Hello fellow listers, Can anyone tell me if there was/is a place called "Butts Hill" or "Fort Butts" near Portsmouth on Newport's island? I have a copy of an old map, presumably drawn up for an old text of the Revolutionary War, showing on the north end of the island, a place called Quaker Hill and north of that, Butts Hill. The map shows the line where the Patriots took up position against the Brits between these two hills. Also, a booklet entitled "The American Ancestry of John Wood Butts," by Francis Bannister Butts, November 15, 1896, accompanied this map. The following excerpts were taken from the aforementioned booklet. [John Butts-1, born about 1692 in Little Compton, then Massachusetts] "He moved to Portsmouth, Rhode Island where he engaged in farming, and purchased the wind mill and a considerable extent of land surrounding what has been since known as 'Butts Hill.' There he erected a house where several generations of the family have been born. The house was a typical one of the period, having a great chimney and narrow windows. It was taken down in 1878 having stood about 150 years." [John Butts-2, born 1733 in Portsmouth, Rhode Island] "The war of the Revolution was a great disaster to him, the British soldiers having pillaged the farms and dwellings of all who were loyal to their country. He was greatly respected by the people among whom he lived and the soldiers of the Patriot army. To his honor and patriotism the fort they struggled to defend August 9, 1778 was named, and from that time has been known as Fort Butts." Does anyone familiar with Newport's island know if any of this is true? Did/do these two places really exist under these names? Any input would be appreciated. Linda Jones, Raelinjo@aol.com

There is a historical home in Portsmouth still existing and I think was restored by the Historical Society about 25 years ago. As far as I know it still stands, perhaps you should contact them. The description of the fort matches a location I am very familiar with in a town called Warren. There is now a park there called Burrs Hill, there are twin hills (man made) for the war. Cannons were placed behind them for protection yet they could fire on the British. The space between the two hills is wide enough to drive a small dump truck. This could very well be what you are looking for, many times revolutionaries would retreat to safer ground from New Port and Portsmouth. This could indeed be the location you are searching for. ----- Original Message ----- From: <Raelinjo@aol.com> To: <RINEWPOR-L@rootsweb.com> Sent: Wednesday, April 11, 2001 7:39 AM Subject: [RINEWPOR] Revolutionary times... > Hello fellow listers, > Can anyone tell me if there was/is a place called "Butts Hill" or "Fort > Butts" near Portsmouth on Newport's island? I have a copy of an old map, > presumably drawn up for an old text of the Revolutionary War, showing on the > north end of the island, a place called Quaker Hill and north of that, Butts > Hill. The map shows the line where the Patriots took up position against the > Brits between these two hills. > Also, a booklet entitled "The American Ancestry of John Wood Butts," by > Francis Bannister Butts, November 15, 1896, accompanied this map. The > following excerpts were taken from the aforementioned booklet. > [John Butts-1, born about 1692 in Little Compton, then Massachusetts] "He > moved to Portsmouth, Rhode Island where he engaged in farming, and purchased > the wind mill and a considerable extent of land surrounding what has been > since known as 'Butts Hill.' There he erected a house where several > generations of the family have been born. The house was a typical one of the > period, having a great chimney and narrow windows. It was taken down in 1878 > having stood about 150 years." > [John Butts-2, born 1733 in Portsmouth, Rhode Island] "The war of the > Revolution was a great disaster to him, the British soldiers having pillaged > the farms and dwellings of all who were loyal to their country. He was > greatly respected by the people among whom he lived and the soldiers of the > Patriot army. To his honor and patriotism the fort they struggled to defend > August 9, 1778 was named, and from that time has been known as Fort Butts." > Does anyone familiar with Newport's island know if any of this is true? > Did/do these two places really exist under these names? Any input would be > appreciated. > Linda Jones, Raelinjo@aol.com > > > ==== RINEWPOR Mailing List ==== > General Family History Resources > http://w3.trib.com/~dsaban/genreso.htm > > ============================== > Join the RootsWeb WorldConnect Project: > Linking the world, one GEDCOM at a time. > http://worldconnect.rootsweb.com >