Jerry and Linda Butler

STATUS OF SEARCH OF ZACHARIAH BUTLERS ANCESTORS by Janice Butler Turner and Larry Butler

My brother and I have spent the last ten years looking for evidence concerning our Zachariah. This is our slim list of facts.

Zachariah was born in 1736 in Hanover County Virginia, source, Zachariah enlistment in Revolutionary War at Chesterfield Courthouse in 1780.

Zachariah was in Hanover County in 1756, source, MAGAZINE OF VIRGINIA GENEALOGY XXV 1 01-FEB-1987 Accounts from the Store of Thomas Partridge & Co., Hanover Co., Virginia 1734-1756 Zachariah came to Wilkes County Georgia later cut off as part of Elbert County Georgia in 1785, source, Land Grant.

He had a wife named Mary in 1785, source, land transactions in Elbert County Georgia involving husband and wife. Zachariah died between 1814 and 1816-source, tax records of Elbert County Georgia. His Revolutionary War Marker is placed in a small family type cemetery on what is now the Dye home place in Elbert County Georgia. This land was part of Zachariah's original land grant when he came to Wilkes, later Elbert. Whether he is actually buried there is problematic. In 1756 in Hanover County Christopher pays off an account of his son Zachariah Butler, source "Virginia Genealogical Journal". Item 2A Christopher Butler in Hanover County was born between 1737 and 1742, source, VGPu 16 May 77 The Christopher who was the father of Zachariah had to be born prior to 1716. Joshua Butler and his wife Grace Paige had a son Christopher Butler who was a minor when Joshua's will was probated in 1725. King George County, VA; Will Book Joshua is the son of Thomas Butler and Jane Baynum Baldridge of Kent County Maryland. The pedigree of Thomas and Jane is documented.

FAMILY LEGENDS, HALF TRUTHS AND DOWNRIGHT FABRICATIONS

• The marriage of Sarah Bowe and Zachariah Butler. We have never seen any documentation on this marriage.

• His second wife is reported to have been a Mary Edwards or Brooks, we have not seen documentation on her name or their marriage but we have seen her name on land transaction with Zachariah as having been MARY.

• There are statements made that he was the immigrant Butler from Ireland.

• The statement that his father was James has also never been associated with any documentation.

• There has been much speculation to the assignment of Zachariah's children to his wives, again we have not found nor seen any documentation to support any theory. We placed them all with Sarah but with the disclaimer we really do not know.

• We have seen unofficial reported death dates for Zachariah ranging from 1793 to 1838 any where from Elbert County Georgia to Virginia.
  There has been a persistent erroneous belief in the existence of a son Zachariah Jr. who came to Maury Co., TN.

OUR HYPOTHESIS

That the Christopher in Hanover County Virginia in 1756, born before 1716 is indeed our Christopher. That the Christopher known to be born in 1747 is the son of Christopher and the brother of our Zachariah. That Christopher, the father of Zachariah, is the same Christopher that is the son of Joshua from King George County Virginia.

REASON

We have been unable to locate any other Christopher of the appropriate age, and Joshua's daughter Dorcas married a Welchand also ended up in Hanover County. (I know you can't prove a negative but it is the best we can do) If we connect to Joshua the line back is documented. If this is our line we are English, not Irish. The Butler's in our line do not appear to be large plantation owners and this seems to run consistently down most of our line.

There is an Edward Butler and family who came to Wilkes County about 1785 from Hanover County Virginia. He lived on the same waterway as a Christopher Butler. Source-"Virginia Genealogy Records". He and a Christopher signed petitions with respect to the Parish in Hanover County Virginia. He named a son Zachariah or Zachary. This Edward has a father Thomas E. and a mother Susannah Wade Butler. Source, Susannah Wades will in Hanover County Virginia. The possibility of these two lines merging prior to Thomas E. and Joshua needs further investigation.

Zachariah Butler(1736) by conventional acceptance had a son Joel who stayed in GA as did many of his descendants.

One of his descendants was William M. Butler, !!! . He was born abt 1880 and had 3 sons William P. b. 1912, John F. b 1924, James E. b 1925. In Coweta Co., GA in 1930. If anyone knows the family of either of these three men and if we are lucky enough to have a male in the line and someone interested enough in genealogy it would be a great help to have this DNA recorded. If his ancestor Joel was indeed the son of Zachariah his DNA will match a descendant of Patrick, known son of Zachariah who has his DNA on file.

WE ARE SOLICITING DIALOGUE, ARGUMENT, REBUTTAL AND ANY INFORMATION ABOUT THE ABOVE. TRUST US, THERE IS NO WAY TO HURT OUR FEELINGS. WE ALSO ENCOURAGE EVERY DIRECT MALE DESCENDANT BUTLER WHO EVEN REMOTELY THINKS HE MAY DESCEND FROM VIRGINIA BUTLERS TO SERIOUSLY CONSIDER THE BUTLER DNA PROJECT.

• from the research of Janice Butler Turner and Larry Butler as recorded on www.butlerdna.org