Duke

Buttstown, VA/WV - an article by Don C. Woods. Taken from: The Berkeley Journal; Issue 13, 1989.

Published by the Berkeley County Historical Society. Second printing June 1998. Pages 60, 61, 62 & 63.

BUTTSTOWN

By Don C. Woods

Buttstown is shown on the 1847 map of Berkeley County and still listed in the land books of Berkeley County for property located in the former Buttstown area. A mystery remains as to the actual description of Buttstown buildings and what happened to this early village in the northeastern section of Berkeley County. Descendants of John Daily who built the brick house in Buttstown in 1861 only remember a couple of foundation ruins in the area.

Richard Butt purchased 200 acres from Joseph Franceway November 1771. This was to become Buttstown (see map #6) (FCDB 13, p. 518). Personal Property Tax East in 1788 lists the following Butts as white tithables (head of household): Richard Butt and son Archibald, Isaac Butt, Joseph Butt, Bazel Butt, John Butt, Archibald Butt, Archibald Butt and Luke Ray, William Butt and Bassal Butt. Indications are that all lived in the Buttstown area. The 1810 Census for Berkeley County by Grove, 1967, lists the following Butt families; Richard Butt, Baldy Butt, Garrick Butt, Benjamin Butt, Charles Butt, Henry Butt, Isaac Butt, John Butt, John Butt, Mary Butt, Richard Butt, Susan Butt, William Butt and Elizabeth Butt. Each is listed with their own household.

Joseph Butt died in 1793, named in his will wife Elizabeth who "was now pregnant," son Israel, father Richard Butt. Witnesses to his will were Benjamin Foreman, Joseph Franceway, and Isaac Myers (WB 2, p. 173). Richard Butt, Sr., his father, died in 1799 leaving a will. He named three sons: Isaac, Archibald and Richard. Land to be divided between them. His five daughters; Susanna, Ruth, Dinah, Darkie and Mary were to each receive 1/5 of the rest of his estate (WB 3, p. 243). See map division of Richard Butt land and Buttstown (Map No.6). Son Richard Butt, Jr. died in 1812. His land was to be rented and personal property sold for the support of his wife Deliah Butt and the rest to daughter Sarah. If wife has second child it to share with Sarah. If wife and Sarah should die estate then was to go to his nephew Repehaniah Butt. His will was witnessed by Edmund Randal, Jacob Miles and Archibald Butt.

Son Isaac Butt died in 1816. He left his plantation of 75 acres (from his father) known as Cayton Neck and 5 acres of timber plus his interest in brother Archibald's estate to his son Joseph Butt. Son Isaac Butt, Jr. had offended his father and relations by his misconduct and is disowned. He is to receive a note owed by John Cross as his share of the estate. Wife Cassander Butt is to have all personal property for support of herself and children. Son Joseph Butt is to pay Virlindy, Rachael, Elizabeth, Sarah, Rebecca and Thomas G. Butt an equal part with himself after Rebecca is taught to read and write. Thomas taught to the rule of 3. He is to take Sarah's part to take care of her forever. Leonard and Daniel Williams and Edmund Randel witnessed the will.

Son Archibald Butt died in 1815. He left a widow Sarah Souder Butt. His land was divided between his brother and sister or their heirs.

Sister Darkie or Dorcas had married William Butt 20 April 1786. Brother Isaac Butt who married Verlande Butt November 25, 1788. Sister Dianah Butt married Borah or Barak Butt. Sister Mary Butt married Christopher Souder, brother to Archibald Butt's widow. Sister Ruth Butt was unmarried. Brother Richard Butt was deceased. His widow Deliah Butt and two children Sarah and Massey Butt received a share.

Complete Records Book 2, Page 45
Mary Butt and Christopher Souder had the following children:

Ellen Souther who married April 20, 1810 Van Swearingen Butt.

James Souders. They sold their interest in the 5 acres that their mother Mary Butt Souders received for $40.00 in 1832 to Ann France (DB 40, p. 341 and 759).

Barick Butt died in 1825. He left the following; Widow Dinah (Butt) Butt, daughter Martha Butt who married Green; Son Joseph Butt who married Elizabeth Green January 17, 1814; Son Edward, James and Benjamin and daughter Mary (BCWB 8, p. 136).

