John was born on October 30, 1797 in Acushnet MA. He was the son of Capt. Peter Butler (about 1773-1832) and Alice Hathaway Butler (1773-1836). Their younger son Charles later became a whaling master (AM0781). John married Theresa Hannah Brown, daughter of Benjamin and Margaret Brown of New London CT. She was born on June 12, 1814. The 1850 census records shows three children, Theresa (age 16), John Jr. (age 15), and Benjamin (age 1). John is shown in the census as “Ship Master.”
John started his whaling career at age 20, serving on the crew of AUGUSTUS (AS0053) commanded by his father for its 1818-1819 and 1819-1820 voyages. His brother Charles was also on the crew for the 1819-1820 voyage.
In October 1827 John and his brother Charles moved to New London to furthercareers in whaling. They befriended Benjamin Brown, a New London businessman and agent, and soon began acquiring small ownership interests in whaling voyages. John’s wife was the daughter of Benjamin Brown.
John served as master of one voyage on each of four ships with New London as home port:
WABASH (AS2572): (ship, possibly built Baltimore MD in 1810, lost at Montauk in April 19, 1834). Sailed on June 3, 1828 for the Brazil Banks and Patagonia, returned in June 1829. His brother Charles served on the crew for this voyage. An incomplete diary for this voyage is held at Mystic Seaport Museum. N. and W.W. Billings was the agent. AV15234.
MENTOR (AS1923): (460 tons, built in New York NY in 1810, withdrawn for the California trade). AOWV shows this voyage departing in November 1829 for the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans, returning in February 1831. Colby and Decker show this voyage as two voyages; Decker shows two voyages, both ending in February 1831; Starbuck shows one voyage beginning in June 1830, ending in February 1831.The agents were A.M. Frink and Benjamin Brown. AV09542.
FRIENDS (AS1418): (ship, 403 tons, built Portsmouth VA in 1811, broken up in 1859). Sailed in May 1834 for the South Atlantic, returned to Newport RI on March 1836 before going on to New London. Benjamin Brown was the agent. AV05317.
MENTOR: Sailed in December 1836, returned in May 1839. Benjamin Brown was the agent. AV09546.
Prior to becoming a master of ship out of New London, John was master of DAWN (AS1193) with New York NY as its home port. The records in AOWV for its 1824-1827 voyage show John “leaving the ship” with Henry Gardiner (sometimes Gardner) (AM2103) as replacement master, with a note “John H. Butler was master in 1826 in Honolulu.” Starbuck shows Henry as master of DAWN’s 1821-1824 and 1824-1827 voyages. Based on extensive research over many years, Dr. Weiss has concluded that Henry never served of DAWN for the 1824-1827 voyage and that the other sources not above are in error. Charles served on the crew for the 1824-1827 voyage.
John later bought a farm in Ohio whither he and his family moved. A familyfinancial situation forced the sale of the property, leading him to return to New London to resume working with Benjamin Brown. In that capacity he became master of the schooner SARAH LAVINIA (AS2349) that had recently completed a whaling voyage. She converted to use as a merchant ship, departing on in November 1849 carrying lumber to the gold fields near Stockton CA for his brother-in-law, George Brown (who was a passenger on the ship) to sell. John Jr. was a passenger. AOWV does not show this voyage. While in California, John came down with cholera and died in San Francisco on June 24, 1850. He was bankrupt when he died.
Dr. Raymond Butler Weiss, a descendant of Capt. Peter Butler, did extensive research on the lives and experiences at sea of Charles and John. AOVW contains links to him (AZ530 and AZ753). With the generous approval of Dr. Weiss, the author has drawn on his written material that added new details and information about the Butler family and the careers of the Butler brothers and he offered suggestions to the author’s final drafts.
Sources used: see sidebar and sources cited in text.
George Shaw (Mystic Seaport Museum) August 2024