Subseries III:Butler Correspondence, 1759 - 1854
Sub-Series
Dates
- 1759 - 1854
Access:
All series and subseries within this collection are open for research, with the exception of a few files within the Academia series that are restricted. The Academia series contains financial and sensitive institutional records from Wilkes College, and financial report records from Princeton University that will remain restricted for 80 years upon creation.
Extent
From the Collection: 17 Cubic Feet
Language of Materials
From the Collection: English
Condition Note:
The condition of the items within the collection varies, however due to the age of the documents within the collection, there should be a high level of care taken while handling. The vast majority of the items within this subseries are extremely fragile, as they are quite literally falling apart as tears widen at folds within the paper, which are present in almost every item to some extent. Every item exhibits signs of age, including browning of the paper, tattered edges, and general fragileness, however other items exhibit further or amplified signs of age and or damage including fading ink, stains, and various tears. There are items which have separated into multiple pieces over time, and in many cases the rest of the item is vulnerable to further separation. The items which should be handled with utmost care are:
10.06. Item 6: Letter from Zebulon Butler to General [Eliphalet] Dyer, 1777 June 23 (Removed to Legal Box #1)
10.08a. Item 8a: A Letter from Zebulon Butler to the “Board of War,” 1778 July 10. (removed to legal box #1)
10.11. Item 11: Letter from Susannah Green to General [John] Sullivan, 1779 July 12. (Removed to Legal Box #1)
10.18 Item 18: Letter from Zebulon Butler to “the War Board,” 1780 July 11. (Removed to Legal Box #1)
10.26. Item 26: Letter from Zebulon Butler to Colonel [John Henry] Antes, 1780 November 25.
10.29. Item 29: Letter from [Zebulon Butler] to “Board of War,” 1781 January 22.
10.30a. Item 30a: Letter from Zebulon Butler to Major [Elisha] Lawrence, 1781 February 24.(Removed to Legal Box #1)
10.30b. Item 30b: Letter from Zebulon Butler to Captains Schott and Selin, 1781 February 24.(Removed to Legal Box #1)
10.31. Item 31: Letter from J[ohn] Durkee to Zebulon Butler, 1781 March 25.(Removed to Legal Box #1)
10.32. Item 32: Letter from John Crittenden to Zebulon Butler, 1781 April 27.(Removed to Legal Box #1)
10.33. Item 33: Letter from Noah Allen to Zebulon Butler, 1783 February 4.(Removed to Legal Box #1)
Subseries III: Butler Correspondence, 1759-1854
Subseries III: Butler Correspondence, 1770-1820 is arranged chronologically and contains letters and various other types of written media all related to the life of soldier and politician Zebulon Butler. This subseries is further arranged into four distinct subsubseries: Subseries I: Zebulon Butler correspondence, 1759-1789, Subsubseries II: Lord Butler Correspondence, 1778-1804, Subsubseries III: Chester Pierce Butler Correspondence, 1815-1840, and Subsubseries IV: Butler Family Correspondence, 1778-1854. These subseries contain manuscripts and correspondence for other members of the Butler family including Chester Butler, Lord Butler.
There is a final subseries, Subseries V: John Butler and Colleagues Correspondence, 1781, which includes an item collected by Gilbert Stuart McClintock. Though the item was likely first assumed to belong to Zebulon Butler or his descendents, a closer examination proves that it is actually referencing John Butler the Loyalist. This Butler not only has no relation to the Butler line under Zebulon, but played an active role on the opposing British forces side from Zebulon Butler’s command.
This collection and its subsubseries closely follow this generational lineage of Zebulon Butler, and his first wife, Anne Lord Butler. They would have four children, Stephen Butler, 1763-1812, Hannah Butler Welles, 1770-1807, Phebe Butler Wilsey, 1773-1837, and their eldest, Lord Butler, 1761-1824, whose correspondence is found in Subsubseries II: Lord Butler correspondence, 1779-1804. Lord Butler married Mary Pierce Butler in 1786, and together had nine children: Pierce Butler, 1789-1848, Houghton Butler, 1791-1807, Sylvina P. Butler Mallery, 1794-1824, John Lord Butler, 1795-1858, Ruth Ann Butler Conyngham, 1801-1879, Zebulon Butler, 1803-1860, Lord Nelson Butler, 1806-1861, Phoebe Haight Butler Donaldson, 1811-1851, and their fifth child, Chester Pierce Butler, 1798-1850, who is found in our Subsubseries III: Chester Pierce Butler Correspondence, 1815-1840. Chester Pierce Butler would marry Sarah Anne Hollenback Cist Butler in 1829, after the death of her first husband, Jacob Cist. She plays a prominent presence in our Subsubseries IV: Butler Family Correspondence, 1778-1854.
