Matthias Button (abt. 1610 - 1672)

Matthias Button migrated to New England during the Puritan Great Migration (1621-1640). (See Great Migration Begins, by R. C. Anderson, Vol. 1, p. 292) Join: Puritan Great Migration Project Discuss: pgm

Biography

This profile is part of the Button Name Study.

His origins are unknown. No record of the birth or baptism of Matthias Button has been identified. As yet, no records found about the New England immigrant mention parents or siblings. Apparently the New England records discovered also do not memorialize the age of the early settler, for In 1995, Robert Charles Anderson estimated Matthias Button's birth as "by 1610 based on approximated date of first marriage."^[1]

Matthias Button arrived in New England in 1633, initially settling in Boston, removing to Ipswich in 1636, and Haverhill in 1652. Notions that he arrived earlier and/or on the Abigail have not proven to be justified. "The Winthrop Society recognizes Matthias Button as a very early planter but does not list him as the passenger on any ship."^[2]

According to The Great Migration Begins, on 18 March 1658/9 "Matthias Button and Tegell his wife of Haverhill" sold property to John Hazeltine of Rowley.^[1][3][4]

He died in Haverhill 13 August 1672. Later his wife/widow Elizabeth refused to relinquish her dower rights.^[5] He left no will, but an inventory was ordered in October 1672^[6]; Captain Nathaniel Saltonstall was appointed administrator pro tempore in 1673.^[7] The inventory proceeded in four installments -- 2 Dec 1672, 5 Apr 1673, 7 Oct 1673, 9 Mar 1673/4. Finally, 14 Nov 1676 it was ordered that the estate be divided equally among his five children, two of whom were identified as daughters, implying that at this administration, 3 sons lived.^[8]

Matthias Button married four times:

1. Lettice _____, "by 1633"^[9][10]; she died sometime after 1635 (birth of child) and before Mattias married again
2. Joan (_____) Thornton, by 16 November 1639^[9]; she was the widow of John Thornton of Ipswich^[11]. She died before Matthias married again.
3. Teagle _____, by about 1650^[9][12] She died Haverhill 4 February 1662/3 when their home was burned down; John Godfrey was accused.^[13]
4. Elizabeth (Wheeler) Duston, at Haverhill 9 June 1663.^[9] She was born about 1622,^[14] the daughter of John Wheeler and widow of Thomas Duston.^[15] Elizabeth died Haverhill 16 July 1690.^[16]

He was a mariner.^[17] No record has been discovered to indicate that Matthias Button became a church member. His first wife was admitted to the Boston church in 1633/34.^[18]

Mention of Matthias Button is found in various court records, and he engaged in a number of land transactions.

• "Ipswich Proceedings" 19 Dec 1648 a list of subscribers contributing to a fund payable annually to Maior (sic) Denison: Mathias Button 3 shillings.^[19]
• He accused John Godfrey of setting the 1672/3 fire that burned Button's home, killing his wife. Related court hearings followed over many years. Anderson goes into great detail about Button's relations and problems with Godfrey, which also included Button's wife accusing Godfrey of witchcraft. After the fire, Button claimed he had losses there totaling £111 1s. and "the loss of his owne time and which is the most damage to his estate the death of his wife occassioned hereby, £20."^[20]

Anderson wrote,^[21]

• "His daughter Sarah refused to swear to the inventory, saying that her father had sold the butter he was claiming to the merchant for hats, and that the amount of linen in the house was much overstated. The bedding had been seen since the house was burned. Button angrily told Abraham Whitaker that if he swore against the inventory, he would strike him, and that if there were some things in the inventory which should not be there, there were some things left out which should have been in, so they might set one against the other."

