#52 Ancestor Challenge, Week 52, Resolution is a Miller Gene

#52 Ancestor Weeks Challenge, Week # 52
Prompt: Resolution

Resolve is a Miller Gene

 The  Rev. Dr. Cynthia Forde

Resolution(noun) is a firm decision to do or not do something. 

By the winter of 1864-65 Arkansas had lost 10,000 sons in the War Between the States; it was the worst disaster in its history from which it never recovered.  One by one, except one, the Miller sons returned home to Arkansas. The news of the War was forever grim and grimmer; and every day the John Miller family resolutely awaited news of the fate of the remaining son, the first-born, James Monroe Miller.  Where could he be? 

Five years earlier, the John and Nancy Miller family along with their son James, and his wife, Elizabeth Catherine (nee Killian), with three children, William Samuel ‘Quillan’, Nancy Elizabeth, and the newborn, John ‘Nelson,’ sold their properties in Rising Fawn, Dade County, Georgia.  They likely traveled north into Tennessee, then west on the Long Trail and the Butterfield Overland Mail Trail to move to Texas.  No doubt, the beautiful Ouachita Mountains of Western Arkansas felt like home because they determined to stay in Polk County, Arkansas and not continue on to Texas.   

The Millers settled near Dallas, Arkansas, an unincorporated town that had an abundance of wild game and rich timber resources.  They bought small farms and grew subsistence crops and cotton.  

 War came to Arkansas.  The state seceded from the Union, 6 May 1861.  Arkansas lawmakers voted 65-5 to be the ninth of 11 Southern states to join the Confederate States of America.  The Millers, although they were not slave owners, supported the Cause and enlisted;  John Thornton Miller returned to Dade County to enlist.  Joseph Wilson Miller and George Russell Miller had not yet left Dade County, and they enlisted there;  William Anderson Miller and James Monroe Miller enlisted in Arkansas.  James enlisted as 3^rdlieutenant with Williams Arkansas Cavalry; he was fighting in the War when his fourth child, Robert Morgan Miller was born 14 March 1863.  

By the winter of 1864-65, Arkansas was defeated.  James Monroe Miller, father, and husband, had not returned home.  His wife, 30-year-old, Elizabeth Catherine born 11 April 1834, decided to find him herself.  Enlisting the aid of her 26-year-old sister-in-law, Mary Jane Miller, the duo set off on horseback to find James, leaving the children in the care of James’ parents.

We don’t know where Elizabeth and Mary Jane searched.  We don’t know how far they traveled, who fed them, or where they stayed.  We only know the winter was harsh.  Elizabeth and Mary Jane returned home when Elizabeth became ill with pneumonia and tuberculosis.   21 March 1865, Elizabeth died, apparently not knowing James was dead.

Only later did the family learn that James Monroe Miller had died the previous October in Johnson Island Prison Camp near Sandusky, Ohio.  According to an email to Cynthia Forde,  (25 November 2004) from Edith Benson, James' grave number is 194. The source is the Ohio Genealogical Society complied by the Franklin County Chapter of the Confederate Cemeteries in Ohio.  

And that would be the tragic end of their story except for the resolution of James Miller’s fourth child, Robert Morgan Miller, whose life was indeed well lived. 

OBITUARIES

Robert Morgan Miller was born at Dallas, Arkansas, March 14, 1863. His father, a soldier in the confederate army, died a year later, and his mother died from hardships of the Civil War.

He came to Montana in 1884 with a trail herd from Texas and he engaged in ranching which occupation he followed nearly all his life except for a few years when he worked on construction work for the Great Northern Railway, and at lumbering near Helena.  He was married to Josephine Evans of Highwood in 1901, and to this union were born three children, Robert, Nelson, and Gladys now Mrs. Wm. Harmon, these with 10 grandchildren survive.

