William Butter, the eldest child of Henry and Susan O'Neal Butter, was born 8 June 1850 in Forest Hill, Rapides Parish, Louisiana. He and Emily Graham married 29 October 1868 also in Forest Hill. (Marriage record Rapides Parish Courthouse Vol. B p. 73) As mentioned in a previous post, Emily was the daughter of Robert Graham and Ruth Lucy Smith. Emily was born 10 August 1846 probably in Jackson Parish, Louisiana where they still resided in the 1850 census. By 1860 the family had arrived in Forest Hill.
Following are the children of William and Emily Butter: All were born in Forest Hill, LA.
1. Henry Robert Butter b. 25 August 1869; d. 18 December 1941, Lecompte, Rapides, LA; buried Butter Cemetery, Forest Hill, Rapides, LA. Married Lavinia Matilda Dunn (more on this family later).
2. William Marshall Butter b. 20 August 1871; d. 14 May 1953, Lecompte, Rapides, LA. Married Ella Johnson.
3. Beaula Virginia Butter b.8 August 1873; d. 16 November 1947; buried Butter Cemetery, Forest Hill, Rapides, LA. Married Ennis Simpson Duck.
4. Lula D. Butter b. 19 July 1877; d. 2 September 1952. Married Hadley Robert Graham, 16 March 1906, Rapides Parish, LA. (Note: Lula and Hadley were first cousins as Lula's mother, Emily Graham and Hadley's father, William Jackson Graham were siblings.)
5. John Rufus Butter b. 25 November 1879; d. 4 January 1978, Forest Hill, LA. Married Fannie Duck.
6. Randall Butter b. 14 September 1882; d. 28 January 1946. Married Isabella (Izzie) Henderson.
There appears to be some confusion on the given name for William Butter. The only way he ever signed his name was William Butter - no middle name and no initial. None of my aunts and uncles, his grandchildren, ever said his name was anything but William. A number of public family trees on various websites have him listed as William Marshall Butter. I think that the confusion comes from several sources. William and Emily named their second child William Marshall Butter. Second, the abbreviation for William is Wm. Also, William's death certificate lists William Marshall as his name. I clearly believe that this was a mistake and until proven wrong, I will continue to list him as just William Butter.
Two of my aunts and my Dad shared some of their memories of their grandmother, Emily Graham Butter. She was a tiny, dainty woman who was a good housekeeper. She loved to pick huckleberries for making pies and she would take a cane pole to the bank of the lake and fish for hours. Emily was a good church worker and she would prepare communion for the church and William would help serve the communion. One aunt remembered helping her grandmother pick figs from the fig trees in her yard and then make fig preserves. She would also help Grandma Emily cut out scraps of fabric to make quilts. Quilts in those days were made to be used so many did not survive intact. I feel so blessed to have one of my Great Grandmother Emily Butter's quilts pictured below.
William Butter followed in his father Henry's footsteps and served as clerk for the Spring Hill Baptist Church. Henry Butter last signed minutes for the Spring Hill meetings on September 3, 1880; he died on November 20, 1880. On Saturday, February 5, 1881, William Butter signed as Clerk Pro Tem and on Saturday, March 5, 1881, William signed as Clerk. From then on William was listed as Clerk, Recorder or Moderator for most of the meetings through July 31, 1897 which is the last meeting for which I have a copy.
Like most of his family and friends in that area, William was a farmer for most of his life.
The only known picture of William is the one of he and Emily standing together as an older couple.
William Butter died February 8, 1923. Emily Graham Butter lived a few more years until November 28, 1933. They are both buried in the Butters Cemetery, Forest Hill, Louisiana.
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| Emily Graham as a young woman |
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| Marriage License for William Butter and Emily Graham |
Following are the children of William and Emily Butter: All were born in Forest Hill, LA.
1. Henry Robert Butter b. 25 August 1869; d. 18 December 1941, Lecompte, Rapides, LA; buried Butter Cemetery, Forest Hill, Rapides, LA. Married Lavinia Matilda Dunn (more on this family later).
2. William Marshall Butter b. 20 August 1871; d. 14 May 1953, Lecompte, Rapides, LA. Married Ella Johnson.
3. Beaula Virginia Butter b.8 August 1873; d. 16 November 1947; buried Butter Cemetery, Forest Hill, Rapides, LA. Married Ennis Simpson Duck.
4. Lula D. Butter b. 19 July 1877; d. 2 September 1952. Married Hadley Robert Graham, 16 March 1906, Rapides Parish, LA. (Note: Lula and Hadley were first cousins as Lula's mother, Emily Graham and Hadley's father, William Jackson Graham were siblings.)
5. John Rufus Butter b. 25 November 1879; d. 4 January 1978, Forest Hill, LA. Married Fannie Duck.
6. Randall Butter b. 14 September 1882; d. 28 January 1946. Married Isabella (Izzie) Henderson.
There appears to be some confusion on the given name for William Butter. The only way he ever signed his name was William Butter - no middle name and no initial. None of my aunts and uncles, his grandchildren, ever said his name was anything but William. A number of public family trees on various websites have him listed as William Marshall Butter. I think that the confusion comes from several sources. William and Emily named their second child William Marshall Butter. Second, the abbreviation for William is Wm. Also, William's death certificate lists William Marshall as his name. I clearly believe that this was a mistake and until proven wrong, I will continue to list him as just William Butter.
Two of my aunts and my Dad shared some of their memories of their grandmother, Emily Graham Butter. She was a tiny, dainty woman who was a good housekeeper. She loved to pick huckleberries for making pies and she would take a cane pole to the bank of the lake and fish for hours. Emily was a good church worker and she would prepare communion for the church and William would help serve the communion. One aunt remembered helping her grandmother pick figs from the fig trees in her yard and then make fig preserves. She would also help Grandma Emily cut out scraps of fabric to make quilts. Quilts in those days were made to be used so many did not survive intact. I feel so blessed to have one of my Great Grandmother Emily Butter's quilts pictured below.
William Butter followed in his father Henry's footsteps and served as clerk for the Spring Hill Baptist Church. Henry Butter last signed minutes for the Spring Hill meetings on September 3, 1880; he died on November 20, 1880. On Saturday, February 5, 1881, William Butter signed as Clerk Pro Tem and on Saturday, March 5, 1881, William signed as Clerk. From then on William was listed as Clerk, Recorder or Moderator for most of the meetings through July 31, 1897 which is the last meeting for which I have a copy.
Like most of his family and friends in that area, William was a farmer for most of his life.
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| Home of William and Emily Graham Butter Forest Hill, Rapides Parish, Louisiana |
William Butter died February 8, 1923. Emily Graham Butter lived a few more years until November 28, 1933. They are both buried in the Butters Cemetery, Forest Hill, Louisiana.
