. They all arrived in Boston and became members of
the Massachusetts Bay Colony, a group of about 1,000 Puritan refugees led by
John Winthorp aboard his fleet of ships.
They left 2 sisters, Jane who married “West” and the other married
“Winter”. The Butlers had come from
Braintree, Essex, England which dates back 4000 years to the Bronze and Iron
ages. It is located in the Brain
Valley along the Brain River northeast
of London. The family settled in America
northeast of Boston in Ipswich and
Essex, Massachusetts.
In 1635 William and his
brother Deacon Richard Butler followed Rev. Thomas Hooker and about 50 other
Puritan families known as the Braintree
Company, on the 100 mile journey south
to build a new colony and the founding
of present day Hartford, Connecticut
His home was in Weathersfield, presently a small town within Hartford
Connecticut. He died there May 11 – 1648.
Authors
Note: There is a Essex and Ipswich,
Massachusetts northeast of Boston near Gloucester. There is also an Essex, Connecticut and
there once was an Ipswich, Connecticut but was renamed located south of
Hartford Connecticut along the Connecticut River. The Weathersfield mentioned
is a town within the City of Hartford, Connecticut. These duplicate locations are confusing and
sometimes misused in research papers.
The Parents of Lieutenant William W Butler, Jr
William Butler
(First) (1602 -1648) and Eunice Coffin
(1618 – 1648)
1602 William Butler, Sr was born in
Braintree, Essex, England
He was Baptized at age 1 on 24 Sep 1581 Castle Hedingham,
Essex, England
1632 William Butler arrives in Boston
with
his mother and stepfather
He married Eunice Coffin at age 40 in Salisbury, Essex,
Massachusetts
Children of
William Butler and Eunice Coffin
- Peter Butler 1636 –1699 born and died in Boston, married
Elizabeth Brown, they had 2 daughters
**Lt William Butler
born 1653 d 1730 in Ipswich, Massachusetts - direct ancestor
-Susannah Butler
William
Butler, Sr’s Will (This
Will (copied from original paper on file as written)
Butler,
William, Hartford. Invt. £420-03. Taken by John
Cullick, and William Gibbins. Will dated
11 May 1648.
I William Butler, of Hartford in
Conectecot, doe meake and ordayne this my last will and testament wherein I
give my earthly goods as followeth: And
first I meake my brother Richard Butler, dwelling in Hartford, my sole
Executor. All that is left of my lands
and goods, when Sister Weste’s
Children, that ear now living in old Ingland, five pounds apese. It. I
give my Sister Winter’s Childrene,
that eare nowe living in Ingland, five pounds apese. It. I give my loving friends of Hartford, Mr
Stone and Mr Goodwin and Mr. Hoker and Mr.
John Stelle, ten pounds apese.
It. I give to the Churtche of
Hartford, three Schore pounds, and farther I doe earnestly desire my tow
frendes, Mr. John Colicke and William Gibbince, both of Hartford to see that
this my last will and testament be folfiled, and for there lowe and paynes I
doe bequeath to etche of them thre pounds apes.
In
Witness whereof I, the said Will Butler, have set tow my hand this Eleventh of
May 1648 - William X Butler
Author’s Note: It’s A Small World After All - William Butler bequeathed his friend, Mr. John
Stelle, ten pounds. In 1850, 221 years
later William Butler’s descendant, Lucy Ellender Butler, my paternal
grandmother, married Walter Simeon Steele in Molena Georgia in 1869. During this Steele family research an unsuccessful effort
was made to link our Steeles of Georgia to the Steeles of Essex County England and
“William Steele”. The Hartford Steele’s did migrate South and by 1795 this William
Steele was the first postmaster of Pennington, SC in Pickens County, SC,
located in the top western part of SC.
William Butler, Sr’s Parents -
1580 Sir
Nicholas Stephen Butler (1580 – 1633) and
Sarah Ann Edwards
(1578 – 1662)
Stephen Butler was born in 1580 in Braintree, Essex,
England.
