Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1893-08-11
THE BUrrERF1ELD FAMILY.

| trust the editor of The Phoenix will
pardon me If | seem too persistent to prove
my faith about some facts to which | al
luded in an article which appeared in your
valuable paper July 2S, some of which
seem to be questioned in your issue of
August f. If Capt. Benjamin Butterfeld
came to Brattleboro in 1866 there ought to
be some evidence of the fact, and if the
evidence which exists, if any there be,
tending to show that he came in 1866, pro-
duces a stronger conviction in our minds
than the evidence that he came before,
then our verdict will accord with the fire.
auent statement in The Phoenix that he
came in 1866.
The article of Aug. 4, referring to my
statement that his sons, Levi, born June
/, 1868, and Teri, born May %, 1868,
(printed in Phoenix May 3 reads:
AT the time of these births there was no or
ganized town of Brattleboro, no records and
no officers to make any This record was made a
long time afterwards and gives no place of the
births This Benjamin had two wives, Susanna
and Lois The births of the children are recorded
together, apparently at one time The name OF
the mother of the children of Susanna is left
blank while that of Lois as mother OF her chill,
dren is put down. which shows that the record
was not directed by him nor by any one very
familiar with the facts 1t does not of itself show
that these chileren were born here. and of course
not that he lived here at that time or oeiore
1905"
| have net claimed that at the time of
these early births, Brattleboro was organ
lied, had any officers or records. The
record of these births is there on the record,
nut there without doubt by the town clerk
of Brattleboro, and they mean something.
They were directed by some one who knew
the dates Perhaps if Capt. Buttertield did
IL. nic ninrnf mr.
some of his children.
When | examine a town record and find
records of births, deaths and marriages
recorded, and nothing in the record to
! show that the transaction took place in
any other town, it seems to me fair to as
snme that it was in the town where the
record is. and that the parents lived there.
Five children were born to Benjamin and
| susanna before those recorded in Brattle-
boro. BENJAMIN, born 1749 or 80, Su,
sauna 1888. Jesse 1856, Ezra 1913, and
LIKE 1850. Why did not the record OF
births of Capt. Benjamin in Brattleboro
beqin with Luke instead of Levi, or with
Ezra. or Susanna, or Benjamin? Simply
because they were not born in Brattleboro,
and their parents did not live in Brattle-
horo at the time of their birth. 1t may be
arOued that if Capt. Benjamin did not give
the data to the town clerk from which he
made the record that the person who dld
was not informed of the fact of the lye
older children, but Benjamin, the son
married Elizabeth Cune, lived and died II
Rrattleboro. and his widow married Isaac
Crosby. grandfather of the late Edward
Crosby. Susanna lived and died in Brat
tleboro. Jesse married, lived and died II
Brattleboro, and was father of the late Mrs
Benson Jones. Ezra married Martha HAD
lev. lived in the edge of Dummerston, anl
80 buried in the cemetery by the old hrs
church north of Centreville. Luke LIVED
on Dummerston hill, and his grandson
,Iobn Franklin, died recently at the ole
farm of his grandfather. These peopl
were not strangers to any town eleik D,aV
tleboro had in those days, and II II hS'
been intended to record the whole family
they would not have begun at Levi, lana
Unless there is more convincing eyidene
that Capt Benjamin Butterteld came u