Citizens gather to honor ‘founding father’ of Jackson

JACKSON, Tenn. — Citizens gathered Wednesday to pay respects to the “founding father” of Jackson at his final resting place in Riverside Cemetery.

William Edward Butler first came to West Tennessee in the early 1800s.

On Wednesday, members of the U.S. Daughters of 1812 came together to mark both Butler’s grave and that of his daughter, Mary Jane Butler, who died at just 9 years old.

“They know the stones, they know what their relative did, but they have never had anyone say thank you,” said Sherry Taylor of the U.S. Daughters of 1812 chapter.

Legend says Butler eventually made friends with Davy Crockett and the woman he later married, the niece of Rachel Jackson, the wife of U.S. President Andrew Jackson.