Person:Thomas Butler (13)

The Butler Family Motto: Comme je trouve Translation: I take things as I find them.

The Butlers are of Norman origin, and were one of the most noted families who accompanied William the Conqueror to England in 1066. The original name of the family was Fitzgerald, from Walter, one of their ancestors. Theobald Fitzgerald came to Ireland with Henry the Second, who conferred on him the office of Chief Butler for Ireland, the duty of which was to attend the coronation of the kings of England and present them with the first cup of wine. From this office the family adopted the name of Butler.

In the reign of Edward the Third, Tipperary was turned into the County Palatine of Ormond under the Butlers, who were possessed of such royal privileges that they ruled almost like kings. Branches of the family were afterward among the nobility in the counties of Waterford, Wexford, Wicklow, Carlow, Kilkenny, Dublin, Meath, Longford, Fermanagh, and Galway.

The Butlers furnished many eminent names to Anglo-Irish history. Theobald, the second of the name in Ireland, was Lord Justice in 1247. Theobald, the fifth of the name, accompanied Edward the Fourth in his Scottish wars, and was distinguished for his valor.

In the history of the United States also, the name of this family is honorably conspicuous. Pierce Butler, born in Ireland in 1744, served in the old Congress of 1787, and was a member of the convention that framed the Federal Constitution.

The most illustrious representative of this family in America was the late General Benjamin F. Butler. He was born in New Hampshire in 1818. His father, Captain John Butler, served with credit in the war of 1812, and fought with Jackson at the battle of New Orleans.

1. ↑ Vital Records - Miscellaneous Sources
   Daughter Ellen's Death Certificate.