They came to Bainville in 1903.  and lived on a ranch at Red Banks Creek most of the time and part of the time in town. He was esteemed by all who knew him, and he devoted much attention to the education of his children.  Of an active disposition, he kept busy even with the advancing years and never considered himself retired.  During the past month his health failed rapidly and just before the final crisis he went to Helena to the home of his son Robert for the medical attention where he passed away June 30, 1937, aged 75 years three months and 16 days. His passing comes as a distinct loss to his family and also to the larger circle of his friends and acquaintances by whom he was universally loved and respected.  He was a regular attendant of the Methodist church and was deeply interested in Bible Study and the things of the spiritual life.

Funeral Services were held at the Harmon Home on Sunday afternoon, conducted by Rev. F. W. Age of the Methodist Church who spoke on the subject, "Light at Evening."  A quartette composed of Mrs. Chas. Johnson, and others.  At his personal request, he was laid to rest in a private burial lot on the Harmon Ranch SE of town where he was laid to rest beside the body of his grandchild, Lauren Harmon who died of drowning three years to the day of his funeral.

Bob Miller Dies in Helena at Home of Son

Mr. Miller was known and esteemed by a great many friends, not only in Roosevelt County but in all parts of the state where he had resided during the last half-century.

Robert Morgan Miller was born 14 March1863 in Dallas, Arkansas, the fourth and youngest child of his parents.  His father, James Monroe Miller, a 3rd Lieutenant in Williamson's Arkansas Cavalry in the Confederate Army died in captivity at Johnson's Island near Sandusky, Ohio 1 October 1864; his mother, Elizabeth Killian Miller died of pneumonia and tuberculosis 24 February 1865 just before Robert turned two, without knowing of the death of her husband.

Robert was raised by his grandparents, John and Nancy Miller, and his Aunt Mary Jane until his sister Nancy married the Reverend John Wesley Vantrease in 1871. Nannie took him with her to her new home, and he lived with them until he was 15.  At age 15, he went to Texas and worked there on a ranch.  At age 21 he came up the Chisholm Trail with the first herd of the O (Circle) Ranch cattle outfit to come to Montana.  Some of the old ranch buildings, where the town of Circle now stands, and which he helped to build are still in use.  He was later employed on the construction of the Great Northern Railroad through Montana and then worked for a while in the woods near Helena.

About 1899 or 1900 he homesteaded in upper Sand Coulee, Montana near Evans Post Office. There, he met and married Josephine Evans of Lower Highwood March 17, 1901.  In 1903, he traded his farm for cattle, and with his family, drove them to Culbertson.   He worked for a year or so for J.S. Day, across the Missouri River from Culbertson, then he and his wife filed on 'desert' claims on Red Bank Creek 10 miles northeast of what is now Bainville.

The first winter most of the cattle died and he turned to farm with somewhat primitive equipment.  Later, he mostly raised horses.  He resided on the ranch for 35 years, in a constant battle with drought and debt. He died 1 July 1937, while visiting at the home of his son, Robert, in Helena, Montana

(Written by his son, Robert E. Miller, father of Gladys "Dinah" Miller Tillotson)

The History of Johnson’s Island 

Johnson's Island was a Union prison for Confederate officers during the American Civil War. It was located in Sandusky Bay of Lake Erie, near Sandusky, Ohio. The prison was built on this island for several reasons. Because of the island's isolated location, it would be very difficult for prisoners to escape. At the same time, the island was near several important Ohio cities and lines of road, rail and water transportation. It was relatively easy to acquire building supplies to construct the prison, as well as to secure food to feed the inmates.

Federal officials intended to house nearly three thousand prisoners at any one time. Twelve buildings housed the prison population, while a thirteenth structure served as a camp hospital. Each building was approximately 130 feet by twenty-four feet and was two stories high. Several latrines and two mess halls were built for the prisoners. A sutler's store also operated within the prison camp and sold items to the prisoners. Some prisoners received money from family members and friends. Additional buildings associated with the prison were built on the island, but they were located outside of the confines of the prison camp. These structures included barracks for the 128^th Ohio Volunteer Infantry, who served as guards for most of the war. Other buildings included various barns, stables, and an arsenal. There were at least two forts - Forts Johnson and Hill. 

