Many thanks to Esther Rancier for sharing her information on the Butterfield family. Esther is researching in Richland and Mexico the Soul/Soule, Brace and Daniel P. Smith families, and would appreciate hearing from anyone researching these surnames.   Esther Rancier at: [email protected]

For more information on the Butterfield Family, please contact the 
Historians and Historical Societies.

        A Benjamin1 Butterfield immigrated to Charleston, MA before 1640.  One of his descendants,Benjamin3, born 14 May 1726. married Susannah, daughter of Jacob and Susannah (Pierce) Spaudling.  He was a carpenter and lived for a time in Westminster, MA from whence he left about 1762/3 for Brattleboro, VT.  He helped to establish the first church there.  He fathered 11 children and lived to 1804.
        He served in the Revolutionary War as an ensign with the Green Mountain Boys.  He was taken prisoner for a time and was imprisoned in Quebec before his exchange.  He reenlisted in 1780 as a lieutenant serving to 1783.  Benjamin’s son Luke4 (Benjamin1-3) Butterfield, born 5 October 1760 at Westminster, married Polly Farr who had one son before her death.  His second wife was Mercy Field who had nine children.
        Son Zenas5 (Luke4 Benjamin1-3) Butterfield, born ca. 1802, lived until 1820 in Dummerston, VT.  Supposedly his brother Luke5 also stayed in Dummerston too.  They traveled before 1825 to Mexico, Oswego Co., NY to settle. Their mother and father may have come with them and stayed until after 1830 when Luke4 returned to Dummerston where he died in 1834.  The mother, Mercy, at age 90 was buried in the Mexico Village Cemetery during 1857.
        Luke5 married Sophronia Kellogg.  On 27 February 1820 their son Franklin Powel [sic] Butterfield was baptized at the local church which later became the First Presbyterian Church of Mexico.  The boy died 13 August 1820.  The couple may also have had a daughter Lucinda for whom there is a stone.  Luke died in 1825 according to his tombstone.  Sophronia died in 1836.  They were all buried in the Primitive Cemetery, Mexico, NY.  There were no dates on Lucinda’s stone. The Oswego County Surrogate Court administered Luke’s estate on 15 July 1828 at Mexico.
 Zenas5 wed Jane B., born ca. 1818.  She became the mother of three children.  The family’s numeration in the 1850 Mexico census was a follows:

 Butterfield, Zenas      48 farmer $2000   VT
  Jane B.                   34 wife               NY
  George W.               24 son                 “
  Harriet N.                18 daughter          “
  Hellen [sic]F.            14     “                “

        The age of Jane B. would indicate she was not the mother of the children.  Her tombstone in the Mexico Village Cemetery said she died at age 41.  None of the Mexico records seem to identify an earlier spouse.   Zenas died in 1874, age 70.  He was buried with wife Jane.  Daughter Helen F.6 died in 1863/64 and was buried with her parents.
        Harriet N.6 married in April 1852 Chauncey S. Porter.  She had six children and resided in Mexico, dying 19 December 1896.
       George6 W. married twice.  His first wife Sarah died in 1873.  Her grave and tombstone were founding the Mexico Village Cemetery.  She had a child Francis Butterfield born ca. 1851.  The 1870 Mexico census gave the following:

 Butterfield, George  49 farmer $6860 NY
  Sarah                  37 wife             NY
 Scott, Cornelia       30 other            “

       After 1873 George W. wed Cornelia Scott.  She apparently was childless, dying in 1893, age 55.  Again her grave was in the Mexico Village Cemetery.  George died before her in 1891, age 65 and was buried in the same place.
       Almond5 (Luke4 Benjamin1-3) Butterfield, Luke and Zenas’ younger brother, born ca. 1807, resided in Mexico by 1850.  He had a large family.  Here was their listing:

Butterfield, Almond  43 farmer  VT
 Almeria [sic]         42 wife       “
 Maryette [sic]       20 dau       “
 Ella                     18     “       “
 Eliza                    16     “       “
 Franklin                15 son       “
 Emily                   14 dau        “
 Charles                13 son        “
 Myrtis                  11 dau       “
 John                    8 son         “
 Elmer                   5 son         “
 Francis                1 son          “

       Almond’s wife name on her tombstone was Elmira.  She died in 1869, according to the Cemetery Census.  Her grave was found in the Mexico Village Cemetery.  Mariette M., one of Almond’s daughters, died in 1904.  She was buried also at the Mexico Village Cemetery.

       Son Charles appeared to have settled by 1870 in Madison, Madison Co., NY.  The 1870 Madison census listed:
Butterfield, Charles  32 sawmill worker NY
 Alvine [sic]           20 wife                “
 Anna                    8 daughter          “

       By 1880 Charles family resided in Hamilton, Madison Co., NY.  The 1880 census had the following:

Butterfield, Charles   40 factory worker NY
 Elvira                    40 wife                “
 Anna                     16 daughter         “

      Charles’ brother John lived in the 2nd Ward in Oswego by 1880.  He had married Matilda.  They had two daughters.  The 1880 census showed:

Butterfield, John           38 railroad conductor NY
 Matilda                       27 wife                   “
 Mertie A.                    15 daughter             “
 Lenah [sic]                   6      “                  “

