William Butler was born January 29, 1826 in Wentworth and baptized February 26, 1826 in Wentworth Chapelery, Wath Upon Dearne Parish, Yorkshire, England. Most of his brothers and sisters were born in the Village of Barley Hole and it is not know whether the birth place of Wentworth was listed in error or his family was living in Wentworth at the time of his birth. His parents were Matthew and Sarah "Allott" Butler and William was the second child of eight to be born. William's parents brought him along with five siblings to America in 1848, Two children having died while young in Yorkshire. William's father Matthew was a coal miner in Yorkshire and that is apparently what brought them to Pennsylvania.
In the 1850 census, William was living with his parents in Armstrong County, Pennsylvania and his occupation was that of an ore digger. By 1853 he was working as a miner and a resident of Pine Creek township in Jefferson County, Pennsylvania. It was there on February 1, 1853 that he married Jane Ann Allott, the daughter of Robert and Sarah Allott. There probably was some family connection because William's mother's maiden name was also Allott.
William continued to work in the mines, mining both coal and iron ore, until 1867 when he removed his family from Pennsylvania to Iowa. William and Jane now had five children; Sarah Ann, John Matthew, Robert Allott, Joseph Wallace and William Lincoln. They arrived in Jasper County, Iowa where William purchased a tract of land and began farming, an occupation in which he previously had no experience. In 1871, Joseph Wallace who was nine years old died. William and Jane's last child Alta May was born there in 1872 and also in that year, William's mother Sarah died near Brady's Bend, Pennsylvania. His father Matthew, apparently came to live with William soon after.
In 1878 the oldest daughter, Sarah married William Rater. There was also coal mining activity in Jasper County, and the oldest son John Matthew related that he worked in a coal bank there. In 1878 when John Matthew was 21 he secured a land claim in Phillips County, Kansas and in the1880 census we find John and his brother Robert Allott in Kansas working on the claim. Those remaining at home were William Lincoln and Alta May along with William's father Matthew.
In 1882 William and Jane sold their holdings in Jasper County and moved to Adair County, Iowa where they purchased the southwest quarter of section 5 in Eureka township. By now John and Robert had returned home, having given up the claim in Kansas after three and one half years. In 1885 two of William and Jane's sons, Robert Allot 26, and William Lincoln 20, died within a few days of each other. They were buried in Eureka Center Cemetery in section 22 of Eureka township, Adair County. In 1887 William's father Matthew died and he was buried there also.
William and Jane continued to farm until William's death, March 14, 1896. Jane continued to live on the farm and in 1900 we find her living with her younger brother, John Allott. Her children, John Matthew, Sarah Ann and Alta May were all living nearby. Jane died shortly after the census was taken in 1900. William and Jane, along with her brother John Allott are all buried in the family plot in the Eureka Cemetery. Several descendants of William and Jane were still in the area in the 1930 census but we do not know whether any remain in the area.
Their daughter Sarah Ann who married William Rater had six children, Jennette Elsie (1880), Jane A. (1882), Dora M.(1885), Ira D. (1891), Alta Flora (1895) and George B. (1897). Their son John Mathew married Clara Gaines in 1894 and to this union were born four children, Mary Edith (1895), William G. (1896), Ethel Irene (1900) and Robert (Abt. 1901). The youngest child Alta May married William Niess in 1893 and they had Flora E. (1895), John (1897), George W. (1899) and Vernon (1901).
We visited Adair County, Iowa in May of 2003. The Eureka Center Cemetery is still in use and is in good shape. The Butler plot has a obelisk marker about four feet tall. It is very unique in that it is metal. It is in excellent shape and there is no corrosion at all. We have only seen one other similar stone and it was in the cemetery in Jefferson County, Pennsylvania where Charles Butler's wife Eliza was buried. Charles was William's older brother. There are plaques attached to each of the four sides. William and Jane on the north, Matthew on the east, William Lincoln on the south and Robert Allot on the west. A separate smaller metal marker for Jane's brother John, is in one corner of the plot. On a plot just west is another daughter Alta May Niess who died in 1901.
References
- 1850 Census, Franklin Township, Armstrong County, Pennsylvania
- 1860 Census, Madison Township, Clarion County, Pennsylvania
- 1870 Census, Fairview Township, Jasper County, Iowa
- 1880 Census, Eureka Township, Adair County, Iowa
- 1900 Census, Eureka Township, Adair County, Iowa
- 1900 Census, Summit Township, Adair County, Iowa
- 1910 Census, Eureka Township, Adair County, Iowa
- 1910 Census, Summit Township, Adair County, Iowa
- 1910 Census, Adair Township, Adair County, Iowa
- 1920 Census, Eureka Township, Adair County, Iowa
- 1920 Census, Summit Township, Adair County, Iowa
- 1930 Census, Eureka Township, Adair County, Iowa
- 1930 Census, Adair Township, Adair County, Iowa
- 1930 Census, Summit Township, Adair County, Iowa
- 1930 Census, Anita Township, Cass County, Iowa
- 1930 Census, Willmar Township, Kandiyohi County, Minnesota
- John M. Butler's Biographical Sketch in Adair County, Iowa History (Published 1914)
- Jasper County, Iowa Marriage Records
- Adair County, Iowa Marriage Records
- "Who, When, and Where" Jefferson County, Pennsylvania (Marriage)
- Baptism Record Chapelry of Wentworth, Yorkshire, England (LDS Film)
- 22. Butler Family Bible? and Family Researchers
Transcribed Documents Associated with William Butler
- John M. Butler's Biographical Sketch in Adair County, Iowa History (Published 1914)
- William Butler Census Information
- Baptism, Church Record in Yorkshire, England
- Butler Family Bible
- Area of William's Birth in England (Map)
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