descendants of addison and elinor butt of virginia and kentucky

348 Pages·2004·3.57 MB·English

DESCENDANTS OF
ADDISON AND ELINOR BUTT
OF
VIRGINIA AND KENTUCKY

Thomas King Butt
Richmond, California

March 1, 2004
The Descendants of Addison Butt and Elinor Glenn Page 2

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Table of Contents

Introduction.........................................................................................................................2
Butts and Glenns in Botetourt County, Virginia.................................................................2
Settlement of Botetourt County......................................................................................2
Marriage – Addison and Elinor.......................................................................................2
Children Born in Virginia...............................................................................................2
Sara.............................................................................................................................2
William.......................................................................................................................2
Relocation to Kentucky.......................................................................................................2
Children Born in Kentucky.............................................................................................2
Thomas........................................................................................................................2
Nancy..........................................................................................................................2
Reuben........................................................................................................................2
Delila...........................................................................................................................2
Archibald.....................................................................................................................2
Addison Butt Land Transactions in Kentucky................................................................2
Death of Addison Butt and Settlement of Estate............................................................2
APPENDIX A - BOTETOURT COUNTY BUTTS..........................................................2
APPENDIX B - BOTETOURT COUNTY GLENNS........................................................2
APPENDIX C – SARA BUTT LINE.................................................................................2
APPENDIX D – WILLIAM BUTT LINE..........................................................................2
APPENDIX E – THOMAS BUTT LINE...........................................................................2
APPENDIX F – NANCY BUTT LINE..............................................................................2
APPENDIX G – REUBEN BUTT LINE...........................................................................2
APPENDIX H – DELILA BUTT LINE.............................................................................2
APPENDIX I – ARCHIBALD BUTT LINE......................................................................2
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Introduction
Addison Butt1 (about 1782-1844) and Elinor Glenn2 (exact birth and death date unknown) were my great-
great-great grandparents. They were married in Botetourt County, Virginia in 1802 or 1803, and migrated
to Pulaski County, Kentucky, about 1806. This is a record of what is known about them and their
descendants.
Butts and Glenns in Botetourt County, Virginia
It is not clear who Addison’s parents were or where they came from. The best speculation is that they
migrated south through the Valley of Virginia (Shenandoah Valley) from the vicinity of Berkeley County
(now West Virginia) and Washington County, Maryland, near Harper’s Ferry.

There were several Butt and Glenn families in Botetourt County around the turn of the 19th century, but
there are no records that decisively connect them to Addison and Elinor. There are, however, some
tantalizing references to an Elinor Glen in Botetourt County records. No Butt researcher of whom I am
aware has been able to determine where the Botetourt Butts originated. See Appendices A and B for
information on Botetourt County Butts and Glenns.

The information available on Elinor’s family seems to indicate that they migrated from Ireland in the late
1700’s. Her parents later moved to Green County, Ohio, where they died around 1818.

Berkeley County, WV
Botetourt County
Norfolk
Washington County

Figure 1
Modern Virginia Counties

1 Spelled variously Addison, Adison, Adderson, Atterson, Anderson, etc.
2 Spelled variously Eleanor, Elendar; Ellendar -- Glen and Glenn
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Settlement of Botetourt County
When European settlers came to the Valley of Virginia, they advanced chiefly from Pennsylvania and
Maryland up the Valley from its northern end rather than through the eastern elevated gaps, often called the
“wind gaps.” The first records are by John Lederer, a German explorer who toured the Valley in 1669 and
1670. The first substantial settlement of what is now Botetourt County did not begin until about 1730. In
the late 1730’s and early 1740’s pioneers were beginning to trickle in.3

Botetourt County was the next step up the Great Valley of Virginia for the Scotch-Irish Presbyterians who,
after leaving Ireland and landing on the Atlantic Coast ports filtered down from Pennsylvania and
Maryland. Most crossed the Potomac River and came up the Valley, which was settled chiefly by Germans
and Scotch-Irish. Generally speaking, the Germans came first in the northern end of the Valley, and the
Scotch-Irish came first to Botetourt.4

The first meeting of the founding fathers of Botetourt was held February 13, 1770, near what is now
Daleville. Court was held at Miller’s Mill (now Fincastle) apparently for the first time on April 10, 1770.