The prison at Johnson's Island opened in April 1862. It continued to house prisoners until September 1865. Estimates vary on the number of prisoners who spent time at Johnson's Island, but it is likely at least ten thousand men spent time there. Of those men, approximately three hundred died at the camp. Most of these men died from diseases common in military camps during the Civil War. Additional men perished trying to escape from the camp or from the harsh winters on Lake Erie. While life was hard at Johnson's Island, it is important to note that the conditions here were better than those at other Northern and Southern military prisons were. One of the main reasons for this was the type of prisoners -- officers -- housed there. Many of these men came from wealthier backgrounds and received financial assistance from their loved ones. Northern officials also believed officers were deserving of kinder treatment than enlisted men because of the officers' standing in society. Federal officials removed Johnson's Island's original warden, former Sandusky mayor William Pierson, for abusing prisoners in January 1864.

Conditions at Camp Chase, a military prison in Columbus, Ohio, deteriorated greatly once Confederate officers were sent to Johnson's Island. The death rate was significantly higher at Camp Chase than at Johnson's Island..

The Johnson's Island prison was the site for one of the most elaborately planned prison escape attempts of the Civil War. Confederate Captains Charles Cole and John Yates Beall hoped to free the prisoners at Johnson's Island. They then would form an army from these inmates and travel to Columbus to free the prisoners at Camp Chase. After freeing these men, this newly formed Confederate army would operate across Ohio and create havoc in the heart of the North. The planners believed that Northern officials would have to dispatch Union soldiers currently operating in the Confederacy to deal with this new threat. With fewer soldiers now facing them, Confederate forces might be able to defeat the Northern armies in the South.

The plan began during the early summer of 1864 when Charles Cole arrived in Sandusky. He was working as a representative of the Mount Hope Oil Company of Pennsylvania. Cole used this position to win the trust of some of Sandusky's prominent residents and a number of Union army officers. Cole succeeded in having ten Confederates enlisted in the 128^th Ohio Infantry. These ten men were stationed at Johnson's Island and would assist in the plot. John Beall and a group of Confederates would seize control of the Philo Parsons, a passenger steamship operating on Lake Erie. Beall would sail the Philo Parsons to Sandusky Bay, where the Confederates onboard would sail beside Michigan, the only Union gunboat on Lake Erie. The Confederates would jump to the Union vessel and secure control of it. With Southerners in control of the Michigan, Cole, and Beall were certain that the Northern guards at Johnson's Island would immediately surrender. 

On September 19, 1864, Beall and twenty-five men seized control of the Philo Parsons. The men then headed the ship towards Sandusky Bay. They anchored the ship outside of the bay and waited for a signal from Cole. Cole had planned a dinner party on board Michigan for the ship's officers on September 20. He and a few other men planned to drug the officers. Before Cole could carry out his plot, an officer from Johnson's Island arrived with an arrest warrant. A telegram had arrived earlier that day ordering Cole's arrest for spying. On the same evening on the Philo Parsons, seventeen of Beall's men staged a mutiny and forced Beall to abandon his plan. Cole remained in prison for the duration of the war, while Beall was executed for spying for the Confederacy on February 24, 1865. As a result of this plot, Union officers ordered the construction of Forts Johnson and Hill during the winter of 1864-1865.

Following the Civil War, federal officials sold the prison's buildings and land. Most of the island became farmland. By the 1950s, Johnson's Island became a residential community and a popular vacation spot.

#52 Ancestors 52 Weeks – Challenge Week 51, Nice to Prove She was a Jarrett!

Nice to Prove She was a Jarrett

 The Rev. Dr. Cynthia Forde-Beatty

Being nice pays.  I learned it doesn’t pay to argue when another genealogist believes they are absolutely right.  It was nice to prove my ancestor was indeed a Jarrett and not lose a relationship..  

