Laurice James Butler (1910 - abt. 1951)

Born 9 May 1910 in Tampa, Hillsborough, Florida, United States [uncertain]

Husband of Octavia Margaret (Guy) Butler — married 17 May 1931 in Los Angeles, California, United States

Died about 16 Feb 1951 at about age 40 in San Bernardino, California, United States

Problems/Questions Profile manager: Pamela Lloyd [send private message]

Biography

Laurice Butler is a part of US Black heritage.

Laurice Butler married Octavia Margaret Guy on 11 May 1931. At the time of the marriage, Laurice was 21 and Margaret was 19.^[1] It was only after the loss of four pregnancies that their only child, Octavia Estelle Butler, nicknamed Junie, was born.^[2][3] Laurice, who worked as a shoe shiner, died shortly after his daughter's birth.

Laurice was most likely born in either Florida or Alabama, possibly on 9 May 1910, and died 16 February 1951. (See the notes for more information about the questions regarding his birth and death.)

According to his World War II draft card, his middle names was James and he was born in Tampa, FL. His occupation was shoeshiner.^[4]

Notes

Laurice Butler was identified as the son of Benjamin E Butler and Minie Lee Harris at the time of his marriage, and he was said to be a native of Alabama.^[5] However, the 16 Feb 1951 death certificate for the Laurice Butler who died in San Bernardino, California, United States, and who seems likely to be that of Octavia Butler's father, since it's known that her father died while she was still a young child, provides Triplin as the maiden name for his mother and gives Florida as his birth place. (Is it possible that Harris was his step mother?) This individual was born 9 May 1910 in Florida, which is consistent with the age given for Laurice Butler at the time of his marriage.^[6] (Laurice is a sufficiently unusual name that it seems likely that both documents refer to the same person, despite the discrepancies related to this birth place and his mother's maiden name.)

The Find a Grave record for Laurice d. 16 Feb 1951 has a transcription of an obituary naming parents and a brother but no wife or child.^[7]

FamilySearch has incorrectly transcribed Margaret Guy's surname as Cuy. The digital image clearly shows the name to be Guy.

Sources

1. ↑ California, County Marriages
2. ↑ VG/Voices from the Gaps
3. ↑ California, Birth Index
4. ↑ Ancestry.com. U.S., World War II Draft Cards Young Men, 1940-1947 [database on-line]. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2011.
5. ↑ California, County Marriages
6. ↑ California, Death Index
7. ↑ Find a Grave, database and images (www.findagrave.com/memorial/92040964/laurice-j.-butler : accessed 03 June 2021), memorial page for Laurice J. Butler (9 May 1910–16 Feb 1951), Find a Grave Memorial ID 92040964, citing Belle Vernon Cemetery, North Belle Vernon, Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania, USA ; Maintained by Bev (contributor 47156952) .

• "California, Birth Index, 1905-1995," index, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/VLN2-RCT : accessed 8 March 2015), Octavia Estelle Butler, 22 Jun 1947; citing Los Angeles, California, United States, Department of Health Services, Vital Statistics Department, Sacramento.

• "California, County Marriages, 1850-1952," index and images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/K8V9-NL8 : accessed 9 March 2015), Laurice Butler and Margaret Cuy, 17 May 1931; citing Los Angeles, California, United States, county courthouses, California; FHL microfilm 2,074,887.

• "United States World War II Army Enlistment Records, 1938-1946," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:K85Q-YSP : 5 December 2014), Laurice J Butler, enlisted 24 Apr 1943, Los Angeles, California, United States; citing "Electronic Army Serial Number Merged File, ca. 1938-1946," database, The National Archives: Access to Archival Databases (AAD) (http://aad.archives.gov : National Archives and Records Administration, 2002); NARA NAID 1263923, National Archives at College Park, Maryland.

• "California, Death Index, 1940-1997," index, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/VP7C-S8K : accessed 9 March 2015), Laurice Butler, 16 Feb 1951; Department of Public Health Services, Sacramento.

• "Octavia E. Butler," The Biography.com website (http://www.biography.com/people/octavia-e-butler-38207 : accessed 8 March 2015).

• "Octavia Estelle Butler," VG/Voices from the Gaps, University of Minnesota (http://voices.cla.umn.edu/artistpages/butlerOctavia.php: accessed 8 March 2015).

• "Octavia E. Butler," Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Octavia_E._Butler&oldid=646517952 : accessed 8 March 2015).

See Also

• "United States World War II Army Enlistment Records, 1938-1946," index, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/K85Q-YSP : accessed 14 March 2015), Laurice J Butler, enlisted 24 Apr 1943, Los Angeles, California, United States; citing "Electronic Army Serial Number Merged File, ca. 1938-1946," database, The National Archives: Access to Archival Databases (AAD) (http://aad.archives.gov : National Archives and Records Administration, 2002); NARA NAID 126323, National Archives and Records Administration, Washington, D.C.

Note

This record for Laurice J. Butler may or may not be for the Laurice Butler who was the father of Octavia Butler. Octavia's father gave his birth place as Alabama at the time of his marriage, while this individual is stated to be from Florida.