Though we do not have supporting materials of his second marriage, Zebulon Butler would marry, Lydia Johnson Butler, 1756-1781, in 1775, and together, they would have one child, Zebulon Johnson Butler, 1776-1817.
There are a few mentions of Zebulon Butler’s third marriage to Phebe Haight Butler, 1752-1832, within our collection. The two would be married in 1782, and together, the pair would have three children, Lydia Butler Griffin, 1783-1865, Ann Butler Robinson, 1787-1856; and Steuben Butler, 1789-1881. Items mentioning Phebe by name include: 10.61. Item 21: A Petition from John Jay to Congress on Behalf of Phebe Haight Butler, Widow of Zebulon Butler, 1778 March 17. (removed to Oversized Box #5), Items containing a mention of Phebe that has been inferred due to the date of the items include: 10.41. Item 33: Letter from Zebulon Butler to Daniel Montgomery, 1784 January 6.(Removed to Legal Box #1) There are a few items that were removed from this collection to Subseries II: Susquehanna Claim, 1770-1801,, of Series V, because they referred to the conflict of the Yankee Pennamite Wars. However, these letters also have an inferred mention of Phebe in connection with Zebulon Butler. 10.38. Item 30: Letter from William Judd to Zebulon Butler, 1783 September 15.(Removed to Legal Box #1) 10.45. Item 36: Letter from Jon[athan] Heart to Zebulon Butler, 1787 July 21. (Removed to Legal Box #1)
Biographical Sketch of Zebulon Butler
Zebulon Butler was born on the 23rd of January 1731, and was the oldest son of John Butler and Hannah Perkins. Not much seems to be known about his youth outside of how he moved from his hometown of Ipswich, Massachusetts to Lyme, Connetticut when he was around 5 years old. This, alongside what would become Northeast Pennsylvania, would be the areas that became closely associated with his name. Butler is well known for his service in the military during the Revolutionary War, with a very large portion of the items contained within the collection being centered around his time commanding the Wyoming Garrison, which was situated in the area around modern day Forty Fort. Butler is most famous for his part in the Battle of Wyoming, suitably nicknamed the Wyoming Massacre, as while under his command more than 300 men were killed, resulting in a surrender and major loss. We are fortunate to have a letter written by Butler to the Board of War, a committee which oversaw the Continental Army’s administration during the Revolutionary War, which recounts the events that occurred during the battle written only a week after it occurred; Item 08a: Letter from Zebulon Butler to “The Board of War,” 1778 July 10. Butler was promoted to a colonel in the Continental Army almost a year later, and continued his military career over the course of the Revolutionary War before settling in Wilkes-Barre until his death on July 28, 1795.
Subseries III of the Zebulon Butler collection covers various different subjects regarding the life of Zebulon Butler, however a large focus of this is centered around his time serving in the Continental Army during the Revolutionary War. Through examining this subseries, we are able to roughly trace the path that he and his soldiers took during the Revolutionary War from around the middle of 1778 until the war’s end. The correspondence from this period of time provides crucial insight into some of the battles and struggles that this group of soldiers experienced, whether in relation to the troubles that came with acquiring provisions, or through struggles with the local Native Americans. The items within our collection that come after this period are in relation to Butler’s role in the Susquehanna Controversy, his relationship to the Susquehanna Company, some legal issues, politics, and some items that surround land ownership.
Butler also would play a large role in the infamous Susquehanna Controversy, or Susquehanna Claim, due to his position within the Susquehanna Company. The Susquehanna Controversy is a term used to describe the conflicts that occurred between the settlers of Connecticut and Pennsylvania from around 1770 until the end of the century, and includes the wars commonly known as the Yankee-Pennamite or the Pennamite-Yankee Wars. The conflict was centered around the land along the North branch of the Susquehanna River during the mid-to-late 18th century. The dispute originally started in 1754 when Connecticut’s Susquehanna Company acquired a substantial amount of land in the region granted by King Charles II that was also promised to Pennsylvania settlers by Governor William Penn. This led to the validity of the company’s purchase coming into question. Connecticut claimed to own an entire third of Pennsylvania. Zebulon Butler became the director of the Susquehanna Company at some date close to 1775, although the exact start and end date seems to be unknown. There are more items related to Butler which have been separated from this subseries and put into collections that better captured the themes present within those items.
