What coulda been

A little bit of an historical post today, regarding my Mom’s family and how I could have been a born and bred New Yorker.

In 1827, my Great-Great-Grandfather John Butler sailed from Bristol to New York City, where he planned to set up a business. At first, he stayed at 120 Maiden Lane, which is deep in the heart of the Financial District, and now looks like this:

My Mom sent me transcripts of letters john Butler sent home to his wife Philippa, where he wrote about the high price of coal, the annoying “muskeetas”, and about New Yorkers’ bad health, caused by their tendency to “drink their bitters… soon as up and thro’ the day, thus in warm weather adding fuel to fire and laying themselves open to disease.”

Nonetheless, things were good enough for his wife and their children to join him in 1829, and they moved to 371 Grand Street, now on the edge of the Garment District. I was rather hoping for a charming brownstone, steeped in romance and history, but these days it looks like this:

In the end, it turned out that the Butlers decided South Africa would be a better bet, so they left New York and moved to Cradock, and the rest is history.

It’s been quite poignant for me to hunt down my own piece of family history in New York, and there’s a little bit of “what if…?” about it all. But of course, if the Butlers had stayed, I’d never have existed, and who would have taken photos of their one-time street addresses then?

PS: Whoops, not that it matters to anyone reading, but for historical accuracy, I must add the following corrections, courtesy of my Mom (thanks, Ma!):

1. John Butler was my Great-great-great-Grandfather.

2. He actually died in NYC and is buried in the Quaker cemetery in Prospect Park, Brooklyn. His wife and the two kids (Harriet and Philip) eventually returned to Bristol.

3. Philip was a London businessman, and it was his son Charles who came to South Africa in the late 1800s, and was the father of my granny.

Thanks for the clarifications, Ma! xx