Today, we will look at the grandchildren of Henry and Susannah (MNU) Miller of Muhlenberg County, Kentucky, based on what I’ve been able to cobble together about their children.

There are seven known children of Henry and Susannah who married and had children of their own, so this will be a rather lengthy list:

1. 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.
2. 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
3. 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.
4. Adaline, born c1831, Tennessee; died 22 March 1888, Muhlenberg County, Kentucky; married William Berry Doss, 9 September 1850, Muhlenberg County, Kentucky
5. 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.
6. 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.
7. 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.

Catherine and Nathan Harper were the parents of seven known children, although Nathan had other children with a first wife. All events are Muhlenberg County, unless noted otherwise.

Children (Harper):

1. Louisa, born c1843; died after 1870
2. Lucy, born 1844/1846; died 20 December 1878; married James Henry Nelson, 26 September 1863. He was born 1844; died 1918. They were the parents of five children.
3. John Martin, born January 1847; died 1940; married Amanda Catherine Wood, 28 November 1866. she was born 1851; died 1950. They were the parents of ten children.
4. Susan Anne, born 30 May 1848; died 13 December 1919; married (1) William Samuel Turner, 29 November 1866 (2) John Lewis Noffsinger, 22 November 1886. She had five Turner children and one Noffsinger.
5. Nathan C., born 11 February 1850; died 26 February 1913; married (1) Louisa Nelson, c1869 (2) Elizabeth Frances Vincent, 2 November 1875, Daviess County, Kentucky. He had one child with Louisa and thirteen children with Elizabeth.
6. Elizabeth, born c1852; died after 1870; no further record.
7. Henry Jackson, born 30 August 1853; died 25 September 1928; married (1) Nancy Jane Sallee, 2 November 1872 (2) Mary Elizabeth Brown, 6 April 1886, Hopkins County, Kentucky. He had seven children with Nancy and three with Mary.

Mary A. and Meredith Lewis were the parents of five children, although Meredith had children with his first wife, Elizabeth Vincent:

Children: (Lewis)

1. Henry J., born 8 November 1846; died 12 December 1914; married Mary Emily (MNU), c1904. She was born c1886 and reported giving birth to 3 children, one living, apparently Geneva May, aged 9, at home. However, they reported being married for six years, so Geneva may not be a child of Henry. Both reported being married only once.
2. Mary S., born c1848; died after 1860; no further record.
3. James William, born c1852; died after 1880; married Jennie Moore, 29 March 1880. She was born c1861. They had no children in 1880 and haven’t been found in 1900.
4. Elizabeth, born c1852; died after 1870; no further record.
5. Sylvester, born March 1854; died after 1900; married (1) Parilee Devine, 16 September 1874 (2) Princetta (Evitts) Wright, 28 February 1895. He had three daughters with Parilee.

Emiline and George A. Boothe had one daughter:

Child: (Booth)

1. Mary Bell, born 17 July 1866; died 1965, Sedgewick County, Kansas; married (1) John R. Hattler, 10 October 1885 (2) James Edward (Apgar?) O’Neil(?), c1896. John was born c1856, New York and reported on his marriage record that his father was born in France. He was a cook. Mary reportedly had a daughter, Addie, born in 1889, but I have not found any trace of her. Mary hasn’t been found in 1900. John Edward O’Neil has an odd note on FamilySearch about it not being known why he changed his name from Apgar to O’Neil. No marriage record has been found, but Mary and James are enumerated in Pittsburg County, Oklahoma. Both report a second marriage and Mary says she has given birth to nine children, with seven still living. Therefore, there are likely descendants, but it will take a lot more sleuthing to figure out this family.

Adaline and William Berry Doss were the parents of eight children:

Children: (Doss)