Cross-Referenced Materials Pertaining to Zebulon Butler
There are other items of note that are created by or written to Zebulon Butler in other collections, including:
Series V: Wilkes-Barre, Wyoming Valley, Luzerne County, 1758-1841
Subseries I: General, 1758 - 1841 Items in this collection have been moved into it due to the demonstration of Butler working within the region to settle the land and aid in establishing townships and counties. They include:
Item 7a: Notice by Zebulon Butler et al., 1772 September 29. Item 7b: Notice by [Zebulon Butler], [1772 December 11] 14.06: Letter from Ben[jamin] Stoddert to Zebulon Butler, 1779 October 19-20.
Subseries II: Susquehanna Claim, 1770-1801 Items in this collection have been collected here due to the explicit mention of the Yankee Pennamite Wars, a three part war between Connecticut and Pennsylvania, as they attempted to resolve a dispute over the land in the upper regions of what is now Pennsylvania. King Charles II granted the land twice, once to Connecticut in 1662, and again to William Penn as he founded Pennsylvania in 1681. These letters, notes, receipts, and such all state plainly the Susquehanna Land Company’s initiatives and interest in settling the lands within the disputed claim, the suffering of the inhabitants during the wars, or leading figures, such as Zebulon Butler, and their attempts to reclaim those lands removed from them following the Third Yankee Pennamite War.
Item 45: Notice from Ezekiel Pierce, for [Zebulon Butler], 1772 November 30. Item 46: Notice from Ezekiel Pierce, for [Zebulon Butler], 1772 November 30. Item 48: Notice by Zebulon Butler et al., 1773 March 15. Item 35: Letter from Zebulon Butler to Colonels Dyer and Root, 1783 October 4 Item 53: Letter from Roger Sherman to Zebulon Butler (Removed to Legal Box #2), 1784 June 15. Item 38: Letter from Zarah Beach to Zebulon Butler, 1785 September 21 Item 55: Letter from Mary Ro[se] to Zebulon Butler, 1785 September 27 Item 40: Letter from Jonathan Heart to Zebulon Butler, 1787 July 21 Item 59: Letter from Eben[ez]er Gray to Zebulon Butler, 1787 September 12 Item 62: A Copy by Zebulon Butler, 1790 March 17, of a Letter from David Brearley to Timothy Pickering (Removed to Legal Box #2), 1790 March 4 Item 63: A Copy by Zebulon Butler, 1790 March 17, of a Letter from Samuel Johnson to “Unknown,” (Removed to Legal Box #2), 1790 March 6 Item 64: A Copy by [Zebulon Butler], 1790 March 25, of a Letter from Geo[rge] Clymer to W[illia]m Rawle (Removed to Legal Box #2), 1790 March 20 Item 69: A Copy by [Zebulon Butler], 1794 October 25, of a Letter from Unknown to General Montgomery, (Removed to Black Box #5), 1795 October 25
There is a final subseries, Subseries V: John Butler and Colleagues Correspondence, 1781, which includes an item collected by Gilbert Stuart McClintock. Though the item was likely first assumed to belong to Zebulon Butler or his descendents, a closer examination proves that it is actually referencing John Butler the Loyalist. This Butler not only has no relation to the Butler line under Zebulon, but played an active role on the opposing British forces side from Zebulon Butler’s command.
This collection and its subsubseries closely follow this generational lineage of Zebulon Butler, and his first wife, Anne Lord Butler. They would have four children, Stephen Butler, 1763-1812, Hannah Butler Welles, 1770-1807, Phebe Butler Wilsey, 1773-1837, and their eldest, Lord Butler, 1761-1824, whose correspondence is found in Subsubseries II: Lord Butler correspondence, 1779-1804. Lord Butler married Mary Pierce Butler in 1786, and together had nine children: Pierce Butler, 1789-1848, Houghton Butler, 1791-1807, Sylvina P. Butler Mallery, 1794-1824, John Lord Butler, 1795-1858, Ruth Ann Butler Conyngham, 1801-1879, Zebulon Butler, 1803-1860, Lord Nelson Butler, 1806-1861, Phoebe Haight Butler Donaldson, 1811-1851, and their fifth child, Chester Pierce Butler, 1798-1850, who is found in our Subsubseries III: Chester Pierce Butler Correspondence, 1815-1840. Chester Pierce Butler would marry Sarah Anne Hollenback Cist Butler in 1829, after the death of her first husband, Jacob Cist. She plays a prominent presence in our Subsubseries IV: Butler Family Correspondence, 1778-1854.
