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Pardee Butler Timeline
March 9, 1816
Marcelles, Onondaga County, New York
Pardee Butler born to Sara Pardee and Phineas Butler
Autumn of 1818
Butler family moved to Wadsworth, Ohio
1819
Pardee started school At the Wadsworth Academy He was 3 years old
1820
A Sunday-School was organized in Wadsworth
Pardee was influenced by Judge Brown who was an uncle of John Brown of Osawatomie, a bitter opponent of slavery and a strong temperance man
1830
While attending the Academy he studied the writings of Alexander Campbell and Walter Scott
and their preaching of the union of Christians on the Bible alone
1833
Alexander Campbell came to Wadsworth to attend a yearly meeting at William Eyle’s barn
Pardee and his uncle Aaron Pardee became convinced by Mr. Campbells presentation of the divine truth.
June 1835
Pardee was baptized by Elder Newcomb, in a stream on Elder Newcomb’s farm.
1837
Pardee began preaching before he was ordained.
1839
The family moved to Sandusky Plains, Ohio which was located in the Western Reserve
Pardee taught school and committed himself to memorizing the New Testament while he herded sheep
August 17, 1843
While continuing to preach throughout the Ohio area Pardee sometimes went back to Wadsworth,
where at the little church in Sullivan, Ashland Co., Ohio he met and married Sibjl S. Carleton
1844
Pardee ordained as a minister
1850
Pardee moves from the Western Reserve in Ohio to Posten’s Grove, Cedar County, Iowa
1852-1853
He continued to preach in Iowa and Illinois
1855
Staked out a claim to 160 acres of land to settle in Atchison County twelve miles from Atchison, and builds a cabin on the banks of the Stranger Creek
In June he called a meeting of Christians at the home of Caleb May, his neighbor, on the banks of Stranger Creek. There he preached the old-time gospel.
August 17, 1855
While visiting Atchison Pardee was confronted by men that insisted he sign a document supporting pro-slavery. Pardee refused to sign and he was dragged to the Missouri River where it was decided if he would be hung or drowned. They decided to set him adrift, on two logs tied together, paint a “R” (standing for “rough”) with black paint on his forehead and towed him to the middle of the Missouri
Pardee could not swim. He traveled a few miles south before putting in on the Kansas side of the river, without a scratch. He then continued his original destination back to Illinois to preach and bring his family back to Kansas
April 30th, 1856
Pardee was assaulted by a mob in Atchison Stripped naked to his waist, they covered his body with tar and for the lack of feathers applied cotton. The mob then accompanied him to the outskirts of the town.
In July, Duke Young, a pioneer preacher of western Missouri established the first church of Christ in Kansas. Known as Mt Pleasant Church, later known as Round Prairie Church. Now known as Round Mound Cemetery. The Republican Party was begun in the early 1850” s by anti-slavery activists. Pardee Butler was one of the organizers of the Republican Party in Kansas in May and June of 1856.
The Republicans became a national party when John C. Fremont was nominated for President.
August 29,1857
Pardee Church was organized at the home of Bro. A. Elliott, with 27 members meeting in the school-house
August 2,1858
Pardee started a church at Big Springs with 28 members. Pardee was hired by the Kansas Missionary Society to be the state evangelist. Election cast for the Constitution from whence then came an overwhelming majority. The Free State party (The Republican party was) Kansas organizes the first missionary society.
1859
Spent 6 months preaching in Kansas and 6 months preaching in Indiana. Northwestern Christian Missionary Society was organized in Indianapolis.
President Abraham Lincoln visits Kansas including Atchison and Leavenworth
A family story about Pardee and Abraham Lincoln meeting.
The Rev. Pardee Butler was a mighty man in debate and a most skillful propagandist. He wrote the free-soil constitution for the State of Kansas, and in the eyes of some historians he is identified as the actual founder of the Republican party. …
His family treasures an anecdote of his return home after an oratorical foray.
“Were there any other speakers?” asked his wife.
“Other speakers!” snorted the Rev. Pardee Butler, who was accustomed to open and close meetings himself. But then he was reminded of an incident. “Oh, yes, “he said, “when I got done, we heard a few words from a young Springfield lawyer named Lincon.”
1860
Abraham Lincoln becomes the first Republican president. Returned to Kansas, Built a house in Pardee to live near the school. Pardee addended territorial meeting held at Big Springs to report organized churches in the territory
1861
January 29th Kansas was admitted to the Union
April 12th the American Civil War begins
1862-1863-1864
Pardee goes to work for a small freighting outfit driving wagons of freight from Kansas to Colorado
to pay off the debt on his farm.
1865
The war effectively ended when Confederate General Robert E. Lee surrender his troops to Union General Ulysses S Grant at the Court House in Virginia.
Northeastern Kansas held a state meeting and reported 79 churches organized with bishops, deacons and evangelists
October 6,1867
Started the Farmington Christian Church with 23 members.
Pardee thought it wise to break up at Pardee, and move the church to the railroad town of Farmington
He remained firm in his abolitionist views that neither white nor black but all should have equal rights and he invited everyone to attend this church
1872
Butler was active in the presidential campaign of 1872 speaking at the Republican State Convention at Lawrence and serving as an elector.
Though often urged by his friends to run for office, Butler invariably refused telling them” …He considered the office of a Christian preacher the highest office on earth.”
October 20, 1888
Pardee used his influence for good among community and the church until his death at the age of 72