The times we gathered with the Butler side of my
family were always interesting. It seems that all of us liked to talk – a lot.
Conversations varied but usually included family stories or anecdotes, some
repeated so often that one uncle began holding up fingers for how many times
he’d heard it. So I suppose it was inevitable that some of us would decide to
write about ourselves, each other, or other interests.
I’m not sure how far back the literary legacy goes,
but our great-grandmother, Carrie Campbell Butler, wrote short stories. Her
great-granddaughter, Carrie Campbell, compiled and published “Carrie Campbell
Butler Remembered,” which includes memories written by her son and
granddaughters and a couple of the short stories.
Carrie Butler’s grandson, J. Warren Butler, wrote a
brief autobiography, “One of the Twins,” that detailed his time in WWII. He
made copies for family members but declined to publish it formally. However, he was interviewed and recorded for the Library of Congress.
That interview is still available: John Warren Butler Collection (AFC/2001/001/05562),
Veterans History Project, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.
His
son, Craig G. Butler, wrote an article, “Twins from Cotton Fields in
Louisiana,” which appeared in The AF News
in March 2012. It talked about those ‘famous’ Butler boys in WWII. His son,
John Butler, wrote about a different battle, cancer, in his book, “Envying
Job,” published in 2014. Finding out about his book made me think of family
history.
The
twins suggested that my mother write her autobiography. At the time, she was
losing her eyesight and could no longer see to write. She made a few attempts
to record information on cassette tapes, but unfortunately, changes in her
health did not allow her to complete the task. Time elapsed after her death
before I finally decided to transcribe that information and add to it to
complete the book “V. B. R.: My Mother’s Story,” published in 2014. Some
excerpts are also in “Alalitcom” 2004, 2007, 2015, and “Listen Up: Alabama
Women Speak” 2019.
Lest
you think we only write about ourselves, my cousin, William B. Butler,
published “The Fur Trade in Colorado” in 2012. Extensively researched, besides
the fur trade, it’s a look at what life in the American West was like on the frontier.
And though I usually write more in the memoir genre, “Bugs, Catalpa Worms…and
Murder” is my undertaking in the cozy mystery area.
I
hope I haven’t left anyone out. If so, all you Butler kin need to let us know
if you’ve written. Scattered across the country, we haven’t kept up. As is
usually the case, the older generations are no longer with us, and we of the
younger generation don’t seem to get together or keep in touch. We need a
family reunion!