In 1794, the Botetourt County Virginia Personal Property Tax List5 listed 782 white males 16 and over.
Census data compiled by the Library of Virginia shows 2,247 white males over 16 in 17906 and a 1790
total population of 10,524.7 By 1800, the population was 10,422. In 1810, the Botetourt population was
13,301 with 2,275 slaves.8 By 1860, it had dwindled to 11,516.9

There is no record of a Butt in Botetourt County until 1789, when a 1789 List of Delinquents Returned by
John Craig Deputy Sheriff 10 lists a Coonrod or Conrod Butt and John Butt. 11

The first record of a Butt owning or purchasing land in Botetourt occurs in 1804. Deed Book 8, Page 377,
shows Jacob Butt buying from John Jordan (and Catherine, his wife) 40 acres on the east side of the James
River, adjacent to land of Jacob Leamon. Also in 1804, Deed Book 8, Page 433, John Butt (& Elizabeth,
his wife) buying from Joseph (and Margaret) Day 90 ¾ acres on the Mud Lick Branch of Roanoke River,
part of 1,380 acres granted to James Neely (Nielly?) 1786, conveyed to Evan Day June 7,1794, conveyed to
Joseph Day, February 19,1802.

There is no documentation that connects Conrod Butt, John Butt or Jacob Butt with Addison Butt.
Marriage – Addison and Elinor
The first and only record of Addison and Elinor in Botetourt County, VA is their marriage. On May 19,
1802, a marriage bond was executed for the marriage of Addison Butt and Eleanor Glenn in Botetourt Co,
Virginia, also reported by the Methodist Minister John Helms in the minister’s return dated April 1803. See
pages 5 and 6 for the Minister’s Return and the Marriage Bond.12 The marriage bond was signed by James

3 Robert Douthat Stoner, A Seed Bed of the Republic (Kingsport, TN: Kingsport Press, Inc., 1962)11-22
4 Ibid, 22
5 http://www.ls.net/~newriver/va/bot1794.htm
6 http://fisher.lib.virginia.edu/cgi-local/censusbin/census/cen.pl
7 http://www.virginiaplaces.org/population/pop1790numbers.html
8 http://www.virginiaplaces.org/population/pop1810numbers.html
9 http://www.virginiaplaces.org/population/pop1860numbers.html
10 Botetourt County Records, Tithable Book Volume II, Page 333
11 There is a Coonrod Butt in the 1830 Ohio Census, Pickaway County, Wayne Township,showing 1 male 50-60, 1
male 60-70. There is also an Isaac Butt with 6 males and 4 females.
12 Bonds were posted by the groom alone or with a second person, usually the father or the brother of the bride, to
defray the costs of litigation in the event the marriage was nullified. Bonds were posted in the jurisdiction where the
marriage was to take place, often in the bride’s home county. Source: Johni Cerny and Sandra H. Luebking, “Research
in Marriage and Divorce Records,” The Source – A Guidebook of American Genealogy, Loretto Dennis Szucs and
Sandra Hargreaves Luebking, ed. (Salt Lake City: Ancestry Incorporated, 1996) 87
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Glenn, presumably the bride's father, and Archibald Butt. This led to the speculation that Addison’s father
was named Archibald.13

Know all men by these presents that we Addison Butt & James Glenn are held and firmly
bound to his Excellency James Monroe, Esqr. Governor of the Commonwealth of
Virginia for the time being in the sum of one hundred and fifty dollars to which payment
well and truly to be in & to the said governor and his successor in office for the use of the
Commonwealth we bind ourselves, our executioners and administrators jointly and
severally, ____ by these sealed with our seal and dated 19th day of May, 1802. The
condition of the above obligation is such that ___ there is a marriage shortly intended to
be had and solemnized between the above bound Addison Butt and Elinor Glenn,
daughter of the above bound James. Therefore there be no lawful cause ___ to obstruct
said marriage then this obligation to be void, otherwise to remain in full force. Signed
and sealed _____Archibald Butt (with an "X"" his mark") for Addison Butt. James
Glenn. (A copy teste, George E. Holt, Jr., Clerk, Botetourt County Circuit Court, by
Shirley Chamblin, Deputy Clerk, copy provided by Dorothy Bragg (Butt)).

