Come From Away to Come Home : Port de Grave

Yep, more Butler family research I'm afraid. But we really are near the end of this part of the trip, so forgive us our trespasses, as this blog also serves as a diary so we remember things, our brains being not what they used to be.

We are deep in Butler territory here. The first Butlers settled land here about 400 years ago, not long after Cupids was a going concern.

It's in the middle of a long thin peninsula, with easy access to both sides. A good natural harbour is a plus, as the land is pretty open and exposed to the elements.

both sides of the same ocean

The French were the first ones to use this place, who gave it its name (meaning harbour of the beach), but they used it only during the summer cod fishery. The Andrews family were the first here, and Thomas Butler (aha!) followed shortly, and by 1675 his was the largest of the three existing plantations, according to Newfoundland's first census.

The French fishers did not approve of such wealth in so-called English hands and they came along and burned the entire place down. Not once, but twice. So there.

But the Butlers and others came back and continued to fish for generations more.

Jenny connected with the Port de Grave Heritage Society a few months ago, and she was connected to a local lady who had traced her Butler roots all the way back to Thomas. Now 80, Mona Petten invited us to visit her at home and compare notes, and then drove us around to various cemeteries that might be of interest.

the very tiny and very old Butler cemetery

the bell is where the Methodist church was,
and the graves are up the hill behind

As it happened the original Thomas had two sons - James and John. Various generations of Jameses are quite well documented, and Mona is descended from those. I am of the John line, which is a little less documented so there is still work for me to do to confirm the dots I have. Some of the Jameses members made names for themselves and became quite well known. It would appear that the Johns were a little less illustrious.

It was raining and cold when we visited the two oldest cemeteries in Port de Grave, the tiny Butler cemetery, reserved for that illustrious (ahem) family, and the Methodist cemetery that was behind the long-gone church. There are very few graves in both, and almost none with legible gravestones. The only ones still readable are too recent to be of service, but it was fascinating to see that graves here were generally placed up on hills, commanding wonderful views for those who no longer had eyes to see.

struggling steep hill to see a grave that couldn't be read

a rare grave that could still be read,
for John and Susan Butler, but are they relations?

most of the graves had only a shard of the
original stone, and all worn clean

Back to the prosperous harbour, where the crab fishery is in full swing. I am told that there are still Butlers living here, no doubt a few double digit cousins. Nice to know.