Many years ago, while researching my 5^thgreat grandmother, Rebecca Jarrett Sappington, a discussion arose with another researcher over Rebecca’s parentage; Rebecca Jarrett Sappington was not named in Frederick “Fadda” Jarrett’s will.  Fadda had a son named Jesse Jarrett, who left a widow named Rebecca. The other researcher was convinced that Rebecca was Jesse Jarrett’s widow, Rebecca Bell Jarrett, who had remarried Richard Sappington, the administrator of Fadda’s will.  Richard was named as a legatee.  Fadda’s sons and daughters were supposedly named in the will, except Rebecca Sappington. 

I was a newby genealogist and did not argue.  Instead, I continued researching. And I learned what happened to Rebecca/Rebeckah Bell Jarrett/Jarrett from another researcher who was a descendant of that couple. 

From researcher and descendant of Rebeckah Bell Jarratt and Jesse Jarratt, Thomas Parson:

Rebeckah Bell was the daughter of The Rev. James Bell and Mildred Robinson. She was born on 14 December 1762 in Sussex County, Virginia. She married Jesse Jarratt (sp.) on 17 February 1780, the son of Fadda Jarratt and Martha Ivey. Rebeckah was widowed in 1781. Jesse Jarratt named their unborn child in his will dated 1781.  James Bell Jarratt was born in 1781.

Rebeckah Bell remarried on August 21, 1783, to John Crew Robinson. (Sussex County Marriage Records.) Rebeckah died before 1875.   I would imagine Rebeckah Bell Jarratt Robinson died in Greensville County because her second husband, John Crew Robinson, was a resident there and a teacher at the time.  It seems he married three times and lived to be 106 years old.  I have read the copies of the court guardianship, and they seem to be connected to the Bell family, so I would imagine they raised James Bell Jarratt.

Thomas W  Parson IV

Box  242

Jarratt Virginia 23867

My research continues documenting sources:

Rebecca Jarrett was born on December 11, 1765, at the beginning of the American Revolution.  She was born to Frederick "Fadda' Jarrett and his wife, Martha Ivey, out of a possible 11 children in Surry/Sussex County, Virginia. The family migrated to Wilkes County, Georgia about 1783 when Cherokee land opened to  

On her twentieth birthday, she married Richard Sappington on December 11, 1785, probably in Wilkes County, Georgia. Richard and Rebecca had 12 or 13 children.  The family moved from Kettle Creek in Wilkes County to Henry County, Georgia, where they are both buried.  Richard died in 1838, and Rebecca in August of 1848.

Richard Sappington purchased and sold a great deal of property in Wilkes County, Georgia and in Henry County, Georgia; some of the deed listings are included in the timeline to assist the reader to follow the migration from Wilkes County to Henry County. 

Richard Sappington

July 25, 1763 - Friday, Richard Sappington was born in  Anne Arundel County, Maryland to John Sappington Jr. and Ann Everett.

1763: Richard Sappington's father died—John Sappington, Jr.

17 October 1765:

Maryland Hall of Records filed in Anne Arundel County, in 1765, Prerogative Court, Box 5, fld. 14  "17 October 1765 - John Sappington of Anne Arundel County, deceased made a deed of gift to his son, Richard.

Gleanings from Maryland News Papers: 1727-1775 by Robert Barnes, 1976.

Annapolis, Maryland Gazette

1764: Richard’s Mother remarried—"Ann, mother of Richard and his three siblings, married Nicholas Ridgely of Baltimore, Maryland."

(Gleanings from Maryland News Papers: 1727-1775 by Robert Barnes, 1976. Annapolis, Maryland Gazette).

11 March 1773: Estate settlement for John Sappington, Jr.

John  Richard, and Margaret executors.  John Sappington, Jr. was the first-born son of John Sappington, Sr. and his wife, the former Sarah Sherbert of Anne Arundel County, Virginia. John Jr. was born into this world on February 6, 1734; he departed on February 13, in the Year of Our Lord, 1765.  John was thirty-one years and one week. John was the 2nd great-grandson of Nathaniel Sappington, the immigrant.  Citations: From Linda Starr, a descendant of The Rev. Joshua Starr, on July 3, 2000.

