Agnes A. Butts

MRS. AGNES A. BUTTS, widow of the late J. F. Butts, who died in 1896, resides on a large farm in Mound Valley township, Labette county, Kansas, in section 21, township 32, range 18. Mr. and Mrs. Butts located in this county April 2, 1871.

J. F. Butts, deceased, the husband of the subject hereof, was born April 26, 1837, in Shelby county, Ohio, and came of an old Ohio family. The deed to the home farm in Ohio was signed by President Andrew Jackson. One brother, J. A. Butts, has a farm near Mrs. Butts' place, and lives in Mound Valley. George Butts lives in Darke county, Ohio. The children were all reared on the old homestead in Ohio, and J. F. Butts remained in that state until he located in Kansas. He had a good common-school education, and when a young man followed the occupation of a miller and farmer.

April 2, 1871, J. F. Butts removed to Labette county, and in Mound Valley township bought a claim in section 21, township 32, range 18, from Thad McGinnis. Mr. McGinnis had broken five acres of the land and had built a claim-house. Mr. Butts brought $3,000 with him from Ohio, and built a large frame house after buying his farm. This house was destroyed by fire in 1900, and Mrs. Butts had the present six-room house erected. She built the barn and outbuildings in 1897. Mr. Butts brought maple seeds from the woods, which he planted on the place, and he also planted a fine orchard. He bought 80 acres of land, south, across the road, and the farm now contains 240 acres of finely improved land. There are about 15 acres of timber along Big Hill Creek, which flows through the land. All of the many valuable improvements on the farm have been made by Mr. and Mrs. Butts, and the tract is one of the most valuable in the county. A high grade of stock is raised, and general farming is carried on. Mr. Butts died May 31, 1896, and his death was sincerely mourned by all, as he was a kind neighbor and public-spirited man. Since his death, Mrs. Butts has managed the farm in a manner which would do credit to anyone, and has been very successful.

Agnes A. (Mayginnes) Butts, the subject of this sketch, was born in Madison county, Ohio, March 14, 1836. She is a daughter of A. Mayginnes, who was of Scotch-Irish descent, and an early settler of Ohio. He was an elder in the church at Sidney for a number of years, and the family were Presbyterians. Mr. and Mrs. Mayginnes were the parents of 12 children. Francis M., familiarly called "Uncle Doc," lives in Missouri on a farm, and was in the Civil War. The subject of this sketch married Mr. Butts while living in Ohio.

Mr. and Mrs. Butts' union was blessed by the birth of nine children, namely: Effie and Walker, deceased; Ulysses, who married Ida Farmer, lives near his mother, and has four children, - Otis, Earl, Lois and Joel; Ella, who married a Mr. Shafer, who teaches school in Oklahoma, and has four children, - John Neice, Hugh Cecil, Alta G. and Agnes; Bertha and Jennie, deceased; John, who is at home on the farm; Minnie (Robinson), of Osage township, who has one daughter, - Hazel; and Rosa (Moore), who lives six miles, northeast of our subject, and has one child, Opal May.

Mr. Butts was a Republican in politics. He was a member of the school board, Excelsior District, No. 88. The family attend the Christian church.