William H BUTLER William Morgan BUTLER Ross Almyr BUTLER John Azari LACOTTS Cecil Andrew LACOTTS Vivian Ruth LACOTTS William James PORTER Imogene PORTER William Everitt PORTER India Lucetta SMITH Mini tree diagram
India G BUTLER

India G BUTLER1,2,3,4,5,7

Aug 18781,2,3,4,5 - Mar 19156,5

Life History

Aug 1878

Born in Arkansas.1,2,3,4,5

about 1896

Married John Azari LACOTTS.3

21st Dec 1897

Birth of son Cecil Andrew LACOTTS in Arkansas County, Arkansas.3,2,1,15,14

4th Nov 1900

Birth of daughter Vivian Ruth LACOTTS in DeWitt, Arkansas, Arkansas.16,14,1,9,17,18

1903

Divorced from John Azari LACOTTS.1

10th Jun 1912

Birth of daughter Imogene PORTER in Ethel, Arkansas, Arkansas.8,7,9,10,11,12,1

9th Sep 1913

Birth of son William Everitt PORTER in Ethel, Arkansas, Arkansas.13,8,7,14

Mar 1915

Died in Ethel, Arkansas, Arkansas.6,5

Mar 1915

Buried in Mt Pleasant Cemetery, Ethel, Arkansas County, Arkansas.5

Other facts

 

Married William James PORTER

Notes

  • India is recorded in the 1880 census with her parents William H and India Butler and her siblings in Prairie Township (Ethel area) of Arkansas County, Arkansas.

    1880 Federal Census, Arkansas County, Arkansas, 21 June, Prairie Township, District 2, page 27, Hse #183, Fam #194
    W H Butler Self  M  Male  W 46  Farmer  AL NC VA
    India Butler  Wife M Female W 41  Hsekpg  VA VA VA
    B B Butler  Son  S  Male W  20  On Farm  MS ALVA
    Ned Butler  Son  S  Male W  18  On Farm  MS AL VA
    W M Butler  Son  S  Male  W  11  At School AR AL VA
    R A Butler  Son  S  Male  W    8  At School AR AL VA
    India Butler  Dau  S  Female W    5    AR  AL VA
    L W Smith Bro-in-law S  Male W  28  On Farm MS VA VA

    After a false trail for an India I Parker in that area, I found India Lacotts (Lacott) with her first husband in DeWitt, Arkansas, in the 1900 census.  In the census record for the family below, Cecil is India's son, and Clarence is the son of John's first wife Nora E (Maiden name Unknown).

    1900 Federal Census, Arkansas County, Arkansas, 1 June, DeWitt, District 1, Page 2A, House #24, Family #26
    LaCotts, John Head W M Apr 1871 29 Married 4 yrs [marr abt 1896] AR Delaware SC [No Occup Stated]
    LaCotts, India Wife W F Aug 1875  24 Married 4 yrs 1 child/1 living AR TN AR
    LaCotts, Clarence Son W F May 1894 6 Single AR AR AR
    LaCotts, Cecil Son W M June 1896  3 Single AR AR AR

    A couple of genealogies report India Lacott as India Parker.  But I notice that the daughter of Richard is listed as India I Parker, rather than India A Parker, as J W Porter's wife is listed.  India I Parker was enumerated in Ethel in the 1900 census, with a sister in their widowed father's home.  This was 6 years before she married J W (William James) Porter, as reported above.  John LaCotts' wife is India Butler.

    1900 Federal Census, Arkansas County, Arkansas, 1 June, Prairie Township, District 7, Page 1A, House/Family #1
    Parker, Richard H Head W M Apr 1839 61 Widowed 14 GA GA GA Farmer Owns Farm
    Parker, Callie D Dau W F May 1872  28 Single AR GA MS Dairy Woman
    Parker, India I Dau W F Mar 1880  20 Single AR GA MS
    Conley, Alexander Servant W F Feb 1883  17 Single AR -- -- Servant
    Crawford, Charley Servant W F Apr 1888  12 Single AR MD AR Servant
    Hooker, Garnett Boarder W F May 1881  19 Single AR MS MS Farm Laborer

    I found the 1910 census before the 1900, and they seemed to represent the same person.  But then I found India in her father's home in 1910 also.  So it is uncertain.  There are instances of multiple enumerations in this area in other censuses.  But she is reported as Single here, and India Lacotts is married to J W Porter in the other, and it is her second marriage.  Three genealogies reprot that India and John Lacott (Oacotts) divorced in 1903, after which she married J W (William James) Porter in 1904.

