Butts was born on September 16, 1863, in Portville, New York.

[1] In 1899 he got his bachelor's degree, following by the master's in 1900 from Alfred University and in 1927 University of Alabama awarded him an honorary doctorate of science.

Starting from 1933 he was hired by the Virginia Geological Survey, for mapping of the Paleozoic formations of the Appalachian valley.

While being employed, he conducted a lot of geological surveys in states like Alabama, Kentucky, and Virginia.

[3] He died on October 4, 1946, in Washington, D.C., and is buried at Fort Lincoln Cemetery in Brentwood, Maryland.