My Wife Answered These Questions and She Forgot My First Wife

There are several genealogical lessons in this one document in Leander Butler's Civil War application. It's always interesting when an informant simply crosses out questions that they do not want to answer

At the bottom of this 1897 questionnaire Mary Butler indicates that "My husband is not able to fill this out." Maybe that's why she crossed out the questions about the previous wife. 

"questionnaire" completed 10 January 1898 by Mary E. Butler, signed by Leander Butler, Union Civil War pension based upon service of Leander Butler in Company B, 10th Kansas Infantry, National Archives and Records Service.

Mary Butler also crossed out the question about whether or not a record of her marriage exists. This is an odd thing for her to have done considering that a certified copy of her marriage record is included in her widow's application made out after Leander died. She might not have thought it important to answer the question. It is really difficult to know. Pension law required her as a widow to provide proof of marriage. I'm also not certain why she crossed out the question about whether or not Leander was married before.

If I had relied on this document to conclude that there was no record of the marriage, that would have been incorrect. Lesson/reminder: never rely on just one document if possible.

If I had relied on this document to conclude that Leander was never married before, that would have been incorrect. Lesson/reminder: sometimes a person filling out the record can choose to answer what they want and they can choose to answer things any way they so choose. Leander's pension does mention a first wife and I'll have to analyze the material more carefully to determine just the first time she is mentioned in the file. The dissolution of their marriage (via the first wife's death) is discussed in the widow's application.

For an ancestor who was on the Civil War pension rolls, these 1897 questionnaires are wonderful. Keep in mind that they weren't created for us. The pension department used the answer to these questions to see if, after the veteran died, the widow's application contained information consistent with the 1897 questionnaire.

I believe that Mary listed all her children with Leander in this letter. I've seen other letters where only minor children were listed and others where only children under 16 were listed. There is some variation here.

She who answers the questions sometimes determines what questions she answers.

As a part of my citation should I indicate that while this document is signed by Leander Butler it was completed by Mary Butler? I think I should as it is not known if Leander Butler could even read the document.

And never ever rely on just one document.

Here A Marriage, Everywhere A Marriage: Leander Butler's Spouses' Spouses

Multiple marriages for individuals can easily confuse. As usual, our initial approach is to chart out the information that has been located. That chart is at the end of this post.

The work on Lee/Leander/Landon Butler is very much a work in progress. The last three marriages on the chart are all tied together via information in the Civil War pension application for Leander Butler (and his wife Mary--Union Civil War pension based upon service of Leander Butler in Company B, 10th Kansas Infantry, National Archives and Records Service).

The first marriage also ties into Leander Butler as well--but we'll save the complete details of "how" for a later blog post. It is always important though to make certain that "random" people are not being connected when there is no logical connection. A good addition to this marriage chart would be a column for why I think this person is the same one and the one for whom I am looking.

The pension materials are only as specific as "Spring of 1868" for the marriage of Butler to Theresa Brothers. I am still looking for an actual marriage record.

The 1870 census of Leander Butler hinted that his wife Theresa had been married before by the presence of a child with the last name of Brothers:

Add captionYear: 1870; Census Place: Moundville, Vernon, Missouri; Roll: M593_824; Page: 607B; Image: 478; Family History Library Film: 552323.

The presence of Martha Brothers is not "proof" of a previous marriage. It does suggest additional research needs to be done and, when combined with the marriages listed below, one would reasonably conclude that the Thersa Langdon wife of David Brothers is the same Theresa Brothers who married Lee Butler.

Husband	Wife	Date	Place	Source	Note
David Brothers	Theresa Langdon	25 December 1865	Allen County, Kansas	Kansas, Marriages, 1840-1935 (on FamilySearch).	Actually record apparently on microfilm per FamilySearch reference.
Lee Butler	Theresa Brothers	Spring 1868	Near Moundville, Vernon County, Missouri	Leander Butler Civil War Pension	Mary Butler only says marriage was in “Spring of 1868” in her application for pension. Wilson Davenport statement from 1905 gives “Spring of 1868” and location.
George Powell	Mary Davenport	31 Dec 1874	Moundville, Vernon County, Missouri	Leander Butler Civil War Pension	Pension application contains certified copy of marriage record from Vernon Co.
Leander Butler	Mary Powell	10 Dec 1878	Bronaugh, Vernon County, Missouri	Leander Butler Civil War Pension	Pension application contains certified copy of marriage record from Vernon Co.

Leander Butler is a probable child of my elusive Benjamin Butler. Theresa Langdon Brothers Butler has an apparent Michigan connection which is found in the Butler family as well. Michiganers in Kansas are not all that common and it is hoped that research on the Langdon family may turn up something on the Butlers as well. 

Even those spouses from a "short" marriage can provide significant clues, particularly when that spouse may have been someone the person of interest knew for quite some time before they married. 

Thanks to Linda D. (who also has an interest in this family) for her help. It is appreciated. 

Note:

As mentioned before, we believe in citing information in the spirit of Elizabeth Shown Mills' Evidence Explained. However my editoral policy on this blog is not to include citations as a part of each blog post. We do however include enough information in each post to obtain the original item or to craft a citation (if you think I haven't, please email me and I'll rectify it). We realize others include citations as a part of each blog post, but there are only so many hours in the day. My newsletter, Casefile Clues, does contain complete citations to any items referenced in that work 

Doctor Big Snake and Time in Indian Territory

It is going to be a little difficult to determine who is meant by an Indian Doctor "Big Snake" who was in the Indian Territory in the late 1860s.

The vast majority of the information in the pension application of Leander Butler centers around his medical issues which supposedly stemmed from his military service.

This statement made in 1898 references Butler's medical care in the 1860s and includes a reference to a "Dr. Wining of Zena [sic] Kans" and an Indian Doctor "Big Snake."

"Affidavit," 15 March 1898, Leander Butler, Union Civil War pension based upon service of Leander Butler in Company B, 10th Kansas Infantry, National Archives and Records Service.

What's not clear from the affidavit is whether Butler went to Indian Territory by himself (he was unmarried at the time and it's possible his father and siblings were there) or if he went only for medical care. It seems unlikely he only went for medical treatment given the transportation of the time.

The pension file hasn't provided any "smoking guns" about Butler's life in the 1860s or clues as to whether his father and siblings were with him.

However the file continues to provide little snippets of information--particularly residential clues such as this one and names of associates--that may in the aggregate suggest from avenues for future research.