11 December 1785 Sunday, Richard Sappington, Marriage, Richard was 22 years, 4 months and 19 days.  Source: Bible Records of William Jarrett Sappington

18 December 1787: Birth—Caleb Sappington, son.

14 November 1788: Deed—Purchase 99 acres on Kettle Creek

21 March 1789: Birth Daughter, Margaret “Peggy” Sappington

10 October 1790: Birth Daughter—Nancy Jarrett Sappington

22 July 1792: Birth Daughter—Mary Elizabeth Sappington

2 December 1803: Birth Son—Henry Thomas Sappington

29 February 1804: Death of Richard’s mother, Ann Everett Sappington Ridgely in Baltimore, Maryland  Ridgely exocusus from Anne Arundel Gentry., Vol. III,.

Nicholas Ridgely, one of the children of William and Mary (Orrick) Ridgely, was born about 1743 in Anne Arundel County.  By the will of his father in 1780, his legacy was negligible, but at that time it is believed that he was established in Baltimore Town. Before September 8, 1767, he married Anne, the widow of John Sappington, with at least two children: Anne and Caleb. On the foregoing date they filed an account with the court reporting an inventory appraised a #163/4/6 and after all obligations against the estate were met, a balance of #161/14/11 remained for the heirs.  Richard Sappington and Thomas Sappington were sureties for the administrators.

6 June 1805: Birth Son—Richard Thadeus Sappington

10 September 1806: Birth Daughter—Sarah Jarrett Sappington

28 Dec. 1814: Estate Settlement of Fadda Jarrett. Early Records of Georgia: Wilkes County Deed Book "OO" Sales for 28 December 1814, Estate settlement of Fadda Jarrett: Richard Sappington, two slaves, 1 negro boy Daniel, 1 Negro boy Sealy.

27  December 1815: Administrator Weaver Estate

Deed Book CCC, 1815-1819, Wilkes County, Georgia; microcopy RH 406-7; Georgia Archives, Morrow, Georgia

1820 U.S. Federal Census, Wilkes County, Georgia,

Richard Sappington.

Ancestry.com 1820 U.S. Federal Census online. Provo, Utah; MyFamily.com, Inc., 2004. Original data; the United States, 1820 United States Federal Census, M33, 142 rolls.  National Archives and Records Administrations, Washington, D.C.

Photocopied from microfilm of original and appears transcribed elsewhere in this report.

1837 Tax Digest, Henry County, Georgia; microcopy RHS 21-22; Georgia Archives, Morrow, Georgia.

Capt Posey District - Knob

Richard Sappington, overage, 0 polls, 11 slaves, 212 acres land, 2nd & 3rd quality land, lot 184,11th Dt, waters of South River, Henry Co

40 acres 3rd class land, Cherokee Co [gold lot]

40 acres, 3rd class land, lot 340 2nd Dt, sec 1, Cherokee Co [gold lot]

John Sappington, Rev. Soldier, overage, 0 poll, 0 slaves, 160 acres, 3rd class land, lot 229, 10th Dt

Notes: By John Sappington’s entry is the notation that he was a Revolutionary War soldier.  Both John and Richard Sappington were over the age of 60 and therefore paid no poll tax.  In 1837 Richard Sappington still had the 2-40 acre lots that he won in the 1832 Gold Lottery.