Though we do not have supporting materials of his second marriage, Zebulon Butler would marry, Lydia Johnson Butler, 1756-1781, in 1775, and together, they would have one child, Zebulon Johnson Butler, 1776-1817.
There are a few mentions of Zebulon Butler’s third marriage to Phebe Haight Butler, 1752-1832, within our collection. The two would be married in 1782, and together, the pair would have three children, Lydia Butler Griffin, 1783-1865, Ann Butler Robinson, 1787-1856; and Steuben Butler, 1789-1881. Items mentioning Phebe by name include: 10.61. Item 21: A Petition from John Jay to Congress on Behalf of Phebe Haight Butler, Widow of Zebulon Butler, 1778 March 17. (removed to Oversized Box #5), Items containing a mention of Phebe that has been inferred due to the date of the items include: 10.41. Item 33: Letter from Zebulon Butler to Daniel Montgomery, 1784 January 6.(Removed to Legal Box #1) There are a few items that were removed from this collection to Subseries II: Susquehanna Claim, 1770-1801,, of Series V, because they referred to the conflict of the Yankee Pennamite Wars. However, these letters also have an inferred mention of Phebe in connection with Zebulon Butler. 10.38. Item 30: Letter from William Judd to Zebulon Butler, 1783 September 15.(Removed to Legal Box #1) 10.45. Item 36: Letter from Jon[athan] Heart to Zebulon Butler, 1787 July 21. (Removed to Legal Box #1)
Biographical Sketch of Zebulon Butler
Zebulon Butler was born on the 23rd of January 1731, and was the oldest son of John Butler and Hannah Perkins. Not much seems to be known about his youth outside of how he moved from his hometown of Ipswich, Massachusetts to Lyme, Connetticut when he was around 5 years old. This, alongside what would become Northeast Pennsylvania, would be the areas that became closely associated with his name. Butler is well known for his service in the military during the Revolutionary War, with a very large portion of the items contained within the collection being centered around his time commanding the Wyoming Garrison, which was situated in the area around modern day Forty Fort. Butler is most famous for his part in the Battle of Wyoming, suitably nicknamed the Wyoming Massacre, as while under his command more than 300 men were killed, resulting in a surrender and major loss. We are fortunate to have a letter written by Butler to the Board of War, a committee which oversaw the Continental Army’s administration during the Revolutionary War, which recounts the events that occurred during the battle written only a week after it occurred; Item 08a: Letter from Zebulon Butler to “The Board of War,” 1778 July 10. Butler was promoted to a colonel in the Continental Army almost a year later, and continued his military career over the course of the Revolutionary War before settling in Wilkes-Barre until his death on July 28, 1795.
Subseries III of the Zebulon Butler collection covers various different subjects regarding the life of Zebulon Butler, however a large focus of this is centered around his time serving in the Continental Army during the Revolutionary War. Through examining this subseries, we are able to roughly trace the path that he and his soldiers took during the Revolutionary War from around the middle of 1778 until the war’s end. The correspondence from this period of time provides crucial insight into some of the battles and struggles that this group of soldiers experienced, whether in relation to the troubles that came with acquiring provisions, or through struggles with the local Native Americans. The items within our collection that come after this period are in relation to Butler’s role in the Susquehanna Controversy, his relationship to the Susquehanna Company, some legal issues, politics, and some items that surround land ownership.
Butler also would play a large role in the infamous Susquehanna Controversy, or Susquehanna Claim, due to his position within the Susquehanna Company. The Susquehanna Controversy is a term used to describe the conflicts that occurred between the settlers of Connecticut and Pennsylvania from around 1770 until the end of the century, and includes the wars commonly known as the Yankee-Pennamite or the Pennamite-Yankee Wars. The conflict was centered around the land along the North branch of the Susquehanna River during the mid-to-late 18th century. The dispute originally started in 1754 when Connecticut’s Susquehanna Company acquired a substantial amount of land in the region granted by King Charles II that was also promised to Pennsylvania settlers by Governor William Penn. This led to the validity of the company’s purchase coming into question. Connecticut claimed to own an entire third of Pennsylvania. Zebulon Butler became the director of the Susquehanna Company at some date close to 1775, although the exact start and end date seems to be unknown. There are more items related to Butler which have been separated from this subseries and put into collections that better captured the themes present within those items.
