Hart in his "Irish Pedigrees" [probably John O'Hart, Irish Pedigrees; or, the Origin and Stem of the Irish nation] says, "The ancestors of the Butlers came from Normandy to England with William the Conqueror. Their original name was Walter, from Walter, one of their ancestors, and Theobald Walter came to Ireland with Henry III in 1172 and had the office of chief butler of Ireland conferred on him, the duty attached to which was to attend at the coronation of the kings of England and present them with the first cup of wine. From the office of "Butler of Ireland" they took the name of Butler. The Butlers settled in America at various dates during the last half of the seventeenth century.
The Hudson, New York, branch of the Butler family descends from John Butler, who was born in 1653, died March 24, 1733. He settled in New London, Conecticut, in 1680. He married Katherine Houghton, born 1661, died January 24, 1728, daughter of Richard Houghton. They had nine children, six of whom were baptized at New London, April 28, 1700. The names of seven of the children are preserved;
- Thomas;
- Sarah;
- Katherine;
- Abigail;
- Jonathan, (see forward);
- Elnathan, born 1702;
- Ezekiel, baptized 1705.
(II) Jonathan, seventh child of John and Katherine (Houghton) Butler, was born in New London, Connecticut, July 14, 1700, died in March 30, 1760. He settled in Saybrook, Connecticut, in 1724, where he married, December 8, 1726, Temperance Buckingham, born 1705, died March 1761, daughter of Daniel and Sara (Lee) Buckingham. Children:
- Elnathan, born April 18, 1728;
- Jonathan, March 26, 1730;
- Stephen, February 26, 1732;
- Ezekiel, of whom further, an ancestor of Eloise Rand Butler;
- Temperance, born March 24, 1737;
- Anne, April 23, 1739;
- Sarah, June 18, 1741;
- John, January 18, 1744;
- Charles, November 27, 1747;
- Hester, October 10, 1751.
(III) Ezekiel, son of Jonathan and Temperance (Buckingham) Butler, was born at Saybrook, Connecticut, April 12, 1734, died July 26, 1781. He was a farmer, and a manufacturer of salt, having works at Salt Basin, below Double Beach, on the Connecticut coast. He furnished salt to the Continental army, but refused all offers of the British to sell. This so enraged their commander that his plants were twice burned and a reward offered for his capture. He did not live to see independence established, nor did the British cease their persecution. He was buried on his own farm, but his funeral was held secretly and at night, his friends fearing his enemies would desecrate his grave. He married, 1759, Mabel Jones, born 1735, daughter of Ensign Isaac Jones, of Saybrook, Connecticut. She was a descendant of Governor Theophilus Eaton, of New Haven Colony, and Lieutenant Governor William Jones, also said to have been a lineal descendant of John Jones, one of the regicides. Children:
- Ezekiel, of whom further.
- Elisas, born 1763, died November 29, 1804.
- Medad, born January 23, 1766, died February 27, 1847; William Allen Butler, the poet, is a descendant of Medad Butler.
- Mabel, born 1770, died February 22, 1832.
- Temperance, born 1772, died May, 1803.
- John, born 1773, died November 29, 1818.
- Mary, called Polly, born 1775, died March, 1821.
- William, born 1777, died March, 1835.
All born at Branford, Connecticut.
(IV) Ezekiel (2), son of Ezekiel (1) and Mabel (Jones) Butler, was born November 3, 1761, died June 10, 1830. He served in the revolution, in the Third Regiment, Connecticut troops. He enlisted as a private, February 19, 1777, and served until June 10, 1783. His descendant, Miss Eloise Butler of Hudson, New York, has in her possession a certificate signed by General Washington certifying to his services. He removed to Stockport, New York (Hudson), August 24, 1789, with wife and son Ezekiel. He was alderman in Hudson in 1822-23, and 1826. He married at Branford, Connecticut, April 15, 1788, Lydia Frisbie, born there November 28, 1769; died at Stockport, Columbia county, New York, November 22, 1852, daughter of Samuel and Elizabeth (Tyler) Frisbie, of Branford. Children:
- Ezekiel, of whom further.
- Samuel Frisbie, born at Hudson, December 2, 1791, died April 3, 1857, at Grand Rapids, Michigan.
- Frederick William, born January 26, 1795, died May 10, 1884, at Genesee, New York.
- Gilbert Townsend, born December 8, 1797, died October 1875.
- Elizabeth, born August 1800, died August 26, 1846, at Branford.
- William Frederick, born February 11, 1803, died April 5, 1887, at Stockport, New York.
- Sarah, born February 16, 1806, died April 21, 1837.
- Lydia Frisbie, born September 24, 1809, died August 11, 1842.
- Mary, born June 12, 1812, died December 16, 1871; married December 5, 1841, Morris Tyler, lieutenant governor of Connecticut.
- Martha, born September 30, 1814, died October 11, 1828.
(V) Ezekiel (3), son of Ezekiel (2) and Lydia (Frisbie) Butler, was born at Branford, Connecticut, January 28, 1789. He was a year old when his parents removed to Hudson, New York. He was educated in that town and spent his life there. He married (first) Drusilla, daughter of Malachi and Rebecca (Frisbie) Lindsley. Children:
- Susan, born August 24, 1813, died February 2, 1888.
