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Butler  <5cnealoo\>< 


Dedication  of  Monument 


TO 


Deacon   JOHN    BUTLER, 


FIRST  SETTLER  OF  PELHAM, 


At  Pelham,  N.  H.,  June  9,   1886. 


*$" 


ALBANY,  N.  Y. : 
JOEL  MUNSELL'S  SONS.  Publishers. 

1887. 


•& 


Butler  (Scncaloo\\ 


Dedication  of  Monument 


TO 


)eacon   JOHN    BUTLER, 


FIRST  SETTLER  OF  PELHAM, 


At  Pelham,  N.  H.,  June  9,   1886. 


•  1 


ALBANY,  N.  Y.  : 
JOEL  MUNSELL'S  SONS,  Publishers 
1887. 


*    • »   • 

•  •    • 

*•  '   . 
• »  #  •  • 

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V 


of 


BINDING  No.  2239 


•    -   i. 


*  • » 


••-:  • 


RECORDS 


OF   THE 


Butler  Family  Association. 


Pelham,  N.  H.,  December  12.  1885. 

The  first  meeting  of  the  descendants  of  Dea.  John  Butler,  to  make 
arrangements  for  erecting  a  monument  to  his  memory ;  also  to  see  if 
the  descendants  would  vote  to  dedicate  the  same,  and  have  a  reunion 
of  the  Butler  family  at  some  future  time. 

The  meeting  organized  with  the  choice  of  the  following  officers, 
and  made  a  permanent  organization  :  President,  George  S.  Butler ; 
Vice-President,  Frederic  A.  Cutler ;  Secretary,  William  G.  Butler ; 
Treasurer,  William  M.  Butler. 

Voted  —  To  choose  a  committee  to  solicit  subscriptions  for  the 
erection  of  a  monument. 

Voted — That  William  M.  Butler,  James  E.  Butler,  Judge  Samuel 
P.  Hadley  and  Captain  Henry  Butler  should  be  the  committee. 

The  following  resolution  by  Judge  Samuel  P.  Hadley,  of  Lowell, 
was  adopted,  and  placed  on  the  record  book  of  the  organization  : 
and  also  that  a  copy  of  it  be  forwarded  to  Henry  A.  May,  Esq.,  of 
Boston,  Mass. 

Resolved — That  this  meeting  heartily  approves  the  labors  of  Mr. 
Henry  A.  May,  of  Boston,  in  preparing  a  genealogical  record  of  the 
Butler  family,  and  that  we  will  render  him  all  the  aid  in  our  power 
toward  the  accomplishment  of  such  a  desirable  work. 

The  meeting  adjourned  subject  to  the  call  of  the  officers. 

WILLIAxM  G.  BUTLER,  Secretary. 


Pelham,  N.  H.,  February  13,  1886. 

A  second  meeting  of  the  descendants  of  Dea.  John  Butler  was  held 
at  the  Town  Hall  at  2  o'clock  p.  m.  President  Geo.  S.  Butler  called 
the  meeting  to  order  and  the  following  business  was  transacted. 

Voted — To  have  a  committee  of  two  to  procure  a  slab  or  granite 
block  to  be  erected  over  the  grave  of  Dea.  John  Butler  in  Gumpus 
grave  yard,  and  that  it  be  suitably  inscribed. 

Voted — That  George  S.  Butler  and  William  W.  Butler  be  the  com- 
mittee. 

Voted — To  invite  the  town  of  Pelham  to  take  part  in  the  exercises 
of  dedicating  the  monument. 


Voted — That  the  president  be  a  committee  to  solicit  the  select- 
men to  insert  an  article  in  the  warrant  inviting  the  town  to  take  part 
in  dedicating  the  monument. 

Voted — To  adjourn  subject  to  the  call  of  the  secretary. 

WILLIAM  G.  BUTLER,  Secretary. 


The  committee  chosen  by  the  town  of  Pelham  to  act  with  the 
Butler  committee  to  dedicate  the  monument  at  the  annual  town 
meeting,  second  Tuesday  of  March,  1886,  were  as  follows:  John 
Woodbury,  Enoch  M.  Marsh,  Daniel  Marshall,  George  H.  Currier, 
Samuel  Kelley,  Warren  Sherburne. 


Pelham,  N.  H.,  March  20,  1886. 

A  third  meeting  of  the  descendants  of  Dea.  John  Butler  was  held 
at  the  town  hall  at  2  o'clock,  p.  m.  The  meeting  was  called  to  order 
by  the  President,  George  S.  Butler. 

Voted  —  To  erect  the  monument  in  memory  of  Dea.  John  Butler, 
on  the  town  common  at  the  Centre  of  Pelham. 

Voted — To  leave  the  matter  of  erecting  a  mark  at  the  grave  of 
Dea.  John  Butler  to  the  committee  chosen  at  the  last  meeting. 

Voted — That  the  following  gentlemen  be  a  committee  of  arrange- 
ments for  the  dedication  of  the  monument :  George  S.  Butler,  William 
G.  Butler,  William  M.  Butler,  James  E.  Butler,  Capt.  Henry  Butler, 
Josiah  Butler,  Charles  W.  Butler,  Judge  Samuel  P.  Hadley,  Elbridge 
O.  Butler,  Frederic  A.  Cutler. 

This  committee  to  co-operate  with  the  committee  chosen  by  the 
town  at  its  annual  March  meeting  for  the  same  purpose. 

Voted — To  have  the  inscription  on  the  monument  state  the  place 
where  Dea.  John  Butler  settled  as  nearly  as  possible. 

Voted — To  adjourn  subject  to  the  call  of  the  officers. 

WILLIAM  G.  BUTLER,  Secretary. 


Pelham,  N.  H.,  April  17,  1886. 

A  fourth  meeting  of  the  descendants  of  Dea.  John  Butler  and  the 
committee  chosen  by  the  town  was  heid  on  the  Town  Common,  Pel- 
ham centre,  at  3  o'clock. 

The  meeting  was  called  to  order  by  the  president  of  the  Butler 
organization  and  the  following  business  was  transacted  : 

Voted —  To  have  the  dedication  take  place  on  the  9th  of  June, 
1886,  at  10  o'clock,  a.  m. 

Voted — To  invite  Henry  A.  May,  Esq.,  of  Boston,  Mass.,  to 
deliver  the  historical  address  on  the  day  of  dedication. 

Voted —  To  invite  Frederic  Paul  Hill,  of  Billerica,  Mass.,  to  deliver 
a  poem  for  the  occasion. 

Voted  —  To  invite  the  Hon.  Moody  Currier,  Governor  of  New 


Hampshire,  and  Hon.  Benjamin  F.  Butler,  of  Lowell,  Mass.,  to  take 
part  in  the  exercises. 

Voted  —  That  Judge  Samuel  P.  Hadley,  of  Lowell,  Mass.,  George 
S.  Butler,  of  Pelham,  N.  H.,  Daniel  Marshall,  of  Belham,  N.  H.,  be 
a  committee  of  invitation. 

Voted — That  the  following  be  a  committee  on  refreshments: 
John  Woodbury  and  wife,  Daniel  P.  Atwood  and  wife,  Frederic  A. 
Cutler  and  wife  Richard  B.  Hillman  and  wife,  Daniel  Marshall  and 
wife,  William  G.  Butler  and  wife,  1).  W.  Webster  and  wife,  Alton 
Wilson  and  lady,  George  H.  Currier  and  wife,  Alvin  R.  Carlton  and 
wife,  Warren  Sherburne  and  1  idy,  Jonas  Keyes  and  lady. 

Voted — To  locate  the  monument  on  the  spot  of  land,  triangle 
shape,  in  front  of  the  First  Congregational  Church. 

Voted — To  adjourn  subject  to  the  call  of  the  president. 

WILLIAM  G.  BUTLER,  Secretary. 


Pelham,  N.  H.,  May  15,  1886. 

A  meeting  of  the  various  committees  having  charge  of  the  Butler 
monument  was  held  at  the  town  hall  at  3  o'clock. 

The  meeting  was  called  to  order  by  George  S.  butler,  president. 

Voted — That  the  committee  of  arrangements  hold  the  dedication 
exercises  June  9,  at  the  most  convenient  place,  church,  hall  or  on  the 
public  common. 

Voted — That  Richard  B.  Hillman,  Frederic  A.  Cutler  be  a  com- 
mittee to  furnish  a  stand  for  the  speakers. 

Voted — That  Mrs.  Mary  Berry,  Miss  M.  A.  Cloyd  and  Mrs.  William 
W.  Butler  be  a  committee  to  decorate  the  hall,  church  and  monument. 

Voted — To  have  dinner  tickets. 

Voted — That  George  S.  Butler  be  a  committee  to  produce  them. 

Voted — That  Richard  B.  Hillman,  Enoch  M.  Marsh  and  Charles 
L.  Seavey  be  a  committee  to  build  the  tables  in  the  upper  hall. 

Voted —  That  Daniel  P.  Atwood  and  Otis  G.  Spear  be  a  committee 
to  have  charge  of  the  dinner  tickets. 

Voted — That  C.  W.  Richardson  and  wife  and  forty-three  others 
and  their  wives  be  added  to  the  committee  on  tables. 

Voted  —  That  Daniel  Marshall  be  a  committee  to  solicit  subscrip- 
tions from  the  towns  people  toward  the  expenses  of  the  dinner. 

Voted — To  adjourn  subject  to  the  call  of  the  officers. 

WILLIAM  G.  BUTLER,  Secretary. 

Note. —  It  will  be  seen  that  the  original  purpose  of  the  Butler  Monut 
ment  Association  to  have  the  monument  erected  at  Deacon  John's 
grave  in  the  Gumpus  grave  yard,  was  changed  to  its  final  location, 
Pelham  Green,  in  the  center  of  the  town. 

The  idea  of  marking  the  spot  of  Deacon  John's  last  resting  place  was 
not  abandoned  ;  and  a  stone  about  three  feet  six  inches  high,  two  feel 
square  at  the  base,  eighteen  inches  square  at  the  top,  with  the  origina- 


stone,  that  had  stood  at  the  head  of  his  grave  since  his  burial,  was 
panelled  into  the  rear  of  the  new  stone,  well  secured  with  copper  rods, 
showing  the  original  inscription,  while  the  front  of  the  stone  is  inscribed 
as  follows  :  Deacon  John  Butler,  the  first  settler  of  Pelham,  born  1677, 
died  1759. 

Invitation. 

Monumental  Dedication.  —  A  monument  erected  to  perpetuate  the 
memory  of  Dea.  John  Butler,  the  first  settler  of  Pelham,  N.  H.,  is  to 
be  dedicated  at  the  Centre  of  Pelham  on  Wednesday,  June  9th,  1886 
at  10  o'clock  a.  m. 

The  monument  is  erected  by  the  descendants  of  Dea.  John  Butler, 
and  the  town  of  Pelham  co-operates  with  them  in  its  dedication. 

The  historical  and  biographical  address  will  be  given  by  Henry  A. 
May,  Esq.,  of  Boston  Mass. 

It  is  expected  that  Gen.  Benjamin  F.  Butler  of  Lowell  will  be  pre- 
sent and  participate  in  the  ceremonies  of  the  day. 

An  original  poem,  prepared  for  the  occasion,  will  be  given  by  Mr. 
Frederic  Paul  Hill  of  Billerica,  Mass. 

Singing  will  be  had  under  the  direction  of  A.  D.  Greeley  and  William 
W.  Butler  of  Pelham. 

The  North  Chelmsford  Brass  Band  will  be  present  during  the  day. 

A  public  dinner  will  be  served  in  the  town  hall  at  the  close  of  the 
exercises. 