The Return of Marriages, 1803 filed by Rev. John Helms14 on April 29, 1803 lists 16 marriages, including
“Addison Butt & Eleanor Glenn15 as well as “Richard Butt & Margaret Black by Publication.” The date of
April 29, 1803, is the date the report was filed and not necessarily the date the marriage occurred.

13 Botetourt County Records (Clarence Starns)
14I am looking for the parents of John HELMS b:abt 1797 in VA. He married Rebecca DRUMMOND March 19, 1818
in Botetourt Co. I don't have proof as yet, but I think John's parents were the Rev. John HELMS and Elizabeth ?. In an
obituary notice in "Herald of the Valley" newspaper dated July 23, 1821, it states that "the Rev. John Helms had been
an active member of the Methodist church more than 30 years, and was the second member of that society in this
(Fincastle) county; he has joined more than eight hundred couples in the holy state of matrimony". Can anyone tell me
how to find information on that Methodist church? They may have information on the Rev. John HELMS and his
family.) July 9, 1997 from [email protected] (Sheila Hellems Kuziak. From Tennessee The Volunteer State Vol 4: John
E. Helms, editor and publisher, and who recently retired as postmaster of Morristown, was born in Knoxville on the 2d
of August, 1857. His forefathers were of English stock, his ancestors having come to this country and settled in
Frederick county, Virginia. His forebear, Rev. John Helms, was born in Winchester, Virginia, about 1740. He was a
pioneer Methodist minister and is said to have been the first west of the Alleghany mountains. He settled in Fincastle,
Virginia, and died in Botetourt county in 1821. The subject of this sketch was the son of John Edward and Margaret
Lones Helms. His father was one of the most prominent men of his day. A native of Fincastle, Virginia, born in 1827,
he came to Tennessee as a mere boy and located in Claiborne county. Later he removed to Knoxville, where he learned
the printer's trade under E. G. Eastman, in the Knoxville Standard office. Completing his apprenticeship, he engaged in
the newspaper business, publishing the Knoxville Plebian and other papers in t hat city before the Civil war. In 1873 he
came to Morristown, purchasing The Morristown Gazette, in the conduct of which he was active until a short time
before his demise. He was principal clerk of the Tennessee state senate in 1874 and 1876; was secretary of the first
railroad commission in this state; was a member of the Tennessee Historical Society and president of the Tennessee
Press Association. Mr. Helms was postmaster of Knoxville one term prior to the Civil war. He was a veteran of the
Mexican war. One of his brothers, Rev. William S. Helms, served as a chaplain in the Confederate army. Mr. Helms
was prominent in fraternal circles and had the distinction of being the first man to be initiated into the Independent
Order of Odd Fellows in East Tennessee. In Knoxville was celebrated the marriage of Mr. and Mrs. Helms. Mrs. Helms
was born and reared in Knox county, a member of one of the pioneer families of this section of the state. To the union
of Mr. and Mrs. Helms eight children were born, four sons and four daughters, two sons and four daughters living, John
E. being the fourth in order of birth. (Tennessee The Volunteer State Vol 4, http://208.209.185.4/plweb-
cgi/glcsearch.cgi)
15 On the Marriage Bond, her name is spelled “Elinor.”
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The Botetourt County Historical Museum, Courthouse Square, Fincastle, Virginia, Erected 1791-1856. The
Museum is unique in that all articles on display have been owned by families that have lived in Botetourt

