The History of Butler Town in Amite, Louisiana

Butler Memorial Park
Photo Credit: Antoinette Harrell

In Amite, Louisiana, there is a black settlement called Butler Town. Amite is 70 miles north of New Orleans, LA. Lawerence Williams embarked on a genealogy quest to find out how and when this black settlement was established and to discover the ancestry of his maternal line. Almost a decade has passed since Lawerence began researching his family history. My question to Lawerence was how did he start researching his family history? My mother told me we're related to the Butlers. His mother Idella Williams is a 2nd great-granddaughter of Fredrick Butler. As a result, he shares his findings with his mother, who is his motivator. His Butler roots date back to 1808, with Fredrick's father and mother. Winifred Butler and Julia Ann Butler were from the East Coast. But their children was born St. Helena, Louisiana and this is where his Louisiana roots starts. There is something mysterious about Lawerence Butler's Butler family history that led him down the lonely gravel dirt roads of St. Helena Parish, which are filled with whispering pine trees. Fredrick was born in St. Helena Parish, which makes perfect sense. due the fact that Tangipahoa Parish was created  in 1869. 

In 1876, Frederick Butler bought most of the land, which was later named Butler Town. African Americans interested in owning land and building their own houses started buying lots from him. In the 1880 United States Census, Winnie Butler was listed as his spouse. They were the parents of: Waterson Butler, Leander Butler, Julia Butler, Dora Butler, Newsom Butler, William Butler, Minerva Butler, Amanda Butler, Conway Butler, Sherman Butler, and Coot Butler.   A black owned cemetery, Butler A.M.E Church, and Butler Memorial Park can be found inside Butler Town.

Butler A.M.E. Zion Church
Photo Credit: Antoinette Harrell

From slavery to sharecroppers to a large landowner, Fredrick was determine to purchase land as a form of freedom for himself and his family. One year after the issuing the United States Declaration of Independence in July 4, 1776 from Britain. Fredrick embraced what he defined  as freedom in the United States.

Frederick and several of his children signed a Freedmen Bureau Labor Contract with George Phillips McMicheal in 1867 in St. Helena, Louisiana and worked as sharecroppers before purchasing his own land. According to the 1870 United States Census, his Real Estate value was one thousands dollars. The follow people was listed on the Freedmen Bureau Contract: Jack Bulter age 51, Janet Butler age 41, Fred Butler age 48, Winey Butler age 38, Minerva Butler age 17, Amanda Butler age 15, Lee Butler age 11, Judy Ann Butler age 9, Pinky Butler age 7, Steel Butler age 5, Bobby Butler age 4, Joseph Butler age 46,  Waterson Butler age 13, and Emily Butler age 38. 

Fredrick's son William Butler donated the land for Butler A.M.E. Zion Church  in 1894.  On the cornerstone of the church says the church was established in 1874. The  land for the cemetery was donated to the church in 1904 by John Butler and Barrow Butler. John and Barrow descend from Jack Butler lineage. Lawerence believes that Jack and Fredrick were brothers.  Lawerence have spent long  hours in the Amite Clerk's Office looking through hundred of records on his Butler family. He also use the Amite Genealogy Library to help find the missing pieces  to his family puzzle. 

Butler Cemetery in Amite, LA
Photo Credit: Antoinette Harrell

Lawerence to  continue researching his Butler family tree. Specifically, he wants to know when Butler Memorial Park was established. It was revealed to him that his grandmother Idella was buried by the church, and that the cemetery had been relocated. People who live next door to the church told him that the cemetery was moved when the new church was built. Lawerence is very proud of his history and want to share it with others. Butler Town is over one hundred and forty years old. 

Patsy Z. Johnson African American Funeral Program Collection Soon Will Be Digitized at EBPL Genealogy and Special Collections

Last month Johnson was reading a news article about the preservation of African American funeral programs in the Louisiana Florida Parishes. According to the article, Dr. Antoinette Harrell, a genealogist and local historian formed   a partnership   with Richardson Funeral Home, Inc. Amite, to preserved the the historical records. 

Last year Dr. Harrell  and Richardson Funeral Home, Inc. Amite,  established a collection at the Center for Louisiana Southeast Studies Department in Hammond, Louisiana.

Johnson contacted Harrell to talk with her about her collection. Harrell invited Johnson to her home office to look at the collection and to advise Johnson what to do to preserve the collection. After hearing what Harrell had to say, Johnson was committed to preserving tis collection for future generations in her family and family historian, genealogist and researchers.  

Funeral programs serve as a memorial for the dearly departed. In the programs, information about the deceased can be found. Such as their date of birth and the death date, the names of their parents and siblings, children, and other family members. If a woman was married, there is a strong possibility that you will find her maiden name in the program, Genealogist and historian find treasures in these programs and they value such documents.

Following the completion of Dr. Harrell's database for the Patsy Zander Johnson funeral program collection,  she confirmed that it contains one hundred and sixty programs.  Harrell's database comprised of the following: surname, given name, year of birth, date of birth, place of burial and location of burial.   

A number of the programs are from the funerals of the deceased who resided in St. Tammany, Tangipahoa, Washington Louisiana Florida Parishes. A few of the programs were from Tylertown, Progress, and Osyks, Mississippi. Some of Tyltertown, Mississippi is a part of this collection.  The collection consist of a large number of Brumfield's and Briggs families. 

Dr. Harrell the curators for Richardson Funeral Home, Inc. Amite Funeral Programs, is promoting community awareness of the importance of preserving these rich historical collections.  Among the noted burial grounds are: Union Chapel AME Church Cemetery, Kentwood, Louisiana.  Mt. Olive Baptist Church Cemetery, Mt. Hermon, Louisiana,  Shady Grove Cemetery, Progress, Mississippi,  Crystal Springs Cemetery, Rocky Hill, Tylertown, Mississippi, Butler AME Cemetery, Amite, Louisiana,  Big Zion Cemetery,  Roseland, Louisiana, and Rocky Hill Cemetery in St. Helena Parish. 

The collection has been organized and compiled and is ready to be submitted to the East Baton Rouge Public Library Genealogy and Special Collections for digitization. All funeral programs are accessible to the public on the EBPL  Genealogy and Special Collections website. 

Links

The Center for Southeast Louisiana Studies

http://www.southeastern.edu/acad_research/programs/csls/historical_collections/archival_collections/r_s/richardson_funeral_home/index.html

East Baton Rouge Public Library

https://ebrpl.libguides.com/c.php?g=44597&p=284123