20 May 1837: Richard's Letter to Brother, Caleb Sappington in Maryland, thanks to Claire Sappington Schmidt. 

8 January 1838 Monday, Richard Sappington died at the age of 74 years, five months and 17 days.

Documentation Marriage:

a.).)Faddy Jarrett transferred ownership of a Negro girl, Lucy, "unto my son in law, Richard Sappington," dated 21 November. 1793. County of Wilkes, Georgia, reference:Will Book Volume  KK, Box 33, Georgia Archives.

b.) Links II, by Elizabeth Ramsey: p. 244: Henry County settlement of Richard's estate: Record books 'H', p. 532 and 'J', p.  145-147. Richard was the administrator of Fadda Jarrett's estate and a legatee. p. 271, "Transfer of sale of the personal estate of John Weaver, widower of Elizabeth Weaver (nee Jarrett).  It states that "Richard Sappington, brother-in-law of John Weaver, made a return on the personal estate of John Weaver for $1,987.00 and three tracts of land."   (Copies of original documents attached)

c.) Early Records of Georgia, Vol I & II, Wilkes County Will Book 1818 - 1819 p.86

Notes for William Partridge:  Executors, signed 31 Jan 1814. Probated 7 July 1817, Richard Sappington, Rebecca Sappington, James Rutledge, Testato,  listed as Testator. to the will of  William Partridge.

d.)Bankston Cousins 1656-1996, by Anne Martin Haigler, Hardbound, Inc. 737A, N. Highway 67, Florissant, Missouri, 63031

e.) Looking Back II, Edwin Donovan Kuykendall 1985, Vol, II;    A copy is in the Dallas, Tx.  library, and the East Point, Georgia. Archives.  Volume 2 tells about the Sappingtons of Maryland & Georgia. "Descendants of Richard Sappington b. July 25, 1763, Md. moved to Wilkes County, Georgia about 1787/88 married Rebecca Jarrett.) on pg 156 ---" sets forth an abstract of a will signed 31 Jan. 1814 by William Partridge, probated, 1817, and shows witnesses to that will were Richard Sappington, Rebecca Sappington, and James Rutledge.  Other documents have shown, hereinafter, in this chapter, identify Richard Sappington's widow as Rebecca Sappington, following his death in 1838 in Henry Co, Georgia.  I, therefore, have concluded Richard's wife, before her marriage, was Rebecca Jarrett, daughter of Fadde."

8 January 1838: Death Richard Sappington

Deed Book H (1834-1839), pages 532-533, Henry County, Georgia; microcopy RHS 623-4; Georgia Archives, Morrow, Georgia.

Early Records of Georgia. Wills and Deeds, Georgia, Henry County:  Richard Sappington Estate Settlement: 12 February 1838

Know all men by these present that I, Rebecca Sappington, widow of Richard Sappington, late of the county and state aforesaid deceased, and Caleb Sappington and Timothy Collins of the county of Walton, Henry Sappington of county of Monroe, William J. Sappington of the county of Troup, Thaddeus Sappington of county of Newton, William R. Williams of the county of Lumpkin, and  Thomas Albert of the county of Henry and all of the state aforesaid being lawful legatees of the estate of said Richard Sappington,  deceased, for divers good causes and considerations we here unto moving have made ordained and appointed and by these presents do make ordain and appoint John Albert of the county of Henry and State of Georgia and Richard T. Sappington of the county of Newton and state aforesaid and legatees of said estate our true and lawful attorneys for us and in our names and for our own proper use and benefit to sell and dispose of absolutely and in fee simple all and singular the goods, chattels, lands and tenements both real and personal belonging or appertaining to the estate of said Richard Sappington deceased at public our cry on the premises of said deceased.  In the county of Henry and commencing on the 13th day of February, one thousand eight hundred and thirty-eight, then continuing from day to day until all is sold to the highest bidder as may be agreed upon. Then to make equal distribution of the remaining balances among legatees of such notes as ten remain.  In witness, we here of the said, Rebecca Sappington, Caleb Sappington, Timothy Collins, Henry Sappington, William J. Sappington, Thaddeus Sappington, William R. Williams, Thomas Albert, have hereunto set our hands and seals this the 12th day of February 1838.

