{"id":29895,"date":"2026-10-12T00:34:21","date_gmt":"2026-10-12T00:34:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.jmhartley.com\/HBlog\/?p=29895"},"modified":"2026-10-12T00:34:21","modified_gmt":"2026-10-12T00:34:21","slug":"some-new-butler-genealogy-developments","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.jmhartley.com\/HBlog\/2026\/10\/12\/some-new-butler-genealogy-developments\/","title":{"rendered":"Some New Butler Genealogy Developments"},"content":{"rendered":"

It seems like my wife’s side of the family has been going strong in pursuing the family Butler genealogy lately. My brother-in-law has found some very interesting information from NARA concerning Edward Butler’s Civil War service. This information was taken down due to pension applications. The first application was for Edward and the second was for for his wife Mary Crowley Butler after Edward’s death in 1891 in Boston.<\/p>\n

The results of my brother-in-law’s inquiry is here:<\/p>\n

We have conducted a search of record series\u00a0Case Files of Approved Pension Applications of Widows and Other Dependents of Navy Veterans, ca. 1861\u2013ca. 1910 (RG 15, Entry A1 8) and located the pension file for Butler, Edward and his widow, Mary Butler online at: Approved Pension Application File for Dependents of Edward Butler (Certificate No. 7162)<\/a>. The 41 page file can be searched and downloaded for free using the attached link.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

We hope this information\u00a0is\u00a0of assistance. Feel free to contact\u00a0us\u00a0if you have further questions concerning our records or about potential research at the National Archives at Washington D.C in the future. You can find additional information on our website at: https:\/\/www.archives.gov\/dc<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n

The context of the first hyperlink is that the documents relate to Edward Butler’s widow Mary Butler who was seeking a pension as a result of the death of her veteran husband.<\/p>\n

A Surprise Visit to San Francisco and Japan<\/h2>\n

It appears that as part of the application, there is a statement from Edward Butler that he was in the Navy a for a year around 1851-1852:<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

The above is page 25\/41 from the file.<\/p>\n

I like my wife’s niece’s transcription:<\/p>\n

\u201cI enlisted in the Navy at Cincinnati Ohio Aug. 16, 1864. Served in Gt Western, Milwaukee, Osage, [Itaska?] & tug Rose. From which I was discharged Aug. 1, 1865, and had no other service in the Army or Navy during the war of 1861\u20135.<\/i><\/p>\n

I was in the Navy before the war. I enlisted in San Francisco Cal about 1851 and went to Japan in the \u201cSt Lawrence\u201d and was discharged at San Francisco Cal about 1852 after one year\u2019s service.”<\/em><\/p>\n

This affadivit raises a lot of questions.<\/p>\n