History of Fulton County, Illinois; together with
Sketches of its Cities, Villages and Townships, Educational, Religious,
Civil, Military, and Political History; Portraits of Prominent Persons
and Biographies of Representative Citizens. Chas. C. Chapman & Co.,
Peoria, Illinois, 1879, page 887, Union Township
Colonel John Butler was born in Greenbrier Co., Va., July 26,
1802, and is the son of William and Tacy (Gray) Butler. His parents
took him to Gallia Co., O., in 1804, where he remained until ’33, when
he went to St. Joseph Co., Ind., thence to Warren Co., Ill., in ’39,
where he entered land, raised and dealt largely in cattle, and grew
quite wealthy, owning at one time 1,300 acres of well-improved land.
Although the Colonel was never in the army he has long merited the
title Colonel on account of his valuable services as a militia officer,
both in Ohio and Illinois. In the former place he served as Lieutenant,
Captain, Major and Adjutant; and in the latter was elected Colonel of
the 84th Ill. Militia. His father helped build Fort Recovery under Gen.
Wayne. His uncle, Isaac Butler, helped capture Black Hawk. A southern
man, but true to the Union. He built the first frame barn in the
Southern part of Warren Co. He married Mary Adney April 25, ’22, who
gave him all his education. They had 13 children, 7 of whom are living,
and all married except Mary Helen, who is now in Minnesota traveling
for her health. Mrs. B. died while on a visit to Kansas, Nov. 12, 1875.
