Bent Links: The Butler Family

Updated
10/24/05

Kentucky, Indiana, Illinois

The BUTLER family is another stray grouping. What I do have is mostly from census records, and is a source-based logic puzzle (see notes). There could be a Kentucky connection between the family and William H. STEPHENS, son-in-law of James, who was also born in Kentucky. If there's anyone out there who can help me find pertinent records for the Butlers, I would be most grateful.

1. James BUTLER,(1,2,3) a Farmer,(1,2,3) was born abt 1813 in Kentucky.(1,2,3) Though their names are unknown, James reported in census records that his father was born in North Carolina and his mother in Delaware.(3) By 1833, James first married Jane (__)(1) [date based on birth of oldest known child], who was born abt 1814 in Kentucky.(1) They resided in Campbell Twp., Jennings Co., Indiana, in Oct 1850, where the value of James' real estate was $600.(1) Jane died bet 1852-1859 [see notes for theory on this].

They had the following children: (others possible)
2 i. Sarah Jane. (~1834, Indiana - >1860). Married William H. STEPHENS (~1831-) on 2 Sep 1853 in Marion Co., Illinois.
ii. John. Born abt 1836 in Indiana. Died aft Oct 1850.(1)
iii. Mary A. Born abt 1840 in Indiana. Died aft Oct 1850.(1)
iv. Archibald "Archie". Born abt 1842 in Indiana. Died aft Jul 1860.(1,2)
v. Luvina E. Born abt 1846 in Indiana. Died aft Oct 1850.(1)
vi. Elizabeth. Born abt 1849 in Indiana. Died aft Jul 1860.(1,2)
vii. Caleb. Born abt 1852 in Indiana. Died aft Jul 1860.(2)

In 1860 James second married Nancy (__), who was born abt 1826 in Indiana.(2,3) They resided in Wolshville, Montgomery Co., Illinois, in Jul 1860, where their real estate was valued at $2000, and their personal estate at $650.(2). They returned to Indiana by 1865, where a daughter was born, and by June 1880 were living in Cole Twp., Benton Co., Missouri.(3)

James and Nancy had the following child: (others possible)
viii. Martha. Born abt 1865 in Indiana. Died aft Jun 1880.(3)

Misc. Notes:

As yet, I have found no direct evidence to link this James Butler as the father of the Sarah Jane Butler who married William H. Stephens, the parents of Lois Olive Stephens. The fact that they lived next to William and Sarah Stephens in Illinois at the 1860 census (James' household appears right above William's) led me to look for further evidence. Tracking the births of James’ children, we see that he was in Indiana around 1850, and thus I looked there, and found him married to a Jane Butler (his age and place of birth, and the names, ages and places of birth of some of his children are strong indicators that the James of the 1850 and 1860 censuses are the same man). No child named "Sarah Jane" was listed at this earlier enumeration, but there was a daughter named Sally whose age and place of birth coincides with that of Sarah Jane. As Sally was a common nickname for Sarah, and as the mother’s name would have been Jane, it seems that there is, again, strong evidence to state that the Sally Butler, dau. of James of Indiana and Illinois, is Sarah Jane Butler, who married William H. Stephens in Marion Co., Ill. in 1854, and was enumerated with him in the 1860 census.
If we carry this exercise even further, we find the two families once again living near each other in Cole Twp., Benton Co., Missouri at the time of the 1880 census. William and Sarah Stephens, along with five children, lived not too far from the family of James and Nancy Butler, and a dau. Martha, age 15. The Birth places for James and Nancy match those found in earlier records. The listing that follows is the household of a Caleb Butler, age 28, born in Indiana, and his wife and two children. This Caleb matches, in age, name and birthplace, a son found in the earlier listings of James.

As Jane is mentioned, along with what is most likely her husband (James) and children at the 1850 census, but her husband is listed with another wife, having been married within the census year of 1860, I believe that she most likely died between 1852, when a son named Caleb was born, and 1860, when her husband remarried. She could, among other possibilities, very well have just left her husband during this time, however, so care must be taken.(3)

Sources:

1. [1850INCJ] James Butler, age 37, born in Kentucky. Jane Butler, born in Ohio, age 36. Listing of children with names, state of birth and ages.
2. [1860ILWM] James Butler, age 47, born in Kentucky. Nancy Butler, born in Indiana, age 34. Married within the census year. Listing of children with names, state of birth and ages.
3. [1880MOCB] James Butler, age 68, born in Kentucky. Nancy Butler, born in Indiana, age 56. Married within the census year. Listing of one child, Martha, age 15, born in Indiana.

First Generation