    I also find that in genealogies that have India I Parker's husband he is reported as George Allen, and they married in 1917 Phillips County, Arkansas (across the river from Arkansas County).

    One undocumented genealogy also reported her middle name as Irene.  This seems to be reporting that she was India Irene Parker, daughter of Richard Parker, is not India A Lacott (or Lacotts) who married J W Porter.  The weight of other facts do not support this conclusion.

    "Will, as he was called, already had a son and daughter from a previous marriage before he married Maggie.  Will and Maggie had no children together."
    --  Shirley Rowland Mitchell, email to Orville Boyd Jenkins, April 07, 2015

    A matching marriage record is found in the Arkansas County records for J W Porter and India (Butler) Lacott in 1904.  This appears to be the same Will Porter, though I have learned there was a J W Porter in DeWitt.  The residence here is reported as Ethel, and 1910 census confirms they are in Ethel among our McSwains, Criswells, Butlers and other related families in this genealogy.

    Arkansas, County Marriages Index, 1837-1957
    J W Porter, Male, Age 23, Birth Year abt 1881
    Residence Ethel, Arkansas, Arkansas
    India Lacott, Age 26 [b abt 1882]
    Spouse's Residence Ethel, Arkansas, Arkansas
    Marriage 27 Jan 1904 Arkansas County
    Marriage License Date 26 Jan 1904

    1910 Federal Census, Arkansas County, Arkansas, 15 June, Prairie Township (Ethel), District 13, Page 1A, Hse/Fam #1
    Porter, James W Head M W 29 1st marriage Married 6 yrs AR US US Farmer Owns [b abt 1881]
    Porter, India A Wife F W 34 2nd marriage Married 6 yrs [mar abt 1904] 3 children/2 living AR MS MS [b abt 1876]
    Lacotts, Cecil A Stepson M W 12 Single AR AR AR [b abt 1898]

    I note that the census reports that India has had 3 children, but only 2 are living.  Only her second son Cecil is reproted in the 1910 census.  James and India's first child together was Imogene (Emogene in the 1930 census, Emma J in 1920), reported as age 8 in 1920.  But it could be that India's child that died was born after she married WIll, and died before this census.

    There is a marriage record dated 8 years after the birth of Will's son William E Porter in 1914.  There is a marriage record in the Arkansas County records for one J W Porter, India Butler's previous husband, and Annie McSwain, both of Ethel.  William James' SS record has his birth date as 19 March 1882, while J W was reported of an age to be born about 1878.  Reported ages vary wildly in that era.

    This record is so close otherwise and also in Ethel, this seems to be the same person.  It is likely McSwain was Annie's first married name.  Her identity has not been established.  The marriage reported in the record below occurred almost 8 years after the birth of Will's son Will E with his first wife in 1914.

    Arkansas, County Marriages Index, 1837-1957
    J W Porter
    Gender Male
    Age 44, Birth Year abt 1878
    Residence Ethel, Arkansas, Arkansas
    Spouse's Name Annie McSwain
    Spouse's Age 35 [b abt 1887]
    Spouse's Residence Ethel, Arkansas, Arkansas
    Marriage 29 Jan 1922 Arkansas County
    Marriage License Date 27 Jan 1922

    U.S., Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936-2007
    Imogene Porter Simpson [Imogene Porter McMinn] [Imogene Porter] [Imogene McMinn]
    Birth 10 Jun 1912 Ethel, Arkansas, Arkansas
    Death Date Dec 1995
    Father James W Porter
    Mother India Butler
    SSN 431128323
    Dec 1938 Name listed as IMOGENE PORTER SIMPSON; Nov 1966 Name listed as IMOGENE PORTER MCMINN; Name listed as IMOGENE PORTER; 03 Jan 1996 Name listed as IMOGENE P MCMINN

    India G Porter
    Born 1878
    Mar 1915
    Mt Pleasant Cemetery, Ethel, Arkansas County, Arkansas
    --  Photo by Orville Boyd Jenkins 13 May 2017

Sources

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