The  presence  of  all  the  descendants  of  Dea.  John  Butler  and  their 
friends  is  earnestly  solicited.  Also,  all  sons  and  daughters  of  Pelham 
and  their  families  will  be  cordially  welcomed.  Samuel  P.  Hadley, 
George  S.  Butler,  and  Daniel  Marshall,  Committee  of  Invitation. 

Pelham,  N.  H.,  May  4,  1886. 

Copy  of  dinner  ticket : 

DEDICATION 

OF   THE 

DEA.  JOHN  BUTLER  MONUMENT. 

Wednesday,  June  9,  1886. 
Dinner  Ticket  -  -  Admit  One. 


Dedication  of  Monument   Erected  to  the  Memory  of  Deacon 
John  Butler,  First  Settler  of  Pelham,  N.  H. 

Wednesday,  June  9,  1886. 

The  monument  erected  to  the  memory  of  Dea.  John  Butler  was 
dedicated  with  appropriate  ceremonies  at  Pelham,  N.  H.,  by  his 
descendants,  the  people  of  the  town  joining  therein  with  the  Butler 
family.     The  day  was  perfect,  and  about  twelve  hundred  people,  from 


the  surrounding  towns,  and  many  distant  cities  and  towns  of  the  country 
were  present. 

The  monument  stands  in  the  middle  of  the  town  square,  opposite 
the  town  hall  and  church.  It  is  of  Rockport  granite,  a  spire  monu- 
ment fifteen  feet  high,  three  feet  six  inches  square  at  the  base.  The 
plinth  and  die  are  polished.  On  the  second  base  are  the  words  "John 
Butler"  cut  in  heavy  letters.  On  the  north  or  front  side  of  the 
monument  is  the  inscription  "Deacon  John  Butler,  Born  in  Woburn, 
Mass.,  July  22,  1677.  Settled  in  Pelham,  on  what  is  now  called  the 
Mammoth  Road,  near  Gumpus  Pond,  A.  D.,  1721.     Died  1759." 

On  the  west  side  is  the  following  inscription,  "  To  Deacon  John 
Butler,  the  First  Settler  in  Pelham,  this  Monument  is  Erected  by  His 
Descendants,  June,  A.  D.,  1886. 

The  monument  stands  in  the  centre  of  an  enclosure,  fourteen  feet 
square,  the  space  being  bounded  by  four  granite  corner  posts,  one  foot 
square  and  two  feet  high,  with  galvanized  iron  railing  running  from 
post  to  post.  The  monument  was  built  by  Andrews  &  Wheeler,  of 
Lowell,  Mass. 

Between  the  base  and  plinth  a  niche  was  cut  into  the  stone  and  a 
copper  box,  containing  the  records  of  the  Butler  family  association, 
newspaper  clippings,  town  reports  1886,  &c,  &c,  was  sealed  and 
placed  in  the  niche. 

The  turfed  terrace  upon  which  the  monument  and  corner  posts 
stand,  was  covered  with  evergreens  and  flowers. 

Exercises  of  the  Day. 

Promptly  at  9  30,  two  very  large  American  flags  were  thrown  to  the 
breeze  in  the  town  square,  by  the  towns  people,  the  "  Star  Spangled 
Banner"  being  finely  rendered  by  the  North  Chelmsford  Brass  Band, 
who  furnished  the  music  for  the  out  door  exercises  for  the  day. 

At  10.30  the  large  American  flag,  enclosing  the  die  of  the  monument, 
was  unfurled  by  a  committee  of  young  ladies.  Wm.  G  Butler,  the 
secretary,  introduced  this  portion  of  the  exercises,  by  presenting  Mr. 
Geo.  S.  Butler,  under  whose  direction  the  monument  was  unveiled, 
while  the  band  performed  a  selection.  The  ladies  who  removed  the 
flag,  were  Mrs.  Clara  Spear,  Mrs.  Daniel  M.  Webster,  descendants  of 
Dea.  John ;  Miss  Gertie  Hillman,  Miss  Lou  Hobbs,  all  of  Pelham. 

A  large  evergreen  wreath  being  thrown  around  the  shaft  after  the 
flag  was  removed. 

The  assembly  then  adjourned  to  the  First  Congregational  Church, 
where  the  formal  exercises  of  the  day  were  held.  The  pulpit  and 
platform  were  beautifully  decorated  and  embellished  with  a  grand  dis- 
play of  cut  flowers  and  rare  ferns,  massed  in  gorgeous  lines  by  the 
decoration  committee. 

President  of  the  Day,  George  S.  Butler,  presided  and  introduced 
Rev.  Augustus  Berry,  the  beloved  pastor  of  the  First  Congregational 
Church,  who  offered  the  opening  prayer. 

Followed   by  singing  "Angels  of  Peace"   {Keller)  by  a  superb 


8 

chorus  of  sixty  voices,  under  the  direction  of  Prof.  A.  D.  Greeley  of 
Pelham  ;  Mrs.  Frank  Hillman  presiding  at  the  organ. 

President  Butler  then  made  the  opening  address  as  follows  : 
Ladies  and  Gentlemen  :  —  In  behalf  of  the  descendants  of  Dea. 
Tohn  Butler,  and  the  citizens  of  Pelham,  I  bid  you  welcome  to  these 
exercises.  We  are  assembled  here  to-day  for  the  purpose  of  dedica- 
ting a  monument,  to  perpetuate  the  memory  of  Dea.  John  Butler,  the 
first  settler  of  Pelham.  One  hundred  and  sixty  five  years  ago,  John 
Butler  came  to  this  place  and  founded  a  home  for  his  wife  and  chil- 
dren. We  of  to-day  can  hardly  realize  the  difficulties  and  hardships, 
which  he  must  have  had  to  encounter  in  establishing  his  forest  home. 
It  has  been  handed  down  to  us,  through  the  generations  that  have 
gone  before,  that  he  was  an  honest,  courageous,  God-fearing  man,  and 
we  his  descendants,  have  gratefully  erected  yonder  monument,  to  pre- 
serve his  memory  to  this  generation,  and  to  all  generations  that  shall 
come  after  us.  The  town  of  Pelham  has  taken  a  deep  interest  in  the 
monument,  and  at  its  last  annual  meeting,  voted  to  take  part  in  the 
dedication,  and  the  citizens  of  the  town  have  generally  contributed 
toward  the  expenses  of  to-day.  We  have  with  us  to-day  one  of  the 
descendants  of  John  Butler,  who  has  been  engaged  for  a  number  of 
years,  in  writing  the  genealogy  of  the  Butler  family,  both  in  the  old 
country  and  in  this.  He  has  prepared  for  us  to-day  an  historical  and 
biographical  address,  and  I  now  take  pleasure  in  introducing  to  you 
Henry  A.  May  Esq   of  Boston. 


HISTORICAL  ADDRESS. 


Mr.  President  —  Ladies  and  Gentlemen  :  —  I  am  pleased  to  be 
with  you  here  to-day,  the  birth  place  of  my  mother,  her  home  in 
childhood,  the  home  of  her  ancestors  and  their  friends. 

Dukes  of  Normandy. 

According  to  Johnstone's  "  Celto  Scandinavian  Antiquities" 
"  Turner's  Anglo-Saxons"  and  other  sources,  Rolf  or  Rollo,  a  Nor- 
wegian Iarl,  sprung  from  the  ancient  kings  of  Norway,  was  expelled 
from  Norway  by  Harold  Harfager. 

Rollo  retired  with  his  ships  to  Denmark,  and  afterward  to  the 
Orkneys  and  Hebrides,  and  was  joined  by  many  Danish  and  Nor- 
wegian warriors. 

They  attacked  England  in  the  beginning  of  the  tenth  century,  A.  d., 
91 1,  but  unable  to  make  any  settlement  there,  after  several  attempts, 
being  opposed  by  King  Alfred,  they  set  sail  for  France,  overran  a 
great  part  of  the  country,  and  finally  Rollo,  at  the  head  of  thirty 
thousand  Danish  and  Norwegian  warriors,  compelled  Charles  the 
Simple,  King  of  France,  to  cede  Neustria,  a  principality,  to  them, 
which,  from  these  Nordmen,  Northmen,  Normands  or  Normans,  got 
the  name  of  Normandy.  N 

Rollo  received  his  principality,  and  obtained  in  marriage  Gisella, 
daughter  of  King  Charles  the  Simple,  on  condition  that  he  and  his 
followers  should  adopt  the  Christian  faith  ;  with  which  terms  the  Nor- 
wegian chief  complied,  and  he  and  his  people  became  Christians. 

Rolf  or  Rollo  and  his  descendants  as  Dukes-  of  Normandy,  ruled 
over  that  province  from  the  tenth  to  the  thirteenth  century  ;  and  in 
the  eleventh  century  William,  Duke  of  Normandy,  claiming  the 
crown  of  England,  landed  an  immense  army  at  Pavensey,  in  Sussex, 
on  the  28th  of  September,  1066,  and  on  Saturday  the  14th  of  October 
of  that  year,  fought  the  great  battle  near  Hastings.  The  victory  was 
won  by  Duke  William,  and  he  became  King  of  England  under  the 
title  of  "  William  the  Conqueror." 

Origin  of  Butler  Family  from  the  Dukes  of  Normandy. 
In  Camden's  Britannia,  page  462,  we  find  that  the  family  of  "  Fitz 


IO 

Walter,"   alias  "  Botelere,"  alias  Butler,  derive  their  pedigree   from 
the  Dukes  of  Normandy  as  follows  : 

i.  Rollo  of  Norway,  first  Duke  of  Normandy. 

2.  William  Longespee,  his  son,  second  Duke. 

3.  Richard  (1)  the  third  Duke,  his  son,  died  a.  d.,  986. 

This  Richard  left  two  sons  : 

1.  Richard  (2). 

2.  *  Godfrey  the  Consul  —  Earl  of  Bryomy. 

4.  Richard  (2)  the  fourth  Duke,  his  son. 

5.  Robert,  his  son,  the  fifth  Duke. 

6.  William,  Duke  of  Normandy,  or  "William  the  Conqueror,"  his 
son,  the  first  King  of  England  of  the  Norman  line. 

7.  Henry  the  First,  his  son,  second  King  of  England. 

8.  Henry  the  Second,  of  England. 

Gislebert  the  Norman,  Earl  of  Eu,  came  into  England  with  William 
the  Conqueror,  and  had  four  sons  : 

1.  Gislebert  de  Clare,  Earl  of  Clare,  who  was  ancestor  of  Richard 
Stronglow,  Earl  of  Pembroke,  married  Eva,  daughter  of  Dermod 
MacMorough,  King  of  Leinster. 

2.  Roger. 

3.  Walter. 

4.  Robert,  who  was  ancestor  of  Fitzwalter  and  Butler. 

Harvey  Walter,  who  was  lineally  descended  from  the  said  Robert 
last  mentioned,  married  a  daughter  of  Gilbert  Becket,  and  a  sister  of 
Thomas  a  Becket  the  "  Martyr,"  who  was  Lord  Archbishop  of  Can- 
terbury, and  by  her  had  issue  : 

1.  Theobald  Walter,  who  with  all  his  family  were  banished  out  of 
England  on  account  of  the  disfavor  in  which  Thomas  a  Becket,  Arch- 
bishop of  Canterbury,  then  stood  with  Henry  the  Second. 

But  soon  after  the  murder  of  the  said  archbishop,  and  the  king's 
public  penance  for  having  been  accessory  to  his  death,  Henry  the 
Second  recalled  from  banishment  all  the  archbishop's  relations  and 
friends,  and  promoted  them  to  great  offices  and  employments,  par- 
ticularly Theobald,  son  of  said  Harvey  Walter,  for  a  time  called 
Theobald  Walter,  until  the  king  took  him  into  favour  and  sent  him 
into  Ireland  with  the  title  of  "  Chief  Butler,"  of  that  kingdom  where 


*  Godfrey  the  Consul,  Earl  of  Bryomy,  second  son  of  Richard   (I),  the 
third  Duke  of  Normandy,  was  the  ancestor  of  De  Clare  (now  Clare),  and 


of  Butler  in  England  and  Ireland. 


