Peter Butler (1789 - 1856)

Born 9 Mar 1789 in Pulaski County, Kentucky

Ancestors

Husband of Rachel Cook (Murphy) Butler — married 25 Jul 1811 in Barren County, Kentucky

Descendants

Died 24 Jun 1856 at age 67 in Monmouth, Polk County, Oregon

Problems/Questions Profile manager: Myles Butler [send private message]

Biography

Peter Butler (1789-1856) was born in Pulaski County, Kentucky, to John Butler and Elizabeth Dixon. He later moved to Barren County where he married his wife, Rachel Cook(e) Murphy (1788-1874) on July 25, 1811.

He served as a Major in the Kentucky Sharpshooters Militia and served in the War of 1812 in defense of New Orleans. He was also a Captain in the Black Hawk War of 1832 where his son Ira served under him. He moved first to Warren County, Kentucky in 1816, and then to Warren County, Illinois in 1830. In 1831 he surveyed and founded Monmouth, Illinois after turning down the opportunity to survey the new town of Chicago.

In Monmouth he served as surveyor, sheriff, mayor, county commissioner, and one term in both the Illinois House of Representatives and Senate. His son Ira Butler and son-in-law Thomas Hutchinson helped found Monmouth University (now Western Oregon University).

He and his wife had ten children, five of whom made the journey with them to the Oregon Territory in 1853, where he joined his son Elijah who had traveled there in 1850. Peter died of typhoid fever on June 24, 1856 and is buried with his wife in the Butler Davidson Cemetery. He died intestate, and a suit was brought against the remaining Butler family and their heirs in 1937 over their rights to land presumably owned by Peter Butler.

The Black Hawk War

In June 1832, a battalion of men was raised in this and Warren Counties, under the call of the Governor dated the previous 20th of May. The command consisted of mounted rangers, and the organization was effected at Macomb, the Warren County men coming here for that purpose. Samuel Bogart, of McDonough County, was chosen Major, and Peter Butler, of Warren, First Lieutenant. They marched to the town of Oquawka, and were there stationed for the purpose of guarding the "frontier". They were out eighty-six days, but performed no special service. They drew their rations with laudable regularity, ate heartily, played euchre, and visited the friendly Indian camps on the opposite side of the river.

At the expiration of their term, they returned to Macomb and received their discharge, but for years afterward they could be found in groups, swapping stories about the jokes they played on each other, laughing heartily when the fun was against them as when with them, and generally discussing the gold old times of the Black Hawk War. The men received eighty-six cents per day and horses, besides rations and forage, and subsequently each man also received a bounty of eighty acres of land.^[1]

Peter's Letters

Aug 14, 1853

Letter From: Polk County, Oregon Territory

Description: This letter was written by Peter Butler to his sons John and Joseph Butler soon after reaching the Willamette Valley. He describes conditions along the Oregon Trail as those of overall good health, with the exception of mountain fever, the loss of a mare and mule over a waterfall, the loss of a wagon, and the birth of a son to Thomas Hutchinson and Elizabeth Hutchinson ("Lissie").^[2]

