Col. William Butler

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Husband Col. William Butler ¹

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           Born: 6 Jan 1745 - Ireland 2
     Christened: 
           Died: 16 May 1789 - Pittsburgh, Allegheny Co, PA 2
         Buried:  - Trinity Church

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         Father: Thomas Butler (1720-      ) 1
         Mother: Unknown (      -      )

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Wife

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           Born: 
     Christened: 
           Died: 
         Buried: 

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Children

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General Notes: Husband - Col. William Butler

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He entered the Revolutionary War as Captain in Col. Arthur St. Clair's Battalion, January 5, 1776, and was promoted Major October 7, 1776, serving during the campaign in Canada. Upon the organization of the Pennsylvania Line he was promoted, September 30, 1776, Lieutenant-Colonel of the 4th Regiment. Shortly after the battle of Monmouth he was ordered to Schoharie, New York, with his regiment and a detachment of Morgan's Rifles, to defend the frontiers of New York from Indian incursions. Simm's History of Schoharie County gives an interesting account of the activity of this command during the winter of 1778-9. In June, 1779, he joined Gen. James Clinton's command, and came down the river to take part in Sullivan's expedition.
He was the favorite of the family, and was boasted of by this race of heroes as the coolest and bravest man in battle they had ever known. When the army was greatly reduced in rank and file, and there were many superfluous officers, they organized themselves into a separate corps, and elected him to the command. Gen. Washington, however, declined receiving this novel corps of commissioned soldiers, but in a testimonial, of which they were very proud, did honor to their devoted patriotism.
He retired from the service January 1, 1783, and died in Pittsburgh in 1789, and was buried in Trinity Churchyard.

He had two sons. One died in the navy; the other was a subaltern officer in Wayne's Army in the battle with the Indians in 1794.

1 John Blair Linn, The Butler Family of the Pennsylvania Line (The Pennsylvania Magazine of History and Biography, Vol. XII, No. 1, 1883), Pg 1.

2 John Blair Linn, The Butler Family of the Pennsylvania Line (The Pennsylvania Magazine of History and Biography, Vol. XII, No. 1, 1883), Pg 6.