II 


by  the  king's  royal  bounty   his  own   powers    and   valiant    behavior 
became  eminent  and  attained  greater  possessions.* 

Burke's  Peerage  and  Baronetage. 

The  history  of  the  illustrious  house  of  Butler  of  Ormonde  is,  in  point 
of  fact,  the  history  of  Ireland  from  the  time  of  the  Anglo  Norman 
invasion.  At  the  head  of  the  great  nobility  of  that  country  have  ever 
stood  the  Butlers.  For  ages  their  story  fills  the  pages  of  the  Irish 
annals,  from  the  advent  of  Theobald  Fitz  Walter  in  the  reign  of  Henry 
II  down  to  the  death  of  James,  second  Duke  of  Ormonde  at  Avignon 
in  1745. 

The  surname  Butler  is  derived  from  the  chief  Butlerage  of  Ireland, 
conferred  by  Henry  II  upon  the  first  of  the  family  who  settled  in  that 
kingdom. 

Hervey  Walter  or  Herveus  Walteri,  was  heir  to  Hubert  Walteri  who 
is  mentioned  in  the  sheriff's  accounts  for  the  counties  of  Norfolk  and 
Suffolk  3  Henry  II.  A.  D.,  1156.  He  married  Matilda,  daughter  and 
( with  her  sister  Bertha,  wife  of  Rudolph  de  Glanville )  co-heir  of 
Theobald  de  Valoines,  Lord  of  Parham,  Co.  Suffolk,  and  had  four  sons. 

I.  Theobald,  ancestor  of  the  house  of  Ormonde  (of  whom  pre- 
sently). " 

II.  Hubert,  Archbishop  of  Canterbury  1193;  Chief  Justice  and 
Governer  of  the  Kingdom  during  the  absence  of  Richard  I  ;  Chan- 
cellor of  England  n 99;  Pope's  Legate  in  the  reign  of  King  John, 
died  at  his  manor  of  Peynham,  1205. 

III.  Roger,  witness  to  the  charter  to  Buthley. 

IV.  Hamo,  also  witness  to  the  same  charter. 

Hervey  Walter  granted  a  charter  of  land  in  Wingfield,  Co.  Suffolk, 
to  the  Church  of  St.  Mary  Buthley,  which  charter  was  confirmed  by 
his  son. 

Theobald  Fitz  Walter,  who  accompanied  Henry  II,  into  Ireland 
and  was  created  Chief  Butler  of  Ireland  11 77,  returned  to  England 
and  accompanied  Prince  John  into  Ireland  in  11 85.  He  was  pos- 
sessed of  the  baronies  of  upper  Ormonde,  lower  Ormonde  and  num- 


*  Other  antiquarians  hold  that  the  name  of  Butler  is  derived  from 
Robert,  supposed  to  have  been  "butler"  to  King  William  the  "Con- 
queror," who  in  "Doomsday  Botk"  is  called  "  Robertus  Pincerua. " 
This  Robertus  Pincerua,  with  two  others  of  the  same  name  (whether  his 
brothers  or  sons  we  know  not),  called  Hugo  Pincerua  and  Richard  Pin- 
cerua, held  each  of  them  from  the  king  several  towns  in  England.  The 
said  Robertus  was  grand  father  of  the  above-mentioned  Walter. 


12 

erous  other  territories.     He  married  Maud,  daughter  of  Robert  le 
Vavasour  and  grand  daughter  of  William  le  Vavasour,  justiciary  of 
England  by  whom  (who  married  secondly  Fulke  Fitz  Warive.)  — 
Theobald,  his  heir. 

Maud,  married  Geoffrey  de  Prendergrast,  Lord  of  Enniscorthy  and 
Duffrey,  Co.  Wexford. 

Theobald  Walter  died  before  4th  of  April  1 206  and  was  succeeded 
by  his  son. 

Theobald,  second  Butler,  who  first  assumed  the  name  of  Le  Botiler 
or  Butler  in  1221.  He  married  first  Joan  eldest  sister  and  co-heir  of 
Geoffrey  de  Marreis  a  considerable  Baron  of  Ireland  by  whom  he  had 
a  son,  Theobald  his  heir. 

Theobald,  second  Butler,  died  19th  July,  1230,  and  was  succeeded 
by  his  eldest  son. 

But  it  is  not  my  purpose  to  give  a  full  historical  account  of  the  Eng- 
lish and  Irish  Butlers,  as  I  wish  to  give  some  accounts  of  our  American 
ancestor  James  Butler  and  some  of  his  descendants,  and  will  conclude 
the  brief  account  of  the  English  and  Irish  Butlers.  The  Irish  atiquar- 
ians  who  record  the  Pedigrees  of  the  Butler  families  who  came  into 
Ireland  with  the  conquest  and  remained  there  ever  since,  give  a  line 
of  direct  descent  of  twenty  one  Barons,  Earls,  Marquis  and  Dukes  of 
Ormonde  to  1708,  which  date  is  contemporary  with  our  Deacon  John 
Butler,  also  many  hundred  Knights,  Barons,  Earls,  Viscounts,  Mar- 
quis, &c,  of  collateral  branches,  both  of  England  and  Ireland.  The 
Butler  family  being  about  equally  divided  between  England  and 
Ireland. 

James  Butler  (i)  Sen.,  "The  Planter." 
The  first  record  we  have  of  James  Butler,  the  father  of  Dea.  John 
(2)  is  from  the  old  town  of  Lancaster,  Mass.,  first  settled  in  1653, 
then  called  Nashaway.  He  was  an  early  proprietor  and  must  have 
owned  land  there  previous  to  1659.  For  "Orders  and  Directions" 
given  to  Ralph  Houghton  about  laying  out  the  second  division  of 
meadow,  Munday  the  5,  Februarie  [1659]  James  Butler's  lot  was 
No.  39. 

According  to  the  proprietor's  records  he  owned  five  lots,  consisting 
of  268  acres  in  Lancaster  at  the  first  settlement. 

In  1663,  the  towne  granted  to  James  Butler  a  halfe  home  Lott,  and 
he  is  to  have  ten  acres  of  upland  for  a  halfe  home  Lott,  and  twentie 
acres  of  upland  for  a  halfe  home  Lott  of  intervaile  and  to  take  it  where 
it  is  not  disposed  of;  neither  to  any  particular  person,  or  in  the  Stated 


1.1 

common,  and  he  is  to  have  other  accomodation  suitable  according  to 
his  estate. 

In  1664  the  towne  [of  Lancaster]  gave  libertie  to  James  Butler  to 
have  a  Rode  of  Upland,  in  breadth  to  set  a  fence  on  at  the  side  of  the 
seaven  acres  of  Intervaile  which  he  bought  of  Goodman  Joslin. 

In  1664  James  Butler  received  from  Rebecca  Joslin,  widow  of 
Thomas,  certain  land  east  of  Still  river  (Lancaster),  recorded  1666, 
and  there  his  son  James  (2),  Jun.,  lived  after  the  massacre. 

As  James  Butler  was  taxed  in  Woburn,  Mass.,  1676,  1677,  1678,  he 
probably  never  returned  to  Lancaster  after  the  first  massacre. 

He  was  taxed  in  Billerica,  Mass.,  in  1679. 

The  oldest  record  book  of  the  town  of  Bellerica  has  the  following  : 

20th  day,  01,  1681,  James  Butler  Sen.  (2)  Irishman,  dyed. 

The  same  book  also  contains  the  following  : 

John  Hinds  and  Mary  Butler,  widow,  married  9th  day,  12  mo.  1682. 

Mary  Butler,  widow  of  James  (1),  was  administratrix  of  her  hus- 
band's estate^and  the  application  and  inventory  is  on  file  in  probate 
office,  Cambridge,  Mass.  John  Hinds  of  Lancaster,  Mass.,  dying,  his 
widow  Mary  was  appointed  executrix,  14th  October,  1724,  and  con- 
veyed land  to  her  loving  son  John  Hinds  of  Brookfield,  Mass. 

Mary  (Butler)  Hinds  had  four  sons  and  three  daughters  by  her 
second  husband. 
James  (1)  Butler,  Sen.,  by  wife  Mary,  had  the  following  children  : 

1.  James  Butler  (2),  first  wife  was  Lydia,  who  died  in  Lancaster, 
Mass.,  1723,  October  n  ;  they  had  five  children;  he  married  second 
in  Lancaster  March  19,  1723-4,  by  Justice  Houghton,  Hannah  Wil- 
son, both  of  Lancaster ;  they  had  three  children. 

2.  Martha  (2)  Butler  married  John  Smith,  December  14,  1719; 
by  Justice  Houghton ;  both  of  Lancaster. 

3.  Deacon  John  (2)  Butler,  born  in  Woburn,  Mass.,  July  22,  1677  ; 
married  Elizabeth  Wilson  of  Woburn,  Mass. ;  both  died  and  buried 
in  first  or  Gumpus  grave  yard  in  Pelham,  N.  H. 

4.  Mary  (2)  Butler,  born  1679,  July  IJ,  m  Billerica,  Mass.  ;  mar- 
ried Thomas  Littlejohn  January  26,  1726-7,  by  Justice  Houghton, 
both  of  Lancaster,  Mass. 

5.  Eleanor  (2)  Butler,  born  in  Billerica  Mass.,  July  13,  168 1. 
James  Butler  (2),  Jr.,  date  and  place  of  birth  unknown,  resided 

on  lands  belonging  to  his  father  in  Lancaster,  Mass. 
Lancaster,  20th  April,  1704  : 


James  Butler  in  garrison  on  ye  east  side  of  Nashaway  river.  His 
house  was  on  the  east  side  of  Wataquock  hill. 

An  instrument  dated  at  Worcester,  Sth  February,  1733,  James 
Butler  (2),  son  of  James  (1),  releases  the  children  of  her  second 
husband,  Hinds,  from  further  support  of  his  mother  during  her 
natural  life,  and  assumed  the  charge  himself. 

We  have  no  trace  of  John  Smith  and  Martha  Butler  (2). 

Mary  Butler  (2),  who  married  Thomas  Littlejohn,  a  Scotchman, 
January  26,  1726,  at  Lancaster,  Mass.,  had  : 

1.  Mary  (3),  born  1728,  May  10. 

2.  Thomas  (3),  born  1730,  July  27  ;  married  Barnet. 

3.  Sarah  (3),  born  1731. 

4.  Simeon  (3),  born  1733,  April  15. 

5.  Tilley  (3),  born  1735,  ^aY  2^  ',  married  Hannah  Brooks. 
Mary  (Butler)   Littlejohn,  born  in  Bellerica,  Mass. ;  supposed  to 

have  died  at  Lancaster,  Mass. :  her  daughters,  Mary  (3),  Sarah  (3), 
and  son  Tilley  (3),  remained  all  their  lives  in  and  about  the  old  town 
of  Lancaster  and  vicinity,  where  all  the  children  were  born. 

Thomas  Littlejohn,  Sen.,  at  age  of  twenty-two  came  to  Boston 
about  1 718,  from  Edinburgh,  Scotland.  He  was  in  Joseph  Blanch- 
ard's  muster-roll  from  August  to  October,  1725.  He  is  said  to  have 
been  killed  in  a  battle  at  Louisney  in  1748. 

Thomas  Littlejohn,  (2)  Jr.,  emigrated  to  Halifax,  N.  S.,  with  his 
brother  Simeon.  He  married  in  Halifax  a  lady  from  State  of  Maine  ; 
had  twelve  children,  and  from  one  of  them  all  the  Littlejohns  in  and 
about  Portland,  Me.,  were  descended. 

