William Butler (* 1731-09-29)⟮1⟯FamilySearch and Margery Davis (* 1732-09-13)⟮2⟯FamilySearch were my 6th-great-grandparents, being the parents of Margery Butler, wife of James Rich Jr. They were born in Middletown, Connecticut and ultimately settled there after living for a time in the nearby town of Branford. William was the son of John Butler and Sarah Foster, and Margery was the daughter of John Davis and Margery Whitmore.
I have found no clear record of them after the 1757 baptism of their daughter. The appointment of a guardian for their son Davis in 1771 suggests they may have died by then.
Identifying the parents of Margery Butler is a tricky matter. Her baptism in 1757 (below) only names a father William. The articles by Evelyn Rich (discussed in James Rich Jr.) name her mother as Margery, but with no source. With two children named Margery and Davis both baptized on the same day in 1757, it is reasonable to home in on the Margery Davis born in 1732 as a likely mother, who also chronologically fits. Adding to this is that Davis was placed under the guardianship of Margery Davis’s uncle (see below).
The best evidence so far is found in three land sale records:
There is a baptism William in Brandford (see below), which names both parents, as William and “Marjorie”.
From these details, it is clear these William Butlers are the same person and the son of John and Sarah, and that he lived in Branford, a few miles south, for a time, before returning to Middletown, where their two children Margery and Davis were baptized. The latter two records state that the land was inherited, while the first does not, but the evidence shows that it too was.
Francis Whitmore, father of Margery (Whitmore) Davis, mother of Margery Davis, provides for his daughter in his will dated 1748-04-04 and proved 1750-05-14:⟮6⟯
I give to my daughter Margery, the wife of John Davis, and to her heirs forever, all my land that lyes between the lands of Nathan Sayres and the land herein given to my son Hezekiah.
This the elder Margery had died by 1752-04-07, as noted by her husband in a land deed.⟮7⟯FamilySearch (restricted) Other sales show her son and Margery’s brother John Davis Jr. selling inherited land, confirming that willed land went to her children.
William and Margery’s 1754 sale above describes two pieces of land, with one being “bounded northerly on Hez’ah Whitmore’s land southerly on Nathan Sayre’s land”. This corresponds to the description in Francis’s will. It explains why William living in Branford was selling land in Middletown, which there is no record of him purchasing; and why his wife is also listed in the sale, as heiress.
The conclusion is that Margery inherited this property from her mother who had in turn been willed it by her father, and that Margery, wife of William Butler and mother of his children, is this Margery Davis.
No marriage record of William and Margery has been found. Three children are known through church records:
Davis and Margery were baptized on the same day and so may be twins. However, sometimes parents delay and baptize multiple children at the same time, so this is not certain.
William Butler’s brother Thomas was the great-grandfather of Vice President William Wheeler.
William and Margery are double third cousins through Harris and Cornwall.