66. Colorful ancestor, John Lowe Butler, Bodyguard to Joseph Smith
My second great grandfather on my mother's side lived quite an amazing life. He had many health problems in his life, and yet he became strong enough to be one of the Prophet Joseph Smith's bodyguards in the last years of the Prophet's life. His Gallitan, Missouri, fight incident is well known in Church history.
John Lowe Butler, was born Apr, 8, 1808, in Kentucky, to James and Charity Lowe Butler. He was not a healthy child. When he was seven years old he was stricken with inflammatory rheumatism which spread over his body from his toes to his fingertips. This disease returned once or twice a year until he was 20. When he was 19, the pain settled in his left side and his thigh and his arm began to fail him. John became so frail that his mother could carry him about in her arms. In spite of his long, continued illness, he stood six feet tall when he was 22. His extensive autobiography shows he had adequate schooling during his youth. He himself taught school in his early twenties, and as dictionaries weren’t often available, he spelled words as they sounded. His early life was plagued with bad health, at times almost fatal.
Before John was four, terrible earthquakes jolted the region. Tremors on December 16, 1811, and January 23 and February 7, 1812, followed by many aftershocks were called the New Madrid earthquake. This suddenly created an eighteen-mile-long Reelfoot Lake, where land sank not far away. It is said that the Mississippi River flowed backwards for 10 to 24 hours to fill it. Young John, a son of farm parents, spent more time farming than doing anything else. Most farms had a hog, a few chickens, and a small orchard.
John was born two months before Jefferson Davis and forty miles southeast of his birthplace. He was born ten months before Abraham Lincoln and seventy miles southwest of his birthplace. John, being of Virginia and North Carolina heritage, grew up within a system of patriarchal, clannish families, common in the South. Family allegiance was very important, and anything that threatened their clan was to be shunned. Thus, when John and Caroline joined the Church, they were going against their traditions.
He married Caroline Farozine Skeen, February 3, 1831. Her father presented the young couple two slaves when they were married. John accepted them graciously, then promptly freed them. The Butlers didn't agree with slavery. Twelve children were born to John and Caroline.
His occupation was that of a school teacher, a farmer, a blacksmith, and a wheelwright. John’s family were Methodist but he could not accept that religion and he joined the Baptist church, but he was still unhappy. John was so discouraged that he decided not to read the Bible anymore and he told this to the Lord one night in his barn. Thunder shook and lightning flashed and he heard a voice speak: “I shall put you through a refiner’s fire.” He looked around and he was alone at the time. Mormonism was introduced to Kentucky the first part of March, 1835. John read the Book of Mormon and he heard a voice say “This is the truth that you’ve been hearing, now choose or refuse.” He and his wife were baptized March 9, 1835.
The Butler family started for Missouri in April of 1836 by ox team, a distance of three hundred miles. They lived in Caldwell County two years then started to build a home in Davis County. Though John Lowe Butler’s health had been delicate in his youth, after he joined the Church he became a broad strong man. He was married at age 22, and by the time he was 27, he had grown two and a half inches and felt he could handle any two men on the earth.
Trouble broke out in Gallatin, a small town in Davis County. It was election Day, August 6, 1838. A man by the name of Peniston, who had been one of the mob that was instrumental in driving the Mormons from Jackson County, was a candidate for the legislature. Knowing his fate with reference to the Mormon vote, he harangued against them and influenced the crowd gathered at the polls to prevent the Mormons from voting. A fight followed. The mob, according to Church history, numbered about 100 men, the Mormons present numbered twelve. So in this time of stress and need, John’s unusual physical strength and his righteous anger enabled him to handle not only two men but many. He said, “Come Brethren, we will vote, our fathers fought in the Revolution for freedom. We will exercise our rights as citizens.”
With a large stick, as John had no other arms, they cleared the way to the polls and cast their ballots. The account of this conflict was exaggerated and made an excuse for almost a general uprising against the Mormons throughout the State. Before going home from the election, he rode to Far West to see the Prophet, who, because of the experience of the day, counseled him to move his family from Davis County immediately. He hurried home, arriving after dark. He and his wife set to work, packing their belongings and left with their last load just before daybreak and went to a Brother Taylor’s home. At sunrise, a neighbor said, about 30 men surrounded the house so recently vacated. They later saw the house go up in flames, and thought John and his family had been killed.
John took his family to Far West where they suffered the persecutions of the Saints. Part of the time John was in hiding because there was a price on his head. He was taken prisoner but he escaped by swimming across the river in icy temperatures. John and others went into Illinois ahead of their families to prepare a home for them. He spent the winter of 1838-1839 teaching school in Commerce.
John and his wife, Caroline, had many experiences which in future blogs I will mention. This one goes to the fight at Gallatin, Missouri. When the city of Nauvoo was organized, he was appointed one of the twelve bodyguards to "General" Joseph Smith. He was with the Prophet constantly until the Prophet and his brother were taken prisoner at Carthage. The bodyguard begged to stay and lay their lives down for them, but the Prophet sent them home to get some rest. The bodyguard traveled the entire distance from Carthage to Nauvoo waithout saying a word. They all felt that the Prophet of God was about to be taken from them. What faith and stamina these men had! To even imagine how they felt is humbling to me!