Simeon  Littlejohn  removed  to  Philadelphia,  Pa.,  and  married  ;  then 
removed  to  the  southern  states.  All  in  the  south  bearing  that  name 
are  his  descendants. 

Tilley  Littlejohn,  who  remained  in  Lancaster,  Mass.,  was  afterward 
of  Princeton,  Mass.,  one  of  the  signers  of  the  church's  organization 
at  Princeton  (formerly  part  of  Lancaster)  ;  selectman  1764,  and  held 
other  town  offices  there. 

All  of  the  name  of  Littlejohn  in  New  York  State,  Bishop  Little- 
john and  others  of  some  note,  are  descendants  of  Tilley,  fifth  child 
of  Thomas  and  Mary  Butler. 

Tilley  Littlejohn  was  in  Capt.  Asa  Whitcomb's  company,  1756,  in 
the  expedition  to  Crown  Point. 

Caleb  Butler. 
A  pamphlet  entitled   "  Some  Account  of  Deacon  John  Butler,  of 


i5 

Pel  ham,  N.  H.,  and  his  descendants,"  was  published  in  1849  by  our 
eminent  antiquarian,  historian  and  scholar  Caleb  Butler,  of  Groton, 
Mass.  Had  this  little  pamphlet  of  sixteen  pages  never  been  pub- 
lished this  monument  would  not  probably  have  ever  been  erected, 
and  I  should  not  have  conceived  the  idea  of  writing  a  full  genea- 
logical history  of  the  Butler  family. 

His  conjectures  regarding  the  descent  of  the  first  James  Butler 
were  singularly  correct,  for  the  means  at  that  time  for  research  were 
comparatively  limited. 

There  is  no  doubt  that  he  was  an  Irishman,  for  the  first  volume  of 
Billerica  records  state  that  fact  with  the  date  of  his  death. 

Prom  a  very  large  amount  of  records  in  my  possession,  as  well  as 
a  very  extended  research  of  all  general  and  local  histories  of  England 
and  Ireland,  I  find  that  the  name  of  Butler,  rightfully  held  by  descent, 
all  are  descended  from  the  Chief  Butler  of  Ireland. 

All  of  the  name  of  Butler  who  came  to  this  country  during  the 
first  century  of  its  existence,  can  be  traced  to  a  common  ancestry  in 
Ireland. 

The  children's  names  of  our  first  James  Butler,  James,  Martha, 
John,  Mary,  and  more  especially  "  Elenor,"  are  traced  continually 
through  every  generation  to  the  first  Butler. 

Caleb  Butler  mentions  the  family  tradition  of  a  Simon  or  Simeon, 
but  all  trace  lost ;  but  he  is  found  living  in  Lancaster  at  same  time 
Dea.  John's  brother  James  (2)  resided  there,  and  is  recorded  as 
James'  son. 

The  original  township  of  Dunstable  embraced  a  tract  of  more  than 
200  square  miles.  It  received  its  name  from  Dunstable  in  England. 
Grants  were  made  in  1659  of  land  within  what  is  now  Nashua,  and 
settlement  was  made  there  before  1673. 

Nottingham  was  set  off  from  Dunstable  and  incorporated  by  Massa- 
chusetts January  4,  1733.  Being  all  the  lands  on  the  easterly  side  of 
the  river  Merrimack  belonging  to  Dunstable  —  this  included  Litch- 
field —  about  one-third  of  Pelham,  part  of  Tyngsborough,  all  the 
present  town  of  Hudson  except  the  "  Londonderry  claim." 

Incorporated  by  New  Hampshire  July  5,  1746,  and  its  name 
changed  to  Nottingham  West  to  distinguish  it  from  Nottingham  in 
the  eastern  part  of  New  Hampshire. 

The  first  town  meeting  May  1,  1733. 

Henry  Baldwin*  chosen  Town  Clerk. 

*  He  lies  buried  within  a  few  feet  of  Dea.  John. 


i6 

Henry  Baldwin,  John  Butler,  Capt.  Robert  Fletcher,  John  Taylor, 
Joseph  Snow,  Selectmen. 

Capt.  Robert  Fletcher,  Moderator. 
Joseph  Hamblet,  Constable. 
John  Snow,  Town  Treasurer. 
Nath'l  Hills,  Tithingman. 
James  Parkam,  i 

Joseph  Winn,  -  Surveyors. 

Eleazer  Cummmings,         ) 
Thomas  Colburn, 


Fence  Viewers. 
Samuel  Butler, 

Edward  Spalding,  )._,._. 

T       *.l       r>    1  1  r  Field  Drivers. 

Jonathan  Parkham,  ) 

Phineas  Spalding,  ) 

John  Hamblet,  }  HoS  ReeveS' 

Henry  Baldwin,  Moderator,  1734,  '37,  '38,  '43,  '44. 

John  Butler,  Moderator,  1735,  '41, 

John  Butler,  Selectman,  1734,  1735,  1736..  1737,  1738. 

John  Butler,  Town  Clerk,  1735,  1736. 

Samuel  Butler,  Selectman,  1745. 

Samuel  Butler,  Fence  Viewer,  1733. 

Ephraim  Cummings,  Moderator,  1762,  '63. 

Ephraim  Cummings,  Selectman,  1756,  '57,  1762,  '63,  1766. 

Henry  Baldwin,  Delegate  Massachusetts  General  Court,  1 734. 

Ephraim  Cummings,  Delegate  New  Hampshire  Court,  1760. 

March  10,  1746,  Thomas  Gage,  Ephraim  Cummings  and  John 
Butler,  chosen  a  committee  to  treat  with  the  court's  committee  to  be 
incorporated  in  a  distinct  town. 

Pelham,  N.  H. 

The  name  was  given  in  honor  of  the  Duke  of  Newcastle,  Thomas 
Pelhatn  Holies.  The  first  settler  was  Deacon  John  Butler,  in  1721, 
followed  in  a  short  time  by  the  Hamblets,  and  then  by  the  Richard- 
sons,  Wymans,  Jaques  and  Gage's.  John  Butler  and  David  Hamblet 
bought  land  in  vicinity  of  Gumpus  pond,  west  of  the  centre.  The 
Richardsons  settled  a  few  rods  below  the  block-house.  Jaques  set- 
tled a  little  east  of  the  centre  of  the  town.  The  Baldwin's  and 
Barkers  settled  on  Baldwin's  hill.     The  Gages  on  Gage's  hill. 

The  first  town  meeting  in  Pelham  was  July  21,  1746,  at  the  house 
of  Capt.  Henry  Baldwin. 

Capt.  Henry  Baldwin  chosen  Moderator. 


i7 

Eleazer  Whiting,  Town  Clerk. 

Joseph  Hamblet, 

Henry  Baldwin, 

Wm.  Richardson,  ]■  Selectmen. 

Josiah  Gage, 

Eleazer  Whiting, 

Henry  Baldwin,  Jr.,  Town  Treasurer. 

Thomas  Wyman,  Constable. 

Jacob  Butler, 

John  Baldwin, 

Daniel  Gage, 

Simon  Beard,  J 

Henry  Richardson,  ) 

»  ^  ;-   Tythingmen. 

Amos  Gage,  )       J        fa 

William  Eliot,  i  „.  ,  „.  , ,  ^  . 

TT     ,    _,.  ,       ,  >   Pence  Viewers  and  Field  Drivers. 

Hugh  Richardson,  ) 

Henry  Richardson,  Sealer  of  Weights  and  Measures. 

Amos  Gage,  Surveyor  of  Timber. 

Simon  Beard,  )    XT      _ 

Hog  Reaves. 


)■  Surveyors  of  Highways. 


David  Jones, 

From  the  first  settlement  of  the  town,  we  find  the  first  settlers  and 
their  children  active  in  the  French  and  Indian  wars.  And  children 
and  grand-children  of  the  first  settlers  took  an  active  part  in  the 
Revolution.  Prominent  among  these  were  the  Butlers,  whose  records 
of  service  in  these  early  wars  are  on  the  muster-rolls  at  State  house, 
Boston,  and  State  house,  Concord,  N.  H. 

From  the  church  records  we  find  the  Butler  families  took  unusual 
interest  in  church  matters,  and  they,  as  well  as  nearly  all  the  towns 
people,  were  members  of  the  first  church. 

Deacon  John  Butler  was  first  taxed  in  Woburn,  August,  1698  and 
for  the  last  time  in  1 721.  The  birth  of  eight  of  his  children  are  there 
recorded. 

Jonathan  Tyng,  of  Woburn,  March  8,  1721,  conveyed  by  deed  to 
John  Butler  of  Woburn,  450  acres  of  land,  lying  in  Dunstable,  next 
adjoining  Dracut  line,  and  soon  after  another  parcel  of  150  acres 
adjoining  the  first  lot.  The  line  between  Dunstable  and  Dracut  at 
that  time  is  known  to  have  run  from  "  a  pine  tree  in  sight  of  beaver 
brook"  to  "  long  pond"  crossing  the  "Mammoth  "  road,  now  so  called, 
near  the  school-house,  and  burying  place  in  the  south  westerly  part  of 
Pelham.     Hence  it  appears  that  John  Butler's  land  was  situated  in  a 


i8 

territory  afterward  included  in  Nottingham  West,  and  subsequent  to 
establishment  of  the  state  line,  incorporated  into  the  town  of  Pelham 
and  is  the  same  upon  which  he  and  many  of  his  posterity  lived  and 
died,  and  where  some  of  his  descendants  still  reside.  It  appears  that 
he  removed  from  Woburn  to  take  possession  of  his  lands  in  the  spring 
of  i 721-2. 

Proprietors  of  wild  lands  in  this  region  about  this  time,  erected  a 
building  on  the  site  of  Mr.  Benjamin  Cutler's  dwelling-house,  for  the 
purpose  of  encouraging  settlers  in  those  regions,  by  giving  them  the 
use  and  occupation  of  it,  while  preparing  habitations  of  their  own. 

It  is  believed  that  John  Butler,  who  was  one  of  the  first  settlers  in 
this  region,  availed  himself  of  the  privilege  tendered  and  occupied 
the  building  till  he  built  a  house  on  the  land  he  had  purchased  of 
Mr.  Tyng. 

This  he  erected  on  a  spot  between  the  present  house  and  the  barn 
of  Mr.  John  Gage,  upon  or  near  the  easterly  side  of  the  present 
Mammoth  road. 

It  was  constructed  of  pine  logs,  hewn  and  locked  or  dove-tailed 
together  at  the  corners,  with  a  ditch  and  pallisadoes  around  it,  and 
portholes  through  the  logs  on  all  sides,  of  convenient  heights  for  shoot- 
ing, in  case  of  an  attack  by  the  Indians.  A  draw-bridge  was  thrown 
across  the  ditch  by  day,  which  was  drawn  up  by  night. 

It  was  the  express  desire  of  the  builder  and  occupant  of  this  log 
cabin  or  garrison,  that  it  might  remain  as  long  as  its  timbers  would 
hold  together  as  a  memento  to  his  posterity  of  courage,  perseverance 
and  endurance  of  the  pioneers  in  that  wilderness.  It  stood  about 
four  score  years  after  its  erection  to  be  viewed  by  two  generations  after 
him,  and  then  was  taken  down  and  all  traces  of  its  foundation  are  now 
obliterated. 

He  is  styled  "  Deacon  "  in  the  records  of  Nottingham  West  and  Pel- 
ham,  and  must  have  been  one  of  the  first  at  both  places. 