1. Joel Henry, born 25 February 1851; died 9 January 1903; married Nancy Elizabeth Harris, 10 December 1873. She was born 1857; died 24 December 1924. They were the parents of eight children, with six living in 1900.
2. Susan Elizabeth, born 13 January 1855; died 14 September 1914, Terre Haute, Vigo, Indiana; married James Paul Veller, 26 July 1884. He was born 1832, France; died 1910, Ohio County, Kentucky. They were the parents of six children, with five living in 1900.
3. James Berry, born 23 February 1857; died 1 January 1925; married (1) Bettie Roland, 21 May 1877 (2) Clara Fannie Vaden, 9 September 1907, Smith County, Tennessee. She was born 1890.  James had seven children, with four living in 1900 with Bettie and two more children with Fannie.
4. Nancy, born 1859; died between 1860-1870; no further record
5. Sarah Jane, born 18 July 1861; died 6 August 1948; married John Vincent, 24 December 1879. He was born 1854; died 1943. They were the parents of thirteen children, with eight living in 1910.
6. Mary Ellen, born 17 January 1866; died 18 October 1948, Terre Haute, Vigo, Indiana; married (1) James Monroe Bowling, 26 December 1888 (2) James W. Kellams, 29 March 1924, Vigo County, Indiana. She is buried in Ohio County, Kentucky. It is unknown whether she had any children, as she isn’t found in 1900, 1910 or 1920.
7. William Thomas, born 6 August 1868; died 23 January 1934; married (1) C.A. Duvall, 2 August 1888 (2) Safrona Catherine Barrentine, c1890. She was born 1874; died 1939. they were the parents of two children.
8. Alfred Jackson, born 30 May 1872; died 25 January 1925; married Mona Jane Cooper, 17 October 1893. They were the parents of seven children, with four living in 1920.

Martin D. Miller and Jane Forehand are a continuing mystery. Although they married in 1863, and Martin D. was named as a court security in October 1868, neither is found in 1870. There might be a clue, though, as Mary A. Lewis, Martin’s sister who married Meredith Lewis, is found in 1880 at home with a couple of her own children, in addition to William Miller, her 11 year old nephew, who was born in Illinois. The only choices for William’s father would be Martin or the unknown son of Henry and Susannah, born c1823. Unfortunately, neither Martin nor Jane or William can be found with any certainty in 1870.

Child: (Miller)

1. Possibly William, born c1869, Illinois, who lived with his aunt, Mary Lewis, in Muhlenberg County in 1880.

Susannah and Andrew M. Lewis were the parents of nine children.

Children: (Lewis)

1. Mary E., born 1855; died after 1850. She is NOT the Eliza Lewis who married William Redman. That was her cousin, daughter of John and Eva Lewis.
2. John W., born 16 January 1857; died 30 January 1920, Daviess County, Kentucky; married (1) Martha Devine, c1882 (2) Jennie Bell Rager, c1889. Jennie was born 1872; died 1918. JOhn had one child with Martha and one with Jennie.
3. Margaret J., born November 1858; died after 1920 census when several children and her mother, Susan, lived in the home; married Jesse Snodgrass, 23 February 1880. He was born 1846; died 1903. They were parents of nine children, all living in 1900 and of ten children, but one who had died by 1910.
4. Sarah (possibly Sarah Louisa), born 11 April 1862; died 7 November 1935; married (1) James E. Williams (2) Samuel Anderson. She had seven children with James, but four living in 1900 and nine children by 1910, with five living. She had no known children with Samuel Anderson.
5. Susan Emiline, born 6 February 1866; died 8 August 1940; married John Francis Smith, 5 July 1888. He was born 1857, England; died 1920. By 1910, they were the parents of seven children, with six living.
6. Martha F., born 1869; died before 1900; married Thomas Hall, 4 October 1891. Thomas and sons Albert and Andrew H. boarded with John W. Lewis’s extended family.
7. William Dayton, born 1874; died after 1920 census; married (1) Rosie Rager, 29 April 1895 (2) Priscilla Belle Combs, c1909. Belle died 5 September 1916, aged 30 years. In 1920, he was enumerated as widowed. He had three children with Rosie. Whether he had any with Belle can’t be determined.
8. Pearl M., born May 1880; perhaps died soon after marriage; married J.V. Thomas, 21 January 1900. He was born 1880; died 1920; married (2) Daughter of Jessie Snodgrass and Maggie Lewis. She died of childbirth in 1910, only identified as Mrs. J. V. Thomas, born December 1880.

Mary Eva and John W. Lewis were the parents of three children. Both John and Eva died in the 1860s and the girls were raised by Andrew and Susan Lewis, as they lived with their family in 1870 and 1880.

Children: (Lewis)

1. Eliza E., born 1858; died after 1880
2. Mary B., born 1862; died after 1880
3. Susan M., born 1865; died after 1880

If you are descended from any of the children of Henry and Susannah Miller, I would LOVE to make contact with you. Please leave a comment. 🙂

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:

1. Female, born 1811-1815, aged 15-19
2. 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.
3. Male, born c1823
4. 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.
5. Female, born c1827
6. Female, born c1829
7. 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.
8. Adaline, born c1831, Tennessee; died 22 March 1888, Muhlenberg County, Kentucky; married William Berry Doss, 9 September 1850, Muhlenberg County, Kentucky
9. 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.
10. 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.
11. 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.