1632 Pioneer Immigrants
He married Sarah Ann Edwards at age 19 December 27, 1599 in
Essex, England
He died March 10, 1633 in Weathersfield, Hartford,
Connecticut
1632 Sir Nicholas Stephen Butler arrived in
Boston, Massachusetts
with his Mother and
Stepfather
Stephen Butler and
Sarah Ann Edwards children
Dr. John Butler 1601 – 1682
-William Butler Sr (first) 1602 – 1684 - Immigrant
* direct ancestor – father of William Butler II
- Jane Butler 1604 - 1648
-FNU Butler 1604 –
-Joan Mount Christopher Stephens 1605 – 1650
- Deacon Richard Butler b 1608 in Essex England - 1684 Immigrant
moved from Cambridge in 1632, freeman,
Mass, May 14, 1634. In 1636 moved and became a Founder of Hartford, an original proprietor,
in 1639-40 when 16 acres were allotted to him.
His house-lot was on the corner where the road from George Steele’s to
the south Meadow intersected the road from the Mill to the Country. He was a juror, 1643 -4-7-8, townsman, 1649,
1654, 1658, committee for the mill, 1661, grand juror 1660, 1662, deputy 1656 –
1660, deacon of the Church, Clerk of Court, died Aug 6, 1684, Estate 684-15-00 £ pounds. Second marriage to Elizabeth Bigelow b. 1606
in Hartford, CT d. Sep 11, 1691. Her
parents were Randall Bigelow and Jane Baguley.
Their children: Mary 1635 - 1690,
Thomas 1637 – 1688, Samuel 1639, Nathanial 1641, Elizabeth 1643 -, Joseph 1648,
Daniel, Hannah.
Richard Butler Died
August 6, 1684 – buried in Old Burial Ground on Gold St, Center Church Cemetery, Hartford, CT
Will of Deacon Richard Butler - April 2, 1677
Know all men whom it may
concerne that I Richard Butler of Hartford upon the Connecticut river being of
bodily health and of sound and perfect memory doe make and ordayne this my last
will and testiment in forme and manner as followeth
I doe give to my sonne Thomas
Butler my uper lot in the longe meddow.
I doe give to my sonne Samuel
all my meadow land in Wethersfield meadow
I doe give to Nathaniel my sonne
my meddow lot neare the long meddow gate
I doe give to Joseph Butler my
sonne all my land in the south meddow.
I doe give to my sonne Daniel
Butler my now dwelling house with all apurtenances of buildings and grounds
about it and also I do give to my sonne Daniel my lot commonly caled ten-acres.
I do give my 3 daughters Mary Wright, Elizabeth Olmstead and Hanah Greene
twentie shillings apece (to be payed out of my moveable estate by my present
wife Elizabeth whom I appoint my executrix to this my last will.
Also it is my will that none of
these children aforesaid doe possess or enjoy any of these lands or aught else
mentioned, but with the consent of death or change of the mother's condition.
That is by marrying againe. But if my wife Elizabeth Butler should change her
condition and marry agtaine then my will is that all aforesaid sonnes and
daughters dp possess every one his legacy and wife only the thirds and for the
rest of the chattels and hoursehold goods I give them all to my wife provided
as aforesayd she continues in widowhood but if she marry againe then to take
the thirds of all as of the house and lands so chattels and household stuff and
the rest equally to be divided amonge my children afore mentioned and there may
be divers willes extant that I have written with my own hand yet this my last
and shall stand Written with my owne hand.
Richard Butler April 2, 1677 ---- (I also appoint my two
sons Thomas and Samual Butler to be my overseers of this my last will ---) (my
will also is that my daughter Mary Wright shal have one feather bed after her
mother's decease)
Witnesses Samual Wright
Samual Butler
Sworn in Court &
accepted with 5 above written interlinings.