Witness; Wiley E. Wood  Signed:

Widow: Rebecca Jarrett Sappington

Caleb Sappington (married Martha Bankston)

Timothy Collins  (m. Rebecca Sappington)

Henry Thomas Sappington (m. Sarah Owens)

William Jarrett Sappington (m. Martha Hardwick Starr)

Thaddeus Sappington (m. Jerely Turner

William R, Williams (m. Elizabeth Sappington)

Thomas Albert (m. Sarah Sappington)

3 January 1839: Land Sale to Family

It was so very nice to prove Rebecca Jarrett Sappington was the daughter of Fadda Jarrett and Martha Ivey!  And the other genealogist was impressed with my work. Being Nice Pays!

#52 Ancestors 52 Weeks – Challenge Week 49, A Winter Babe

#52 Ancestors 52 Weeks – Challenge Week 49
Prompt: Winter

A Winter Babe

by

The Rev. Dr. Cynthia Forde

Winter brings about its own harsh beauty.  Frost-covered trees, with chandeliers of ice hanging from branches, frame iron-gray skies. Thick fogs with whispering winds are luminous passageways to an icy winter paradise. The birth cry of John Miller pierces this silent paradise on Christmas day, 25 December 1803.

The winter babe was born to James Miller in the 16^thstate of the Union, Tennessee (Indian name: Tenase).  Nothing is known of his mother, nor where he was born in Tennessee.  There is little doubt the winter birth was in the most primitive of cabins and most certainly near a river.  Our imagination is whetted by knowledge of a winter birth, a Christmas date, and the state of Tennessee, which became a state in 1796.  By 1800, a small settlement was located on the Natchez Trace.  Most early settlers came from Virginia because the early boundary line between North Carolina and Virginia was not resolved for several years.  But, early East Tennessee records are sadly lacking,  destroyed by the War Between the States.

A biography about John Miller’s grandson, Sheriff of Polk County, Arkansas, provides more details.  John Miller’s father, James, was born in South Carolina, an Irishman by descent and a Staunch Presbyterian.  John Miller was “a county and probate judge as well as a substantial farmer,” according to George R. Miller’s biography - Polk County, Arkansas. Early records show they were “Presbyterian Denomination who later embraced the Methodist Episcopal Church.” It would help a lot if only George asked more questions.  

Dorothy Ellison Miller and I formed a good research team in the 1970s.  Dorothy, being the more learned of the two of us, provided much information.  In 1826, John Miller married Nancy Mary, daughter of Joseph Wilson, a farmer, and a trader, of Tennessee.   Nancy, Mary, and John are enumerated in the 1830 Federal Census of Monroe County, Tennessee.  In 1835, the Millers and their children purchased $3000.00 worth of land in Dade County, Georgia., District  No. 21, near Rising Fawn. The land was purchased and not won by lottery or given as a bounty, according to Dade County land records (Source: Sue Forrester – genealogist, Dade County).

Five of John Miller’s sons served the Confederacy; James died in a prison camp.  A daughter, Elizabeth, died, giving birth to her first daughter, Nancy Tatum.  She is the only Miller buried in the beautiful Miller Cemetery located on the plantation.  Elizabeth was married to Casper Tatum.  Nancy was raised by the Tatum’s initially, but she is buried in Arkansas near her Miller grandparents (Source: Randy Lewis).  Four sons married women from Dade County:  George R. Miller married Martha Davis; Joseph married her sister, Sarah Davis.  James married Elizabeth Killian; John Thornton Miller married Sara L Russell.

Timeline John Miller

25 December 1803 – Birth - John Miller, probably Tennessee to James Miller

6 July 1806 - Birth, Nancy Mary Wilson Tennessee to Joseph Wilson

1826 - Marriage, John Miller and Nancy Mary Wilson - Monroe County, Tennessee

1830 U.S. Federal Census - Monroe Tennessee 98Th Regiment

John Miller

1835-John Miller (Georgia Abstract Records Office) purchased 420 Acres of land in District # 21 near Rising Fawn, Georgia, for $3000.00.

