Martha Amanda McCann was born on September 21, 1835 in Harrison County, Ohio. She was the 8th of nine known children born to Hugh and Rachel (Cochran) McCann.

Her father was a "laborer" who was reportedly orphaned as a child, and her mother was a housewife who was the daughter of a Revolutionary War Veteran.

Martha grew up with her 8 siblings - Mary, Rachel, Robert, James, William, Margaret, Catherine, and Butler - in Harrison and Jefferson Counties, Ohio. Her father appears on the 1840 Census living in Warren, Jefferson County, Ohio. She appears on the 1850 Census, living with her parents, in the same location.

Martha married Robert Butler, son of Robert Bartley an Margaret (Lantz) Butler, on August 11, 1853 in Washington, Pennsylvania by Rev. W. Long. Martha's brother James filled out an pension affidavit claiming that he was present at their wedding.

Together Martha and Robert had 13 children: Rachel (1856-), Mary J. (1856-1867), Amanda Elizabeth "Lizzie" (1858-1912), Catherine A. (1861-1876), Annabelle (1863-1914), William E. (1866-1890), James Theodore (1867-1927), Perry A. (1868-1925), Henry M. (1872-1873), Henrietta (1875-1881), Sarah E. (1877-1878), and Hugh Barrett Butler(1879-1936).

Martha and Robert are listed as living in Wetzel County, West Virginia on the 1860, 1880 and 1900 Census'. Robert died on July 22, 1900 in Proctor, Wetzel County, West Virginia.

Family story claimed that sometime after Robert's death, Martha, moved to Kansas. The story further claimed that Martha had Native American ancestry, specifically Blackfoot and Sioux, and that she died on an Indian Reservation near Soldier City, Kansas on December 4, 1912. So far, no evidence has been found to back up these claims, except for pension records that state that she died on December 4, 1912. However, those same records do not list a place of death. Martha is shown on the 1910 Census living with her granddaughter, Beatrice (Butler) Shook, in Charleston, Portage County, Ohio.

According to the Ohio Death Records, Martha died due to Cancer on January 5, 1913 at her son's, James Theodore "J.T." Butler, home in Bellaire, Belmont County, Ohio. The death record incorrectly states her first name as "Magaret" and goes on to list her parents as "Hubert McCann born in Ireland" and "Unknown born in Ireland".

At the time of her death, Martha was survived by one daughter, three sons and numerous grandchildren and great grandchildren. She was preceded in death by her parents, husband, six daughters and two sons. According to the Ohio Death Record she was buried at Proctor, West Virginia. It is possible that she is buried with Robert at Laurel Point Cemetery.