J. Talcott. C.C. Copied from Ancient Wethersfield, II 171-172
by Eva L. Butler
-Joan Mount Stephen 1610 -1684
-Margaret Butler 1615 –
-Winter Butler - Mentioned in William Butler, Sr’s Will as
remaining in England
-Weste Butler - Mentioned in William Butler, Sr’s Will as
remaining in England
1550 Parents of Stephen Butler –
John Butler born January 1550 – 1579 and Joan Hancocke 1554 -
1600
John Butler was born an died in Braintree, Essex, England
In 1575 at age 25 he married Joan Hancocke in Bicester,
Oxfordshire, England
In 1579 February at age 29 he died.
John Butler and
Joan Hancocke children
John Butler 1550 – 1579
Stephen Butler 1582 –
1633* Direct ancestor- father of
Richard Butler
Ms Susannah Stanley 1599 -1633
Parents of John
Butler
1525 John Butler born 1525 – died 1555( He is Sir John Butler of Dedham,
Essex England) and Elizabeth Thorton
They had one son: *John Butler 1550 – 1579 or 1600 – *direct ancestor, father of John Butler
born in 1550
The
Founders of Hartford, Connecticut
From Society of the
Descendants of the Founders of Hartford, Connecticut –
William Butler arrived in Boston
in 1632 as part of the Boston Bay
Colony. He and many others found the
Boston area too cramped. William Butler
joined Rev Thomas Hooker and about 100 other people from his congregation,
along with as many cattle, left Massachusetts in 1635 and traveled south about
100 miles to present day Connecticut, where they started a settlement to the
north of the Dutch. They originally called their new home Newtown, but changed
it to Hartford.
The Native Americans in the area had generally
good relations with the white settlers, at least in part because they sought
protection from two warlike tribes, the Mohawks to the west and the Pequots to
the east.
Because it lay outside the
authority of the Massachusetts Bay Colony, the Hartford assemblage needed its
own authority to govern. In 1638, the
General Court, legislative body, meeting in Hartford, adopted the Fundamental
Orders, often described as America's first written constitution
and the reason why Connecticut's official nickname is the Constitution State. The Orders, inspired in part by Hooker's
assertion in a sermon that “the foundation of authority is laid, firstly, in
the free consent of the people,” set up an independent government and
established Connecticut as a commonwealth.
William and Richard Butler are
honored on the
Founders Monument in Hartford, Connecticut
William Butler, Cambridge, 1634, freeman, Mass, May 6, 1635
was an original proprietor at Hartford and received 28 acres in the
distribution of 1639-40. His
house-lot was on the road from the Little River to the North Meadow (now Front
St) bounded W by John Talcott’s
land. He married Eunice, sister of
Tristram Coffin, of Nantucket, died 1648.
He left most of his estate to his brother Deacon Richard Butler.
This William Butler, Sr was an
immigrant and founder of Massachusetts and he is linked with his son Lt William
Butler, Jr in “The Founders and
Patriots of America Register”.
William Butler, Sr had settled in the Colony of Massachusetts Bay before 1650.
From THE ENGLISH ANCESTRAL HOMES OF THE
FOUNDERS OF CAMBRIDGE 2. A company of
about fifty families from Essex and Hertfordshire, followers of Rev. Thomas Hooker and known as the Braintree Company, many of whom came in
the ship Lion in the summer of 1632, a year in advance
of their leader, and most of whom removed with him to Hartford, Conn., in 1635.
HISTORY OF HARTFORD CONNECTICUT
By the time white
settlers arrived in Connecticut in the early 17th century, Native Americans had
inhabited the area for thousands of years; indeed, it was the Algonquin word
for “long tidal river,” quinnetukut, that gave the colony (and later the state) its
name.
Various tribes, all
part of the loose Algonquin confederation, lived in or around present-day
Hartford. These included the Podunks, mostly east of the Connecticut River; the
Poquonocks, north and west of Hartford; the Massacoes, in the Granby-Simsbury
area; the Tunxis tribe, in West Hartford and Farmington; the Wangunks, to the
south; and the Saukiogs in Hartford itself. Saukiog, or as it is sometimes
spelled, Sickaog or Suckiaug, was the Native American name for Hartford.