1835-1859 - Land acquisitions and land sales

1840 U.S. Federal Census - Dade Georgia Rising Fawn

Ancestry.com - roll 40 p. 81

John Miller 211-1-------/11--11

Two males under five

1 male under 10

1 male under 15

1 male 20-30

One female under five

One female under ten

One female 20-30

One female 30-40

1850 U.S. Federal Census  Dade County, Georgia; p. 13 A- District No. 21 p. 125, TN599343463

August 25, 1850, by Stephen L. Pace

169-169  John Miller, 46, m. farmer, the value of real estate owned: $3000.00 born:  Tennessee

Married within the year (this must be an error... or it refers to one of the children)

Mary, 44, f, b. Tennessee - cannot read or write

Mary, 13, f, b. Georgia

John, 10, m. b: Georgia

William, 8, m, b: Georgia

Columbus, 5, m b: Georgia

Hiram, 3, m. b: Georgia

James, 22, m. Farmer, b: Tennessee

Joseph 20, m. Farmer, b. Tennessee

George, 16, m, Farmer, b: Tennessee

John Miller reports his birth in Tennessee in 1850 and in 1870.  The 1860 census informant was George Miller’s wife, reporting that her own father was born in Kentucky, making it appear that John Miller was the informant as to his birth state.  John was born in Tennessee.

1860 U.S. Federal Census Polk County, Arkansas -Center Township - Dallas Post Office  p. 7

Line 40 39-37 4 June 1860

John Miller 57 male farmer $2000. b. Ky

Nancy 54 b. Tennessee

Nicey

W.A. (William Anderson) 18 farmer

H.A. 13

C.C. 15

Mary Jane 6

Nancy 4

Wm G. 2

31 Aug. 1866, Nancy Mary (Wilson) Miller died in Mena, Polk County, Arkansas. She is buried in Board Camp, on land donated for a chapel and a cemetery donated by William Anderson Miller.

1870 U.S. Federal Census  Polk county, Arkansas - Fulton Township District  No. 21 p. 22 A, September 21, 1870

Miller, John 64, born in Tennessee

Hiram Douglas, 22, Georgia

1878, John Miller died in Polk County, Arkansas.  He is buried next to his wife, Nancy Mary Miller in Board Camp, on land donated to the chapel and a cemetery by their son William Anderson Miller. 

John Miller, my second great grandfather, born in the beauty of a Tennessee winter, died in the sweltering heat of an Arkansas summer 6 August 1878.

DEEDS

Submitter: The Rev. Dr. Cynthia Vold Forde

Copied by Sue Parham Forrester

HC-65-Box 715

Cloudland, Georgia 30731

17 May 1990

Clerk of Superior Court Office

Book ‘D’ p. 375

Dade County, Georgia

LOT #193 (Dist. 10 – 4th Section) 160 Acres

Sale: John H. Patrick to John Miller

2 April 1857

Georgia, Walker County

This indenture made this Second day of April in the year of our Lord eighteen hundred, and fifty-seven between John H. Patrick of Franklin County of said State of the one part and John Miller of Walker County of said State of the other part.

Witneseth that the said John H. Patrick for and in consideration of the sum of Eighty Dollars to him in hand paid at and before the sealing and delivery of these presents the receipt whereof is hereby acknowledged both granted bargained sale and conveyed and doth by these presents grant bargain sell and convey unto the said John Miller his heirs and asignes all that tract or parcel of land situate lying and being in the County aforesaid in the tenth district  and fourth section of said county containing one hundred sixty acres more or less being lot number 193 originally granted to William Boughu (sic?) said grant is dated the first day of July eighteen hundred and forty-three to heirs and to hold said tract or parcel of land unto him all the rights members and appurtenances belonging to have and to hold the above described lot of land unto him the said John  Miller his heirs and asignes together with all the rights members and appurtenances thereof to the same in any manner belonging to his and their own proper use benefit in behalf forever in fee simple and the said John H. Patrick for himself his heirs executors and administrators the said John H. Patrick hath hereunto set his hand and affixed his seal the day and year above written. Signed, sealed, and delivered in the presence of:

J.J. Morgan

R.H. Tatum, Notary Public

John H. Patrick (Seal)

Registered April 9th, H. L. W. Allison, Clerk