THE TOWN OF BUTLER is nestled into the Eastern end of Wayne County. It is rural, agricultural, and the least populated town in the county. When you drive through Butler, you'll see rolling Corn, Soybean and Wheat fields, neatly-kept dairy farms, and fruit farms growing Apples, Peaches, and Cherries. There are a few businesses, but most people who live in Butler travel to other areas to work. The current population is about 2500, and there are 1,000 parcels of land.

When you visit Butler Town Hall to do family research, you will be greeted with a friendly smile and helpful attitude by Robin Jeremenko, Town Clerk.

ADDRESS:
4576 Butler Center Road
Wolcott, NY 14590

OFFICE HOURS:
Mon. & Tues. 9 a.m. - 4 p.m.
Wed. 12 noon - 7 p.m.
Thurs. & Fri. - 9 a.m. - 4 p.m.
Be sure to always call ahead to confirm hours before coming to the town hall:
(315) 594-2719

VITAL RECORDS:
Births from 4 April 1883
Marriages from 13 November 1881
Deaths from 4 September 1883

There are also a few vital records for the period 22 Feb. 1847 - 20 Dec. 1849, and copies of 3 books containing some records of the Butler Center Methodist Episcopal Church, dating 1856-1935. Listings of the burials from Town of Butler Cemeteries, with a map to help in locating them, and a few local family genealogies are also available: CANDEE, COLVIN, CRAW, CROFOOT, FOWLER, KASSON, LIVINGSTON, LOVELESS, MERRILL, SPRAGUE, TOWNSEND, VANVLECK. Why not add yours!

If you have information to share, such as: Bible records, Diaries, Store ledgers and Customer lists, Church records, Letters describing life in Butler, or Photos of people and buildings, please contact the site coordinators. Some of Butler's early residents migrated to Pauline, NE. around 1877, and others travelled to Michigan.

PROFILE OF BUTLER, WAYNE COUNTY, NEW YORK

From the 1860 Gazetteer of the State of New York, by J. H. French

BUTLER - was formed from Wolcott, Feb. 26, 1826. It is the center town on the E. border of the co. Its surface is diversified, level in the W.E. and rising into ridges in the N. W. The highest point is Armstrong Hill. The principal stream is Wolcott Creek, which rises in the N. E. and, flowing in a circuitous course, leaves the town near the N.W. corner The soil in the valleys is a gravelly loam, and on the hills it is generally clay, with a tenacious subsoil. Lime is manufactured in the N. part to a limited extent. South Butler, (p.v.) on the S. line, contains 5 churches, a classical school, several manufactories, and about 400 inhabitants. West Butler (p.o.) contains 10 houses; Westbury, (p.v.) in the N. E. corner, partly in the town of Victory, (Cayuga co.) 1 church and 20 houses. Butler Center is a hamlet. The first settlement was commenced in 1802. (1) The first settled minister was ___ Mills. (2) Rev. Antoinette L. Brown, the first woman ever regularly ordained in the State, was settled for several years over the Cong. church at South Butler.

Footnotes:

1. John Granby and ___ Wellman settled near the center, as early as 1803; Erastus Hubbard and Abijah Moore, in 1805; Capt. Willis, Wm. Hallett, Henry Bunnel, Aaron Hoppin, Mrs. Bunce, and Morris Craw, previous to 1807; and Seth Craw and Roger Olmstead, in 1808. The first birth was that of ___ Winans; the first death was that of Jedediah Wheeler, in April, 1811. ___ Vieles built the first sawmill, at the center.
2. There are 7 churches in town; 2 M.E., 2 Christian, Bap., Cong., and 2 Adv.

Current Place Names in the Town of Butler:

Butler Center, South Butler, West Butler, Westbury.

This is the list of veterans from all wars that are buried in the Butler Center Church Cemetery.

Civil War:
William H. Cornell, Thomas Armstrong, William Bell, Alpheus Cornell, Gibson Conger, Merritt Fowler, F. Eugene Knapp, Cassius Lent, Uriah Marsh, John Murray, Franklin Merrell, John P. Philips, Chester Pritchard, Charles Perkins, John Pritchard, Edward Pritchard, William P. Sherman, William H. Mead, Elisha Perkins

War of 1812:
Archibald Kasson

WWI:
Samuel James Gould, Louis A. Petrosino

WWII: Hugh Edward Pierson, Arthur John Baldwin, Adolphus Bennett, J. Franklin Chatfield, Forest Cornell, Lawrence Cuyler, William L. Harper, Albert H. Lester, Harold R. Rogers, Thaddeus G. Rose

Viet Nam War:
Richard H. Johnson

Butler Resources on this site:

Butler Historical Preservation Society : a link to another website. Will open in a new window or tab.

Town of Butler Landowners, 1858

1867 Directory of Butler

1877 History of the Town of Butler, Part 1

1877 History of the Town of Butler, Part 2

Property Owners of the Town of Butler, 1891: added 11/21/12

1914 Farm Directory of Butler

1923 Voter List - Butler, NY

1830 Census of the Town of Butler

1840 Census of the Town of Butler

1850 Butler Census
Part 1         Part 2         Part 3

1865 Butler Census
Pt. 1        Pt. 2        Pt. 3

Butler Photo Album

Names Index to the 1874 Map of the Town of Butler

Names Index to the 1904 Plat Map of the Town of Butler

Town of Butler Supervisors

Names from Irving Webster Crane's Day Book

Watson Schoolhouse & 1843 Student List

Roe Cobblestone Schoolhouse

Hibbard Basket Works

1874-75 Butler Marriage and Death Records

South Butler Church of Christ Disciples

Butler Center Church

Index to Butler Center Methodist Church Record Book (1856-78)

Butler Center Methodist Church Marriages, 1856 - 1914

Butler Center Methodist Church Baptisms, 1858 - 1923

Butler Center Methodist Church Pastors, 1856 - 1915

South Butler Methodist Church Pastors, 1879 - 1981

Town of Butler Hendersons

Group Photo of Butler Hendersons

The Abner Johnson Family

The Post Family of Butler

Historical Women Firsts of Wayne County

Butler Center Cemetery

Center Cemetery

Hubbard Cemetery

Sand Hill Cemetery

Small Cemeteries of the Town of Butler: Sprague, Roe-Park, First Burial Cemeteries

Davis or Dickson (Van Vleck Road) Cemetery

Westbury Cemetery

Winegar Hill Cemetery

Wood or Pleasant Knoll Cemetery

Back to Wayne County Townships Page