John Lowe Butler, was born Apr, 8, 1808, in Kentucky, to James and Charity Lowe Butler. He was not a healthy child. When he was seven years old he was stricken with inflammatory rheumatism which spread over his body from his toes to his fingertips. This disease returned once or twice a year until he was 20. When he was 19, the pain settled in his left side and his thigh and his arm began to fail him. John became so frail that his mother could carry him about in her arms. In spite of his long, continued illness, he stood six feet tall when he was 22. His extensive autobiography shows he had adequate schooling during his youth. He himself taught school in his early twenties, and as dictionaries weren’t often available, he spelled words as they sounded. His early life was plagued with bad health, at times almost fatal.
Before John was four, terrible earthquakes jolted the region. Tremors on December 16, 1811, and January 23 and February 7, 1812, followed by many aftershocks were called the New Madrid earthquake. This suddenly created an eighteen-mile-long Reelfoot Lake, where land sank not far away. It is said that the Mississippi River flowed backwards for 10 to 24 hours to fill it. Young John, a son of farm parents, spent more time farming than doing anything else. Most farms had a hog, a few chickens, and a small orchard.
John was born two months before Jefferson Davis and forty miles southeast of his birthplace. He was born ten months before Abraham Lincoln and seventy miles southwest of his birthplace. John, being of Virginia and North Carolina heritage, grew up within a system of patriarchal, clannish families, common in the South. Family allegiance was very important, and anything that threatened their clan was to be shunned. Thus, when John and Caroline joined the Church, they were going against their traditions.
He married Caroline Farozine Skeen, February 3, 1831. Her father presented the young couple two slaves when they were married. John accepted them graciously, then promptly freed them. The Butlers didn't agree with slavery. Twelve children were born to John and Caroline.
His occupation was that of a school teacher, a farmer, a blacksmith, and a wheelwright. John’s family were Methodist but he could not accept that religion and he joined the Baptist church, but he was still unhappy. John was so discouraged that he decided not to read the Bible anymore and he told this to the Lord one night in his barn. Thunder shook and lightning flashed and he heard a voice speak: “I shall put you through a refiner’s fire.” He looked around and he was alone at the time. Mormonism was introduced to Kentucky the first part of March, 1835. John read the Book of Mormon and he heard a voice say “This is the truth that you’ve been hearing, now choose or refuse.” He and his wife were baptized March 9, 1835.
The Butler family started for Missouri in April of 1836 by ox team, a distance of three hundred miles. They lived in Caldwell County two years then started to build a home in Davis County. Though John Lowe Butler’s health had been delicate in his youth, after he joined the Church he became a broad strong man. He was married at age 22, and by the time he was 27, he had grown two and a half inches and felt he could handle any two men on the earth.
Trouble broke out in Gallatin, a small town in Davis County. It was election Day, August 6, 1838. A man by the name of Peniston, who had been one of the mob that was instrumental in driving the Mormons from Jackson County, was a candidate for the legislature. Knowing his fate with reference to the Mormon vote, he harangued against them and influenced the crowd gathered at the polls to prevent the Mormons from voting. A fight followed. The mob, according to Church history, numbered about 100 men, the Mormons present numbered twelve. So in this time of stress and need, John’s unusual physical strength and his righteous anger enabled him to handle not only two men but many. He said, “Come Brethren, we will vote, our fathers fought in the Revolution for freedom. We will exercise our rights as citizens.”
With a large stick, as John had no other arms, they cleared the way to the polls and cast their ballots. The account of this conflict was exaggerated and made an excuse for almost a general uprising against the Mormons throughout the State. Before going home from the election, he rode to Far West to see the Prophet, who, because of the experience of the day, counseled him to move his family from Davis County immediately. He hurried home, arriving after dark. He and his wife set to work, packing their belongings and left with their last load just before daybreak and went to a Brother Taylor’s home. At sunrise, a neighbor said, about 30 men surrounded the house so recently vacated. They later saw the house go up in flames, and thought John and his family had been killed.
John took his family to Far West where they suffered the persecutions of the Saints. Part of the time John was in hiding because there was a price on his head. He was taken prisoner but he escaped by swimming across the river in icy temperatures. John and others went into Illinois ahead of their families to prepare a home for them. He spent the winter of 1838-1839 teaching school in Commerce.
John and his wife, Caroline, had many experiences which in future blogs I will mention. This one goes to the fight at Gallatin, Missouri. When the city of Nauvoo was organized, he was appointed one of the twelve bodyguards to "General" Joseph Smith. He was with the Prophet constantly until the Prophet and his brother were taken prisoner at Carthage. The bodyguard begged to stay and lay their lives down for them, but the Prophet sent them home to get some rest. The bodyguard traveled the entire distance from Carthage to Nauvoo waithout saying a word. They all felt that the Prophet of God was about to be taken from them. What faith and stamina these men had! To even imagine how they felt is humbling to me!
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