Montgomery County PA Archives Biographies.....Butcher, William November 13, 1838 - 
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Source: Biographical Annals of Montgomery County Pennsylvania, T. S. Benham & Company and the Lewis Publishing Company, 1904
Author: Ellwood Roberts, Editor

WILLIAM BUTCHER, a prominent farmer in Norriton township, 
was born in Worcester township, Montgomery county, November 
13, 1838. He is the son of John and Rachel (Wagner) Butcher.

  John Butcher (father) was a native of Philadelphia, where 
he learned his trade of blacksmith. He was born July 4, 
i800, and lived until 1892. He started to follow his trade 
in Fairview village, afterwards removing to Centre Point. In 
1839 he settled on the Williams farm in Norriton township, 
the same farm which is now owned by his son William. He was 
a skilled mechanic, and men came from a great distance to 
get their horses shod in his shop. In making axes and all 
kinds of farm implements he had no superior and very few 
equals in Montgomery county.

  In early life John Butcher was a Whig, and on the 
organization of the Republican party became one of its 
members and remained so until his death. He married Rachel 
Wagner, a member of an old Pennsylvania family. She was a 
Presbyterian and a member in Norristown for a time, but 
afterwards transferred her membership to the Wentz church, 
in Worcester township. They and their children who are 
deceased are buried there. 

  Their children were Peter, died young; Catharine, died 
young; Mary Ann, married John Stiver, and after his death 
married Michael Rodenbaugh; they had a large family of 
children (she is now deceased); Louisa, married Albanus 
Lair, and they also had a large family; William; John W., 
married Eliza Jane Caldwell; John was a soldier in the Civil 
war.

  William Butcher removed with his parents to his present 
home when he was one year old, and was reared on this farm. 
He worked on his father's farm until he was twenty-four 
years of age, also devoting some attention to learning the 
trade of blacksmith. His education was obtained at the 
public schools of the neighborhood, which he attended three 
or four months in winter. As soon as he was old enough to 
work in the shop or on the farm he was employed in one of 
those occupations the entire year. The acquisition of the 
knowledge which has sufficed for a successful career as an 
agriculturist was gained principally in the great school of 
life.

  Arriving at the age of twenty-four years, Mr. Butcher 
married and started out in life on his own account, his 
first venture being as a tenant on the farm of Charles 
Johnson, in Plymouth township. He was a tenant on different 
farms in the neighborhood for a period of sixteen years. In 
1880, his mother having died in the meantime, his father 
offered him the farm as a tenant, asking him to make a home 
for himself, which Mr. Butcher did. 

  On the death of his father in 1892, he purchased the farm 
at the administrator's appraisement, and is still its owner. 
It contains seventeen acres, in which he raises garden truck 
and farm products generally, attaining better result than 
many farmers on tracts several times its size.

  In politics Mr. Butcher is a Republican, and has been all 
his life, believing that the principles of his party stand 
for the greatest good to the greatest number of the people 
of the United Mates. He has been a delegate to county 
conventions, but not an office-seeker or an office-holder, 
as his time was too much taken up with his farm to accept 
township office.

  Mr. Butcher's father built the blacksmith shop and all the 
buildings now standing on the farm except the principal 
residence.

  William Butcher married Elizabeth Rodenbaugh, daughter of 
Michael and Alice (Johnson) Rodenbaugh. She was born in 
Plymouth township, March 22, 1840. They have no children.

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