The first whites
known to have explored the area were the Dutch, under Adriaen Block, who sailed
up the Connecticut in 1614. By the early 1620s, Dutch fur traders had
established a fort in Saukiog that they called “House of Hope,” in a location
still known as Dutch point.
Because it lay outside the
authority of the Massachusetts Bay Colony, the Hartford assemblage needed its
own authority to govern. In 1638, the
General Court, legislative body, meeting in Hartford adopted the Fundamental Orders often described as
America's first written constitution and the reason why Connecticut's official
nickname is the Constitution State. The Orders, inspired in part by Hooker's
assertion in a sermon that “the foundation of authority is laid, firstly, in
the free consent of the people,” set up an independent government and
established Connecticut as a commonwealth.
suggestion of
Samuel Stone.
The Native Americans in the area
had generally good relations with the white settlers, at least in part because
they sought protection from two warlike tribes, the Mohawks to the west and the
Pequots to the east.
Because it lay outside the
authority of the Massachusetts Bay Colony, the Hartford assemblage needs its
own authority to govern. In 1638, the
General Court (legislative body, meeting in Harford, adopted the Fundamental Orders, often described as
America's first written constitution and the reason why Connecticut's official
nickname is the Constitution State. The Orders, inspired in part by Hooker's
assertion in a sermon that “the foundation of authority is laid, firstly, in
the free consent of th e
people,” set up an independent government and established Connecticut as a
commonwealth.
Society of the Descendants of
the Founders of Hartford sought protection from two warlike tribes, the Mohawks
to the west and the Pequots to the east.
Because it lay outside the authority of the Massachusetts Bay Colony,
the Hartford assemblage needed its own authority to govern. In 1638, the
General Court (legislative body), meeting in Hartford, adopted the Fundamental
Orders, often described as America's first written constitution
and the reason why Connecticut's official nickname is the Constitution State.
The Orders, inspired in part by Hooker's assertion in a sermon that “the
foundation of authority is laid, firstly, in the free consent of the people,”
set up an independent government and established Connecticut as a
commonwealth.
The Society of the Descendants of the
Founders of Hartford
Founders Monument: The original brownstone monument erected in
1837 was replaced by this one in 1986. It stands in the Ancient Burying Ground,
which is located to the rear of the First Congregational Church at the corner
of Main and Gold Streets in Hartford. This cemetery is also known as Old
Center Cemetery. It lists the original Founders of Hartford.
Matthew Allyn William Lewis Nathaniel Ely Richard Goodman Nicholas
Clarke John Stone
John Barnard Mathew Marvin Stephen Hart William Kelsey Thomas Scott John Talcott Clement Chaplin William Pantry William Westwood Timothy Stanley Edward Elmer Thomas Stanley Thomas Stanley Clement Chaplin William Pantry William Butler
James Olmsted Edward
Stebbins John Steele Richard Webb Robert Day
 |
| Monument in Memory Of The Founders of Hartford Connecticut |
The names engraved on the four sides of the momument:
Jeremy Adams Samuel Gardiner Daniel Garret John Gennings William Gibbons Richard Goodman
Ozias Goodwin William Goodwin Seth Grant George Graves Bartholomew Greene Samuel Greenhill
Thomas Gridley John Hall Thomas Hale Stephen Hart William Hayden John Hayes John Higginson Samuel Hale William Holton John Holloway Thomas Hooker Edward Hopkins John Hopkins Thomas Hosmer Richard Lord Thomas Lord Thomas Lord, Jr. Richard Lyman John Marsh