County. The furniture, portraits, glassware, documents, books are l00-200 years old. The Museum is opens
daily (Monday --Saturday l0 - 2 p.m Sunday 2 - 4 p.m). The docents and members strive to promote and
p reserve the history of Botetourt County, Virginia. Botetourt County Historical Society, Inc. , P.O. Box 468
- Courthouse Square, Fincastle, Virginia 24090 0468; http://truth.boisestate.edu/bhs/bhs.html
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August 2002. Roanoke Street in Fincastle looking toward the courthouse
August 2002. A good place to stay in an 18th Century building is The Fincastle
Gallery, PO Box 76, 110 Roanoke Street, Fincastle, VA 24090-0076, Phone
540-473-2974. Email: [email protected]. The owners are Jake and Phoebe Cress.
They have a one-bedroom suite that rents for $75 per night. It is two blocks
from the Courthouse and a few hundred feet from the Library. Jake Cress is a
master cabinetmaker specializing in furniture. See http://www.jakecress.com
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Return of Marriages by Methodist Minister John Helms in Botetourt County during 1803. Addison Butt
and “Eleanor” Glenn are fifth from the top. The last entry is for a Richard Butt and Margaret Black. Note
that the date of individual marriages is not listed.
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Marriage bond for Addison Butt and Elinor
Glenn dated May 19, 1802
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Children Born in Virginia
Sara
The first child of Addison and Elinor was Sara F. BUTT, born 1803 in Virginia. She married Jesse
WEEKS on January 01, 1823, Pulaski County, KY. Sara died in Casey County, KY.16

Jesse and Sara’s son, Rev. Jesse Lee WEEKS was born 1848 in Casey Co., KY, died 1922 in Robinson, IL,
buried at Sandborn, IN. His son Rush Corbin WEEKS, SR., lived at Lovington, IL for many years and is
buried there. He married Zona Bell ADKINS 9-8-1912 in Lovington.17
William
Addison and Elinor’s second son, William BUTT was born about 1807 in Virginia and died about 1873 in
Pulaski County, KY. William married Mary MOORE December 23, 1830 in Pulaski County, KY.18

This following information is from the 1850 Pulaski County, Kentucky census book, compiled and
published by the Pulaski County Historical Society, Library Building, Main Street, Somerset, Kentucky
42501: page 140 District #2 and living in household number 3,

Butt, William 43 M Farmer 800 Va
Mary 42 F Ky
Eli 19 M Ky
Henry 17 M Ky
Addison 15 M Ky
Harvey 13 M Ky
John 11 M Ky
Jane 9 F Ky
Sarah 7 F Ky
Mary 5 F Ky

Relocation to Kentucky

Addison Butt, presumably with his family, came to Pulaski County, Kentucky by February 1807, when he
is recorded as acquiring a warrant for 50 acres of land.

Addison and Elinor probably followed the customary migration route to Kentucky – southwest to the upper
part of the Valley of Virginia, thence via the Wilderness Road, through the Cumberland Gap. The
following is from Westward Movement: The Kentucky Microcosm – Roseann Reinemuth Hogan, Ph.D.,
published on the Internet web site of Ancetsry.com19

Kentucky: The Symbol

The promise that drew many of these early frontier families to Kentucky was one of plentiful,

16 Research by Clarence Starns of Lexington, KY (deceased), descendant of William and Mary "Polly" Moore Butt.
Pulaski County Marriage Records Book 1, 1799-1850 compiled by the Pulaski County Historical Society, Pulaski
Library, North Main Street, Somerset, Kentucky 42501: page 142: 01 Jan 1823 WEEKS, Jesse; BUTT,Sally; surety:
Addison Butt
17 Eve Weeks - Fri, May 16, 1997 - 22:40:16 ([email protected])
18 Research by Clarence Starns of Lexington, KY (deceased), descendant of William and Mary "Polly" Moore Butt.
From Pulaski County Marriage Records Book I 1799-1850 compiled by the Pulaski County Historical Society,
Pulaski Library, North Main Street, Somerset, Kentucky 42501: page 24: 23 Dec 1830, BUTT, Wm., MOORE, Polly;
surety: Pleasant Moore; Henry Moore, b.f.
(Provided by Jim Harlan)
19 http://www.ancestry.com/library/view/ancmag/2831.asp?rc=locale%7E&us=0