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A life well-lived
An appreciation for Butler Franklin of Fall Hill, who led a life of adventure and achievement.
Date published: 2/28/2004
By Donna Chasen
LIFE BEGAN plainly enough for Butler Franklin. Born Butler-Brayne Robinson Thornton, she entered this world in a small cabin on the plains of Nebraska on Feb. 28, 1899. As she was being born, a fierce winter blizzard howled and raged outside the walls of her humble new home. This would be the beginning of a life that would encompass three centuries and would be made up of adventures and experiences that are normally found only in novels or epic movies. Today, Butler Franklin of Fredericksburg would have celebrated her 105th birthday, surrounded by her loving family and friends. The stories that she loved to tell, of the history of her home or of her personal adventures and her life in general, were extraordinary and, if not well-documented, would seem almost beyond belief. She was a true legend. Sadly, Franklin passed away in December. It was only fitting that those who knew her so well (and some who had met her just once but were forever changed by her influence) and loved her so much, and whose lives were so much the richer for having the good fortune to have met and known her, would gather one last time to honor the woman who had so warmly and effectively touched their lives. Daughter Bess held this gathering last month at her Spotsylvania County home, whose rooms were overflowing with well-wishers. In this peaceful, elegant setting, memories were shared and stories were told and Franklin's long, prestigious life was celebrated. Butler Franklin's father was a rancher whose farm floundered with the invention of barbed wire. Like many farmers, his herds had roamed freely across the vast Nebraska prairies. With the introduction of barbed wire, grazing lands were substantially reduced, often with disastrous results. Butler's grandfather, Capt. Murray Forbes Taylor, was the caretaker of San Simeon, the William Randolph Hearst estate in California. Butler spent her early girlhood days experiencing both the stark simplicity of Nebraska and the elegance of California.
Date published: 2/28/2004
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