Children

With first wife, Lettice ____:

1. Mary, bp Boston 23 Feb 1633/4; m at Haverhill; m Edward Yeomans.
2. Daniel, bp Boston 22 Feb 1634/5; d bef 10 April 1654 (brother of same name then born)

With third wife, Teagle ___ :

1. Sarah, b "say 1650 [possibly daughter with second wife]"; James Kingsbury [prob s/o Henry & Susannah Kingsbury].
2. Hannah, b Haverhill 11 May 1652; before the court in 1671 for fornication.^[22]
3. Daniel, b Haverhill 10 April 1654; slain at Muddy-Brook Bridge 18 Sep 1675. His 1677 estate was divided among his brothers and sisters.
4. Abigail, b Haverhill 16 June 1656; No further record; was probably deceased at the time Matthias' estate was divided.
5. Matthias, b Haverhill 17 March 1657/8; m Mary Neff.
6. Peter, b Haverhill 17 July 1660; m Mary Lanphear, daughter of George Lanphear. NOTE: Anderson initially believed that this Peter was deceased by the 1676 distribution of his father's estate (GMB, p 295). But a correction to GMB published on page 2088 points out that the division clearly implies 3 surviving sons, and the only other two known sons were Daniel and Matthias, leaving Peter as still living. The correction also points out that Peter Button was a witness to a land deed related to his sister in 1692, and that the Peter Button who married Mary Lanphear named one of his sons Mathias.
7. Patience, b Haverhill 1 June 1662; d Haverhill 30 October 1662.

Research Notes

Disputed Parents / Origins:

There was a Mattias Button, the son of Thomas, who was baptized on 11 Oct 1607 at Harrold, Bedford County, England.^[23] However, consistent with the PGM Project style guidelines, this profile generally follows the findings published by Robert Charles Anderson in 1995,^[1] unless there is new research or evidence which R.C. Anderson did not consider in reaching the conclusions drawn in that series.

In 1971, authors R. Glen Nye and Katherine (Watson) Nye reported that Matthias Button immigrated in 1628.^[24] Further, that he was one and the same, the child baptized Harrold, Bedford, England on 11 October 1607, a son of "Thomas Button."^[25][26] This same information and association is found in one of the much earlier handwritten manuscripts by Alphonzo Button.^[27]

In his 1995 profiling of the immigrant, Robert Charles Anderson specifically considered and rejected this claim. He found no record of Mathias Button at New England prior to 1633. Anderson wrote further of the parentage claimed by the Nyes, saying:

• "Such a baptism does exist, but there is no other evidence in support of this claim. Furthermore, since our Matthias is called at one point a "Dutchman," he presumably derived from a Germanic-speaking region on the Continent and not from England."^[28]

WikiTree has on different occasions associated Matthias as the son of a Thomas Button. Such associations have been severed. Likewise, associations with parents Thomas Button and Mary Price have also been severed.

As with all genealogical work, findings such as those mentioned above are subject to review and update, based on improved historical discovery and insight.

Surnames of Lettyce and Teagle:
There has been much confusion in many family trees regarding the surnames of Matthias' wives Lettyce and Teagle. Many trees have attempted to resolve this confusion by combining these names and sometimes creating new names adding "Ann", "Elizabeth", etc, or turning Teagle into a surname. The best source found thus far regarding Lettyce and Teagle is the original research notes from from Clarence Almon Torrey's lifelong work on the "New England Marriages Prior to 1700" which can be found on FamilySearch.^[9] Mr. Torrey's notes are very clear in demonstrating that he was unable to assign a surname to either person. This was also the determination of Robert Charles Anderson in The Great Migration Begins (p.294).^[1] Thus Lettyce and Teagle are the first names of each of these women and the surnames of each remain unknown.

