Site hosted by Angelfire.com: Build your free website today!

Batten/Butler Family Fotos



Harry and Lily Batten

Harry Batten of Bareneed (The Dock) married Lily Butler of Foxtrap on July 11, 1932. They met as a result of both being school teachers. He was teaching in Upper Gullies and she in Greelytown.

They had four children as follows:

  • Harry Carlton b. 1933
  • James Boyd b. 1938
  • Elaine b. 1939
  • Ruth b. 1955 ( died as an infant, blue baby)


(He was widowed from Evelyn Batten of Bareneed who died in childbirth with their first child. This occurred in Portugal Cove where they had moved for his first teaching position.)




Wedding Party

On the extreme right is Violet Peddle (nee Butler), Lily's sister. Above Violet is Winnie Snow. The lady on the extreme left is Beattie Weir (nee Butler) who lived with Lily and Violet as a sister. Above Beattie is Ethyl Vaters. To the upper right of Lily is her friend Lilla who married Pete Greenslade. The gentleman at the top of the photo is Alfred Butler. The Flower Girl is Phyllis Bonnacci (nee Sparkes) who was Harry's niece.

I cannot identify the other lady in the photo. If anyone knows her, please e:mail me ( pbatten@entelchile.net).



James John Butler and Emma Patience Butler

James John was the owner of J.J. Butler's (now closed but still standing) Store in Foxtrap. He had the nick-name Johnny Dooley. Nick-names were handy as there was more than one James John Butler living in Foxtrap at the same time.

J.J. was deeply embroiled in the famous "Battle of Foxtrap" as it was on his land that the Reid Newfoundland Railway decided to install a turn-around wye and watering hole for its trains. He was strongly opposed to the expropriation of his land for this and it is said that he never cashed the cheques that came as rental. The watering hole for the trains later became the "Deep Hole" where we swam as kids.



James Boyd Batten and Ella Jean Bussey

Boyd, son of Harry and Lily, and Ella were married in All Saints Church in Foxtrap on April 11, 1959. They had four children as follows:

  • Sandra Maxine
  • Paul Boyd
  • Valerie Elaine
  • Bonita Ruth


They divorced and both later remarried.


The Battens on Picnic with the Dawes

These photos were taken around 1933.

Harry and Lily were friends with Allen and Maude Dawe as Allen was also a teacher. They boarded with the Dawes when they first moved to Upper Gullies.

Lily is in the dark dress and is holding their first baby, Carlton. In the photograph on the right, Harry is in the dark suit with the ever so cleaver, "salt and pepper" cap.

Coincidentally, Maude and Allen Dawe were my wife's grandparents. Maude is holding another baby, Lorraine, who had the incredible good fortune to grow up to be my mother-in-law.



Back to Genealogy Page