00973.xml BENJAMIN FRANKLIN and ELIZA BUTLER: An Inventory of Their Family Papers at the Minnesota Historical Society National Historical Publications and Records Commission. Minnesota Historical Society
St. Paul, MN.

Manuscripts Collection

 Finding aid encoded by J. HuebscherSeptember 2011 Finding aid written in English. January 25, 2012 Digital content added OVERVIEW Minnesota Historical Society Butler, Benjamin Franklin, 1829-1914. Benjamin Franklin and Eliza Butler and family papers. 1851-1957 (bulk 1862-1866). Materials in English. Correspondence and miscellaneous papers (1851-1884, 1898, 1957) between and received by Benjamin Franklin Butler and his wife Eliza Tucker Butler; Benjamin's appointment (1851, 1853) and discharge (1856) certificates as an officer in Riflemen Company D, First Regiment, First Brigade, Eighth Division of the Maine Volunteer Militia; and a worksheet (1957) for application for membership in the Sons of the American Revolution by grandson Arthur Butler Hall. Some of the letters have full or partial transcripts, presumably prepared by Floyd Risvold. 0.25 cubic feet. Reserve 132: See Detailed Description for shelf locations. BIOGRAPHICAL NOTE

Benjamin Franklin Butler was born in Cornville, Maine, June 3, 1829, to Benjamin and Hannah (Hilton) Butler. He settled in Anoka, Minnesota Territory, in 1856. In 1858/1859 he moved to Fairhaven (Stearns County, Minnesota Territory) and bought a farm. He married Eliza Tucker in 1860, and lived in Fairhaven where he worked as a farmer, carpenter, and millwright.

On October 8, 1861, he enlisted in Company D, 4th Minnesota Regiment, as a First Lieutenant. He served with his company in the South, principally in Mississippi. He resigned from the military November 4, 1862, and returned to Fairhaven. In 1874 he moved to Minneapolis, continuing his work as a millwright.

He died at his home at 3206 Second Avenue South, Minneapolis, on February 5, 1914. He was buried in Fairhaven Cemetery. He was survived by one daughter, Mrs. Lena Hall, and one grandson, Arthur Butler Hall.

Eliza Tucker Butler (born 1840) died in 1927.

 SCOPE AND CONTENTS

The correspondence and miscellaneous papers include 57 dated items. The letters, many with envelopes, cover Butler's arrival in Anoka (1856), his move to Fairhaven (Stearns County) in 1859, and Eliza's concerns about the U.S.-Dakota War (1862) while Benjamin was serving in Mississippi with Company D of the 4th Minnesota Regiment. Other letters discuss their business affairs, his work in Montana territory (1866) and later life in Minneapolis. Photographs of Benjamin in his uniform and Eliza are also included.

 CATALOG HEADINGS

This collection is indexed under the following headings in the catalog of the Minnesota Historical Society. Researchers desiring materials about related topics should search the catalog using these headings.

Topics: Dakota Indians -- Wars, 1862-1865. Frontier and pioneer life -- Minnesota. Persons: Butler, Eliza Tucker. Organizations: United States. Army. Minnesota Infantry Regiment, 4th (1861-1864). Company D. Places: United States -- History -- Civil War, 1861-1865. Document Types: Certificates. Photographs. ADMINISTRATIVE INFORMATION Access Restrictions:

Access to and use of reserve materials requires the curator's permission

 Preferred Citation:

[Indicate the cited item and/or series here]. Benjamin Franklin and Eliza Butler and Family Papers. Minnesota Historical Society.

See the Chicago Manual of Style for additional examples.

 Accession Information:

Accession number: 16,452

 Processing Information:

Processing and cataloging of this collection was supported with a Basic Project grant awarded by the National Historical Publications and Records Commission (NHPRC).

Digitization of reserve material was made possible by the Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund through the vote of Minnesotans on November 4, 2008.

Digitized by: Patrick Blaine, November 2011.

Catalog ID number: 007406038

 DETAILED DESCRIPTION Reserve 132 1 Envelopes, circa 1863-1883.

Access Restricted.

Digital version

 Correspondence and miscellaneous papers:

Access Restricted.

 2 1853-1861.

Digital version, August 3, 1853-May 31, 1855

Digital version, November 3, 1855-August 24, 1858

Digital version, October 31, 1858-April 13, 1860

Digital version, November 18, 1860-April 1, 1861

Digital version, September 12-November 24, 1861

 3 1862.

Digital version, July 2-August 25, 1862

Digital version, August 29-September 14, 1862

Digital version, September 21-November 30, 1862

 4 1863.

Digital version, January 25-February 8, 1863

Digital version, February 17-March 8, 1863

Digital version, May 15-25[?], 1863

Digital version, August 3-September 6, 1863

 5 1865-1871, 1878, 1884, 1898, 1957.

Digital version, January 23, 1865-November 14, 1866

Digital version, July 7, 1867-April 18, 1868

Digital version, December 25, 1868-December 20, 1871

Digital version, July 30, 1878-December 23, 1957