Thomas Gridley John Hall Thomas Hale Stephen Hart William Hayden John Hayes John Higginson Samuel Hale William Holton John Holloway Thomas Hooker Edward Hopkins John Hopkins Thomas Hosmer Richard Lord Thomas Lord Thomas Lord, Jr. Richard Lyman John Marsh
Matthew Marvin Reinold Marvin John Maynard John Moody John Morris Benjamin Munn
Thomas Munson Thomas Olcott James Olmsted John Olmstead Richard Olmsted William Pantry
Thomas Munson Thomas Olcott James Olmsted John Olmstead Richard Olmsted William Pantry
William Parker Paul Peck William Phillips William Clarke James Cole William Cornwell Philip Davis
Fulke Davy Nathaniel Kellogg Ralph Keeler William Kelsey Richard Church John Clarke
Nicholas Clarke William Lewis, Sr. Richard Risley John Pierce Thomas Porter John Purchas
Stephen Post John Pratt William Pratt Joseph Mygatt Nathaniel Richards Thomas Richards
George Hubbard Thomas Hungerford William Hills Jonathan Ince William Spencer
John Stanley John Sable Thomas Stanley Thomas Selden Timothy Stanley Thomas Stanton
Edward Stebbins George Steele John Steele George Stocking John Stone
Bunce Thomas Scott Samuel Stone John Talcott Thomas Thompson Thomas Upson
Bunce Thomas Scott Samuel Stone John Talcott Thomas Thompson Thomas Upson
Robert Wade William Wadsworth Henry Wakeley James Wakeley Samuel Wakeman
Nathaniel Ward Andrew Warner John Warner Richard Watts Richard Webb John Webster
Thomas Welles William Westley William Westwood John White Samuel Whitehead
William Whiting John Wilcock Gregory Wolterton Thomas Judd Matthew Allyn William Andrews John Arnold Francis Andrews John Crow John Cullick Robert Bartlett John Baysey
Thomas Welles William Westley William Westwood John White Samuel Whitehead
William Whiting John Wilcock Gregory Wolterton Thomas Judd Matthew Allyn William Andrews John Arnold Francis Andrews John Crow John Cullick Robert Bartlett John Baysey
Thomas Beale Nathaniel Bearding William Butler Richard Butler (brothers)
Clement Chaplin Robert Day Nicholas Desborough Joseph Easton William Edwards Edward Elmer Nathaniel Ely James Ensign Zachary Field Thomas Fisher John Friend Mary Betts John Bidwell Richard Billing Thomas Birchwood Peter Blachford Thomas Blackley Thomas Bliss, Sr.
Thomas
Woodford George Wyllys Thomas Barnes James Bridgeman John Bronson Richard Bronson Thomas Bull Thomas Richard Seymour John Skinner Arthur Smith Giles Smith Thomas Spencer William Ruscoe Thomas Bliss, Jr. William Blumfield Andrew Bacon John Barnard Thomas Root Nathaniel Ruscoe Benjamin Burr
 |
| The Founder's Boulder and Plaque
Nicholas
Clarke Thomas Scott
Robert Day Timothy Stanley
Edward Elmer Thomas Stanley
Nathaniel Ely Edward Stebbins
Richard Goodman John Steele
William Goodwin John
Stone
Stephen
Hart John Talcott
William
Kelsey Richard Webb
William
Westwood Clement Chaplin
William Butler
William Pantry
James Olmsted
|
From the
Society of the Descendants of the
Founders of Hartford
To the People of Hartford October
15, 1935 Traveler’s Square:
The Plaque
hangs directly behind the statue and reads:
THE SAFE ARRIVAL
"HE WHO
BROUGHT US HERE SUSTAINS US STILL"
"We owe it to our Ancestors to preserve entire those rights, which they have delivered to our care. We owe it to our posterity, not to suffer their dearest inheritance to be destroyed" (A composite of the old cemetery and the many monuments honoring the Founders of Hartford)
June 1635,
about one hundred members of Thomas hooker's congregation arrived safely in
this vicinity with 160 cattle. They followed old Indian trails from the
Massachusetts Bay Colony to the Connecticut River to build a new community.
Here
they established the form of
government upon which the present
constitution of the United States is modeled.
