Re: Eli BUTLER 1845 - ?, Barry Co., MI
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In reply to:
Eli BUTLER 1845 - ?, Barry Co., MI
6/22/01
Hi, My husband's grandmother who is still living lived with Lucy Lewis when she was a child after her mother died.Lucy was her grandmother and Melvin (Eli's son) was her father.I'm doing some research for them and have some information that may be of interest to you.Lucy and Eli had only one child and the name I have for him is Melvin "Charlie" Butler, born about 1868 in MI.My husband's grandmother told me this info.Lucy Butler was living with her mother, Agnes Lewis in the 1870 census with 2 year old Melvin (MI, Barry, Hastings twp).Lucy married William P. Shepp sometime before 1880 and is seen in the 1880, MI census (Edmore, Montcalm) with a 12 year old "Charles", but it lists his last name as Shepp, which is incorrect.I was thinking they maybe were trying to hide the fact that Melvin was someone elses child or else the census taker got it wrong.Percy I believe was born Jan. 1893 in WA and was actually William Percy Shepp and was the child of Lucy and William Shepp, not Eli Butler.Lucy and William also had another child, Iva M. born 1886 in SD.In the 1920 census my husband's grandmother (12 yrs old) is living with Lucy Shepp in Fresno, CA.Also living with them is 1yr old Marion Shepp, and I don't know how she is related.Lucy died about 1931 in Fresno.Melvin died about 1942 in CA, but I don't see him in the CA Death database.He is buried in the Oak Hill Cemetery in San Jose.He and his wife Lillian ? had 5 children, all of them passed away except my husband's grandmother.I don't know much about Lillian except that she was born in Cheyenne, WY and died about 1919 and is buried in the same cemetery in San Jose.I'm sorry I don't know much about Eli yet.It sounds as though you know more than I do.I have a couple questions for you.Why do you think Melvin's first name was Ivan?Also, I didn't know what had happened to Eli after their divorce, so I assume he had died.How do you know they got divorced and that he is the same Eli you mentioned that married Mary Low and is shown in the 1900 Census?How are you related to Lucy Lewis?
I know I am responding to an old post, so I hope you are still at the same email address and are still doing research.I look forward to hearing from you.It sounds like you must be a distant relative of my husband.
Jenny Williams