Beachfront Home on Martha's Vineyard — Nicholas Butler

B.about 1595 in (probably) Eastwell, England¹
M. (1) 18 Jul 1613 in Canterbury, England²
Wife: Mary Cotterell
M. (2) 22 Jan 1624 in Ashford, England³
Wife: Joyce Baker
D. 13 Aug 1671 Edgartown, Massachusetts⁴

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 1595.¹ On July 18, 1613, he married a woman named Mary Cotterell in Canterbury.² Their time together was marred by tragedy: they had three children who each died young, and Mary died in 1623.⁵ Nicholas then married Joyce Baker in Ashford on January 22, 1624,³ and fathered four more children, one of whom died as an infant.⁶

Signature of Nicholas.

Ashford was for many years “known for non-conformism,”⁷ 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;⁸ 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.⁹ His surviving daughter, Lydia, married another settler, John Minot, in 1647.¹⁰ Meanwhile, son Henry studied theology at Harvard, and graduated in 1651.⁹

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.⁹

Nicolas' home was on twenty acres right on the water, near an area called “Swimming Place Point.”⁹ He would eventually own seven other parcels of land on Martha’s Vineyard, including nine acres on Chappaquiddick.⁹ His son John had property next to him, but died in 1658.¹¹ Nicholas was named magistrate in Edgartown in 1653, then assistant to the chief magistrate in 1655,⁹ but in December 1661, he was fined for absence from a town meeting and “for going away disorderly.”⁹

A house on Martha’s Vineyard. (AI-generated image)

On August 12, 1671, Nicholas made out his will, a very brief document that left everything for his wife to decide on later.⁹ He signed the will with a mark, which was accompanied by an explanation, “his sight as it were [gone],” which probably meant he was blind when the document was written and could no longer sign his name. He died the following day.⁴ The inventory of his estate was sparse and amounted to only about £92.⁹ It may have been that he gave most of his possessions away to his children before he died. Nicholas’ wife Joyce left a much more detailed will when she died in 1680, naming many grandchildren as beneficiaries.⁹

Nicholas was an ancestor of Wild Bill Hickock, George Plimpton, George H.W. Bush and George W. Bush.¹²

Children by Mary Cotterell:
1. Mary Butler — B. before 18 Oct 1614, Milton Regis, England;¹³ D. 27 Nov 1614, Sittingbourne, England¹⁴

2. Anne Butler — B. about Oct 1618, Milton Regis, England;¹⁵ D. young⁸

3. Sarah Butler — B. about Dec 1619, Milton Regis, England;¹⁶ D. 25 Dec 1619, Sittingbourne, England¹⁷

4. Sarah Butler — B. before 12 Dec 1620 Milton Regis, England;¹⁸ D. young⁸

5. Lydia Butler — B. before 22 Jun 1617, Ashford, England;¹⁹ D. 24 Jul 1625, Ashford, England⁵

6. Mary Butler — B. before 22 Jun 1622, Ashford, England;²⁰ D. 11 Jul 1622, Ashford, England²¹

7. Mary Butler — B. before 24 Aug 1623, Ashford, England;²² D. young⁸

Children by Joyce Baker:
1. John Butler — B. before 2 Jan 1625, Ashford, England;²³ D. before 6 Jun 1658, Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts;¹¹ M. Mary Lynde (1630-~1693), 1648, Massachusetts²⁴

2. Henry Butler — B. before 7 Sep 1626, Ashford, England;²⁵ D. before 28 Apr 1696, Witham, England;²⁵ M. Anne Bishop, 9 Mar 1655, Dorchester, Massachusetts²⁵

3. Lydia Butler — B. 23 Feb 1629, Ashford, England;²⁶ D. 25 Jan 1667, Dorchester, Massachusetts;²⁶ M. John Minot (1626-1669), 19 May 1647, Dorchester, Massachusetts¹⁰

4. Thomas Butler — B. 28 Aug 1631, Ashford, England;²⁷ D. 24 Sep 1631, Ashford, England⁶

Sources:
1    Estimated birth year based on age at marriage
2    Marriage record of Nicholas Butler and Mary Cotterell, England Marriages, 1538-1973, FamilySearh.org
3    Marriage record of Nicholas Butler and Joyce Baker, E.M.
4    Find-a-Grave listing of Nicholas Butler
5    Burial record of Lydia Butler (older), England, Deaths and Burials, 1538-1991, FamilySearch.org
6    Burial record of Thomas Butler, E., D. & B.
7    Ashford, Kent (Wikipedia article)
8    Passenger list of the ship Hercules, FamilySearch.org
9    The History of Martha's Vineyard, Vol. II & III, Charles E. Banks, 1911
10  New England Marriages Prior to 1700, p. 512
11  Town record with John Butler being deceased, Massachusetts, Town Clerk, Vital and Town Records, 1626-2001, FamilySearch.org
12  FamousKin.com listing of Nicholas Butler
13  Christening record of Mary Butler (older), England, Births and Christenings, 1538-1975, FamilySearch.org
14  Burial record of Mary Butler (older), E., D. & B.
15  Christening record of Anne Butler, E., B. & C.
16  Christening record of Sarah Butler (older), E., B. & C.
17  Burial record of Sarah Butler (older), E., D. & B.
18  Christening record of Sarah Butler (younger), E., B. & C.
19  Christening record of Lydia Butler (older), E., D. & B.
20  WikiTree listing of Mary Butler (younger)
21  Burial record of Mary Butler (younger), E., D. & B.
22  WikiTree listing of Mary Butler (youngest)
23  Christening record of John Butler, E., B. & C.
24  WikiTree listing of John Butler
25  WikiTree listing of Henry Butler
26  WikiTree listing of Lydia (Butler) Minot
27  WikiTree listing of Thomas Butler