| Name | Gender | Age | Place of birth | Religion | Origin | Occupation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Butler, James | M | 29 | USA | Church of England | African | Barber |
| Butler, Wilhelmina | F | 24 | USA | Church of England | African | - |
| Butler, Barbara | F | 1 | Ontario | Church of England | African | - |
| Butler, Albert | M | 5 months | Ontario | Church of England | African | - |
James Alexander Butler married Wilhelmina Dutton in Kingston, Ontario on 28 November 1878. By the time of the 1881 census the couple were living in Deseronto with their two small children, Barbara and Albert. James was working as one of two African American barbers in the town. In the 1889 Hastings County directory, Butler's business is listed as being on the north side of Main Street. In April 1886 Deseronto's newspaper, The Tribune, noted that:
MR. James Butler has been making several improvements on his hair dressing studio. He has given it some general repairs, put in a fine new window, and painted the whole premises. He has now an elegant parlor which will attract even a larger number of customers than before.
On 30 September of the following year, The Tribune had sadder news to report about the family.
The body of Albert, the six year old son of Mr. James Butler, was after much searching found in the bay by Mr. Fred Hull last Friday afternoon. The little fellow had been out in a canoe and it is supposed fell overboard between six and seven o'clock Thursday evening. He was a great favourite and the sad occurrence evoked general expression of sympathy.
The remaining members of the Butler family were still in Deseronto in 1891, by which time they had another daughter, Stella.
At the time of the US census in 1900, Barbara was working for the family of a clergyman in Minden, New York and the other members of the Butler family seem to have moved away from Hastings County.