In preparation for a Butt family reunion later this month, I completed a book on our family patriarch, my grandfather, F.O. (Festus Orestes) Butt, along with appendices with information about
each of his and his wife Essie’s seven children and their descendants. It is available on Amazon in either
paperback or
Kindle.
Festus Orestes (F.O.) was born February 3, 1875, in Lovington, Moultrie County, IL. His parents were William Alvin Butt, Sr. (1843-1934) and Anna Marie (“Annie”) Weaver Butt (1848-1899). William Alvin Butt, Sr. was
the son of Archibald D. Butt (1820-1904), who was the son of Addison Butt (unknown-1845), who migrated from Kentucky to Moultrie County, IL, before 1842.
William Alvin Butt, Sr. was first a farmer and Civil War veteran of the Union army. Later he worked for the railroad. In the 1900 Census, living in Green Forest, AR, he is listed as a “cabinet worker.” Annie was
a homemaker. Between 1867 and 1888, Alvin Butt, Sr. and Anna Marie (“Annie”) Weaver Butt had nine children. Annie died in 1899, and William married Mattie T. Lyttle (1863-1935) in 1903.
F.O. Butt attended high school in Harrison AR and
at age seventeen, began teaching and reading the law under W.
F. Pace. In 1896, at age 21, F.O. Butt was admitted to the bar and elected to the Arkansas House of Representatives as a representative for Carroll County. He served
two terms in the Arkansas House of Representatives, from 1897 to 1900.
Figure
1 –
F.O. Butt was teaching at the Butler School at age 19 in 1894
On May 22, 1901, when he was 26, F.O. married Edna Esther “Essie Mae” Cox in Berryville, AR.
…"I wondered about the apple tree. Since it was in spring, was the apple tree in bloom?"
"When I was living in Green Forest, I had my own little 6 room cottage that personally I had built myself with the help of the Methodist preacher and a little outside help, and sleeping there once in a while, but largely still living at home with Father and
the boys."
"This girl whose attention had attracted me a time or two… at that time I didn’t have any sweetheart and I don’t know that at any time in my whole life I ever did have, as far as that’s concerned. Anyway, on this particular afternoon I drove around her father’s
house with my own little sorrel team of mares. They were a pair of little beauties and very nice – to see if she’s like to go for a ride. And, as usual, I found that she was amenable – got into the buggy and we drove off over westward from Green Forest on
the Berryville Road,"
"And about a mile before we came into Berryville we passed a farm house with an immense apple tree in the corner of a yard. And, admiring it as we passed by, she made the statement apropos of nothing at all; she’d just like to be married under a tree like that.
And that was that."
"It was a mile out from Berryville, and on the way in I opened up the subject again, and I said, ‘Now, aside from the apple tree, did you ever think about getting married at all?’ And she said that she didn’t and never had given it very much thought."
"Well," I said, "Suppose we go into Berryville and get married!" And her answer was "All right."
"Now that’s the part that she persistently denies. We drove on into Berryville and up on the public square. Out came Joe Maples who at that time was the circuit clerk of Carroll County."
"He was an old school teacher of mine, a greatly loved friend, he liked me and I like him. And he came out at once with grin to say howdy do and shake hands and greet Essie, whose father he knew very well. And I said to him, ‘Mr. Maples, Essie and I have just
been talking about getting married and have concluded to get married.’ That wasn’t so. There hadn’t been anything said about getting married or actually pulling off the stunt."
"Well, he said, " I think that’s fine but I can’t marry you. I’m court clerk, I’m not county judge anymore. But Bert Pitman, here in the courthouse, he’s county judge. I’ll call him out."
"And about that time Bert came to the front door and came out to the buggy to shake hands also, with my companion and me. And I broached the subject to him. I said, Bert, Essie and I here have been talking about getting married and concluded we’d get married
and would like to have you perform the ceremony. Well, he said, I don’t know whether I can. I never have married anyone since I was county judge. But it’s all right. Do you want to be married right here in the buggy? And Joe spoke up and said, Why no, they
haven’t got any license yet. They just spoke to me about getting a license for them. No, they’re not ready to get married yet. I’ll go and see about the license."
"Well, Bert said, my team and Buggy is hitched here to the fence. You go ahead and get their license and they can get turned around and in some shady place on the square. But Essie said, No, I want to get married under that old apple tree a mile out from town.
Oh, yes, everyone knows about that old apple tree. All right, we’ll go ahead. And Bert turned back into the office (courthouse) and pretty soon came out, got into his buggy, and hitched in behind us, and we all went around the square and out the south road
and took the road back toward Green Forest."
"Joe Maples had gotten into the buggy with Bert Pitman. When we got out to the Apple Tree Farm, I got out and hitched my team to the fence and went to the porch and knocked and the woman came to the door and I said to her, my girl and me have decided to get
married and we want to get married under your lovely apple tree if it’s all right with you. And she said, why, of course, it’s all right. Just wait ’til I get my apron off and I’ll come out, which she did."
"By that time Pitman and Joe had hitched their team to the fence and come in and we all arranged ourselves under the great big apple tree, whose lower limbs were high enough from the ground that we could all stand upright even under that big spreading tree.
And then the ceremony was performed. That apple tree never died. It was still a living apple tree the last time I passed by there and stood biggety, biggety as could be. It had no effect on the tree."
"The woman insisted on us waiting until she cooked up a supper for us, which we didn’t. Maples and Pitman went back to Berryville, and Essie and I took our way back to Green Forest and I took her home. That was the sum total."
"Her father came in about the time that we got there. Shortly after he got there and before I had left to go home myself, my horses and my team buggy were hitched to the front fence, and Father Cox himself came in. And Essie proceeded to tell him about it,
much to his apparent amazement and satisfaction. He said several nice things to me; how pleased he was and if he had to give Essie up he knew of no one he’d give her up to more cheerfully than me. He’s a fine old man and a good friend of mine."
"Question: Did you go home alone?"
"Oh no, We stayed all night there at father Cox’s, after supper which Essie prepared for me."
"The following day, we got into my buggy and for the first time went home, which was a little 6 room cottage up on the wrong side of town. We lived there until we moved
to Eureka Springs."
"Pitman performed the ceremony, but Maples and he were witnesses to it, and 2 or 3 local townsmen whose attention had been attracted."
"There were, I guess, 3 or 4 people, actually lookers-on present at the wedding. But the wedding itself didn’t take place under the apple tree. We were under the apple tree a few minutes afterward. We had a little side verandum crown around the buggy at the
time I did drive out, with Bert Pitman in the lead. But we actually weren’t married under the apple tree. It wasn’t until we went out to it that we hitched our team and I went in and attracted the attention of the lady of the house who seemed to be the only
person…"
In 1902, Butt was elected to the Arkansas Senate to represent Carroll and Madison counties;
he would serve in the Senate from 1903 to 1906.
Figure
2 – Four generations, c 1902: William Alvin Butt, Archibald Butt, John Butt and F.O. Butt
In 1911, F.O. Butt was elected mayor of Eureka Springs and served two terms, serving until 1920. During
his tenure, he was known for his leadership, oratory, and efforts to secure Eureka Springs’ perpetual first‑class city status through legislation in 1913.
He was president of the First national Bank of Eureka Springs during the famous robbery of 1922.
Figure
3 – “This gun was picked up by Attorney F.O. Butt from the side of one of the dead bandits.”
Figure
4 – The Butt family in 1940 in Eureka Springs
Figure
5 – Plaque at former Low Office of F.O. Butt
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