Nathaniel Sherman Butler (age 22) enlisted as a volunteer soldier on August 4, 1862 in Middletown, Connecticut. He enlisted with fellow quarryman, Sherman Johnson (age 22), and Daniel H. Otis (age 15). All three men were from the same sparsely-settled, yet close-knit farming community of Maromas in the southeast section of Middletown.
Private Nathaniel Butler saw action at the Battle of Antietam (September 17, 1862) and the Battle of Fredericksburg (December 13, 1862) before succumbing to typhoid fever in a hospital near Aquia Creek, Virginia, on February 3, 1863. His remains never came back home to Middletown and are now lost to time...
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| Private Nathaniel S. Butler Digitally restored and colorized Original black and white photo housed at Middlesex County Historical Society |
Fast-forward to May 4, 2020. It was a damp, chilly day and I had spent most of it sitting at the kitchen table, working on my website for Daniel Otis. Later that afternoon, I felt a sudden urge to go and visit Maromas Cemetery—to sit with Daniel and check on some of the graves we were restoring. So in the middle of my work, I just up and left.
As I pulled up to the Cemetery, I was surprised to see a car parked there, because at the time, barely anyone ever visited the mostly-forgotten place. Walking into the cemetery, I found a woman kneeling at the grave of Private Frederick E. Butler (and his family). She had a little garden-spade in hand and was digging at the front of his grave.
"Hi! Whatcha doing?" I called out in a friendly, yet curious voice.
A mature, yet very attractive woman with the bone structure of a model, turns to me and tells me that it's been years since she visited Maromas Cemetery, but she's planting some bulbs so that her family's graves look nice when she's gone. And this is how I was introduced to Melaine Butler Smigel, the great-great grandniece of Private Nathaniel S. Butler, and the great-great granddaughter of Private Frederick E. Butler.
During our conversation, Melaine asked me about all the "new" gravestones in the cemetery. I told her that they weren't new, just clean. This led to a conversation about the cleaning and restoration work that my husband and I had recently began at Maromas Cemetery, along with the research I was doing on Daniel Otis and his family, and by extension, her Uncle Nathaniel and his family.
To make a long story short, we exchanged phone numbers and almost three years later, I am honored that Melaine is not only our cemetery restoration partner at Maromas, but a beloved friend as well (if you can believe it, our other restoration partner is Elton "Bud" Harvey III, the great-great grandson of Private Sherman Johnson, mentioned above).
Melaine's restoration work at Maromas Cemetery led to the desire of her wanting to honor Nathaniel in some way. Three of Nathaniel's brothers served as volunteer soldiers during the Civil War, and all three are buried at Maromas Cemetery....all except for Nathaniel. Melaine applied for a government headstone for Nathaniel to place as a memorial for him at Maromas Cemetery. It was approved and arrived November 2022!
We wasted no time getting the stone in the ground, and I am happy to share some pictures here! Imagine, all of this stemming from a chance meeting at the cemetery. Maromas Cemetery has an uncanny way of bringing folks together, and I'm not the only one who has noticed it!
Read more about the Butler Brother's and their service on the page: Maromas Men in the Civil War.
Private Nathaniel S. Butler
Co. B, 14th Regiment Connecticut Volunteer Infantry
Private Frederick E. Butler
Co. D, 24th Regiment, Connecticut Volunteer Infantry
Private Henry L. Butler
Co. D, 24th Regiment, Connecticut Volunteer Infantry
Private Charles A. Butler
Co. L, 1st Regiment, Connecticut Heavy Artillery
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Above photo: Mark and the friendly delivery-man with Nathaniel's headstone package at Maromas Cemetery.
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Above photo: Packaged safe and secure! Look at who the package was addressed to! "Nathaniel Butler!" I love it!
Above photo: Ta-da! Here it is! The memorial headstone for Private Nathaniel S. Butler, courtesy of "Uncle Sam," via great-great grandniece, Melaine Butler Smigel.
Date-of-death sources: 1) Co. B, Fourteenth Regiment Infantry Roster 2) History of the Fourteenth Regiment Connecticut Vol. Infantry, by Charles D. Page. 3) Middletown Soldier's Monument; north-facing plaque for those who "Died in Service." 4) Middletown Memorial Album (compiled 1867 and 1874).
Above photo: Melaine and Mark digging a hole and preparing the site for Nathaniel's headstone. The blank chunks of granite to the right and left of the hole, mark the final resting place of Ezra Butler and his wife, Belinda Bailey. They are the parents of the Butler Brothers. Melaine created metal grave-markers for Ezra and Belinda with their names and dates, and placed it in front of their granite chunks.
Above four photos: Melaine and Mark, with the "oversight" of our son, setting Nathaniel's headstone in the ground between his parents and two brothers, Henry and Charles.
Above photo: Private Nathaniel S. Butler memorial headstone at Maromas Cemetery, Middletown, Connecticut. GAR-marker and flag placed by Melaine Butler Smigel.
Above photo: Remembered among family. Nathaniel's memory will be kept alive among his parents and brothers at Maromas Cemetery in Middletown, CT.
Well done, Melaine. We are so proud of what you have accomplished for Nathaniel!
