History of Bourbon, Scott, Harrison and Nicholas Counties, Kentucky, ed.
by William Henry Perrin,  O. L. Baskin & Co., Chicago, 1882.  p. 707.
[Harrison County]  [Rutland Precinct]

THOMAS F. BUTLER, farmer, P. O. Hinton, Scott Co., born in Scott County, at
Muddy Ford on the South fork of Eagle Creek, Oct. 4, 1808; his grandfather,
James Butler was an Englishman by birth, and in company with two brothers,
Pierce and Charles, was brought to America by his parents in 1734; they
settled in Culpepper [sic] County, Va., and all three of the brothers were
soldiers in the Revolutionary war; James was killed in a duel while in the
army; the circumstances which brought about this unfortunate affair were as
follows:  he received word that his youngest son, James, had been drowned
in James River; he procured a limited furlough and went home to attend
the funeral; he overstayed his time three or four days and upon his return
was accused of cowardice by one of his comrades; he immediately challenged
him and received a wound which proved mortal. Cornelius Butler, the father
of our subject, was born in Culpepper [sic] County, Va., June 17, 1772, and
in company with his brother Charles, his mother, and three step-brothers
(one of whom, Wm. Brissey, is still living in Owenton, aged 93), came to
Kentucky in 1792 and settled on Stoner Creek, near Paris; Cornelius worked
on a farm, also worked in distillery of Col. Robt. Russell, at Russell's
Cave, in Fayette County, from 1801 until 1804; he moved to Muddy Ford in
Scott County in 1806, where he lived until his death in 1850.  Thos. F.
Butler, of whom we write, led a roving life till [sic] he was thirty-three
years of age, having traveled in thirteen States, Mexico, and the province
of Texas, where he found himself located at the time it declared its
independence.  During his travels he had frequent encounters with wild
beasts; upon on occasion, while in Mississippi in 1839, overseeing a
plantation for a man by the name of Bookout, he was followed by a panther;
the animal followed him until they came to a small opening upon which
six oxen were grazing; he attacked one of the oxen, lacerating its haunches
terribly with its sharp claws; Butler, though armed, was unable to get a
shot for fear of killing one of the oxen, but he was spared the trouble of
shooting the panther, for the other five oxen rushed upon the savage brute
and literally gored him to death.  During the same year, while the hands
were burning cotton stalks, Bookout, fearing that the gin might be in
danger of catching fire, came down about dusk and was standing by one of
the fires, when a panther appeared on the opposite side of the fire; he was
apparently aiming to catch a dog that was in the company, and being intent
upon prey, he seized Bookout, when they both rolled over in the fire, and
both came out badly burned; Butler shot at the panther twice, but in the
uncertain light did not kill him.  On June 8, 1843, he married Harriett,
daughter of Thomas and Betsey (Wickhoff) Riley, both of Culpepper [sic]
County, Va.; his wife died about six months after their marriage of
consumption; on the first of May 1845, he married his present wife,
Melvina, daughter of Asher and Nancy (Mitchell) Hinton, of Virginia, by
whom he is the father of four children, all boys, three of whom are living.
The oldest, Benjamin T., born Oct. 10, 1846, and married, first Frances
Havicus, second Kate Patterson, and third Adelaine Beatty, of Atlanta, Ga.;
this son entered the Southern army when only sixteen and served throughout
the war under Caantrill, Buford and Morgan; he was captured while with
Morgan in his Ohio raid, and put into Camp Douglass, where he remained for
sixteen months; he was released upon a special order of President Lincoln,
obtained by his father in a personal interview.  About this time, the
Federal troops threatened to hang Mr. Butler, whereupon he fled to
Richmond, Va., where he had the privilege of shaking hands with the
President of the Southern Confederacy, whom he had formerly known in
Mississippi; his second son, George Braxton, married Mary Fightmaster, and
is now residing at Hinton Station in Scott County; his third son, Mitchell
F., seems to inherit the wandering disposition that characterized his
father's boyhood, having traveled through nearly all the Gulf and Atlantic
states.  Both Mr. and Mrs. butler are members of Mt. Olivet Christian
Church in Scott County.

Butler Wickhoff Riley Mitchell Hinton Havicus Patterson Beatty
Fightmaster Bookout Russell Brissey
=
Scott-KY Owenton-Owen-KY Bourbon-KY Fayette-KY Culpeper-VA
TX GA Mexico

http://www.rootsweb.com/~kygenweb/kybiog/harrison/butler.tf.txt