It’s been about five years since I last wrote about Henry Miller, son of Revolutionary War soldier Jacob Miller, who settled in Botetourt County, Virginia after the war and then migrated to Franklin County, Tennessee, where he lived the rest of his life.

First, who is Henry Miller?

Henry is the son of Jacob Miller and his first wife, Sarah (MNU). There is much that we don’t know about Henry. He was born c1788, possibly in Pennsylvania, as I have no evidence that his parents arrived in Virginia before the early 1790s, OR actually in Virginia, if the 1850 census can be believed OR in Maryland, if one chooses to think that census was more accurate.

Henry died in Muhlenberg County, Kentucky sometime before June 1864, when Joseph Adcock was appointed to administer his estate.

Henry married Susannah (MNU) at some point before the 1850 census. Susannah, or Susan as she later used, was born c1796 either in Virginia (per the 1850 census) OR Maryland (per the 1860 census.) No clues have been found to point to her maiden name, but Susan Miller’s estate inventory was taken in July 1868, Muhlenberg County, Kentucky with W. Hancock appointed administrator.

Henry Miller’s life before 1850 is a total mystery, with the exception of a power of attorney filed by Henry in Franklin County, Tennessee, giving the right to represent him in the matter of his late father Jacob’s estate to Phillip Williams, who was his brother-in-law.

Henry helpfully mentioned that he was currently living in Warren County, Tennessee, which is two counties north-northeast of Franklin County.

There is much negative evidence associated with Henry Miller. Martin Miller, Henry’s older brother, was baptized in Germantown, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in the summer of 1785. However, as previously mentioned, the whereabouts of Jacob and Sarah Miller, their parents, can’t be established with any certainty until Jacob purchases land in Botetourt County, Virginia in 1793.

Jacob’s early war service is credited to Northampton County, Pennsylvania. His pension application adds that, later in the war, he served with Philadelphia units.

Another pertinent detail is that the family of John (Johannes) Whitmer from Frederick County, Maryland, settled near Jacob Miller’s family in Botetourt County. In fact, John’s daughter, Catherine, married Henry’s brother Martin there in 1808.

Did the Millers and Whitmers meet in Virginia? Or did Jacob perhaps live in Maryland in between Pennsylvania and Virginia? I don’t know. However, I have not found any Jacob Millers fitting this man in the 1790 Pennsylvania or Maryland census records. The 1790 Virginia census is lost.

Therefore, Henry’s birth could plausibly have taken place in any of those three places.

What is known about Henry Miller before 1850?

Short answer: not much. In fact, if Henry hadn’t been identified as a resident of Warren County, Tennessee in 1834, I would not have a single proven record relating to him before 1850.

The 1830 census of Warren County includes one Henry Miller, who I believe to be my man. Henry is aged 40-50, which matches his ages in both the 1850 and 1860 censuses. The female head of household is 30-40, which matches Susan’s ages in 1850 and 1860.

The other members of their household include:

Female, born 1811-1815, aged 15-19
Male, born 1821-1825, aged 5-9
Female, born 1821-1825, aged 5-9
Female, born 1821-1825, aged 5-9
Female, born 1826-1830, aged 0-4
Female, born 1826-1830, aged 0-5

If the oldest female child is Henry’s daughter and not some other family relative, then it may indicate a first marriage. Unfortunately, there is no marriage in Botetourt County for Henry and marriage records in both Franklin and Warren Counties are lost for this time period.

The other children can reasonably be predicted to have been born, say, 1821, 1823, 1825, 1827 and 1829 and may indicate that Henry married Susannah c1820. This pattern also fits with later children Emiline and Adeline, born c1831, and Martin D., born c1833.

Next problem – Henry can’t be identified with any certainty in 1820. He isn’t in Franklin County, where his father and younger siblings lived. There are two Henry Millers in Tennessee who fit his and Susannah’s age ranges. One is in Maury County, but that man owned one enslaved person. The Millers were not of economic circumstances to own much of anything besides land and some farm animals.

Yet another problem – Henry can’t be identified in the 1840 census, either. However, there is an H. Miller on the Muhlenberg County, Kentucky tax rolls in 1840 and Henry Miller appears in 1842. In both lists, he is taxed on 109 acres of land.

One more problem – I can’t find any record of how Henry Miller acquired his land in 1840. He did receive land grants in Muhlenberg County in 1850 and 1853. It may be that the 109 acres also came in the form of a land grant. Much more annoying is the fact that I can only account for Henry selling one acre of land in 1860. Neither he NOR Susan NOR his children have recorded deeds matching this land.

Next, we will look at Henry’s children and grandchildren, but don’t expect the next generations to arrive without their own mysteries!