The  small  rough  stone  which  marks  the  spot  of  his  interment  in  the 
common  burying  place,  a  little  south  from  where  his  humble  dwelling 
stood,  bears  the  following  inscription  rudely  engraved  upon  it — 

D 

Iohn 

Birrler 

1759  A 

82 

Deacon  John  (2)  Butler,  1677,  July  22  ;  1759  ;  Elizabeth  Wilson, 


19 

daughter  of  Samuel  Wilson  and  Elizabeth  Pierce,  of  Woburn,   Mass., 
1683,  January  28. 

1.  Elizabeth  (3)  married  Ephraim  Cummings,  1704,  September  4. 

2.  John  (3)  married  first,  Mary  Hamblet,  1706,  June  22  ;  married 
second,  Ruth  Wyman. 

3.  Samuel  (3)  married  first,  Mary  Wright;   1708,  May  3;  married 
second,  Elizabeth  Johnson  ;  1786,  September  26. 

4.  Sarah  (3)  unmarried;  1  709,  January  9-10  ;  1  723.  September  21. 

5.  Joseph  (3)  married  first,  Abigail  Nourse  ;   1  7 13.   December  1  ; 
married  second,  Hannah  Gragg ;  married  third,  Mary  Ladd. 

6.  Phebe  (3)  married  John  Durant ;    1714-15,  January  25. 

7.  Mary  (3)  married  Benj.  Durant;    1716,  December  27. 

8.  Jacob  (3)  married  Mary  Eames  ;   1718;  November  10. 

9.  Abigail  [3]  married  Henry  Baldwin  ;   1720,  November  5. 

10.  Sarah  [3]  married  first,  Jonathan  Morgan  ;  1  724,  November  9  ; 
married  second,  Josiah  Hamblet.* 

The  four  sons  above  named  of  the  third  generation  settled,  lived 
to  a  good  old  age,  and  died,  in  the  westerly  part  of  Pelham,  namely  : 
John  [3]  lived  on  the  west  side  of  Gumpus  brook,  where  the 
.Messrs.  Seavys  afterward  lived.  Samuel  [3],  first  on  the  Spofford 
farm  of  the  garrisoned  town,  and  in  1747,  removed  to  the  foot  of 
Jeremy's  hill  on  the  farm  afterwards  owned  by  Phineas  Butler. 
Joseph  [3]  at  the  north-west  corner  of  the  town,  at  the  mills  after- 
ward owned  by  Nehemiah  Butler,  his  grandson  ;  and  Jacob  [3],  on  the 
homestead,  owning  the  mills  on  Gumpus  brook,  near  the  outlet  from 
the  pond  of  the  same  name. 

The  death  of  Sarah  [3]  was  caused  by  a  beard  of  rye  getting  into 
her  nose.  This  was  the  first  death  in  the  town,  and  she  was  buried 
in  the  Gumpus  yard  —  its  first  grave  —  and  around  this  mound  the, 
from  time  to  time,  new  graves  were  dug,  until  all  the  original  settlers 
and  their  children  and  grand-children  were  buried  in  this  quiet  spot, 
where  beloved  Sarah  was  the  first  to  be  laid.  Many  years  ago  a 
small  stone  with  Sarah  engraved  upon  it  designated  the  spot,  but  it 
has  since  crumbled,  and  there  is  nothing  to  distinguish  the  grave 
from  many  others  where  the  stones  are  gone. 

1.  Elizabeth  [3],  eldest  child  of  Deacon  John  Butler,  who  married 
Ephraim  Cummings,  lived  on  the    Pelham  road  on  the  south  side  of 


*  The  above  register  is  from  town  records  ofWoburn,  and  other  reliable 
sources. 


20 


Bush  hill ;  he  was  son  of  Thomas  Cummings.     They  had  seven  chil- 
dren, three  sons  and  four  daughters  who  lived  to  be  married. 

2.  John  Butler  [3],  second  child  of  Dea.  John  Butler,  married 
first,  Mary  Hamblet ;  married  second,  Ruth  Wyman,  November  22, 
1753  ;  having  two  daughters  and  four  sons  by  Mary,  and  one  daughter 
and  one  son  by  Ruth. 

In  the  assessment  list  of  Nottingham  West  of  1 741,  he  is  styled 
Capt.  John  Butler.  He  had  the  south  part  of  his  father's  farm,  and 
built  a  house  and  lived  west  of  the  Mammoth  or  Gumpus  road. 
This  farm  was  divided  in  the  next  generation.  Nathan  [4]  the  third 
child  having  the  homestead,  and  John  [4]  the  second  child  the 
eastern  part  of  the  farm,  and  built  a  house  on  or  near  the  spot  where 
Asa  G.  Butler  recently  lived. 

John  [4]  and  Nathan  [4]  wore  the  breeches  of  a  proceeding 
generation  with  silver  knee  buckles.  Nathan  was  known  as  Capt. 
Nathan  Butler,  and  it  is  said  worked  up  his  men  in  his  company  to 
such  enthusiasm  that  almost  every  man  appeared  on  parade  in 
uniform.  Nathan  held  the  rank  of  Ensign  in  the  Revolutionary 
army,  and  was  also  a  militia  officer  at  that  time. 

David  [4],  fourth  child,  married  Rebekah  Chase  of  Nottingham 
West,  June  20,  1772  ;  was  a  militia  officer  and  soldier  in  the  Revolu- 
tion ;  he  was  a  member  of  the  General  Assembly  of  New  Hampshire 
from  Pelham,  1780,  1781.     He  had  five  sons  and  three  daughters. 

David,  Jr.  (5),  his  son,  of  Pelham,  was  Major,  Eighth  Regiment, 
N.  H.  militia,  182 1  ;  Lieutenant-Colonel,  Eighth  Regiment,  N.  H. 
militia,  Third  Brigade,  1822,  1823  ;  Colonel,  Eighth  Regiment,  N.  H. 
militia,  Third  Brigade,  1824,  1825. 

George  S.  Butler,  president  of  the  day,  is  a  descendant  of  John 
Butler  [3]. 
James  E.  Butler  is  also  a  descendant  of  John  Butler. 

Samuel  Butler  (3),  third  child  of  Deacon  John  married,  first,  Mary 
Wright.  Married  second,  Elizabeth  Johnson,  June  23,  1766.  They 
had  three  sons  and  three  daughters. 

He  was  one  of  the  ten  original  members  of  the  church  in  Pelham, 
which  was  formed  November  13,  1751.  He  received  the  north  part 
of  his  fathers  farm,  afterward  known  as  the  Spofford  farm,  sixty  years 
ago  owned  and  occupied  by  Dudley  Spofford.  Samuel  leaving  and 
selling  the  Spofford  farm,  bought  one  half  of  the  "thousand  acres" 
then  known  as  the  Kimball  farm,  and  occupied  the  part  where  William 
W.  Butler  now  lives,  his  house  being  near  "Jeremy's"  hill  west  of  the 
present  homestead. 


21 

Dr.  John  Mussey,  married  his  youngest  daughter  Bulah.  He  was 
a  distinguished  physician  and  member  of  the  committee  of  safety, 
1777.  Their  fifth  child  was  Dr.  Reuben  Dimond  Mussey,  who  estab- 
lished a  world-wide  reputation,  even  as  a  student  and  performed 
wonders  in  surgery  ;  was  a  student  in  Philadelphia  and  Europe  ;  grad- 
uate of  Dartmouth  College,  1803,  M.  D.,  L.  L.  D.,  professor  at  Dart- 
mouth, etc.  Gen.  R.  D.  Mussey  of  Washisgton,  D.  C,  is  a  son  of 
Dr.  Reuben  and  grand-son  of  Dr.  John  mussey  and  Bulah  Butler. 

Caleb  Butler  (5)  son  of  Caleb  (4),  and  grand  son  of  Samuel  (3) 
was  the  distinguished  antiquarian,  historian  and  surveyor  of  Groton, 
Mass.  Graduate  Dartmouth  College  1800  ;  preceptor  of  the  Academy 
at  Groton,  Mass. ;  town  clerk  Groton ;  postmaster ;  member  of  the 
bar;  author,  "Some  accounts  of  Dea.  John  Butler  of  Pelham,  N.  H., 
and  his  descendants,  1849  "  ;  "  History  of  Groton  (including  Pepperell 
and  Shirley,)"  and  other  works ;  chairman  of  the  Middlesex  county 
commissioners  fifteen  years  ;  trustee  of  the  academy  at  Groton  twenty- 
nine  years,  and  other  offices  of  trust.  He  was  father  of  the  distin- 
guished teacher  Miss  Clarissa  Butler  of  Groton,  Mass.,  and  Frances 
Butler  who  married  Hon.  Francis  Brooks  of  Boston,  Mass. 

Rev.  Calvin  Butler  (6),  M.  A.,  Graduate  Dartmouth  College, 
1834  ;  son  of  Samuel  (5)  ;  grand  son  of  Caleb  (4),  and  great  grand- 
son of  Samuel  (3).  He  has  devoted  his  long  and  useful  life  to  the 
ministry  and  educational  interests  of  Massachusetts,  Vermont  ,  New 
Hampshire,  New  York  and  New  Jersey.  No  brief  sketch  here  will 
do  him  justice. 

William  Wyman  Butler  and  Fred.  A.  Cutler  are  descendants  of 
Samuel  (3). 

5.  Lieutenant  Joseph  Butler  (3),  was  fifth  child  of  Deacon  John 
Butler. 

Married  first,  Abigail  Nourse,  had  one  child. 

Married  second,  Hannah  Gragg,  had  two  children. 

Married  third,  Mary  Ladd  of  Haverhill,  Mass.,  november  thirtieth, 
1754,  had  nine  children. 

Had  in  all  twelve  children. 

He  was  born  in  Woburn  1  713,  and  died  in  Pelham,  aged  nearly 
100.  His  tenth  child  James,  who  died  of  consumption,  being  buried 
the  same  day  with  him. 

Abigail,  first  child  of  Lieut.  Joseph,  married  Joseph  Wilson,  of  Dra- 
cut,  Mass. 

Nehemiah  (4),  second  child  of  Lieut.  Joseph,  succeeded  his  father 


j- 


22 


the  ownership  of  "  Butler's  Mills,"  now  owned  and  run  by  his  direct 
descendant  Wra.  Gregg  (7)  Butler  who  is  grand  son  of  Nehemiah  Jr., 
(5)  and  son  of  Asa  Davis  (6),  who  each  one  in  succession  owned  and 
operated  the  mills  from  Lieut.  Joseph  (3). 

Hon.  Josiah  Butler  (5)  of  Deerfield,  N.  H.,  was  fifth  child  of  Neh- 
emiah (4) .  He  was  a  member  of  the  bar  and  sheriff  of  Rockingham 
county  ;  Judge  Court  Common  Pleas,  representative  to  Congress  181 7, 
1823. 

Gideon  Butler,  third  child  of  Lieut.  Joseph  Butler,  was  a  noted 
soldier  of  the  Continental  army,  and  many  incidents  in  his  army  career 
are  handed  down  in  the  family.  His  widow  recived  a  pension.  He 
lived  most  of  his  life  in  east  part  of  Nottingham  West,  where  he  died. 

Molly  Butler,  fourth  child  of  Lieut.  Joseph,  married  Timothy  Ladd 
and  removed  to  Dunbar  ton,  N.  H. 

Jesse  Butler,  fourth  child  of  Lieut.  Joseph  Butler,  who  was  father  of 
my  mother,  Roxanna  Butler,  was  given  a  farm  near  the  Nottingham 
west  and  Pelham  line.     He  married  first,  Molly  Greeley.     His  second 

t 

child  by  this  marrige  was  Hon.  Moody  Butler  of  Greenfield  and  Ben- 
nington, N.  H.  He  married  second,  Mehitable  Duty — my  mother's 
mother. 

