General Notes

[Caleb Hicks.ged]
ID: I01187
Name: Richard Butler
Sex: M
Note:

Richard Butler --- Father of Mary Butler:
Records from the First Congregational Church of Woodbury, CT (Microfilm, CT State Library, Hartford, CT): This church began life as the Second Congregational Church of Stratford, CT, formed between 1666-1670 as a result of a doctrinaire dispute about "half-membership" between two groups of the parishioners of the Stratford First Congregational Church. Richard Butler was an original signer of the covenant for this church in 1670. (Ch, Rec.Vol 1, p 3). As the breach widened, some members of the Second Church picked up and moved from Stratford to Woodbury, Ct., in 1672 . Others followed later, taking their church record book with them. There is no indication that Richard Butler himself actually relocated to Woodbury and he evidently died in 1676 shortly after the baptisms mentioned below. (Orcutt, "History of Stratford & Bridgeport, CT")
It would appear that Richard Butler was in the habit of seeing that his grandchildren got baptised in his church when he got a chance to do it. There is an entry on Ch. Rec. Vol 1, p 8 which was made May 14, 1676 and reads "John + Phebe Hix son + daughter of M? + Thomas Hicks, and grandchildren of Goodma(n) Butler were baptised." There is an earlier entry for the baptism of another grandchild of Goodman Butler on Ch. Rec. Vol 1, p 6 - John Washburn, the only child of Mary's first marriage "Goodma(n) Butler, his grandchild, John Washburn was baptised May 7, 1671. It should be noted that baptism was generally granted only later after the child was of reason and proven faith and that was one of the issues in dispute between the two groups, (See Orcutt) so these baptismal dates do not indicate anything specific about birth dates.
Richard Butler's estate was probated in 1676. Estate documents suggest that Mary also had a sister Phebe, married to Benjamin Peat

Marriage 1 Spouse Unknown
Children
Mary Butler b: ABT. 1640 in Connecticut

[Mary Butler.FTW]

From Stile's History of Ancient Wethersfield:
Deacon Richard Butler, (born circa 1608) the American ancestor of theButlers of Wethersfield came to this country in 1633 (Paige’s Historyof Cambridge, Massachusetts, p. 32) from Braintree County, Essex,England, became a freeman at Cambridge May 14, 1634. He was a memberof Reverend Thomas Hooker’s church at Hartford, CT (1642), where hewas, with his elder brother William, among the first settlers. Hereceived 16 acres of land in the first division, was a deacon in theFirst Church there; juror 1643, ’44, ’47, ’48; grand juror 1660-2;selectman 1649, ’54, ’58; dep. to the General Court 1656-60; app.Clerk of General Court May 20, 1658 (Connecticut Colonial Record I313, 314, 315, 346). He resided in Hartford on the south side of theLittle River, "on the corner where the road from George Steele’sintersects the road from the Mills to the country," and owned ho-lotand other lands in Wethersfield. He was twice married, the name of hisfirst wife unknown. One account says he came hither "mourning the lossof wife and infant." He married second, according to Hinman, andbefore coming to Hartford, Elizabeth Bigelow, but by some she isthought to have been of Hartford. He died at Hartford August 6, 1684.Mrs. Elizabeth (Bigelow) Butler died February 26, 1656/7*. (*anothersource says Sept. 11, 1691 at Hartford )