Butler of Ogeechee

The Ogeechee on both sides of the Savannah River in Georgia and Beaufort District,South Carolina were developed into very large and lucrative rice planations before the Revolutionary War. These tracts of land were owned by the Butlers, Elliotts, Draytons. The Savannah Water Shed Project now preserves this region of Georgia's rice plantations.

Joseph Butler Sr. (ca 1700-1775) first resided in Charleston, South Carolina where he was married to Mary LaRoche on 23 December 1723, St. Phillips Parish. Mary was a daughter of James LaRoche of Charleston and his wife, Christian. LaRoche died in 1721 and named his children as James, John (Mary under 21). These children were bequeathed lots 195 and 278 in Charleston where LaRoche resided. Witness: William Elliott. The lineage of Joseph Butler is detailed several generations further back by South Carolina Pioneers.

Joseph Butler inherited from his father Fairfield Plantation, being 313 acres of land on Charleston Neck (on the Ashley River) and he later resided in what was then Granville County, South Carolina on a 1738 land grant of 2,250 acres. I believe that this tract of land was later renamed (1768) Beaufort District which is closest to Hilton Head Island and Savannah. Also, many Butlers owned plantations at Port Royal, also in Beaufort District. Joseph Butler was active in politics. In 1744 he was made one of the commissioners to build a road between the Saltketcher and Pocotaligot Rivers. He was elected from Prince William Parish to the 14th Royal Assembly of 1745 and 1746' served as parish church warden from 1746 to 1748. On 31 October 1752 he killed Richard Baker and was convicted of manslaughter, but pardoned by Governor James Glen. (Must have been a dual). After that, he removed to Georgia where he received a land grant. At the time he owned 31 slaves. Twenty years later, his land holdings were so large that he owned 126 slaves as a planter of the Great Ogeechee. His Georgia land grants totalled 5,850 acres of land; and he purchased 1,410 more acres for his expensive rice plantations located on the Ogeechee near Savannah. He owned a house in Savannah. On 4 July 1775 the Provincial Congress of Georgia met at Tondee's Tavern in Savannah to discuss abdication from Great Britain. Joseph Butler of the district of Vernonburg, along with James Roberts and Joseph Maddick declined to take their seats. Joseph was already an elderly citizen of Great Britain and probably had strong loyalties. His death occurred four months later and was reported in the Georgia Gazette on 15 Nov 1775.

Joseph and Mary (LaRoche) had four legitimate children, viz: Shem, Joseph Jr., Mary and James. He apparently lived a goodly portion of his life with Mary Crocker and the five illegitimate children she bore him, biz: Frances, Benjamin, Shadrach, Meshack and William, all of whom took the father's surname. The bulk of Joseph's estate went to Mary Crocker. His brothers-in-law were Edmund Bellinger (died 1739) and Thomas Elliott (1692-1760). The inventory of his estate dated 4 Mar 1798 consisted of a number of slaves, viz: Grace, Poldore, Warning, Alrey, Samtha, Lute, Philes, Jimo, Sipio, Sealy, Worley, Abraham, Dinah, Charlotte, Eley, Minta, Taly, Harry, Harry the younger. The slaves, Sipio and Eley ended up in the possession of his grandson, John Butler, son of Shem Butler.

Issue of Joseph Butler and Mary (LaRoche) Butler:

Shem Butler, died January 1789 in Chatham County, Georgia. Wife, Elizabeth, was administratrix of his estate. Last Will and Testament of Shem Butler. Inventory of Estate of Shem Butler. A list of the slaves names Prince and Tom, also found in the estate of his son, John Butler. Apparently Shem Butler had a number of plantations. One of them was on the Salkehatchie River near Barnwell, South Carolina which had formerly belonged to his father, Joseph Butler, Sr., a land grant to said Joseph of 2,250 acres. Shem Butler Jr. was bequeathed 10 pds sterling in lieu of any claim on the estate, but further down into the document he bequeathed him 200 acres and 250 acres adjoining his son, Joseph, to be taken out of the 750 acre tract adjoining the other 250 acres. Joseph was given 500 acres lying between the Ogeechee and Combahee where he formerly lived (near Salthatchie River). In addition to all of these tracts, Shem had purchased 500 acres from William Harn which he directed to be sold. Issue:
1. Shem Butler
2. Joseph Butler.
3. Elizabeth Butler, age 25 at the time of her father's death.
4. Edith Butler.
5. Thomas Butler.
6. Ann Butler.
7. James Butler.
8. John Butler. John was made executor of his father's last will and testament and at the time of probate stated that he and Benjamin Stiles were the only surviving named executors. The Christian Monitor dated 22 Nov 1796 “Died 21st aged 29 years John Butler native of Boston, long resident in Charleston... The last seven years resided in Savannah.&8221; This notice explains everything. John Butler resided in Charleston until his father died and came to Georgia in 1789 to administer his estate. John was listed among the last seven children in his father's will and given only slaves. Inventory of John Butler's estate in 1796 clearly lists two of the slaves of his grandfather, Sipio and Eley and two of the slaves of Shem Butler, Tom, Eley and Prince. The Georgia Gazette dated 28 July 1791....Married in Savannah, John Butler and Mrs. Eliza Roberts of South Carolina. The 1793 Chatham County Tax Digest lists John Butler, 100 acres; Shadrach Butler; Shem Butler, 250 acres, and William Butler, 166, 200 and 200 acres. John's 100 acres does not jive with the number of slaves he owned when he died, that is about seventeen in number. The 100 acres must have been located on the Little Ogeechee which is on a river on Ogeechee Road in Savannah.
Joseph Butler, Jr., died 1768 in Chatham County. His wife was Margaret (1738-1790). Joseph Butler, Sr., executor of the estate.
Mary Butler married Thomas Spencer.
James Butler, planter of the Ogeechee. He was mentioned in the last will and testament of William Elliott, the elder, of Charleston, South Carolina, dated 14 Feb 1778.

Issue of Joseph Butler, Sr. and Margaret Crocker Butler:
Estate of Margaret Butler. Her sons, Benjamin and Shadrack Butler, administrators. Joseph Roberts, security.

Benjamin (died 1810 in Chatham County) Estate of Benjamin Butler
Shadrach Butler.
Meshack Butler, letters of administration issued 10 Mar 1791. Administrators, Benjamin and Shadrach Butler.
Frances Butler.
William Butler.