Butler-Everett Family Papers

Collection

Identifier: MS-1023

Staff Only

Collection Overview

Abstract

The collection primarily consists of correspondence between members of the extended Butler and Everett families and acquaintances. There are also a number of letters concerning various aspects of the Free Will Baptist church, to which the Butler family practiced an active membership. Dating from 1830–1906, the materials within the collection cover several notable events in American history. In addition to correspondence, there is a small amount of other material related to the families, the Free Will Baptist ministry, and the general time period.

Dates

Creation: 1830-1906

Extent

3.49 Cubic Feet (7 legal manuscript boxes, 1 card box, and 1 oversize folder)

Creator

Butler Family (Family)
Everett Family (Family)

Scope and Contents

Due to the timeframe that the materials within the collection cover, there is a wealth of information to be found within. This collection provides researchers firsthand accounts of historical and religious movements and events. J.J. Butler was very active in the Free Will Baptist ministry and there are dozens of letters from various colleagues and acquaintances that are related to the church. Both the Butler and Everett families were involved in the temperance and abolition movements; mentions of both can be found throughout the letters in the collection. The American Civil War also plays a prominent part of many letters written during the 1860.

Letters particularly of note include those written to J.J. Butler from an acquaintance who discusses the possible outcomes of the 1832 presidential election between Andrew Jackson and Henry Clay. A letter from the same man the following year describes watching Jackson and his troops travel through Concord, NH. After the start of the Civil War, Elizabeth received July, 1861 letter from her sister Jennie that included an insistence that, “we can have no peace without first destroying slavery,” and a letter that follows two years later from another sister, Cynthia, discusses men being drafted to fight in the war. Perhaps the most important of these wartime letters was written to J.J. Butler by an acquaintance who lived on Roanoke Island. The 1864 letter describes the fear and horror of witnessing a confederate attack on Plymouth, NC. These examples are only a small sampling of what exists in the collection, which is comprised of hundreds of letters.

Also important to highlight is the folder of letters written to J.J. Butler from Oren B. Cheney, another member of the Free Will Baptist ministry, from 1833 – 1866. Cheney is best known as the founder and first president of Bates College in Lewiston, ME. Though their correspondence was not consistent over the years, it would appear that Butler and Cheney were at least casual acquaintances and later worked together within the Free Will Baptist church.

The Butler-Everett Family collection is an incredibly important collection for those studying 19th century America. The sheer volume of material available within the collection and the years that it spans make this collection invaluable for research. The extended Butler and Everett families and many of their acquaintances were prominent members of their communities and within the churches and movements that they belonged to. While this information is reflected in the collection here, much more information about the history and activities of the extended Everett family can be found in collections held by other institutions. The Newberry Library of Chicago, IL holds a large collection of papers related to Elizabeth’s father and siblings, Everett Family Papers, 1794-1949 (http://mms.newberry.org/html/Everett.html), and the Kansas Historical Society holds a smaller collection concerning Elizabeth’s brother John Roberts, The John Roberts and Sarah Maria Everett Papers (http://www.kshs.org/archives/40340). While this collection does contain material that is related to these outside collections, the Butler-Everett Family collection is primarily concerned with J.J. and Elizabeth Butler and their children.

Finding aids for both of these collections are also available in the first folder of the collection research files, along with other information such as grave locations and relevant census copies. The remaining five research files contain a calendaring project completed by donor Lee Newcomer.

Biographical Sketch

John J. (J.J.) Butler was born in Berwick, ME on April 9, 1814 to Nathan and Adah Butler and died in Hillsdale, MI, on June 16, 1891. Research indicates that he was one of at least three children, and correspondence between his brother Oliver and sister Louisa Thompson appears within the collection. J.J. Butler became a member of the Free Will Baptist church in 1829 and was ordained as a reverend in the church in 1845. Butler was a professor of theology and sacred literature, as well as a traveling preacher. He taught at various institutions related to the church and retired from a professorship at Hillsdale College in Hillsdale, MI in 1883 after a teaching career that spanned four decades and several states. J.J. Butler was also an active editorial contributor to “The Morning Star,” a Free Will Baptist newspaper that was founded by Moses Cheney, father of Bates College founder Oren B. Cheney. J.J. was an active member of the Free Will Baptist ministry and was closely aligned with the church on social matters including slavery and temperance.

In 1844, J.J. Butler married Elizabeth Everett, daughter of Robert and Elizabeth Everett. Elizabeth (Everett) Butler was born on March 20, 1818 in Denbigshire, Wales and died on April 11, 1877 in Hillsdale, MI. The eldest of eleven children, Elizabeth came to the United States as a young child with her family and settled in Remsen, NY. There is correspondence between Elizabeth and nine of her siblings in the collection, one brother is absent. Present are brothers Lewis, Edward, Robert Jr., and John Roberts; and sisters Mary, Cynthia, Anna, Jane (Jennie), and Sarah. Elizabeth’s father Robert was a major figure in the Welsh Congregational Church in New York State and a prominent and outspoken abolitionist, as well as the publisher of the Welsh religious and anti-slavery publications, “Y Cenhadwr Americanaidd” and “Y Dyngarwr.” Along with their father, Elizabeth and her siblings were active in the church, with strong sentiments towards temperance and abolition. Prior to her marriage to J.J. Butler, Elizabeth taught and served as the principal of the Clinton Seminary in Clinton, NY.

Together, J.J. and Elizabeth Butler had three children, John Henry, Elizabeth (Lizzie), and Harriet (Hattie). John Henry was born on October 1, 1849 in New York state, and died on January 31, 1933 in Cleveland, OH. As an adult, he followed in his father’s footsteps and became a reverend and professor of Latin at Hillsdale College. Later in his life, John Henry settled in Portage County, OH, the birthplace of his wife Amanda (Azia). The couple had one son named Clarence. Lizzie was born in September, 1851 in New York and her date and place of death is currently unknown. She married Frank Sands and the couple had one daughter named Claire. Hattie was born in 1855 in New Hampshire and died on June 20, 1920 in Ludington, MI. She married Holden Putnam, a preacher and native of Medina County, OH. Records indicate that couple had one child, a daughter named Elizabeth.

Conditions Governing Access

Folders 27-29 in Box 6 are restricted due to the fragility of the documents within.

Conditions Governing Use

Researchers using this collection assume full responsibility for conforming to the laws of libel, privacy, and copyright, and are responsible for securing permissions necessary for publication or reproduction.