Their deeply religious principles
found expression in the emblem and the motto of the seal which the colony soon
adopted. the seal of the state of Connecticut and the legend, "qui
transtulit sustiunet" This statue, honoring the spirit of all pioneers, is
dedicated to the founders of Hartford. It commemorates the beginning of the
second century of service by the Traveler’s Insurance Companies
The
Massachusetts Bay Company and The Winthrop Society
1620 December 21
- The Mayflower Pilgrims landed at Plymouth Rock, Massachusetts. These 102
English Pilgrims aboard 3 small ships founded the Plymouth Colony in
America.
future. They had a
strong desire to seek religious freedom in the new world. The Puritans organized
and elected John Winthrop as
their leader to sail to the new world and
to form the Massachusetts Bay
Colony Settlers.
William Butler and his brother, Richard Butler, were among
this group of Puritans to sail to the new world. His exact arrival date or the name of the
ship on which they sailed cannot be documented because some of the ship’s passenger lists have been
lost, but their presence with the Bay Colony Settlers has been documented. We, the descendants of this William Butler
are eligible to join the Winthrop Society.
WHO IS ELIGIBLE? The
Winthrop Society is open to all men and women of good character and
proven descent from one or more passengers of the Winthrop fleet, or of others
who settled in the Bay Colony and down east before 1636. Successful applicants for membership will
receive a handsome certificate on gold parchment, suitable for framing,
personalized with the Member's name and information about their qualifying
ancestor.
Winthrop Society Member Processing Annual Membership is $110 www.winthropsociety.com
Marie A. Seelye, Processing Assistant 13802 Pine Glen Drive East Black Forest, CO 80908-3508
The
Founders of Hartford, Connecticut
1635 Many
of the Massachusetts Bay Colony Settlers in Boston began to feel the area was
too crowded. Thomas Hooker, a prominent
Puritan colonial of universal Christian suffrage, a great speaker and writer of
Christian subjects, had formed a Puritan Congregation. About 100 people of his congregation, along
with as many cattle, left Massachusetts in 1635 and traveled to Connecticut,
where they started a new settlement north of the Dutch. They developed good relationships with many
of the Native Americans in the area.
Since this settlement lay outside the authority of the Massachusetts Bay
Colony, the Hartford assemblage needed its own authority to govern. In 1638 The Fundamental Orders were written,
described as America’s first written Constitution. This is the reason Connecticut is known as
The Constitution State. It is said that
these words were an inspiration of John Hooker’s sermon that “the foundation of
authority is laid, firstly, in the free consent of the people” set up an
independent government and established Connecticut as a Commonwealth.
William
Butler and his brother Richard
Butler were members of this group
and is recognized as one of The Founders
of Hartford. We, the descendants of William Butler are
eligible to join the Founders Society.
Can prove that he or she is descended from someone who
settled in Hartford before February 1640, as shown in the Book of Distribution
of Land. The list of these settlers may be found here Is 18 years old or older; Is of good moral character and good
reputation; and Pays the Life Membership
fee. When you have received the
Application, print on legal sized paper, fill it out and send it, along with
the needed supporting materials, to:
Society of the Descendants of the Founders of Hartford
Timothy
Jacobs, Genealogist PO Box 270771 West Hartford, CT 06127-0771.
Send with
your application a check for $300.00 for Life Membership made out to “SDFH”. If
your application is not approved, this check will be returned to you.
http://foundersofhartford.org/membership.htm
Butler DNA
Research
A massive amount of DNA research has been done on documented
descendants of William Butler, SR and Lt William Butler, Jr and other male
Butler descendants from Ipswich, Mass showing the marker of Y-DNA R1a1. Later descendants carried the same DNA
marker, indicating this male DNA marker has been carried down through hundreds
of generations. The Butler ancestry of
R1a1 has been traced back to -6000 BC and 97% have their origin in the
countries around the North Sea – British Isles, Norway, Sweden, Denmark, NW
Germany, and Netherlands.
Butler Family information can be found in the book, “Butlers
and Kinfolks” by Elmer Ellsworth Butler can be purchased on line at Quintin
Publications sales@quintinpublications.com
Or go
on line and enter “Hathi Digital Library” and search Butlers and Kinsfolk, and
read the book online.
Research Sources: Ancestry.com - Google
research - Family history
