Item 53: A Petition from John Jay to Congress on Behalf of Phebe Haight Butler, Widow of Zebulon Butler (removed to Oversized Box #1), [ca. aft. 1795 July 28]
Item — Box: 10, Folder: 53
Dates
- Created: [ca. aft. 1795 July 28]
Creator
- Jay, John, 1745-1829. (Person)
Disclaimer for Name and Subject Authorities
Some of the name and subject authority tags have been assigned by educated guessing and estimation of persons and subjects by region, age, profession, and familial relationships. They have been thoroughly researched by using primary and secondary sources available digitally, and named in each description, or in some cases linked directly to the person tag.
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
1 items
Language of Materials
From the Collection: English
Type of Material:
Petition
Condition Note:
Good
Measurements:
9 ⅝ in. x 7 ⅞ in.
Description:
The following item is a petition produced by John Jay on behalf of Phebe Haight Butler, the widow of Zebulon Butler, a lieutenant Colonel during the revolutionary war. The petition was made some time after July 28, 1795, after the death of Zebulon Butler. In the petition, Jay presents the case of Butler’s widow and child upon the event of his death. He states that Butler has been left destitute with their six children, three of whom are said to still be in their “minority”. These children are likely Lydia, Ann, and Stephen Butler, children of Phebe, and Zebulon Johnson Butler, son of Lydia, Zebulon Butler’s second wife. The eldest two of the six children named could possibly be Phebe and Hannah Butler, the eldest daughters of Zebulon and his first wife, Anne. Jay notes that Butler often supported himself during the war, having not received the full commentation of his pay for services rendered. This amount is what is being requested by Jay on behalf of Butler to support herself and her family. On the back, there is a note at the bottom of the page that states the account has been approved for Mrs. Butler.
Transcription:
Commr [Commissioner] Dated March 17. 1779 to be a colonel from
John Jay } this 13th March 1778
John Jay } Died July 28th 1795 aged 64 years
He did not receive the whole of his pay—
Did not receive his commentation.
T
To the Honorable the Senate & House of Representatives of the U. S. of America in Congress Assembled, — The petition of Phebe Butler widow of Col[onel]. Zeb[ulo]n Butler of Luzerne County in the State of Penn[sylvani]a. dec.d [deceased] in behalf of herself and the heirs of said Zeb[ulo]n Butler, respectfully showeth That your Petitioners said husband, was an Officer of the Revolution, and served as such through the whole of the war, in the Connecticut line of the Continental Army- and that he was commissioned by the Continental Congress to be a “Colonel of the second Connecticut Regiment in the Army of the U.S. to take rank as such from the 13th day of March 1778- that having served till the close of the war he was regularly discharged.- Your Petitioner further represents, that said Col[onel]. Butler continued to reside at Wyoming till his death which happened on the 28th day of July 1795, and that he left a widow your petitioner and six children-three of whom were then in their minority. Your Petitioner further states that Col[onel]. Butler at the time of his death had not received his pay in full for his services, nor had he rec[eive]d any part of
Back:
his commentation pay, The claim therefore which she makes for herself and the heirs of Col[onel]. Butler is for the am[oun]t. that army be found due him as well for pay during the time of his service as for the commentation allowed by the resolution of 1803 1783 That there is something due from the government your Petitioner has no doubt. She knows full well that Col[onel]. Butler lived in a great measure upon his own resources during the war, and afterwards down to the time of his death. The destitute situation in which she was left with her family, and the privations which she and they endured, were proof (sic) [proved] too strong to be forgotten that those resources were nearly exhausted. Your petitioner remembers to have heard Col[onel]. Butler speak of never having rec[eive]d something due from the government his pay from government and although some suffering inquiry has been made from time to time in reference to the subject, yet nothing satisfactory has ever resulted from then until recently examinations now shown that the claim now advanced is well founded.
Authorizing her to receive for herself & the heirs of Col[onel]. Zeb[ulo]n Butler the arrays of pay & commutation pay with the interest which may be due him for services received during the Revolution.
Along the side of the page:
Petition
P P P.
T
To the Honorable the Senate & House of Representatives of the U. S. of America in Congress Assembled, — The petition of Phebe Butler widow of Col[onel]. Zeb[ulo]n Butler of Luzerne County in the State of Penn[sylvani]a. dec.d [deceased] in behalf of herself and the heirs of said Zeb[ulo]n Butler, respectfully showeth That your Petitioners said husband, was an Officer of the Revolution, and served as such through the whole of the war, in the Connecticut line of the Continental Army- and that he was commissioned by the Continental Congress to be a “Colonel of the second Connecticut Regiment in the Army of the U.S. to take rank as such from the 13th day of March 1778- that having served till the close of the war he was regularly discharged.- Your Petitioner further represents, that said Col[onel]. Butler continued to reside at Wyoming till his death which happened on the 28th day of July 1795, and that he left a widow your petitioner and six children-three of whom were then in their minority. Your Petitioner further states that Col[onel]. Butler at the time of his death had not received his pay in full for his services, nor had he rec[eive]d any part of
Back:
his commentation pay, The claim therefore which she makes for herself and the heirs of Col[onel]. Butler is for the am[oun]t. that army be found due him as well for pay during the time of his service as for the commentation allowed by the resolution of 1803 1783 That there is something due from the government your Petitioner has no doubt. She knows full well that Col[onel]. Butler lived in a great measure upon his own resources during the war, and afterwards down to the time of his death. The destitute situation in which she was left with her family, and the privations which she and they endured, were proof (sic) [proved] too strong to be forgotten that those resources were nearly exhausted. Your petitioner remembers to have heard Col[onel]. Butler speak of never having rec[eive]d something due from the government his pay from government and although some suffering inquiry has been made from time to time in reference to the subject, yet nothing satisfactory has ever resulted from then until recently examinations now shown that the claim now advanced is well founded.
Authorizing her to receive for herself & the heirs of Col[onel]. Zeb[ulo]n Butler the arrays of pay & commutation pay with the interest which may be due him for services received during the Revolution.
Along the side of the page:
Petition
P P P.
Creator
- Jay, John, 1745-1829. (Person)
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