Lucien Lamar Knight in Georgia's Landmarks, Memorial and Legends, says,'Butler was named for General William Orlando Butler, a distinguished soldier of the Mexican War and a candidate for Vice-President on the ticket with General Cass of Michigan. He was also apoet of reputation and the author of a celebrated song called, The Boatman's Horn. In early minutes of the county, Mr. Butler was referred to as 'William Orlando Butler of the notorious Butler family'.
Butler was incorporated on Feb 8, 1854, but the charter was not received until 1870. Commissioners were Messrs. C.Y. PERRY, EZEKIAL ROYAL, ISAAC MULKEY, JAMES T. MAY, and P.C. CARR.
Early town minutes:
Johnathan STEWART was paid $41.00 for surveying the town of Butler on April 26, 1852.
Henry MILLIRONS was promised $14.00 for clearing the land and piling the underbrush on the Square but later minutes show he was only paid $11.20.
The Railroad played a significant part in early Taylor County. The Muscogee Railroad , as mentioned early, was the first known as the "50 Mile R.R"....but for Taylor County purposes (created in 1852), it had become Southwestern Railroad by June 1853, when the connection from Columbus to Macon was completed.
Check out the history and see early time tables, which your ancestors would certainly have known!
Photos of the depot
Contributed by John Adams IMPORTANT EVENTS IN THE HISTORY OF TAYLOR COUNTY Bill of sale of the town lots of Butler as were sold March 25, 1852. BLOCK LOT PURCHASER PRICE 5 12 S. M. Dunn $200.00 5 11 John Holingsworth 265.00 5 7 John Holingsworth 120.00 6 12 McCrary & Hamilton 230.00 9 1 William Huckaby 250.00 10 1 J. T. May 200.00 10 7 John Holingsworth 273.00 11 6 John B. Arnold 260.00 4 7 William Wells 301.00 4 6 William Wells 215.00 5 1 L. M. Dunn 200.00 5 6 John B. Arnold 250.00 10 4 John Holingsworth 165.00 10 2 John Fletcher 120.00 6 7 James P. Rousan 176.00 9 6 Eldrige Butts 170.00 6 6 B. R. Searcy 120.00 6 5 B. R. Searcy 101.00 6 4 B. R. Searcy 114.00 6 2 A. H. Riley 97.00 6 1 A. H. Riley 149.00 6 3 A. H. Riley 91.00 5 4 James D. Cottingham 101.00 5 2 John Joiner 103.00 6 11 William P. Mathis 160.00 6 10 E. C. Butts 120.00 6 9 A. H. Riley 121.00 6 8 William Mathis 140.00 9 5 F. H. Murdock 91.00 9 4 S. R. Hobbs 91.00 9 3 Silas Monk 99.00 9 2 A. A. Gaulding 103.00 9 12 Gideon Bland 90.00 10 7 Hamilton & McCrary 72.00 10 5 Willis Jinks 142.00 5 10 J. B. Wright 181.00 5 8 E. B. & F. A. Waters 178.00 10 3 Jessie Tension 143.00 4 1 S. R. Hobbs 100.00 3 6 William Moody 82.00 3 1 M. Barnes & Hardison 186.00 3 2 James Bartlett 100.00 2 6 M. Barnes & Hardison 249.00 2 4 Jackson Fountain 160.00 2 3 Jackson Fountain 100.00 2 2 M. Barnes & Hardison 106.00 2 1 M. Barnes & Hardison 147.00 1 6 James Bartlett 109.00 1 5 James Bartlett 104.00 1 7 H. A. Sikes 101.00 2 12 James Gilbert 111.00 BLOCK LOT PURCHASER PRICE 2 7 Jonathan Stewart 102.00 3 12 James Griffith 100.00 3 11 James Gilbert 102.00 3 3 John B. Arnold 116.00 5 5 B. F. Hurst 100.00 5 3 Jacob Pare 102.00 7 2 Wilburn Jinks 120.00 7 3 Jefferson Riley 56.00 7 12 Wilburn Jinks 102.00 7 11 Wilburn Jinks 73.00 7 7 Nathaniel Spears 60.00 7 6 Nathaniel Spears 60.00 8 1 John M. Hobbs 102.00 9 7 Jefferson Riley 31.00 10 12 B. F. Hurst 111.00 10 11 Lewis Hill 80.00 10 8 McCrary & Hamilton 66.00 10 9 Lewis Hill 71.00 10 10 Enoch Garrett 53.00 9 11 A. A. Gaulding 50.00 9 8 J. M. Thompson 49.00 9 9 J. M. Thompson 48.00 9 10 A. A. Gaulding 50.00 7 3 Enoch Garrett 50.00 7 4 A. A. Gaulding 36.00 7 5 T. J. Riley 34.00 7 8 T. J. Riley 35.00 7 9 T. J. Riley 40.00 7 10 Caleb Maulding, Jr. 30.00 7 12 & Fraction William Chew 100.00
Terms of the above sale: one-eight cash, one-half of balance payable on first day of January, 1853, and remainder payable on the 14th day of January, 1854. Notes were required and certificates of title given to the purchasers, and deeds will be executed when the last payment is made. Ten percent deduction off where the whole amount was paid in advance.