Cross-Referenced Materials Pertaining to Zebulon Butler
There are other items of note that are created by or written to Zebulon Butler in other collections, including:
Series V: Wilkes-Barre, Wyoming Valley, Luzerne County, 1758-1841
Subseries I: General, 1758 - 1841 Items in this collection have been moved into it due to the demonstration of Butler working within the region to settle the land and aid in establishing townships and counties. They include:
Item 7a: Notice by Zebulon Butler et al., 1772 September 29. Item 7b: Notice by [Zebulon Butler], [1772 December 11] 14.06: Letter from Ben[jamin] Stoddert to Zebulon Butler, 1779 October 19-20.
Subseries II: Susquehanna Claim, 1770-1801 Items in this collection have been collected here due to the explicit mention of the Yankee Pennamite Wars, a three part war between Connecticut and Pennsylvania, as they attempted to resolve a dispute over the land in the upper regions of what is now Pennsylvania. King Charles II granted the land twice, once to Connecticut in 1662, and again to William Penn as he founded Pennsylvania in 1681. These letters, notes, receipts, and such all state plainly the Susquehanna Land Company’s initiatives and interest in settling the lands within the disputed claim, the suffering of the inhabitants during the wars, or leading figures, such as Zebulon Butler, and their attempts to reclaim those lands removed from them following the Third Yankee Pennamite War.
Item 45: Notice from Ezekiel Pierce, for [Zebulon Butler], 1772 November 30. Item 46: Notice from Ezekiel Pierce, for [Zebulon Butler], 1772 November 30. Item 48: Notice by Zebulon Butler et al., 1773 March 15. Item 35: Letter from Zebulon Butler to Colonels Dyer and Root, 1783 October 4 Item 53: Letter from Roger Sherman to Zebulon Butler (Removed to Legal Box #2), 1784 June 15. Item 38: Letter from Zarah Beach to Zebulon Butler, 1785 September 21 Item 55: Letter from Mary Ro[se] to Zebulon Butler, 1785 September 27 Item 40: Letter from Jonathan Heart to Zebulon Butler, 1787 July 21 Item 59: Letter from Eben[ez]er Gray to Zebulon Butler, 1787 September 12 Item 62: A Copy by Zebulon Butler, 1790 March 17, of a Letter from David Brearley to Timothy Pickering (Removed to Legal Box #2), 1790 March 4 Item 63: A Copy by Zebulon Butler, 1790 March 17, of a Letter from Samuel Johnson to “Unknown,” (Removed to Legal Box #2), 1790 March 6 Item 64: A Copy by [Zebulon Butler], 1790 March 25, of a Letter from Geo[rge] Clymer to W[illia]m Rawle (Removed to Legal Box #2), 1790 March 20 Item 69: A Copy by [Zebulon Butler], 1794 October 25, of a Letter from Unknown to General Montgomery, (Removed to Black Box #5), 1795 October 25
Processed By:
Processed and Transcribed by: First round transcriptions done by Christopher Smith, 2021 graduate, 2nd round transcription and description done by Conrad Middleton, Spring 2022, Archives intern, supervised and edited by Suzanna Calev, Archivist, Spring 2022.
This Subseries was reprocessed by Jessica Van Orden in Spring 2025 due to inconsistencies and more historical context. Edited and supervised by Suzanna Calev, Archivist, in Spring 2025.
This Subseries was reprocessed by Jessica Van Orden in Spring 2025 due to inconsistencies and more historical context. Edited and supervised by Suzanna Calev, Archivist, in Spring 2025.
Repository Details
Part of the Wilkes University Archives Repository
Contact:
84 W South St.
Wilkes-Barre PA 18701 US
570-408-2000
570-408-7823 (Fax)
ask.archives@wilkes.edu
84 W South St.
Wilkes-Barre PA 18701 US
570-408-2000
570-408-7823 (Fax)
ask.archives@wilkes.edu