- Louisa Maria, born December 3, 1815, died July 22, 1874.
- Jane Elizabeth, born February 22, 1819, died November 29, 1879.
- William Lindsley, born February 22, 1819, died November 29, 1879 at San Francisco, California, while on his way to the gold mines.
Ezekiel married (second) May 16, 1822, Elizabeth Coventry, born March 5, 1791, at Columbiaville, New York, died April 7, 1828, at Hudson, New York, daughter of Dr. Alexander and Elizabeth (Butler) Coventry, and granddaughter of John and Elizabeth (Lindsley) Butler. Dr. Alexander Coventry was born August 27, 1766, at Fairhill Park, near Hamilton, Scotland. He was a graduate of Glasgow University and a physician of high repute. He married, March 11, 1787, Elizabeth Butler, born April 16, 1769, died February 7, 1828. Their first child, Elizabeth, married Ezekiel Butler (3), being his second wife. Children:
- Charles Ezekiel, of whom further.
- Mary.
(VI) Charles Ezekiel, only son of Ezekiel (3) and his second wife, Elizabeth (Coventry) Butler, was born at Columbiaville, New York, May 28, 1823, died at Hudson, New York, February 19, 1908. He was educated in the public schools and after finishing his studies learned the jeweler's trade. He became an expert craftsman and for fifty-five years was identified with the business interests of Hudson. His establishment on Warren street was the leading jewelry store of the city. Closely attending to the detail of his business, he also gave considerable attention to invention and left behind him several devices of practical benefit and value. He was a well known figure in the business and private life of Hudson and bore an unblemished reputation. He had other business interests in Hudson and owned valuable real estate. He was a Republican in politics, but took little active part in public affairs. He was a trustee of the Hudson Presbyterian Church, his family all being members. He married (first) Harriet Bessoc, born October 17, 1825, died November 19, 1860, without issue. He married (second) Sarah Cordelia Bessoc, sister of his first wife, daughters of Henry William and Maretta (Hammond) Bessoc. Sarah Cordelia was born January 5, 1835, died September 20, 1908. Children:
- Eloise Rand, of Hudson, New York;
- Elizabeth Orielle.
(The Hammond Line)
Maretta Hammond was a descendant of William Hammond, born in England, where he died prior to 1634. He married Elizabeth Penn, who after being left a widow came to America with her son Benjamin, landing in Boston in 1634. She died in that town in 1640.
(II) Benjamin, son of William and Elizabeth (Penn) Hammond, was born in 1621 in London, England, died April 27, 1703, in Rochester, Massachusetts. He married, in 1650, Mary Vincent, born in 1633, in England. She died in 1705, in Rochester, Massachusetts. He settled in Yarmouth, in 1643, removed to Sandwich, Massachusetts, before 1675, and to Rochester, 1681.
(III) Samuel, son of Benjamin and Mary (Vincent) Hammond, was born in 1655, at Sandwich, Massachusetts, died 1728, at Rochester, Massachusetts. He married, 1680, Mary Hathaway, of Dartmouth, one of the founders of the Congregational church at Rochester, lived at West Neck, Rochester, Massachusetts, 1680.
(IV) John, son of Samuel and Mary (Hathaway) Hammond, born October 4, 1701, in Rochester, died at Falmouth, Massachusetts. He was a private in John Beackett's company in the revolutionary war. He was town clerk in 1736, in 1737 selectman and assessor in 1756, pew holder. He married Maria Greene, of Falmouth, Massachusetts.
(V) Paul, son of John and Maria (Greene) Hammond, born September 20, 1740, died March 5, 1822-23, at Sidney, Maine. He married, February 27, 1766, Anna Davis, born 1753, at Falmouth, Massachusetts, died November 5, 1835, at Sidney, Maine. He was a private in Captain Joseph Palmer's company, revolutionary war.
(VI) Abner, son of Paul and Anna (Davis) Hammond, was born October 1, 1768, died May 12, 1849; married, in 1795, a second wife Lucinda Caroline Andrews, born May 18, 1769, died May 12, 1844. He was one of the early settlers of Jewett, Greene county, New York.
(VII) Maretta, daughter of Abner and Lucinda Caroline (Andrews) Hammond, was born September 3, 1800, died August 29, 1874. She married Henry William Bessoc.
Henry William Bessoc was the son of Jean Guillaume Bessoc, born February 4, 1760, at Port de Creysse, on the river Dordogne, France. He was assistant surgeon in the revolution, serving on the staff of Count de Rochambeau, commander of the French forces. He married Anna H. Nicholas, in 1781, at Pawling, Dutchess county, New York, daughter of Colonel Ephraim and Esther (Peet) Nicholas, of Stratford, Connecticut. Ephraim was a colonel in the revolutionary war and a member of the committee of safety. He married, July 31, 1751, at Stratford, Connecticut, Esther Peet. Dr. Jean Guillaume Bessoc and Anna H. Nicholas had among others, Henry William, who married Maretta Hammond, whose daughter, Sarah Cordelia, became wife of Charles Ezekiel Butler, father of Eloise Rand Butler and Elizabeth O. Butler, of Hudson, New York.