Contact

MESSAGES

BUTTERFIELDs

of New South Wales

If you have something to share, want to ask a question or just say hello, this is the place to do it. Simply send a message to the address above. Most messages will be posted below unless you mark them as "Private". Please note that this site is just an occasional past-time so response times for replies and postings will vary.

Messages

11 May 2007

Hi,

I am a descendant of Helen Butterfield, she is my GrGrGrGrandmother. She immigrated to NSW in 1853 with her sister Eliza and she married William Forbes in Sydney. From her wedding certificate I have her parents; William Butterfield (1788-1849) and Jemima Woods (1797-1862). I have just now found her grandfather to be 'John Archer Butterfield' 1744-1804 Farmer of Steeple Morden, Cambridge.

John Archer Butterfield and Sarah Strickland had 9 children:

1776 Mary, 1778 Thomas, 1780 Elizabeth, 1781 Sarah, 1783 Archer, 1784 James, 1786 Martha Ann, 1788 (my) William, 1791 Samuel

Seeing as you have Thomas Archer Butterfield 1810-1885 in your tree, we must be related! Could your Thomas be the son of Thomas 1778? If so that would make your Thomas a first cousin to my Helen Butterfield!

I wonder what the Archer connection is?!

Cheers,

Lynda van Weelderen

Sydney

Dear Lynda

Thank you for sharing your information with me. Sadly, I don't have a birth date for the Thomas you refer to. While it's feasible there's a connection, there were so many Thomas's around at that time, there is also room for some doubt. However, I do find some curious aspects to this.

Thomas Archer Butterfield (1810-1885) was the first in our line to immigrate to NSW in 1854 with his family. His father was indeed a Thomas (1785-1832) married to Mary Bishop as you rightly point out. Thomas (1785-1832) was a Linen & Woolen Draper in Royston, which is a mere 13 miles from Cambridge. If he is Thomas (b.1778) he would have been 32 years old when Thomas Archer Butterfield was born. This is possible, Thomas Archer Butterfield was the eldest son of 7 children by Thomas & Mary. The only details I have on their other children is that one was called Alfred Bishop Butterfield, and another son was FJ Butterfield (1819-1837) [I wonder if the J was after a grandfather called John?]. The only other thing I know from documents is that Thomas (1785-1832) had a cousin called Walter Butterfield.

As for the Archer connection! There appears to be a few Archer families in this region during that period, as there were Butterfields, so I assume one or two amalgamations may have taken place over time. Archer seems to pop up quite regularly. In fact, I've just noticed another Thomas Archer Butterfield who was born in Bassingbourn, Cambridgeshire (abt.1860) who's father was a James Archer Butterfield [a descendant of James (1784) possibly?].

Unfortunately, this is not a period that I am concentrating on at the moment but if you are able to cross-reference any of these folk in your research I'd certainly like to hear about it.

Good luck and best regards,

Peter R Butterfield

Sydney

[PostScript - It turns out that Lynda was spot on. Thomas Archer Butterfield (1810) was indeed a descendant of John Archer Butterfield (1744). And it was the "Archer" connection that cracked it from a Butterfield - Archer union in the mid 1700's. Well done my new distant cousin!]

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May 03, 2007 at 06:51:34

Well done Peter- really enjoyed your website. Thank you for your generosity.

I am searching for more information on my grandfather and his family (brothers, sisters and parents):

Alfred Butterfield 'Alfie'

Born Yorkshire, Uk

Immigrated to AUS

Married Dorothy Reko (Mittagong, NSW)- 7 Children + 2 died early childhood

Seperated - moved to Broome - 2nd wife & children ?

Sister - Gertrude Green - Scarborough, Yorkshire. UK (her son Frank Green, married to Barbara also of Scaborough).

If you have more information I would like to hear from you.

