John P. Butt

Husband of Sarah Ann (Gallaher) Butt — married 30 Nov 1851 in Sumner, Tennessee, United States

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Biography

Names

John P. Butt, John Butt^[1]

1851 Marriage

On 30 Nov 1851 Sumner Co., Tennessee, John m. Sally Ann Gallaher Butt b. 12 Feb 1823 d. 16 Aug 1859 d/o John C Gallaher (1784 - 1841) and Mary "Polly" Covington b. 1781 d. 1841.^[2] Sarah had previously been married to Thomas Offutt Drane, Jr. (1772 - 1851) s/o Thomas Offutt Drane, Sr. b. 1735 Maryland d. aft. 1810 Montgomery Co., Maryland and Elizabeth MNU b. abt. 1730 d. aft. 1772.^[1]

1859 Murder Charge, Jailing and Escape

In 1859, John Butt was charged with murder and fled Logan Co., Kentucky:

TWO MURDERS IN ROBERTSON COUNTY. (TN) -- The second was, under the circumstances, the most lamentable affair. The victim was Henry Cook, a deaf mute, well-known in the county as a harmless man.

On the 2d of May, Mr. John Butt, of Logan county, Ky., having employed Cook to do some work, settled with him, and Cook was dissatisfied. He accordingly jumped upon Butt's horse and rode off. Butt, though perfectly acquainted with Cook's habit, and knowing well that he had only to claim his horse to get quiet possession, resolved, deliberately, as it appeared in the evidence, to kill the poor mute. He started off on horseback in hot pursuit, announcing to his wife his intention to murder Cook. At, or near, the distillery of Dr. G. E. Draughn he came up with Cook. --- Butt leveled his gun at Cook, but did not fire. He seized Cook by the collar or throat, when the latter drew a knife and struck at Butt. Thereupon Butt fled for his gun, which he gained, and shot Cook in the left breast, depositing nine rifle balls in the region of the heart. The unfortunate victim then turned, when Butt discharged the other barrel, lodging seven more in his back. He was then removed to Dr. D.'s office, where he died in an hour. Butt persisted in his determination to kill his victim, and repeatedly declared that he could not be prevented from doing so. He subsequently proceeded to Springfield (Robertson Co, TN) and gave himself up, where he underwent a preliminary examination, and was committed to jail, the Court refusing to take any bail. Nash. Banner.^[3]

On 22 May 1859, the Robertson County Jail in Springfield was broken open and four prisoners escaped. Of those prisoners, one was John Butt who had recently murdered Henry Cook and other was a man named Reynolds who was arrested and committed as an accessory in the murder. The prisoners escaped through the jail's floor, likely assisted by persons outside the jail who used crowbars to remove the stone. The jail keeper learned of the escape the next morning when he brought breakfast to the men. He concluded that the prisoners decided to "dine out."^[4]

Aft. 1859 Death

John d. aft. 17 May 1859 which was the date his name appeared in a newspaper article.^[4]

Research Note

Likely based on the children's Drane surname, many researchers believed that Sarah had three sons with Thomas O.: Thomas Jefferson, George Washington and Andrew Jackson. Drane researcher Daniel A. Willis suspected that that the first two sons born out of wedlock may have been from an unrecorded previous marriage of Sarah's or were adopted. He concluded the third son Andrew Jackson was Thomas O.'s because he was born after Sarah wed Thomas O.^[1] According to Thomas Jefferson's granddaughter Linda Holley, Andrew Jackson was not Thomas O.'s son. Sarah had an affair with John Butts while she was married to Thomas O. and married John after Thomas O.'s death.^[5]

Children

Sarah and John had one son:

1. Andrew Jackson Drane b. 21 Feb 1849 Logan Co. d. 19 Jul 1855 Logan Co.

Sources

1. ↑ ^{1.0 1.1 1.2} Daniel A. Willis, Legends, Half-Truths, and Cherished Myths of The Drane Family, Bygone Era Books, Denver, Colorado, 2012, pp. 79-104.
2. ↑ "Tennessee Marriages, 1796-1950," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XDQP-82T : 8 December 2014), John P. Butt and Sarah Ann Drane, 30 Nov 1851; citing Sumner, Tennessee, reference ; FHL microfilm 969,850.
3. ↑ The Louisville Daily Courier (Louisville, Kentucky) 17 May 1859, Tue Page 1
4. ↑ ^{4.0 4.1} The Tennessean (Nashville, Tennessee) 24 May 1859, Tue Page 3
5. ↑ Find A Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com : accessed 07 January 2020), memorial page for Sarah Ann Gallaher Butt (12 Feb 1823–16 Aug 1859), Find A Grave: Memorial #37407823, citing Red River Meeting House Cemetery, Adairville, Logan County, Kentucky, USA ; Maintained by Linda Holley (contributor 47126420) .