Dr.  Thaddeus  Butler,  sixth  child  of  Lieut.  Joseph,  was  a  physician 
of  Pelham,  N.  H.  He  testified  before  the  committee,  of  safety  during 
the  Revolutionary  war,  against  the  tories. 

Hannah  Butler  seventh  child  of  Lieut.  Joseph,  married  George 
Tallant,  lived  and   died  in  Pelham. 

Dr.  Elijah  Butler  was  ninth  child  of  Lieut.  Joseph,  was  a  well 
known  physician  in  the  latter  part  of  the  last  century  at  Weare,  N.  H. 
His  grand  son  *  John  Butler  Smith,  is  a  prominent  merchant  and  man- 
ufacturer of  Hillsboro  county 

Lieut.  Joseph,  owned  a  large  amount  of  land  in  the  north-west  cor. 
ner  of  Pelham  and  Nottingham  West.  He  built  the  mills  called  But- 
ler's Mills.  His  homestead  was  opposite  the  mills,  the  common  being 
between.  His  third  wife,  Mary  Ladd,  was  a  true  Christian  of  liberal 
mind,  and  died  at  the  advanced  age  of  ninety-four,  beloved  by  all. 

Phebe  Butler  [3],  sixth  child  of  Deacon  John  Butler,  married  John 
Durant  of  Billerica,  Mass.     They  had  nine  children. 

Mary  Butler  [3],  seventh  child  of  Deacon  John  Butler,  married 
Benjamin  Durant  of  Bilierica,  Mass.  He  was  brother  of  John,  who 
married  Phebe  Butler  and  were  both  sons  of  Thomas  of  Billerica. 


Hon.  John  Butler  Smith,  member  Governor's  Council,  N.  H.,  1887. 


23 

They  had  four  children.  Their  second  child  Phebe  [4],  married 
Daniel  Stevens  of  Chelmsford,  Mass.,  whose  son  Daniel  was  father  of 
George  Stevens,  Esq.,  of  Lowell. 

Jacob  Butler  [3],  eighth  child  of  Deacon  John  Butler,  married 
Mary  Eames.     They  had  six  children. 

Jacob,  Jr.,  [4],  the  eldest  son,  lived  west  of  the  old  homestead  of 
the  Butler's,  near  Gumpus  brook,  and  owned  a  set  of  mills  there,  and 
at  one  time  considerable  business  centered  there.  In  this  immediate 
vicinity  lived  Dr.  Aaron  Grosvenor. 

Jacob  Butler,  Jr.,  represented  Salem  and  Pelham  in  the  Provincial 
Congress,  held  at  Portsmouth,  May  14,  1775.  A  delegate  from  Pel- 
ham  to  the  second  constitutional  convention,  April  6,  1781  ;  member 
of  the  general  assembly,  June  18,  1783. 

Jacob,  [3]  Jr's.,  second  child  Daniel  [4],  was  father  of  Belinda 
Butler,  who  was  mother  of  Judge  Samuel  P.  Hadley  of  Lowell,  and 
Belinda  Hadley  who  married  Paul  Hill,  Esq.,  of  Lowell. 

Mary  [4],  third  child  of  Jacob,  Jr.,  [3],  married  Hon.  Joseph  B. 
Varnum,  of  Dracut,  Mass.,  brother  of  Major  Gen.  James  M.  Varnum, 
who  was  a  distinguished  general  in  the  Revolutionary  army,  and  was 
with  Washington  in  that  memorable  campaign  at  Valley  Forge. 

Hon.  Joseph  B.  Varnum  was  an  officer  in  the  militia  in  Middlesex 
county  when  quite  young,  and  was  in  service  during  the  Revolutionary 
war ;  member  of  the  House  of  Representatives  and  Senate,  and 
speaker  of  the  House  of  Representatives,  Mass. ;  representative  in 
Congress  from  Middlesex  district  twelve  years,  from  1792  ;  speaker  of 
the  U.  S.  House  of  Representatives,  [being  the  first  speaker  chosen 
from  Mass.]  and  chosen  U.  S.  Senator  from  Mass.,  for  six  years ; 
Major-General  of  the  Militia  for  county  of  Middlesex. 

Phebe  Butler  [4],  fifth  child  of  Jacob  Butler  [3]  married 
Jonathan  [4]   Butler,  sixth  child  of  Jacob   [3]   Butler,  inherited 
the  old  homestead  and  left  it  to  his  son  Eliphalet  [5 J,  a  popular  man 
and  a  very  popular  military  officer  or  captain.     Thus  the  old  home- 
stead descended  in  the  line  of  the  youngest  sons. 

Abigail  Butler  [3],  ninth  child  of  Deacon  John  Butler,  married 
Henry  Baldwin,  of  Nottingham  West  and  Pelham.  Henry  Baldwin, 
born  in  VVoburn,  Mass.,  removed  when  a  child  with  his  father,  Capt. 
Henry  Baldwin  to  Nottingham  West,  that  part  afterward  Pelham.  He 
was  the  heaviest  tax-payer  in  Nottingham  West  [  John  Butler  being 
the  second  heaviest  ]  and  is  styled  gentleman  in  all  records.  He 
removed  soon  after  his  marriage  to  Shrewsbury,  Mass.,  and  had  ten 
children. 


24 

Wm.  Henry  Baldwin,  President  Boston  Young  Men's  Christian 
Union,  is  a  great  grand  child  of  Henry  and  Abigail  Baldwin,  and  also 
Judge  Henry  Baldwin  of  the  municipal  court  Boston  ;  graduate  Yale, 
1854;  Havard  Law  school  1857;  member  House  Representatives, 
Mass.,  1861  to  1874. 

Sarah  [3]  Butler,  tenth  child  of  Dea.  John  Butler,  married  first  Jon- 
athan Morgan  and  had  three  children  ;  married  second  Tosiah  Ham- 
blet  and  had  two  children.  Jonathan  Morgan  was  a  private  in  Capt. 
Jesse  Wilson's  company  ;  Col.  Moses  Nichol's  regiment;  Gen.  Stark's 
brigade. 

Deacon  John  Butler's  farm  is  now  owned  by  the  heirs  of  John  Gage, 
two  sons,  Eliphalet  Butler  Gage  of  Tombstone,  Arizona ;  George  N. 
Gage  of  Charleston,  111. ;  Mrs.  Alice  M.  Gage  of  Lowell,  widow  of 
Clarence  N.  Gage  [son  of  John],  and  their  son  Arthur  N.  Gage. 

I  thank  you  for  your  attention  and  congratulate  you  on  having  such 
a  beautiful  day  for  our  celebration. 

At  the  conclusion  of  the  address,  "To  Thee,  O  Country  "  \_Eich- 
berg]  was  sung  by  the  chorus. 

The  president  then  announced  that  Frederic  Paul  Hill  of  Billerica, 
a  lineal  descendant  of  Deacon  John  Butler,  of  the  fifth  generation,  and 
poet  of  the  occasion,  was  unable  to  be  present ;  introduced  his  sister 
Miss  Mabel  Hill,  who  read  the  poem  in  a  very  effective  manner  : 


ODE 

Written   for  the  Butler   Family   Reunion,   Wednesday,  June  9, 

1886,  on  the  Dedication  of  the  Monument  to  the  Memory 

of   Deacon  John    Butler,    the    First    Settler    of 

Pelham,   N.  H.,  1721,  2. 


By  Frederick  Paul  Hill,  his  Descendant  in  the  Fifth  Generation. 


I 

When  God  of  old  led  Judah  to  the  land 

Long-promised,  through  the  waste  of  sea  and  sand, 

He  bade  a  cloud  descend  to  lead  the  way — 

A  pillar — fired  at  night  by  heaven's  ray. 

And  this  because  men's  hearts  were  carnal,  slow, 

And  needed  outward  signs  His  power  to  know. 

But  when,  long  ages  past,  He  led  again 
His  chosen  people  from  the  bonds  of  men, 
Across  the  stormy  sea,  to  freedom's  shore, 
No  cloudy  column  marked  the  way  before  ; 
No  blazing  shaft,  against  the  dreary  night. 
Betrayed  His  presence  in  their  holy  flight; 
But  in  each  Pilgrims'  breast  a  flame  burned  high 
That  led  them  on  beneath  the  wintry  sky, 
With  hope  ascendant,  toward  the  evening  star. 
Faith's  lofty  column,  shining  bright  and  far! 
O  Faith  triumphant !  million  souls  have  been 
Redeemed  by  thee  from  misery  and  sin. 
Thy  glory  made  the  martyr's  crown  a  joy; 
Thy  strength  forbade  the  zealots'  fire  destroy  ; 
Thy  presence  stilled  the  heavy  heart  to  rest. 
Consoled  the  mourner,  lifted  the  oppressed. 

Yet  not  in  all  the  scenes  of  human  ken. 
Since  God  first  breathed  His  spirit  upon  men. 
Hath  thy  divinely -born,  inspiring  glow 
Arched  in  man's  heart  heaven's  mystic  promise-bow. 
As  when,  on  God's  most  wondrous  purpose  bent. 
Thou  led"st  our  fathers  to  this  continent — 
A  broad,  fair  land,  a  freshly  virgin  soil — 
Where  purity  and  love  should  blend  with  toil 
To  bid  the  desert  blossom  as  the  rose, 
And  His  great  goodness  to  the  race  disclose. 

Oh  not  with  mighty  pomp  and  state  they  came. 
As  Roman  warriors  marched  to  conquer  fame ; 
Nor  as  the  Greeks  to  cultivate  the  arts, 
And  spread  their  commerce  to  the  wilder  parts ; 


26 

Nor  yet,  as  with  the  migrators  of  old, 
Who  left  their  mountain  lairs,  rapacious,  bold, 
To  scourge  the  earth  with  wanton  fire  and  blood, 
And  wade  in  carnage  as  a  deadly  flood ; 
Nay,  but  they  came  with  holy  ardor  pure 
To  worship  one  in  peace  that  should  endure ; 
To  build  upon  the  new  world's  free  swept  sod, 
A  home — an  alter — to  the  Living  God. 

And  with  these  Puritans  of  thought  and  creed, 
Whose  simple  lives  showed  forth  their  truth,  indeed, 
Stern  honesty  and  virtue,  love  of  right, 
The  law's  obedience,  honor's  sacred  might- 
There  came,  like  tender  seeds  that  waft  from  far, 
And  only  grow  where  favoring  breezes  are, 
The  germs  of  hopes,  sweet  aspirations,  dreams, 
A  people's  longings,  man's  inherent  gleams 
Of  something  grander,  nobler  for  his  race, 
A  slow,  sad  groping  for  that  better  place. 
Where,  freed,  enlightened,    every  son  of  man 
Might  grow  to  somewhat  of  his  father's  plan. 

O  people  of  the  long-since  vanished  past, 
From  what  bright  realms  of  life's  progression  vast, 
Can  ye  look  back  to  that  God-given  day 
When  first  the  Mayflower  entered  Plymouth  bay? 
Oh,  can  ye  see  the  germs  your  vessel  brought, 
Grown  to  those  marvelous  things  your  God  hath  wrought  ? 
Then  should  your  blessed  lives  with  peace  be  crowned, 
A  nation  formed  by  ye — a  heaven  found. 

II 
If,  haply,  those  whom  we  call  dead — 

Though  far  more  truly  living — 
Can  come  again  to  this  world's  stead, 

Receiving  joy,  and  giving: 

How  gladly,  on  this  happy  day, 

Must  come  joy's  brimming  measure 
To  him,  whose  life  so  far  away, 

Fills  ours  with  kinships'  pleasure! 
Our  worthy  ancestor,  whose  name 

We  gather  here  to  cherish  ; 
The  founder  of  this  town,  whose  fame 

For  ages  shall  not  perish. 