Dear Children

It is with great pleasure that I seat myself this fine morning to inform you by letter that we all arrived safe in the Willamette valley on the 5th Aug. after a long tedious journey, we found our friends all well and doing well, and I am sure that we all ought to feel exceeding thankful to our heavenly father for his protecting care over us, for of all our friends notwithstanding so many has crossed the plains, not one of them has died it has not been the case with a great many others. for we have been where they have been buried along the road from the Missouri river to this valley in great abundance, we had but little sickness in in our train The most of us had a light attack of what is called the mountain fever, but in most cases it only lasted a week or two and even then we could generally go about. I consider that I have been much benefited in praise of health for I have not had an attack of my complaint with which I have suffered so much since I started from home, and if my health continues as it has been since I started *[written along the side] Your mother wishes you all to write often and tell all about all the children and grandchildren and neighbors* I shall feel myself amply compensated for all my trouble and expense which has been considerable I wrote to you at Fort Laramie that Edward Ground had one of his mares stolen by the Indians he never got her, he also had one of his best mares drowned in fall river, my best mule got drowned at the same time and place, I will just tell you how it happened our loos horses and mules was driven till they got very dry and when they got to the river about fourteen of them rushed into the water just above the falls the hindmost pressing on those before and in an instant they was all swimming and the water ran very swift which very soon forced them over the falls, my mule and Edward's mare was both forced over a large rock. I believe Edward mare sunk immediately, my mule sunk and rose frequently till it got below all the breakers it then swam about a minute and sunk. Edward lost one wagon the one that Bolden made for him it just broke to pieces it was a great cheat. The above constituted our losses we started with 47 persons in the train and when we reached the valley we had 48 Elizabeth had a fine son on the Cascade Mountains, and although we had to hall her over ten thousand rocks which you would have thought a wagon. Unable to stand, yet she and the babe are both doing well.

[written on the side of the page] Tell us whether your uncle Isaac died in his senses and if so what he said about dying

You will likely want to know how I like the country. I will just tell you that I have not seen enough of the country to form an opinion yet though I can say that what I have seen is as good or better than I expected to find it. It will cost me a good deal of money to live the first year but after that I believe that I can live as well as I could in Illinois, though I will write my opinion of the country in full as soon as it is formed. John if it would not be too much trouble I would be glad if you would write to me and make a memorandum of the names and amount of each of my notes which I left with you. One thing more if you have not made any disposition of our cattle keep them till you hear from me again. I presume you would like to know how we old folks stood the journey your mother was considerably fatigued and worn out but I stood the trip as well as any of the young men. I drove my buggy nearly all the way myself. After all there is more depending on the disposition of a person to stand that trip than the Constitution, for if a person cannot accommodate themselves to their situation it will be hard to stand the trip but if they can feel satisfied to sit down in the mud or dust sunshine or rain and eat whatever they have, then sleep on the ground or in the wagon or any other place which they can get, then the trip will be easy and half the difficulties surmounted. I write this letter to you all for the reason that I have a very poor chance to write I will send it to Joseph with the request to have him send it on to the rest of the boys in Illinois, Joseph I intended to have came by your house but was prevented by Hutchinson having to return to Oquawka which left me to take care of everything and it was out of my power to come Thomas went by and did not get to the train until noon next day in consequence of the high water, which we supposed prevented you from coming at all. You must write to me as soon as you receive this letter and let me know what you intend to do in relation to moving to this country and if you do come I will write you some things which you will find to your advantage my sheet is full so I must close

[written on the side of the page] give our best love and respects to all our old friends and neighbors

Your Father Peter Butler

Sources

1. ↑ Newton, Paul Selby, and Alexander McLean, eds. Historical Encyclopedia of Illinois and History of McDonough County, pg. 719-720.
2. ↑ Butler, Peter, "Letter to John Butler and Joseph Butler from Peter Butler" (1853). Butler Family Letters (Transcripts). 8. https://digitalcommons.wou.edu/butlertranscripts/8

• Find A Grave Database Memorial No. 44242115
• Oregon State Archives, Oregon Secretary of State Early Oregonian Search Record #92274
• Western Oregon University History and Archives Collections. "Butler Family Letters" (2013). Butler Family Descendants' Biographies.
• Bateman, Newton, Paul Selby, and Alexander McLean, eds. Historical Encyclopedia of Illinois and History of McDonough County, pg. 719-720. Chicago, Illinois: Munsell Publishing Company, 1907. February 11, 2009. Accessed November 4, 2018. Library of Congress ID 00147545319
• Stevens, Frank E. The Black Hawk War, pg. 193. Chicago, Illinois, 1903. Accessed November 4, 2018. Library of Congress ID 00027963407