Joseph Green and Mary his wife had purchased a small lot at the Swan Ponds from John Shipp, attorney-in-fact for Richard Morgan. This land lay where the Richard Morgan, Maxwell plantation and Claggett land joined. They sold this lot to Cassandra Butt November 8, 1821. Cassandra built a house and lived at the Swan Ponds (DB 32, p. 287). In 1851 Cassandra's children and grandchildren, who were Isaac Butt of Delaware Co., Ohio, Thomas Green Butt of Warren County, Indiana, Joseph Butt, Josina (Sarah), her brother Joseph as her guardian, Elizabeth Orr and the four children of Rachel Collins deceased who were Elizabeth Clark, Mary Myers, Joseph Collins and Harriet Crabb, sold the house and lot to John J. Welch (DB 68, p. 138). Catherine R. (Rebecca) Butt of Independence, Indiana sold her interest to J.J. Welch. Elisha Butt was a son of William and Dorcus Butt (DB 34, p. 411). The above Isaac Butt born June 1797 died 19 August 1876 in Ohio.

Another Richard Butt who did not own land died in 1810. He left everything to his wife Mary for her life then to be divided between the four nephews that he raised Richard Butt, John Butt, Regnall Butt and Bazil Butt (WE 4, p. 246). Bazil Butt born March 13, 1798 was a soldier in Capt. Conn's Virginia troops in the War of 1812. He went to Licking County, Ohio, in 1828. He married Mahala Green who was the first white child born in Monroe Township, daughter of George and Diadema Green. Bazil Butt was killed by a fallen tree while hunting 16 November 1854.

End of the Buttstown article.

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

None of what follows is part of the article but added by Dennis W. Butt

_______________________________________________________________________________

(Note added by Dennis W. Butt; A Branch from The Green Tree by Robert M. Green was published in 1978, eleven years earlier than this article. I have one addendum to this book that makes some corrections to the Richard Butt who raised Bazil Butt and his three brothers and who is mentioned in the last paragraph of this article. The addendum was distributed by Robert M. Green. The addendum is not dated. I have inserted into this article a chart I composed to illustrate to the extent possible, the relationships of the people mention in the article.)

______________________________________________________________________________

Below is a chart of all the people mentioned, and relationships described in this Buttstown article. This chart was not a part of the original article. It was constructed and inserted into this copy of the original article by Dennis W. Butt.

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Note added by Dennis W. Butt;

Robert M. Green believed that Bazil Butt (who married Mahala Green) and his three brothers; Richard Butt, John Butt and Regnall Butt, were raised in Buttstown. Their birth years were 1797 for Bazil and 1788, 1789 and 1790 for John, Richard and Regnall respectively . The 1810 census included in the Buttstown article shows no Bazil or Regnall. It does show two Richard’s and two Johns. Bazil’s brother’s Richard and John would have been 22 and 23 years old respectively at that time. Bazil did not enlist in the military until 1814.

This Buttstown article raises many questions. Paramount among them is that in the 1788 list of white tithables (head of household), there is only one Richard Butt and he is said to be a son of Archibald. The article says further, that the Richard Butt who founded Buttstown, who is referred to in the article as Richard Butt Sr., purchased the property that was to become Buttstown in 1771 and that he died in 1799. From this, one could conclude that the name of the father of the Richard Butt who founded Buttstown was Archibald. Other highly credible information is that the mother of the children identified in this article as those of the Richard Butt who founded Buttstown was Sarah Green. This other highly credible information is that the husband of this Sarah Green was Richard Butt who’s parents were Richard Butt and Rachel Duvall.

The article distances the Richard Butt who raised the four Butt boys, (John, Richard, Regnall and Bazil), from this group of Butt people/families. One wonders why they were even mentioned in the article. Some asserted prior to the date of this article, that the four Butt boys were raised in Buttstown. Perhaps the author intended among other things, to disagree with those prior assertions. It is worthy of note, that the article says that Bazil Butt, the youngest of the four boys, “went to Licking County, Ohio, in 1828”. Bazil married Mahala Green in Licking County, Ohio on May 25, 1826.

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Below is a map of the Swan Pond region of VA/WV, including the Potomac River, Greensburg and Buttstown. Early inhabitants if not founders of Greensburg were William Green and wife Ann Butt (aka Mary Ann). Ann Butt was a daughter of Samuel Butt and wife Elizabeth Swearingen. This Samuel Butt was a brother to the Richard Butt who credible sources other than the Buttstown article say was the father of the Richard Butt who founded Buttstown.

Goto Top Of Page

The links below will take you directly to any of the 28 pages in this site. Clicking the "Back" button in your browser will always take you back to where you came from.

Goto Summary

Goto NEWS

Goto Table Of Content

Goto Who Was Bazil Butt?

Goto Berkeley Journal; " Buttstown" Article

Goto Berkeley Journal; " Smoketown and Greensburg" Article

Goto John Butt, b. between 1/1/1788 and 6/30/1788

Goto Rignal Butt, b. ~4/1/1790

Goto Rignal Butt, The Hatter, b. 8/10/1802

Goto Thomas Didimus Butt, b. 2/15/1801

Goto Samuel Butt, b. 11/13/1797, father of Senan Butt, b. 12/14/1827

Goto Samuel Butt, b. 1/14/1777