First  settler  of  these  granite  hills 
Whose  forests  bowed  before  thee, 

Receive  our  grateful  love,  that  fills 
The  blue  sky  round  and  o'er  thee ! 

Look  downward  on  these  verdant  fields. 
Strewn  with  June's  fairest  flowers, 


27 

And  take  the  joy  our  reverence  yields 
In  these  few  precious  hours ; 

For  we  have  cause  to  tender  thee 

All  that  we  may  of  beauty 
Of  heart  and  deed,  to  render  thee 

Our  unaffected  duty. 

We  know  but  little  of  our  sire 

To  tell  in  song  or  story ; 
He  was  no  lord,  knight  or  esquire 

Of  chivalry's  vain  glory ; 

Nor  sculptor's  nor  painter's  art 

Has  kept  his  manly  being 
Intact  for  centuries  apart 

For  our  delightful  seeing. 

But  what  of  that  ?     The  inner  man 

Lives  yet  within   our  vision  ; 
The  sturdy,  fearless  Puritan, 

Undaunted  by  derision. 

Unheeding  savage  beast  and  foe, 

Dark  nature's  frown  or  omen. 
He  sought  this  home  for  weal  or  woe, 

One  of  God's  honest  yeomen. 

And  faithful  as  his  conscience  saw — 
The  light  from  heaven's  beacon, 

He  lived  and  died  in  duty's  law — 
An  honored  Christian  deacon. 

A  prouder  title,  nobler  won, 
Than  grand  armorial  bearing; 

God's  blazon  for  a  life  well  done, 
In  his  good  service  sharing. 

We  see  him  as  he  hither  came 

From  Woburn's  pleasant  valley, 
And  scanned  the  hills,  unknown  by  name, 

Whence  lurking  foes  might  sally. 
We  see  the  rude  stockaded  fort ; 

The  humble,  log-built  dwelling; 
His  children  playing  by  the  port; 

His  fields  with  labor  swelling; 

The  leaping  of  the  meadow  rill : 

The  pond  in  higher  reaches; 
Their  waters  tamed  to  turn  his  mill. 

As  art  o'er  nature  teaches. 
The  planting  of  his  orchard  trees ; 

The  town's  fast-coming  people  ; 
The  school-house  in  the  sunny  breeze  ; 

The  upward-pointing  steeple! 


28 

We  know  his  hand  delighted  here 

To  help  all  good  in  growing; 
That,  with  his  Celtic  nature  clear, 

He  followed  God's  free  showing. 
Content  to  strive  for  ampler  good, 

To  trust  the  larger  future, 
Hoping  for  fuller  manlihood 

Reared  of  New  England  nurture. 

Ill 

We  meet  to-day  to  venerate  our  sire. 

It  is  most  just.     The  past  should  us  inspire; 

And  it  is  well  amid  life's  toil  to  pause 

And  contemplate  again  those  primal  laws 

Which  gave  our  fathers  courage;   to  review 

Their  trials  and  their  victories  ;   and  anew 

To  consecrate  ourselves  to  that  same  Word 

Whose  faintest  whisper  conscience  would  have  heard 

And  heeded,  not  less  than  the  trumpet  tone 

That  stirs  the  doubting  heart  from  zone  to  zone. 

Thus  shall  we  open  wide  our  minds,  and  gain 
The  wisdom  sympathy  bears  in  her  train, 
And  in  her  fairer,  wider  vision  see 
The  past,  the  present,  and  the  yet-to-be. 

But,  not  with  selfish  thoughts,  this  stone  we  raise 
To  show  our  family-father  grateful  praise. 
We  rear  this  stone  not  to  the  honored  sire 
So  much  as  to  the  type  of  man, — a  higher, 
More  during  honor, — to  the  Puritan. 
Staunch-hearted,  undismayed  by  bar  or  ban. 
Whose  faith  o'ercame  the  elements,  and  bore 
Love,  hope  and  liberty  to  this  wild  shore. 

Thus  future  generations  here  should  keep 
This  granite  symbol  of  the  just  who  sleep. 
O,  friends  and  kindred  gathered  here  to-day, 
What  thought  of  coming-time  to  bear  away 
Should  be  the  poets  gift?  what  but  of  hope? 
For  by  that  power  alone  the  heart  can  cope 
With  all  the  vast  complexities  of  life, 
Until  the  Angel  Faith  shall  still  the  strife. 

There  is  no  better  way  to  bid  her  come. 
And  make  your  hearts  her  sure-abiding  home, 
Than  to  look  backward  through  the  misty  years, 
And  see  the  Mayflower's  freight  of  cares  and  fears, 
Her  throbbing  pulses  beating  for  the  right, 
Her  silent  germs  half  hidden  from  the  light, 
And  then,  with  wonderment  and  praise  behold 
Your  country's  glory,  rising  fold  on  fold, 


29 

Her  mighty  power,  her  proud,  world-honored  fame, 
Her  people  franchised  in  God's  holy  name. 
Thus,  drawing  promise  from  the  past,  believe; 
And  for  the  present,  God's  good  gifts  receive ; 
Assured  that  years  to  come — the  latter  man 
Shall  be  a  larger,  freer,  nobler  Puritan. 


The  President  George  S.  Butler  then  read   the   following  letters  of 
regret,  of  invited  guests,  who  were  unable  to  be  present : 

LETTER  OF  THE  GOVERNOR  OF  NEW  HAMPSHIRE  TO 
GEORGE  S.  BUTLER,  PRESIDENT  OF  THE  DAY. 

The  State  of  New  Hampshire  : 

Executive  Department,  ) 

[State  seal.]  Concord,  April  23,  1886.  \ 

My  Dear  Sir. —  I  regret  that  other  engagements  will  prevent  me 
from  being  present  at  the  dedication  of  the  monument  to  Dea. 
Butler  in  your  town  June  9th. 

Please  accept  my  thanks  for  your  kind  invitation  and  by  best  wishes 
that  the  event  may  prove  a  pleasant  one. 

Very  truly  yours, 

MOODY  CURRIER. 
George  S.  Butler,  Esq., 

Chairman  of  Committee. 


LETTER  OF  HON.  BEN  J.  F.  BUTLER,  OF  LOWELL,  MASS., 
TO  PRESIDENT  OF  THE  DAY,  GEORGE  S.  BUTLER. 

Lowell,  June  3,  1886. 

My  Dear  Mr.  Butler. —  I  grieve  much  that  I  cannot  be  with  you 

on   the  ninth.     I  am  to  be  at  Philadelphia  on  the  seventh  of  June, 

where  I  began  a  case  before  the  United  States  Court  some  time  ago, 

which  was  put  off  because  the  judge's  wife  died.     I  regret  much  that 

I   cannot   take  part   in    the    dedication   of  the  monument,  but    it   is 

simply  impossible. 

Very  truly  yours, 

BENJ.  F.  BUTLER. 
To  George  S.  Butler,  Pelham,  N.  H. 


3° 

LETTER  OF  GENERAL  A.  F.  STEVENS,  OF  NASHUA,  N.  H., 

TO  GEO.  S.  BUTLER. 

Nashua,  N.  H.,  May  25,  1886. 
My  Dear  Sir. —  I  thank  you  for  the  invitation  to  the  dedication  of 
the  Butler  monument.  It  would  give  me  great  satisfaction  to  meet 
with  you  on  that  occasion,  but  the  precarious  condition  of  my  health 
will  probably  deprive  me  of  the  pleasure  which  the  meeting  of  many 
friends  could  but  afford  me.     With  much  personal  regard,  I  am 

Sincerely  yours, 

A.  F.  STEVENS. 


LETTER    FROM  GEN.   R.   D.  MUSSEY,  OF  WASHINGTON, 
D.  C,  TO  GEO.  S.  BUTLER,  PRESIDENT  OF  THE  DAY. 

Washington,  D.  C,June  7,  1886. 

My  Dear  Sir. —  I  have  delayed  answering  your  very  kind  letter  of 
the  4th  ulto.  until  the  last  moment,  in  the  hope  that  I  might  be  able 
to  accept  your  invitation. 

But  it  is  no  use.  I  must  forego  the  pleasure  and  honor  offered  me 
and  stay  here  at  work.  Were  the  work  only  for  myself  there  would 
be  no  excuse ;  but  it  is  for  others  who  have  put  their  interests  in  my 
keeping.  I  enclose  my  subscription  to  the  monument,  hoping  that 
some  time  I  may  see  this  memorial  of  an  ancestor  whose  sturdy  man- 
liness was  transmitted  to  my  father ;  and  that  I  may  look  upon  the 
birth  place  of  that  father  and  into  the  faces  of  his  and  my  kinsmen. 

Trusting  that  your  meeting  will  be  a  success  in  every  way,  whether 
of  interest  or  numbers  or  weather,  and  with  my  sincere  thanks  to  the 
other  members  of  the  committee,  and  yourself  for  your  courteous 
remembrance  of  me,  and  for  having  given  me  the  opportunity  to  par- 
ticipate in  the  erection  of  the  monument, 

I  am  yours  sincerely, 

R.  D.  MUSSEY. 


LETTER  OF  HON.  LEONARD  A.  MORRISON,  TO  GEORGE 

S.  BUTLER. 

Windham,  N.  W.,June  7,  1886. 

Geo.  S.  Butler,  Esq.,  President  of  the  Butler  Moiunnent  Dedication 
Exercises  : 
My  Dear  Sir  —  The  very  kind  invitation  of  your  committee  and 
yourself,  to  be  present  at  the  dedication  of  the  monument  to  Dea. 


,      31 

John  Butler  on  the  9th  inst.,  has  been  received.  I  now  acknowledge 
to  you,  and  by  you  to  them,  my  high  appreciation  of  your  courtesy, 
and  my  deep  regret  that  the  pressure  of  other  duties  will  prevent  my 
being  with  you,  otherwise  than  in  spirit.  In  olden  time  he  who 
founded  a  city  was  considered  worthy  of  all  praise.  In  how  much 
more  honor  should  he  be  entitled  who  founded  a  home  for  himself 
and  his  descendants  for  many  generations,  and  also  for  a  free  and 
intelligent  community  in  the  American  wilderness.  We  erect  monu- 
ments to  those  who  defended  the  consolidated  communities,  which 
made  the  nation.  We  deck  their  graves  with  the  brightest,  sweetest 
flowers  of  sun  and  air.  Then  unvail  the  monument  in  honor  of  the 
pioneer  settler  of  Pelham,  the  founder  of  one  of  the  little  republics 
of  New  Hampshire. 

May  the  memory  of  whom  he  was  and  what  he  did  stimulate  his 
descendants  and  the  people  of  the  town  he  founded  to  continued 
and  increased  efforts  in  behalf  of  all  which  enobles  and  elevates 
mankind. 

With  kindest  wishes  for  you,  and  the  committee  associated  with 
you,  I  remain, 

Yours  faithfully, 

LEONARD  A.  MORRISON. 


The  exercises  were  closed  by  singing  Mozart's  Twelfth  Mass  by  the 
chorus,  and  benediction  by  the  pastor. 

The  company  then  adjourned  to  the  town  hall,  where  the  two  large 
halls  on  first  and  second  floors  were  filled  with  long  tables,  covered 
with  white,  and  bountifully  loaded  with  every  variety  of  food,  and 
fragrant  flowers  tastefully  arranged  on  all  the  tables. 

On  the  walls  were  life-size  oil  paintings  of  Gen.  Samuel  Richard- 
son and  Gen.  Joshua  Atwood,  distinguished  citizens  of  the  town  in 
their  life  time. 

After  the  large  company  were  seated,  President  Butler  called  the 
company  to  order  and  called  upon  Rev.  Calvin  Butler,  of  Schenectady, 
N.  Y.,  to  invoke  the  Divine  blessing. 

