Butler Family Papers, 1815-1948 (mostly 1820-1920)

Contents and Arrangement

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Collection Overview

Creator:

Butler, William Allen (1825-1902)

Title:

Butler Family Papers

Repository:

Manuscripts Division

Permanent URL:

http://arks.princeton.edu/ark:/88435/mp48sc78n

Dates:

1815-1948 (mostly 1820-1920)

Size:

48 boxes, 15.65 linear feet

Storage Note:

Firestone Library (scamss): Boxes 1-47; 4A

Language:

English

Abstract: The Butler Family Papers consists of works, notes, correspondence, journals, photographs, and other materials of Benjamin Franklin Butler (1795-1858), William Allen Butler (1825-1902), Mary Russell Marshall Butler (1827-1919), Charles Henry Butler (1859-1940), Harriet Allen Butler (1861-1914), and other members of the Butler family.

Collection Description & Creator Information

Scope and Contents

The collection contains the papers of three generations of Butlers: Benjamin Franklin Butler (1795-1858); William Allen Butler (1825-1902); William Allen Butler (1853-1923) and Howard Russell Butler (1856-1934), both members of the Class of 1876; Charles Henry Butler (1859-1940); Mary Russell Marshall Butler (l827-1919); Harriet Allen Butler (1861-1914); and Mary Marshall Butler (1857- ). The papers reflect the many legal, political, and educational interests of the family, as well as the members' busy domestic lives.

The papers of William Allen Butler include his satirical poetry, stories, essays, speeches, plays, and the manuscript of Letters to my Grandchildren: A Retrospect of Three-Quarters of a Century, later edited by his daughter, Harriet Allen Butler, and published in 1911 as A Retrospect of Forty Years, 1825-1865. (The manuscript for this later edition is also included.) Among William Allen Butler's papers are correspondence, journals, scrapbooks, diplomas, photographs, memorials, and a genealogy of the Butler family.

The collection also includes an extensive correspondence between Benjamin Franklin Butler and Martin Van Buren, as well as correspondence between Benjamin Franklin Butler, John Duer, and J. C. Spencer during the years when they worked together on the revision of the New York State statutes. Others represented in the correspondence include Andrew Jackson, James K. Polk, James Buchanan, Salmon P. Chase, and Roger B. Taney.

Collection Creator Biography:

Butler, William Allen (1825-1902)

William Allen Butler (1825-1902) was an American lawyer and satirical poet.

Biography of Benjamin Franklin Butler

Benjamin Franklin Butler was a lawyer and politician in New York. Born in Columbia County, New York, in 1795, Butler was admitted to the Albany bar in 1817 and became district attorney of Albany County in 1821. He was a member of the New York state legislature from 1827 to 1833 before becoming involved in politics on the federal level. He was U.S. attorney general from 1833 to 1838 and U.S. secretary of war from 1836 to 1837. Butler died in 1858 after a distinguished career.

Collection History

Acquisition:: Gift of Henry N. Paul.
Appraisal: No appraisal information is available.
Processing Information: This collection was processed in 1998. Finding aid written in 1998.

Access & Use

Conditions Governing Access

Collection is open for research use.

Conditions Governing Use

Single copies may be made for research purposes. To cite or publish quotations that fall within Fair Use, as defined under U. S. Copyright Law, no permission is required. For instances beyond Fair Use, it is the responsibility of the researcher to determine whether any permissions related to copyright, privacy, publicity, or any other rights are necessary for their intended use of the Library's materials, and to obtain all required permissions from any existing rights holders, if they have not already done so. Princeton University Library's Special Collections does not charge any permission or use fees for the publication of images of materials from our collections, nor does it require researchers to obtain its permission for said use. The department does request that its collections be properly cited and images credited. More detailed information can be found on the Copyright, Credit and Citations Guidelines page on our website. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us through the Ask Us! form.

Physical Characteristics and Technical Requirements

For preservation reasons, original analog and digital media may not be read or played back in the reading room. Users may visually inspect physical media but may not remove it from its enclosure. All analog audiovisual media must be digitized to preservation-quality standards prior to use. Audiovisual digitization requests are processed by an approved third-party vendor. Please note, the transfer time required can be as little as several weeks to as long as several months and there may be financial costs associated with the process. Requests should be directed through the Ask Us Form.

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