M. (1) 18 Jul 1613 in Canterbury, England
Wife: Mary Cotterell
M. (2) 22 Jan 1624 in Ashford, England
Wife: Joyce Baker
D. 13 Aug 1671 Edgartown, Massachusetts
After migrating to Puritan New England and living in the Boston area for several years, Nicholas Butler became one of the earliest settlers on the island of Martha’s Vineyard.
Nothing is known of Nicholas’ origins besides that he came from Eastwell, England (which was in Kent), and that he was born in about 1595. On July 18, 1613, he married a woman named Mary Cotterell in Canterbury. Their time together was marred by tragedy: they had three children who each died young, and Mary died in 1623. Nicholas then married Joyce Baker in Ashford on January 22, 1624, and fathered four more children, one of whom died as an infant.
Signature of Nicholas.
Ashford was for many years “known for non-conformism,” which in Nicholas' time meant Puritanism. Followers of this set of beliefs were led to leave England in large numbers during the 1630s, and Nicholas was among them. In June 1637, he and his family migrated to Massachusetts on the ship Hercules; since the passenger list shows that he traveled with five servants, it suggests that he was a man of some wealth. Once in America, the family settled in Dorchester, where Nicholas was granted some land and became a member of the community. His surviving daughter, Lydia, married another settler, John Minot, in 1647. Meanwhile, son Henry studied theology at Harvard, and graduated in 1651.
Around this time, Nicholas seems to have made a decision to leave Dorchester for a new settlement on Martha's Vineyard. Development of the island began when a man named Thomas Mayhew took charge of it and other islands nearby during the 1640s. In 1642, Mayhew's son, also named Thomas, set aside a section of Martha's Vineyard which was called Great Harbor (present-day Edgartown), and recruited a small number of Massachusetts families to populate it. Nicholas first appeared on a document there regarding the division of some land on May 8, 1653, but it’s thought that he arrived in 1652 along with his wife, Joyce, and oldest son, John.
Nicolas' home was on twenty acres right on the water, near an area called “Swimming Place Point.” He would eventually own seven other parcels of land on Martha’s Vineyard, including nine acres on Chappaquiddick. His son John had property next to him, but died in 1658. Nicholas was named magistrate in Edgartown in 1653, then assistant to the chief magistrate in 1655, but in December 1661, he was fined for absence from a town meeting and “for going away disorderly.”
Around this time, Nicholas seems to have made a decision to leave Dorchester for a new settlement on Martha's Vineyard. Development of the island began when a man named Thomas Mayhew took charge of it and other islands nearby during the 1640s. In 1642, Mayhew's son, also named Thomas, set aside a section of Martha's Vineyard which was called Great Harbor (present-day Edgartown), and recruited a small number of Massachusetts families to populate it. Nicholas first appeared on a document there regarding the division of some land on May 8, 1653, but it’s thought that he arrived in 1652 along with his wife, Joyce, and oldest son, John.
Nicolas' home was on twenty acres right on the water, near an area called “Swimming Place Point.” He would eventually own seven other parcels of land on Martha’s Vineyard, including nine acres on Chappaquiddick. His son John had property next to him, but died in 1658. Nicholas was named magistrate in Edgartown in 1653, then assistant to the chief magistrate in 1655, but in December 1661, he was fined for absence from a town meeting and “for going away disorderly.”
Map showing location of Edgartown on Martha's Vineyard
Nicholas was an ancestor of Wild Bill Hickock, George H.W. Bush and George W. Bush.
Children by Mary Cotterell:
1. Lydia Butler — B. before 30 Jun 1622, Ashford, England; D. young
2. Mary Butler — B. before 30 Jun 1622, Ashford, England; D. before 24 Aug 1623, Ashford, England
3. Mary Butler — B. before 24 Aug 1623, Ashford, England; D. 24 Jul 1625, Ashford, England
Children by Joyce Baker:
1. John Butler — B. 2 Jan 1625, Ashford, England; D. 1658, Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts; M. Mary Lynde (1630-~1693), 1648, Massachusetts
2. Henry Butler — B. before 7 Sep 1626, Ashford, England; D. before 28 Apr 1696, Witham, England; M. Anne Bishop, 9 Mar 1655, Dorchester, Massachusetts
3. Lydia Butler — B. 23 Feb 1629, Ashford, England; D. 25 Jan 1667, Dorchester, Massachusetts; M. John Minot (1626-1669), 19 May 1647, Dorchester, Massachusetts
4. Thomas Butler — B. 28 Aug 1631, Ashford, England; D. 24 Sep 1631, Ashford, England
Sources:
The History of Martha's Vineyard, Vol. II & III, Charles E. Banks, 1911
Glover Memorials and Genealogies, Anna Glover, 1867
Palmer Groups: John Melvin of Charlestown and Concord, Mass., Emily Wilder Leavitt, 1905
Thomas Mayhew (Wikipedia article)
