Hi all. I am currently writing a book about my village football club, Kiveton Park FC, in the southern-most reaches of Yorkshire.
I am covering notable former players, and have basic lifestories for all the ones I want to write about - apart from one.
John 'Jack' Butler played for the club from 1902 to 1905, before moving into the professional game with Grimsby Town. He then moved to Plymouth Argyle in 1907/08, before the war more or less finished his career.
No matter how hard I look, I can barely find any details on his life, and don't know when he was born or died.
A Kiveton match report from 1904 states he was injured and his place taken by his brother - unnamed this time, but in a seperate game they play together as John Butler and Jas. Butler.
'Most' sources (including a Plymouth fansite here
https://www.greensonscreen.co.uk/gosdb-players2.asp?pid=131) I have found have Jack down as born in 1885, but the only census record I know of for certain is from 1911, when he is noted as being a Professional Footballer living in Plymouth. Frustratingly, no place of birth is given, but he is listed as aged 34 - which would mean he was born circa 1877!
The English National Football Archive agree with the 1877 birth year, but state he was born in West Bromwich.
I have looked on the British Newspaper Archive and the only snippet of information I can find on his personal life comes from 1913, when it's noted he is an ex-service man, having played football with the Royal Artillery for two seasons.
With so many conflicting accounts, and with such a common name, where do I go next in the hunt for Jack's DoB and DoD?