Sources

1. ↑ ^{1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3} Robert Charles Anderson, Great Migration Begins, Boston, MA: NEHGS (1995), p 292-298 (Mattias Button), and corrections, 2088, especially p. 294 (for his birth) and 295 (for references to Nye and Nye, 1971 (in particular parts); digital images by subscription, AmericanAncestors (Mattias Button) and AmericanAncestors (correction).
2. ↑ Anderson, pp. 292-298.
3. ↑ New England Historical and Genealogical Register (NEHGR), Vol. 6 (1852), p. 246, Early Settlers of Essex and Old Norfolk; where she is described as "Tegell or Teagle" https://www.americanancestors.org/databases/new-england-historical-and-genealogical-register/image?pageName=246&volumeId=11690
4. ↑ The Essex Antiquarian, A Monthly Magazine Devoted to the Biography, Genealogy, History and Antiquities of Essex County, Massachusetts, Volume 2 (1898), Old Norfolk Records; where she is described as Tegle https://www.americanancestors.org/databases/essex-antiquarian/image?pageName=181&volumeId=7520
5. ↑ Anderson, p. 293, citing "EQC 5:153".
6. ↑ Anderson, citing "EQC 5:104"
7. ↑ Anderson, p 293, citing "EQC 5:153"
8. ↑ Anderson, pp 293, citing "EPR 3:101"
9. ↑ ^{9.0 9.1 9.2 9.3 9.4} Torrey, Clarence Almon. New England marriages prior to 1700, New England Historic Genealogical Society, FamilySearch Film #929494, image group film #00776538, image 940 of 1482, FamilySearch. FamilySearch: https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-CSM4-8FV9?i=939&cat=290345 AmericanAncestors: https://www.americanancestors.org/databases/new-england-marriages-to-1700/image?volumeId=21174&pageName=218&rId=426878588
10. ↑ Anderson, p 294
11. ↑ Anderson, p 294, citing "Essex Ant. 8:3"
12. ↑ Anderson, p 293, citing "NLR 1104-06," Anderson reports deed of 18 March 1658[/5?] cited grantors as "Matthis Button and Tegell his wife of Haverhill" in a sale to John Hazelton of Rowley."
13. ↑ Anderson, p 293, citing "EQC 4373-5"
14. ↑ Anderson, p 293, citing "EQC 4:154-55" and writing "deposed age forty-seven on 29 June 1669".
15. ↑ Anderson, p. 293, citing "Pilsbury Anc 1107-09"
16. ↑ Anderson, p 293.
17. ↑ Anderson: "In a letter [undated but circa April 1636] ... Mary Dudley asks that her mother send her "a child's chair for I can get none made here and goodman Button's Boat shall call for it a fortnight hence" [WP 3:242].
18. ↑ "Lettyse Button the wife of Mathew [sic] Button" admitted to Boston church 26 Jan 1633/4 [BChR 18]" Robert Charles Anderson, Great Migration Begins ... Boston, MA: NEHGS (1995), p 292-298, 2088 (“Addenda et Corrigenda”).
19. ↑ Citing the Ipswich "old Books," Luther Wait, "Ipswich Proceedings," The New England Historical and Genealogical Register, 2 (1848):50-51; digital images, Hathi Trust
20. ↑ Anderson, p 293, citing "EQC 4:373-5"
21. ↑ Anderson, p 293, citing "29 August 1670, for June Term, 1671, EQC 4375"
22. ↑ Anderson reported she was probably among the children to receive a share of her father's estate. As Great Migration determined later that Matthas' son Peter likely survived. It follows, then, that Hannah probably did not.
23. ↑ Frederick August Blaydes, Genealogica Bedfordiensis ... (London: Chidwick Press, 1890), 131; digital image, Hathi Trust.
24. ↑ Citing "Savage's Gen.Dict.," R. Glen Nye and Katherine (Watson) Nye, ed., Button Families of America (1971), 23; digital image, FamilySearch, as FHL film 896924 (Item 1), Digital Collection, 7939260, image 91 of 663.
25. ↑ Nye & Watson, citing "Parish Records of Harrold"
26. ↑ Frederick Augustus, ed. Genealogia Bedfordiensis ... (London : Priv. print. at the Chiswick Press, 1890), 131; digital image, Hathi Trust.
27. ↑ Alphonzo Button (b. 1834), Matthias Button and His Descendants, n.d. [manuscript, 206 pp.], p. 127 of 233 in downloaded PDF; digital images, FamilySearch (as as Alphonso Button genealogy volume 2, Family History Library Catalog.
28. ↑ Citing in part, "Button Gen 23," Robert Charles Anderson, Great Migration Begins, Boston, MA: NEHGS (1995), p 292-298 (Mattias Button), and corrections, 2088, especially p. 294 (for his birth) and 295 (for references to Nye and Nye, 1971 (in particular parts); digital images by subscription, AmericanAncestors (Mattias Button) and AmericanAncestors (correction).

