I will start this by saying, yes my inner 12 year old giggles every time I research this family. I know I shouldn’t but I do. And yes, I know the word Butt has several different meanings.
My grandmother’s maiden name was Butt. I knew her parents David M Butt and Nell Mason Butt (my great grandparents) well. Nanny, Nell, died when I was 23 and though she was in bad health her last few years I loved going and seeing her, even if she didn’t know who I was at that time (Alzheimer’s). Her husband David M Butt died when I was 9, I do have fond memories of him, though I didn’t have much time to spend with him.
I have a big question about David’s parents: How did you meet and get married????
The parents of David M Butt were Jeremiah Butt and Josephine A Williams. Most of the men in his line are named Jeremiah (and their kids named a son Jeremiah) and most of them went by Jerry or Jere (I am the 1st female with the name Jeri in this line).
The above picture is Jeremiah Butt, born Jul 1853 in Alabama. His family lived in Barbour County and in Russell County (these counties are adjacent). His father was, you guessed it, Jeremiah Butt (b 1813 – between 1870 and 1880, he was on 1870 census not the 1880 census and no burial location has been found), a doctor, and his mother was Ann W Thomas (b 1816- after 1880 as she is on the 1880 census, no burial location has been found that is conclusive).
Also in the photo is Josephine Anthony Williams, born Oct 1862 in Georgia (Early County, possibly, this is where I have her father and mother living in 1860). Her parents are David Williams b 1827 died around 1864 (researching him is another rabbit hole with lots of twists and turns and finding the correct David Williams). Josephine’s mother was Emily Anthony (b 1862 died after 1880 as that is last census I have her on and burial location is disputed amongst descendants).
Jeremiah and Josephine married on 07 Aug 1889 in Dallas County, Alabama. Which is very odd.
Odd because: Jeremiah lived around Eufala Alabama, which is 140 miles away from Dallas County. The 1880 census has Josephine living in Lowndes county (1 county away from Dallas County). So, how did Jeremiah meet Josephine and arrange their marriage, and were there no women to marry in the Eufala area?
We know that Josephine and her family resided in Early County Georgia (Early county was formed from parts of Miller County), which is 66 miles away from where Jeremiah lived. After David Williams died in the Civil War Emily Williams (mother of Josephine) and her children moved several times. In 1870 they are in Greenville, Butler County Al and in 1880 they are in Lowndes County Alabama (both counties are near to Dallas County. Based on information received from a descendent of another Williams child, the family was destitute after the war and that caused them to move around.
Did the family stop in Russell and/or Barbour County and meet the Butts? Is there someone in the FAN group that can lead to this answer.
According to the marriage certificate both of Josephine’s parents are deceased so no consent is given from them. How did they meet????? Why did Jeremiah go 140 miles away to get married???? Looking at railroad maps from the time there isn’t even a direct line from his home to Dallas County, so he’d have gone by horse, wagon, coach?
These are questions I will probably never get an answer to, unless someone has a trunk full of letters from the family during this time.
I am super happy to finally to get a photo of this picture of them. The picture hung in David Butt’s home until his death and then it went to my aunt’s home, where it is still hanging.
David M Butt was a great nephew to Archibald Willingham Butt who was a presidential aide to President Taft and was on the Titanic when it went down.
I have more on this Butt Family coming up and if anyone reading this has any connections to this family line please reach out. I’m always happy to meet a new cousin.