urn:taro:utexas.cah.02485 A Guide to the John Roche Butler Papers, 1794-1904 Original EAD encoding by Bethany Anderson according to TARO 2 EAD 2002 Editing Instructions. March 2011 Finding aid written in English. Descriptive Summary Butler, John Roche, b. ca. 1795 Butler, John Roche, Papers 1794-1904 Materials are written in English, French, and Spanish. 95-116; 95-211 2 in. Dolph Briscoe Center for American History, The University of Texas at Austin Composed of correspondence, legal documents, and newspaper clippings, the John Roche Butler Papers, 1794-1904, chronicle the career of Butler as a sea captain and the experiences of the Butler and Kleiber families. Biographical Note

Born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, John Roche Butler (b. ca. 1795), a veteran of the War of 1812, worked as a sea captain stationed in Point Isabel (now Port Isabel), Texas. Following Butler’s appointment as Harbor Master for the Second Municipality of New Orleans in 1840, he served in the Mexican War, commanding a ship under General Winfield Scott. Butler married Pauline Victoire Lebau, a native of Paris, France, with whom he had at least four daughters: Josephine, Pauline, Mary, and Emma. Emma married Joseph Kleiber, an entrepreneur and railroad developer. The couple had five children and initially settled in Brownsville, Texas, before relocating to Matamoros, Tamaulipas.

Source:

Hunter, John H. Kleiber, Joseph. Handbook of Texas Online. Accessed on March 21, 2011. http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/fkl08.

 Scope and Contents

Composed of correspondence, legal documents, and newspaper clippings, the John Roche Butler Papers, 1794-1904, chronicle the career of Butler as a sea captain and the experiences of the Butler and Kleiber families. Largely comprised of letters between Butler and his daughters as well as between members of the Butler and Kleiber families, correspondence concerns familial affairs and describes Butler’s seafaring ventures. Legal papers include a will, Butler’s certification as a sailor under the Act for the Relief and Protection of American Seamen, and a certificate appointing Butler as Harbor Master for the Second Municipality of New Orleans, Louisiana. The collection also contains photocopies of obituary notices for members of the Butler family.

 Access Restrictions

This collection is open for research use.

 Index Terms Subjects (Persons) Butler, John Roche, b. ca. 1795 -- Archives. Butler family. Kleiber family. Subjects Sailors -- Texas -- History -- 19th century. Seafaring life -- Texas -- History -- 19th century. Places Brownsville (Tex.) -- History -- 19th century. Galveston (Tex.) -- History -- 19th century. New Orleans (Tex.) -- History -- 19th century. Point Isabel (Tex.) -- History -- 19th century. Preferred Citation

John Roche Butler Papers, 1794-1904, Dolph Briscoe Center for American History, The University of Texas at Austin.

 Processing Information

Basic processing and cataloging of this collection was supported with funds from the National Historical Publications and Records Commission (NHPRC) for the Briscoe Center’s History Revealed: Bringing Collections to Light project, 2009-2011.

 Detailed Description of the Papers Inventory 2.325/A23c Correspondence and legal documents, 1794-1904 2.325/AA13c Correspondence and legal documents, [ca. 1830-1840]