HENRY BUTTER, IMMIGRANT ANCESTOR PART 1

HENRY BUTTER, IMMIGRANT ANCESTOR

Part 1

     Until recently there have been only a few people researching or interested in our Henry Butter. Now his name appears on more family trees but he is still not being widely researched. Henry Butter is the ancestor that first captured my interest all those years ago. It has been a frustrating journey as his ancestors are still not known. In the following posts, I will present what is known about Henry and will back up that knowledge with sources; additionally, I will try to separate fact from fiction.

KNOWN FACTS ABOUT HENRY BUTTER

Born 3 July 1816

Married to Susan Eliza O'Neal 30 December 1847

Baptized 5 September 1849 Pleasant Hill Baptist Church

Became a U.S. citizen 12 November 1850, Alexandria, Rapides Parish, Louisiana

Died 20 November 1880, Forest Hill, Rapides Parish, Louisiana

Buried Butter Cemetery, Forest Hill, Rapides Parish, Louisiana

     There are no official vital records to substantiate any of the above events; however, there are two passages that reference all of Henry's life events. The first is the minutes from the Springhill Baptist Church entered by Henry's eldest son, William Butter, after his father's death. All spelling and punctuation are as they appear in the orignal quotes.

          “We mourn the loss of our beloved Bro H Butter Deac of our Church called from                            us by our Heavenly Father Born July the 3 1816 a native of Great Britton Baptised on the 5 Sept 1849 Adopted as a citizen of the South in 1850 and died Nov 20^th 1880..........” Signed Wm Butter Clerk

     The second source, to anyone's knowledge, does not actually exist any more; this was a family Bible that had belonged to Henry and Susan Butter. Before the Bible disappeared, a family member copied the following information.

          “Henry Butter a native of Great Britten (sic) was born on 3^rd day of July 1816.    Baptized on 5^th day of September 1849 and was received as a citizen of the United States in District Court of Rapides Parish on November 12 A.D. 1850. Henry Butter and Susan Eliza O'Neal were united in marriage by Rev. H. Roberts in Rapides Parish on 30^th day of December A.D. 1847.”

     The first question that should come to mind is why don't we have his naturalization papers? The simple and tragic answer is that on May 13, 1864 the town of Alexandria, Louisiana was burned to the ground by Union troops as they left the area. Before the town was burned, the court house was raided and documents were strewn in the street and some were set afire. All legal transactions including land, marriages and naturalizations were destroyed. Rapides Parish records now start in 1865.

     Although there are no primary sources for Henry's life events, the Church minutes and the Bible quote plus his tombstone in the Butter Cemetery all agree and give good secondary strength to the information.

Next post: Part 2 Henry Butter