We are very sorry the records fail to disclose the name of the auctioneer but we will say off-hand that it must have been Sheriff John M. Thompson and unless he was blessed with a strong clear voice, he was troubled for some days with sore throat.
Are any of the above lots still in the hands of the descendants of the original owners? If so tell the Herald.
The land on which the Town of Butler was built was secured from the following original owners: Andrew McCants, John T. Gray, John Sturdevant, John L. Parker, and a Covington, whose name we fail to have, and say definitely whether this party was a Mister Covington or Mrs. Covington, or Miss Covington, or whether they left before naming.
The above article was printed on page 1 of THE BUTLER HERALD, Taylor Co., Ga., Thursday, November 24, 1932.
Joseph J. Walton of Columbus by 1861 owned 25 Butler City lots and two half lots in 8 different City Blocks. These records show some of the earlier owners as well.
Oct 19, 1855 Lot 12/block 5; lot 11 & 12/block 7; lot 3/block 9 from Davis Castleberry $2850.00 *There was small pox in Butler from 1853-1856 and this may have caused some people to sell their lots. BLOCK 1 Nov 6, 1855 lot 9,10,11/block 1 from Elam B. Waters for $500.00 BLOCK 3 D/159 Jan 7, 1869 R. Scandrett to Hugh Russ $50 Town of Butler LL 10, 11, 12 Block 3 BLOCK 6 June 4, 1858 lot 7, 8/Block 6 from Sheriff L.Q.C. McCrary for $126.00 (These had been the property of John Adkins) BLOCK 7 Nov 13, 1856 lot 3/block 7 from Enoch Garrett for $50.00 BLOCK 10 Jan 7 1869 McKenny, Francis M. & Crouch, John H. Terrell County to Hugh Ross $1400 LL6 1/2 LL5 in Block 10 in Butler South side of courthouse a part of premises on the west side being under the present Masonic Hall June 14, 1858 lot 7,8/Block 10 from Daniel Royal for $70.00 Sept 2, 1858 lot 10/block 10 from Sheriff L.Q.C. McCrary for $35.00 Dec 27, 1858 lot 9/block 10 from Lewis hill for $50.00 (for other lots see Taylor Tracer September 1997) Transfer/Sale of Butler Lots
My father, Robert Jesse Pate, Sr., closed his grocery store in Phenix City, AL and moved us to Butler, GA in 1923 when I was 5 years old. [He] opened a candy factory and hired a candy maker named Bill Baggett; salesman traveled all over central and south Georgia and took orders. He made all kinds of candy. [We] called the bar like Baby Ruth, "Plow Boy".
When banks went busted in 1929, the Candy Factory and family, including his sister's son, Douglas Stringfellow (son of Brooks and Ola Pate Stringfellow), moved to Moultrie, GA. Aunt Ola took the flu and died from it, so Daddy took her young son, Douglas into our home. I understand her son Jeff went to South Georgia.
Business fell off so we moved into a small place in Funston, GA (from
Moultrie) where my sister Myranelle was born. Mother and Daddy made a little
candy (no longer had help). The candy business was no good during the
depression, so Daddy moved to Eelbeck, GA where the business did not do good.
So we closed the candy factory and moved to Kingsboro, 4 miles south of
Hamilton, GA in Harris County. Daddy ran the Eelbeck Milling Company grist
mill and also farmed and had a grocery store.
Contributed by: Dan Phillips [email protected]
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