Yesterday, we reviewed a myriad of conflicting and/or missing records for Henry Miller, who settled in Muhlenberg County, Kentucky by 1840.
Henry, and presumably Susannah, who was likely the mother of his children, at least those born after 1820, didn’t leave much more of a crumb trail to the lives after 1850.
Let’s look first at 1850 when the Henry Miller family was in Subdivision 2 of Muhlenberg County, Kentucky:
Source: Ancestry
Henry, 62, Farmer, $170, born VA
Susanna, 56, born VA
Emiline, 19, born KY
Martin D., 17, born KY
Adaline, 19, born KY
Susanna, 14, born KY
Mary E., 12, born KY
It is also noted in 1850 that Martin D. and Adaline were married within the year. That appears to be a mistake – Martin wasn’t married, but Adaline did marry William Berry Doss on 9 September 1850. I have to wonder if Adaline was simply at her parents’ home when the census taker came around. I can imagine a scenario where the enumerator listed Henry, Susanna, Emiline and Martin when Adaline came walking in, accounting for her out-of-birth order appearance and, as an excited newlywed of 8 days, chimed in – YES, I just got married last week – and then the enumerator assumed Martin was the groom and finally added the two younger girls.
Now, let’s look at the 1860 census, the last for which Henry and Susan were living:
Source: Ancestry
Henry, 72, Farmer, $300, born MD
Susanah, 64, domestic, born MD
Emiline, 27, domestic, born MD
Martin, 24, stone mason, born MD
While the ages of Henry and Susanah look good, Emiline has aged but 8 years in a decade and Martin only 7 years in the same time span. Also, note that now it is reported that everyone in the home was born in Maryland!
Who were the children of Henry (and possibly Susanna MNU) Miller?
To determine Henry’s children, we need to combine those in the 1830 home with those in 1850. Since the children didn’t seem to marry at a very young age, those at home in 1850 do a great job filling in those born through the 1830s.
I’ve adjusted the age brackets from 1830 and assigned some tentative years, given that Henry had mostly daughters.
Children:
- Female, born 1811-1815, aged 15-19
- Catherine, born c1821, Tennessee; died after 1870, probably Muhlenberg County, Kentucky; married Nathan Harper, 13 September 1842, Muhlenberg County, Kentucky. He was born c1800, North Carolina; died between 1850-1860, probably Muhlenberg County, Kentucky.
- Male, born c1823
- Mary A., born January 1825, Tennessee or Kentucky, per census reports; died after 1900, probably Muhlenberg County, Kentucky, where she was living with her son, Henry; married Meredith Lewis as his second wife, 26 January 1846, Muhlenberg County, Kentucky. He was born c1806, Virginia; died between 1860-1870.
- Female, born c1827
- Female, born c1829
- Emiline, born c1831, Tennessee or Kentucky, per census reports; died between 1880-1900; married George A. Boothe, 8 August 1865, Muhlenberg County, Kentucky. He was born c1837, Pennsylvania; died after 1900, probably Muhlenberg County, Kentucky.
- Adaline, born c1831, Tennessee; died 22 March 1888, Muhlenberg County, Kentucky; married William Berry Doss, 9 September 1850, Muhlenberg County, Kentucky
- Martin D., born c1833, probably Warren County, Tennessee; died after 19 October 1868, when he was the security in the administration of his sister Mary Eva Lewis’s estate; married Jane Forehand, 12 July 1863, Muhlenberg County, Kentucky. Martin gave his place of birth in his marriage record.
- Susannah, born January 1835, probably Warren County, Tennessee; died 1910, when she was living with her son, family, and 1920, probably in Muhlenberg County, Kentucky; married Andrew M. Lewis, 18 February 1854, Muhlenberg County, Kentucky. He was born 18 January 1825; died 17 May 1900, Muhlenberg County, Kentucky, based on gravestone dates.
- Mary Eva, born c1838, possibly Kentucky; died before 19 October 1868, when administration of her estate began, Muhlenberg County, Kentucky; married John W. Lewis, 24 December 1857, Muhlenberg County, Kentucky. He was born c1837; died between 1860 and 1870.
Who were the unknown children of Henry found in the 1830 census?
The daughter born c1825 was certainly Mary A. Miller, who married Meredith Lewis in 1846. Andrew M. and John W. Lewis were sons of Meredith and married Mary A.’s younger sisters, Susan and Eva, as they were known.
Also, Catherine who married Nathan Harper in 1842 was most likely a daughter of Henry and Susannah. She had children named Henry and Susan and lived only three doors away from her proposed parents.
A look at the Muhlenberg County marriage records hasn’t shed much light on the mystery. There are a number of Miller marriages between 1838-1850, which is the likely time frame in which his children would have married. Because I’ve extensively researched Millers in the county because of Martin Miller, Henry’s brother, and my husband’s ancestor, I recognized a number of the married couples.
There are no unaccounted for grooms who might be the male born in the 1820s. Without even a given name, it will be very difficult to find him, assuming he lived to marry. It’s also possible that he married outside Muhlenberg County.
As for the brides, there are only two left who I haven’t been able to connect to birth families, but I have :
Susan Miller married William Moore, 5 December 1838, by Rev. Worthington
Harriet R. Miller married Edward R. Weir, 21 September 1838, Rev. George McAfee
I would tend to discount Susan who married William Moore, simply because Henry and Susannah had Susannah living at home in 1850.
As for Harriet, she seems to have ties to Millers in Hopkins County, Kentucky, so I don’t think she is a child of Henry and Susannah.
That leaves one possible son, two possible daughters and perhaps a third daughter unaccounted for.
I wish Henry or Susannah had left a will or had an estate distribution!
On Saturday, we will review the grandchildren, as I am hoping to connect with some new distant cousins.