Near Rogersville in Lauderdale County, Alabama — The American South (East South Central)
Gabriel “Old Gabe” Butler
1779~1856
Photographed By Sandra Hughes, October 28, 2019
1. Gabriel “Old Gabe” Butler 1779~1856 Marker
Inscription.
Gabriel “Old Gabe” Butler. 1779~1856. , Gabriel Butler “Ole Gabe” was born in the Carolinas in 1779, about the time of the Revolutionary War. His name is on records in Kentucky in the 1800s. He married his first wife, Sarah Whitesides, in Warren County, KY, on December 26, 1803. Gabe was among the earliest white settlers of Lauderdale County. He arrived here during the early 1800s and leased land from Cherokee Indian Chief Doublehead on the Chief’s Reserve. After Doublehead was killed in 1807, the government directed the settlers on his Reserve to leave. Gabe and other settlers signed a petition in 1809 asking to remain; however, the settlers were evicted around 1811. Gabe and his family moved to the north into Tennessee. Indian Treaties signed in 1817 allowed the creation of Lauderdale County in February 1818. The Federal Land Office was established allowing land to be sold here beginning in March of 1818. Gabe traveled to Huntsville on November 14, 1818, and purchased land here along Bluewater Creek. Eventually, he owned several acres in this area. ,
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(Continued from other side). Gabe’s land was fertile, with an abundance of good water, timber, and game. He built his home on the hill across Bluewater. He expected the road between Huntsville and Florence to be built nearby, giving him easy access to his farmland on the other side of the creek. However, the road was built 1 1/2 miles south in the general vicinity of the modern-day US Highway 72. After 1824, Gabe built his second home southwest of here on this side of the creek. Old Gabe donated two acres of land to start the Primitive Baptist Church at Bluewater on May 16, 1840. The churches at Mitchell Town and Elgin Crossroads developed from that church. The cemetery at this location, one of the earliest in Lauderdale Country, was established by Gabe and named for him. Gabe died in November 1856, at the age of 77. He and some of his family members are buried within the rock walls. Old Gabe had three wives and 11 children, nine of whom married and raised families in this area. Many of the descendants of “Old Gabe” are buried in this cemetery.
Gabriel Butler “Ole Gabe” was born in the Carolinas in 1779, about the time of the Revolutionary War. His name is on records in Kentucky in the 1800s. He married his first wife, Sarah Whitesides, in Warren County, KY, on December 26, 1803. Gabe was among the earliest white settlers of Lauderdale County. He arrived here during the early 1800s and leased land from Cherokee Indian Chief Doublehead on the Chief’s Reserve. After Doublehead was killed in 1807, the government directed the settlers on his Reserve to leave.
Gabe and other settlers signed a petition in 1809 asking to remain; however, the settlers were evicted around 1811. Gabe and his family moved to the north into Tennessee. Indian Treaties signed in 1817 allowed the creation of Lauderdale County in February 1818. The Federal Land Office was established allowing land to be sold here beginning in March of 1818. Gabe traveled to Huntsville on November 14, 1818, and purchased land here along Bluewater Creek. Eventually, he owned several acres in this area.
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Reverse
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Gabe’s land was fertile, with an abundance of good water, timber, and game. He built his home on the hill across Bluewater. He expected the road between Huntsville and Florence to be built nearby,
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giving him easy access to his farmland on the other side of the creek. However, the road was built 1 1/2 miles south in the general vicinity of the modern-day US Highway 72. After 1824, Gabe built his second home southwest of here on this side of the creek. Old Gabe donated two acres of land to start the Primitive Baptist Church at Bluewater on May 16, 1840.
The churches at Mitchell Town and Elgin Crossroads developed from that church. The cemetery at this location, one of the earliest in Lauderdale Country, was established by Gabe and named for him. Gabe died in November 1856, at the age of 77. He and some of his family members are buried within the rock walls. Old Gabe had three wives and 11 children, nine of whom married and raised families in this area. Many of the descendants of “Old Gabe” are buried in this cemetery.
Erected 2017 by East Lauderdale Historical Society.
Location. 34° 52.238′ N, 87° 25.028′ W. Marker is near Rogersville, Alabama, in Lauderdale County. Marker is on CR 421. Marker and cemetery are both located at a dead end of CR 421. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Rogersville AL 35652, United States of America. Touch for directions.
4. Gabriel “Old Gabe” Butler gravesite at Butler Cemetery
"...The cemetery at this location, one of the earliest in Lauderdale Country, was established by Gabe and named for him. Gabe died in November 1856, at the age of 77. He and some of his family members are buried within the rock walls."
Credits. This page was last revised on February 17, 2023. It was originally submitted on October 30, 2019, by Sandra Hughes Tidwell of Killen, Alabama, USA. This page has been viewed 987 times since then and 186 times this year. Last updated on February 17, 2023, by Beverly Henderson of Rogersville, Alabama. Photos:1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on October 30, 2019, by Sandra Hughes Tidwell of Killen, Alabama, USA. • J. Makali Bruton was the editor who published this page.