Tahnya Butterfield

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May 04, 2007 9:58 PM

Hi,I found your site surfing the net. I am a Butterfield living in Western

Australia. My GgGrandfather (Edward Eyre Butterfield) came to Australia

around 1860 - 1865. I don't know if he came via NSW, but he ended up as a

dairy farm landholder near Warrnambool in Victoria. I have never been able

to trace how he arrived in Australia.

Edward had a large family from two marriages and my grandfather (first

marriage) went to South Australia and became a prominent politician in the

SA Government from 1916 - 1933.

It is interesting that there were a lot of Thomas, William & Edward

Butterfields, I have researched back to about 1730.

It would be good if all Australian Butterfields could get together to share

information.

Your site is a good start to that, congratulations on your efforts.

Michael Butterfield

Western Australia

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11 May 2007

Hi,

John Archer Butterfield and Sarah Strickland had 9 children:

1776 Mary, 1778 Thomas, 1780 Elizabeth, 1781 Sarah, 1783 Archer, 1784 James, 1786 Martha Ann, 1788 (my) William, 1791 Samuel

I wonder what the Archer connection is?!

Cheers,

Lynda van Weelderen

Sydney

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2 Jan 2009

Can you tell me anything about the children of Gordon and Ellen Butterfield?

Brendon Mainey

A) Dau. of Gordon R & Ellen Butterfield = Josephine M. Died.1931 Kempsey NSW

Son. of Gordon Roy & Helen Josephine Butterfield = Max William Died.1946 Kempsey NSW

Kind regards

Peter Butterfield

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25 Sept 2010

Hello Peter

Found your site while looking for links to Pitt contacts and noted that John Butterfield is one of your listed convicts. My research has him dying in 1797 at Sydney.( NSW BDM 1296 2A) and I was wondering if you have any other info about him. I am writing a book about the voyage of the Pitt, and the convicts, soldiers and free who arrived on the ship in 1792 so wish to add any details available.

Kind regards

Marion Starr

A) Thank you for your interest in convict John Butterfield. I don't have verification that NSW BDM 1296 2A is the John Butterfield from the Pitt, but I do think it's reasonably safe to assume he is going by the dates and records that I have. The only other information I have about that record is a Denomination which was Church of England in the Parish of Sydney, St.Phillips. Unfortunately, I haven't been able to locate any information about his trial or background yet. I'll post a note on my website to say there is interest in this individual. If something turns up I will let you know.

I have a genealogist friend who has extensive research on the history of the Pitt family, I'm not sure if that is of interest to you as well. If it is, let me know and I will pass their contact details on to you.

Kind regards

Peter Butterfield

Thanks Peter for your email . I can confirm that the John Butterfield who arrived on the Pitt in 1792 was tried at Bedford Assizes on 9 March 1791 and was sentenced to seven years transportation. The sources are the PRO records and indents that the SAG used to compile their CD Convicts to NSW 1788 -1812 .

Can find no evidence of any recorded marriage or births under this name.

Kind regards

Marion

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1 Jan 2011

Hi Peter

I have stumbled across your site while researching the Butterfield family

and found it to be a great source of information of all the Butterfields.

This time last year I travelled from WA to Sydney to continue with my

research on my Butterfields. My grandmother Margaret May Butterfield was the

youngest child of 9 children of Joseph Butterfield and his wife Annie

(Smith). Joseph was born in Keighley Yorkshire about 1856 they married in

1881 in Sydney. Joseph had a few chemist shops in the Botany area and was

interested in politics. They lived in Abbottsford at one stage.

More recently my husband and I travelled to Keighley in Yorkshire to further

our research and to visit Cliffe Castle which once belonged to Henry Isaac

Butterfield. It is now a museum with some rooms just as they were back in

the 1800"s. Henry Butterfield owned mills in the district and had a lot of

wealth.

I met a new cousin Len Butterfield who lives in the area and has done a lot

of research of the Butterfields his email address is len@lenbutterfield.co

Many thanks for your website.

Sally Rafty

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