See also:

• Schofield, George. The Ancient Records of The Town of Ipswich (Chronicle Motor Press, Ipswich, Mass., 1899)

• • • Page 71: John Thornton, deceased, and falling into the hands of the Mathias Button, by marriage of Joane, late wife of the sayde John Thornton..."

• "A Genealogical Sketch of the Earliest Descendants of Mattias Button Who First Settled at Salem, MA.," NEHGS (1903)
• Alphonzo Button, Genealogical sketch of the Early Descendants of Matthias Button who came to America with Governor John Endicott, landing at Salem, Mass., September 6, 1629--Compiled from Authentic Sources (Second Edition and Prospectus, 1903); digital images, Internet Archive (accessed 2014).
• Alphonzo Button, Matthias Button and His Descendants, n.d. [manuscript, 269 pp.]; digital images [as "Alphonso Button genealogy volume 1", Family History Library Catalog (accessed 2014)].
• Alphonzo Button, Matthias Button and His Descendants, n.d. [manuscript, 206 pp.]; digital images [as "Alphonso Button genealogy volume 2", Family History Library Catalog (accessed 2014)]. Includes cover letter and about 42 pages of penned remarks by Perley Derby, 1888; the bulk of the Derby material overviews local area sources concerning Matthias Button, with references.
• George Francis Dow, The Probate Records of Essex County, Massachusetts, 3 vols. (1916-1920),
  • 3:110, “Estate of Matthias Button of Haverhill,” citing “Salisbury Quarterly Court Records, vol 2, leaf 67” (by footnote, also to “ante, vol. 2, page 299”); digital images, Hathi Trust (accessed 2014).
  • 2:299-301, “Estate of Matthias Button of Haverhill,” citing “Hampton Quarterly Court Records, vol. 2, leaves 5, 6,” Salisbury Quarterly Court Records, vol 2, leaf 14,” “Hampton Quarterly Court Records, vol 2, leaves 22, 23,” “Essex County Probate Files, Docket 4,380” (notes also “Copy, Norfolk Deeds, vol 2, leaf 325”); digital images, Hathi Trust (accessed 2014).
• Scott Andrew Bartley, “George Lanphear of Westerly, Rhode Island, and his Descendants,” in three parts, New England Historical and Genealogical Register 153 (1999):131-140, 159 (2005):333-340, 160 (2006):47-59; digital images, AmericanAncestors.org (accessed 2014).
• Vital Records of Haverhill, Massachusetts, to the end of the year 1849, 2 vols. (1910-1911)
  • 1 (births):52-53 for Button entries; digital images, Hathi Trust (accessed 2014).
  • 2 (marriages):51 for Button entries; digital images, Hathi Trust (accessed 2014).
  • 2 (deaths):368 for Button entries; digital images, Hathi Trust (accessed 2014).
• George W. Chase, The History of Haverhill, MA from its First Settlement in 1640 to the Year 1860, 1861, NEHGS.
• Frederick Augustus, ed. Genealogia Bedfordiensis; being a collection of evidences relating chiefly to the landed gentry of Bedfordshire, A. D. 1538-1700. Collected out of parish registers, the bishop's transcripts, early wills, monumental inscriptions, etc., etc. (London : Priv. print. at the Chiswick Press, 1890), 131; digital image, Hathi Trust, has Matthias Button (son of Thomas) baptism 1607, also Thomas Button burial 1617--both at Harrold, Bedfordshire.