     What happened to Almond?  Records on this man in Oswego County stop after the death of his wife in 1869.  Actually the transcription of his wife’s tombstone was probably wrong.  She likely died in 1859 or earlier.  Almond left the area seemingly alone and next was recorded in Iowa.  On 7 November 1859 he married Joanna Champion from Neenah, Tipparary, Ireland.  She was born 10 April 1840.  At the age of 55 Almond began a second family of six at Raymond, Iowa.  They are given in the 1880 census at Poyner, IA:

Butterfield, Almond           73 farmer  VT
 Hanah [sic]                    41 wife   Ireland
 Ida                               17 daughter IA
 Tressa [sic]                    15     “        “
 Elmer                             10  son       “
 William                            8    “         “
 Mark                              5    “          “

       Another child George, born 16 August 1866 at Raymond died in 1876.  Tressa was formally named Theresa Margaret, born on 14 July 1863.  Another son Almond6 Frank, born 17 September 1868 in Raymond, escaped enumeration for unknown reasons.
      Daughter Ida, born August 1862, married Gustavus Golinvaux on 30 October 1883 in Gilbertsville, IA.  This couple had two sons and four daughters.  One of the daughters, Fanny Mary Golinvaux, born 9 October 1884 who married William Schares, had three sons, four daughters, 35 grandchildren and 26 great grandchildren, according to her obituary in 1972.  Ida (Butterfield) Golinvaux died 20 December 1903 in Gilbertsville, IA.
       Almond5 died 22 March 1896 at Iowa Falls, IA.  He was buried in Poyner Township Cemetery, Black Hark Co., IA. His tombstone stated he was born on 4 September 1804 which doesn’t match any of the census ages given in his lifetime.
      More can be learned about this family in the Iowa State Census of 1895.  They were living in Johnson County, IA in the 4th Ward.

Butterfield, Joanna              54 Ireland
 William H.                         23 Black Hawk Co., IA
 Jennie                              21       “
 Mark J.                             20       “
 Agnes                                3       “

       William6 H. had married Jennie ______.  Agnes was their child.  Joanna died on 7 October 1907 in Gilbertsville, IA.
       By 1920 William’s family resided in Washington, Washington Co., IA.  He did not remember where his father came from.  The census showed:

Butterfield, William H.        47              IA
 Jennie                           47 wife         “
 Marie                            22 daughter   “
 James                           20 son          “
Thompson, Agnes             27 daughter   “
 Billie                               6 grandson   “

       Mark6 in 1920 lived in Waterloo, IA.  He had wed Mary _____.   His family was enumerated thusly:

 Butterfield, Mark J.    49 attorney IA
 Mary                       49 wife       “  
  Mark M.                  14 son        “
 Mary E.                    7 daughter  “

        Mark said incorrectly that his father was born in England, suggesting the sons had never learned much about their elderly father’s early American roots.
       The son Almond6 Frank died in 1918.  He had at least two sons who in 1920 were lodgers at South Moline, Rock Island, IL.  Ray7 Butterfield, born 12 February 1897 in Iowa, was a laborer.  He died May 1978 in Jefferson Co., Colorado.  Clair7 Butterfield, born 12 June 1900 in Iowa, worked on the railroad by the time he was 19.  He died November 1984 in Erie Co., PA.  He had a known issue who is still living.  

 SOURCES:

Ancestral File.  Available [online] http://familysearch.org [3 January 2003].
Annals of Brattleboro.  Brattleboro: Hildreth, 1921-22.
Butterfield Family Genealogy Forum.  Available [online] http://genforum.genealogy.com [1 January 2004].
Cemetery Cenus of the Town of Mexico, Oswego County, New York.  Mexico: Mexico Historical Society, 1984.
Hemenway, Abby Marie.  Vermont Historical Gazetteer, v. 5. Burlington: Hemenway, 1868-1923.
History of Westminster.  Peterborough: Smith, 1961.
International Genealogical Index.  Available [online] http://familysearch.org [2 January 2004]. 
Iowa.  State Census, 1895.   (LDS microfilm #1020201). 
Mary F. Golinvaux Schares, 1884-1972.  Available [online] http://iagenweb.org/boards/blackhawk/obituaries/index-cgi?review+9481 [2 January 2004].
Massachusetts Soldiers and Sailors, v.2.  Boston: 1896-1908.
N.Y.  Oswego Co.  Surrogate Ct.  Letters of Administration, 1816-1831.  (LDS microfilm #0872720).
Pedigree Research File.  Compact Disc #50. Available [online] http://familysearch.org [2 January 2004].
Poyner Township Cemetery.  Available [online] http://search.rootsweb.com/cgi-bin/ifetch2?/al/data/is+index+2839866216+F [2 January 2004].
Social Security Death Index.  Available [online] http://ssdi.rootsweb.com [2 January 2004]. 
U.S. Census, South Moline, Rock Island Co., IL 1920.
U.S. Census, Poyner, Black Hawk Co., IA, 1880.
U.S. Census, Waterloo, Black Hawk Co., IA 1920.
U.S. Census, Washington, Washington Co., IA 1920.
U.S. Census, Hamilton, Madison Co., NY 1880.
U.S. Census, Madison, Madison Co., NY 1870.
U.S.  Census, Mexico, Oswego Co., NY 1830, 1850, 1870 & 1880.
U.S.  Census, 2nd Ward, Oswego, Oswego Co., NY 1880.
U.S.  Census, Dummerston, Windham Co., VT 1820 & 1830.
Vital Records of Westfield, Massachusetts until the end of 1849.  Salem: Essex, 1915.
WorldConnect Project.Available [online] http://worldconnect.genealogy.rootsweb.com [1 January 2004].