Butts Family Collection

Content Description

A collection of family papers, books, and other material accompanied by a travel trunk (or chest) from the Butts Family of Forest Grove, Oregon. John Butts (1810-1890), his first wife, Catherine Bonnett Butts (1812-1845), and their children emigrated from Iowa to Oregon with the Meek Party of 1845. Catherine died at Sherar's Falls on the Deschutes River while travelling on the Meek Cutoff portion of the Oregon Trail. John and the children settled on land just north of Forest Grove, Oregon, near what is now Porter Road. During the early days of the Gold Rush, John Butts left for California to search for gold, leaving his children to be boarded with Tabitha Brown. On his return, he took a new land claim on Scoggins Creek and ran a sawmill, which supplied some of the lumber used to construct Pacific University's oldest building, Old College Hall (1850). In later years, the Butts intermarried with several other Oregon families, including the Wilcox, McKinney, Sheelar and Hall families. The trunk in this collection was used during the family's travel on the Oregon Trail. It is made of blind-stamped leather over wooden boards with metal hardware and is approximately 3' x 2' x 2.5'. The initials "J. B." are written in faint letters on the top of the trunk. The interior is lined with decorative paper probably dating from the 1840s or earlier. The papers and other material in this collection relate to the Butts Family and descendants, notably members of the Wilcox and Sheelar families. These items were originally stored within the trunk. Components include: Butts Family documents, correspondence and accounts (circa 1850-1960), with a large quantity of letters to/from Dudley Wilcox (chiefly 1900-1910); -- one tintype portrait photograph (circa 1860-1880?) and several later photographs (circa 1900-1920); -- a small cardboard box containing several calling cards and invitations (circa 1880-1910); -- Genealogical notes, booklets, and other sources related to the history of the Butts Family (circa 1930s-1990s?); -- a small Bible belonging to Mary Smith containing a lock of hair and pressed flowers (circa late 1800s); -- "Tahiti with the Gospel" (Philadelphia: American Sunday-School Union, 1834); -- Hereford Union High School "Bovine" Yearbook (1928); -- 12 other books, most of which are inscribed by family members, including school textbooks and religious works (circa 1860-1890); -- News clippings related to the Butts Family (circa 1950s-2000s); -- 2 small wooden boxes containing small pieces of hardware and 2 starched cuffs (circa late 1800s); -- 2 leather straps (late 1800s?).

Acquisition Type

Gift

Provenance

The collection was kept by the family from the 1840s until 2023, when it was donated to the Pacific University Archives by Shawn Dwyer, a descendant of John Butts.

Language of Description

English

Restrictions Apply

No

Access Restrictions

Several items in the collection are fragile and/or may have live mold spores that may require special handling. Please contact the Archives for more information.

Use Restrictions

Copyright Not Evaluated