When  the  dinner  was  over,  which  was  partaken  of  by  at  least  800 
persons,  citizens  and  invited  guests  gathered  in  the  square  and  listened 
to  remarks,  appropriate  to  the  occasion,  by  Judge  Samuel  P.  Iladley, 
of  Lowell;  Rev.  Calvin  Butler,  of  Schenectady,  N.  Y.  ;  James  S. 
Russell,  Esq.,  of  Lowell;    Hon.  Francis  Brooks,  of  Boston  ;  William 


32 

H.  Anderson,  Esq.,  of  Lowell ;  Kimball  Webster,  Esq.,  of  Hudson  ; 
John  F.  Tyler,  Esq.,  of  Boston  ;  Alexis  Proctor,  Esq.,  of  Franklin, 
N.H. ;  Rev.  Augustus  Berry,  of  Pelham. 


ADDRESS  OF  JUDGE  SAMUEL  P.  HADLEY. 

Judge  Hadley  delivered  a  brief  address,  the  substance  being  as 
follows  : 

In  it  he  pointed  out  the  true  worth  of  birth  and  ancestry,  as  incen- 
tives to  great  and  good  deeds,  "  and  not  as  the  title  deeds  to  sloth," 
to  quote  from  Claude  Melnotte.  He  paid  a  warm  tribute  to  the 
true  essence  of  Puritan  character,  and  pointed  out  its  influence 
upon  the  history  of  England  and  America.  Of  that  character  Dea. 
John  Butler  was  a  type.  The  very  characteristics  which  were  the 
subject  of  the  jests  and  taunts  of  licentious  courtiers  of  Charles  II,  and 
which  have  been  caught  up  by  the  haters  of  New  England  at  the 
present  day,  were  the  qualities  essential  to  secure  the  triumph  of  the 
perilous  enterprise  of  the  development  of  the  New  World.  Speaking 
of  the  reasons  which  the  Butlers  might  have  for  family  pride,  Judge 
Hadley  paid  an  eloquent  tribute  to  the  services  and  abilities  of  Gen. 
Benj.  F.  Butler,  whom  he  called  "  one  of  the  most  accomplished  and 

brilliant  men  of  the  age." 


ADDRESS  OF  JAMES  S.  RUSSELL,  ESQ. 

After  giving  humorous  origin  of  the  Butlers,  from  the  time  of 
Phoroah  in  Egypt,  he  said  : 

It  is  the  order  of  the  day  to  honor  the  Butler  name  ;  my  mother 
was  a  Butler ;  her  father  Joseph  Butler,  Jr.,  of  Concord,  Mass.,  was 
in  the  Concord  fight  and  battle  of  Bunker  Hill ;  as  a  private,  eighteen 
years  of  age,  and  perished  in  the  war.  His  father  Joseph  Butler,  Sen., 
was  in  the  Concord  fight,  and  was  captain  in  battle  of  Bunker  Hill. 
Capt.  Butler  kept  tavern  at  Concord,  Sudbury  and  Framingham  ;  and  in 
those  times,  no  man  could  keep  tavern  without  an  endorsement  of 
character  from  the  selectmen.  His  father  John  Butler,  was  a  military 
man,  commissioned  by  Governor  Dudley  to  raise  a  regiment  against 
Canada.  You  have  presented  a  worthy  example  for  other  towns  to 
follow,  for  every  town  has  had  its  pioneer  settler,  who  waged  a  hand 
to  hand  fight  with  the  forest,  the  wild  beast,  and  the  more  savage  wild 


33 

men.  They  merit  all  honor  from  their  descendants,  and  it  is  pleasant 
to  behold  this  evidence  that  the  Butler  family  and  the  town  of  Pelham 
hold  their  ancestor  in  grateful  remembrance.  Monuments  erected  in 
honor  of  the  early  settlers,  who  started  our  country  on  its  noble  career 
should  not  suffer  in  comparison  with  those  in  honor  of  the  soldiers, 
who  saved  our  country  in  its  hour  of  peril  and  danger. 

The  other  addresses  were  not  reported,  and  we  are  unable  to  give 
them. 

Taken  altogether  the  day  was  the  greatest  in  the  annals  of  Pelham, 
many  of  her  sons  and  daughters  coming  from  distant  places  to  take 
part,  and  to  renew  their  fealty  to   the  town  of  their  nativity. 

The  citizens  of  the  town  fairly  out-done  themselves  in  their  old- 
fashioned  hospitality,  and  extended  a  welcome  to  the  strangers  which 
surprised  them  by  its  heartiness. 

The  exercises  of  the  day  were  most  admirably  arranged,  and  every 
part  of  the  arrangements  passed  off  without  the  least  friction. 


SUBSCRIPTION     LIST 

TO   THE 

MONUMENT    ERECTED    TO    THE    MEMORY     OF 
DEA.  JOHN  BUTLER. 


Note. — This  list  includes  all  the  subscriptions  collected  by  the  Butler  committee,  and  expended 

by  them  for  Monument,  fence,  and  expenses  of  dedication.     The  dinner  was  furnished  by  the 
towns  people. 


Henry  A.  May,  Boston,  Mass $5  00 

Luther  Butler,     -> 

r^        r>   tj   ti          >■  Haverhill,  N.  II s  00 

Geo.  C.  Butler,    /  -> 

Mrs.  Frances  Brooks,  Boston,  Mass 40  00 

Frederic  A.   Cutler,    Pelham,  N.  H 9  22 

Charles  W.  Butler,  Lowell,  Mass 5  00 

H.  A.  Brown,  Lowell,  Mass 10  00 

Win.  G.  Butler,  Pelham,  N.  H 9  22 

Mrs.  Asa  D.  Butler,  Pelham,  N.  H 5  00 

Jonathan  B.  Greeley,  Pelham,  N.  H 5  00 

George  S.  Butler,  Pelham,  N.  H 9  22 

William  W.  Butler,  Pelham,  N.  II 9  22 

George  M.  Coburn,  Lowell,  Mass 75° 

George  C.  Butler,  Pelham,  N.  H 10  00 

Mrs.  D.  Caroline  Griffin,  Pelham,  N.  H. 2  50 

Mrs.  Nancy  Gould,  Pelham,  N.  H 2  50 

Judge  Samuel  P.  Hadley,  Lowell,  Mass 10  00 

Mrs.  Belinda  B.  Hadley,  Lowell,  Mass. 10  00 

Mary  A.  Hall,  M.  D.,  Lowell,  Mass 3  00 

Frank  E.  Butler,  Lowell,  Mass 5  00 

James  E.  Butler,  Pelham,  N.  H 5  00 

James  Barker,  Windham,  N.  H 1  00 

A.  L.  Barker,  Windham,  N.  H 1  00 

Jason  Worcester,  Pelham,  N.  H 2  00 

Freeman  H.  Butler,  Lowell,  Mass 2  00 

Elbridge  O.  Butler,  Lawrence,  Mass 5  00 

H.  L.  Peters,  Lawrence,  Mass 5  00 

Henry  F.  Butler,  Philadelphia,  Penn 2  00 

Benjamin  Butler,  Rutherford,  N.  J 2  00 

Paul  Butler,  Lowell,  Mass 5  00 

Emma  A.  Atwood,  Pelham,  N.  H 2  00 

Isaac  Hill,  Dracut,  Mass 2  00 


35 

Mrs.  Isaac  N.  Smith,  Hudson,  N.  H. $2  oO 

Caleb  P.Butler,-, 

T  u     xj  r>   n         >  Minot,  Me 5  oo 

John  H.  Butler,    J 

Mrs.  Bessie  A.  Farwell,  Somerville,  Mass io  oo 

Kimball  J.  Chaplin,  Pelham,  N.  H i  oo 

Rev.  Calvin  Butler,  Schenectady,  N.  Y i  oo 

Ely  Hamblet,  Hudson,  N.  H i  oo 

T.  W.  Pierce,  Nashua,  N.  H 2  oo 

David  Roby,  Nashua,  N.  H I  oo 

Mrs.  S.  J.  Proctor,  Nashua,  N.  H 5  oo 

Mrs.  Moses  Spoftbrd,  Pelham,  N.H I  oo 

Mrs.  Clara  Spear,  Pelham,  N.  H i  oo 

John  Wilson,  Pelham.  N.  H 2  oo 

Charles  Wheeler,  Lowell,  Mass 25  00 

Granville  B.  Currier,  Pelham,  N.  H. 3  °° 

Wanly  O.  Butler,  Mansfield,  Mass. . 2  00 

Butler  Bro's,  New  York  City. 10  00 

Family  of  John  Gage, 50  00 

Josiah  Butler,  Lowell,  Mass ■  3°  °° 

Otis  D.  Spofford,  Lowell,  Mass 1  00 

Charles  Barker,  Windham,  N.  H 1  00 

John  C.  Gage,  Kansas  City. 10  00 

James  H.  Butler,  Hillsborough,  N.  H 1  00 

Frank  H.  Butler,  Nottingham,  N.  H 1  00 

David  Webster,  Pelham,  N.  H 1  00 

D.  H.  Butler,  Indianapolis,  Ind 2  00 

John  Tarbox,  Pelham,  N.H 1  00 

Silas  T.  Chaplin,  Lowell,  Mass 1  00 

Wiseman  Chaplin,  Lowell,  Mass 1  00 

Mrs.  Solomon  Barker,  Pelham,  N.H 1  00 

Mrs.  Edward  Tucke,  Lowell,  Mass 5  00 

John  W.  G.  Parker,  Lowell,  Mass 10  00 

John  Butler  Smith,  Boston,  Mass. 10  00 

Charles  H.  Cutler,  Lowell,  Mass 2  50 

Mrs.  George  A.  G.  Richardson,  Dracut,  Mass <  •  2  50 

Charles  Butler,  Boston,  Mass 2  00 

Ezekiel  C.  Gage,  Pelham,  N.  II 1  00 

Walter  Ellingwood,  Pelham,  N.H .    1  00 

Reuben  D.  Muzzy,  Washington,  D.  C 5  °° 

Charles  H.  Burtt,  Lowell,  Mass 5  °° 

Joseph  W.  Dinsmore,  Windham,  N.  II 2  00 

Isaiah  W.  Hazetine,  Windham,  N.  II 1  00 

Benj.  F.  Butler,  Pentacook,  N.  II 5  00 

George  D.  Butler,  Montpelier,  Vt 5  °o 

Charles  M.   Durant,  Billerica,  Mass 2  00 

Mrs.  Charlotte  B.  Gregg,  Schenectady,  N.  Y 1  00 

Mrs.  Thurza  A.   Harlow,  Alleghany,  Pa 2  00 

David  Gage,   Cherokee  Flat,  Cal 5  °° 


36 

Mrs.  Alexis  Proctor,  Franklin,  N.  H 5  00 

A.  S.  Andrews,  Hudson,  N.  H 1  00 

Rev.  Eber  R.  Butler,  Boston,  Mass 5  00 

Enoch  Butler,  Methuen,  Mass. .  • 2  00 

Francis  Gould  Butler,  Farmington,  Me 5  00 

J.  S.  Howe,  Methuen,  Mass 5  00 

James  M.  Butler,  Hudson,  N.  H 1  00 

Albert  Butler,  Nashua,  N.  H 1  00 

Charles  Stacey,  Pelham,  N.  H 1  00 

Edward  Pierce,  Nashua,  N.  H 1  00 

George  T.  Gowing,  Hudson,  N.  H 1  00 

Clifton  Hill,  Hudson,   N.  H 1  00 

Henry  Butler,  Hudson,  N.  H 2  00 

Joel  Butler,  Haverhill,  Mass 2  00 

Davis  Butler,  Deny,  N.  H 1  00 

D.  W.  C.  Butler,  Nottingham,  N.  H 2  00 


MAY  2  1  1930