Biographical Sketch of Thomas J. McMillan, Gasconade County, Missouri

>From "History of Franklin, Jefferson, Washington, Crawford and 
Gasconade Counties", Biographical Appendix, Goodspeed Publishing 
Company, 1888.

**********************************************************************

Thomas J. McMillan, LL. B., attorney at law, notary public, farmer,
etc., of Brush Creek Township, was born in that township in 1861, and
is the younger of two children born to Daniel and Eliza J. (Burchard)
McMillan.  The father was born in Patrick County, Va., in 1821, and
when eleven years of age he, with his brother Edward, a boy of eight-
een, came from Virginia to Mount Sterling, then the county seat of
Gasconade County, where they had an elder brother, Thomas, living.
They made part of the journey on foot (walking to the falls of the
Kanawha River), and the remainder by boat.  Daniel worked on the farm
during the summer, attended the common school in winter, and became a
fair scholar.  He was married in 1849 in Gasconade County, and sett-
led one mile west of Bem, where he improved a good farm and passed 
the remainder of his life.  He died in 1876, and was well known
throughout the county as an honest, enterprising citizen.  He was
postmaster at Bem for some time.  He was a Democrat, an active poli-
tician, but not an aspirant for office.  He was a member of the 
Methodist Episcopal Church from youth.  His father, William McMillan
was born in Patrick County, Va., and was under Gen. Harrison in the
Indian War.  His father, Thomas McMillan, was born in Scotland and
came to America prior to the Revolutionary War, and was killed at the
battle of Trenton.  The mother of Thomas J. was born in Brush Creek
Township, in 1828, and is living there at the present.  She has been
teaching in the public schools of the county for thirty-five years
and has been but twice out of the State.  She is a member of the 
Methodist Episcopal Church South since youth.  Her parents, Judge 
Samuel and Barbara Burchard, were natives of Maryland and South Caro-
lina, respectively.  Mr. Burchard came with his parents to St. Louis
County, but afterward moved to Gasconade County, where he married and
settled in Third Creek Township, but afterward in Brush Creek Town-
ship, where he died in 1868.  He was sheriff of Gasconade County, 
also assessor and county judge.  Mrs. Burchard died in 1859.  Thomas
J. McMillan remained in the common schools until 1877, when he enter-
ed and spent two years at the Missouri School of Mines, at Rolla.  He
then taught until 1883, at which time he entered the law department
of the State University, at Columbia, and graduated in 1885 fourth in
the class of twenty-three; was admitted to practice the same year by
Judge A. J. Seay.  He has been successfully engaged in the practice
of his profession since and has a bright prospect opening before him.
He teaches school during the winter months, and has charge of a farm
in the summer.  He has been notary public since 1887.  May 18th, of
the same year, he married Miss Charlotta Wacker, who was born near
Drake, and who is the daughter of August and Charlotta Wacker, 
natives of Westphalia, Germany.  Mrs. McMillan was educated at Her-
mann and was also a teacher of considerable prominence.  Mr. McMillan
has 200 acres of land in the old farm, and 120 in the farm on which
he is living.  He is a Democrat politically, and has been a delegate
to the State conventions of his party since sixteen years of age, was
a delegate to the State convention at St. Louis in 1886, and is an 
active worker for the party.  He is secretary of the Gasconade Teach-
ers' Association, and one of its best educators.

====================================================================
     USGENWEB NOTICE: In keeping with our policy of providing
         free information on the Internet, data may be used by
         non-commercial entities, as long as this message
         remains on all copied material. These electronic
         pages may NOT be reproduced in any format for profit
         or for presentation by other persons or organizations.

         Persons or organizations desiring to use this material
         for purposes other than stated above must obtain the
         written consent of the file contributor.

         This file was contributed for use in the USGenWeb
         Archives by: Joe Miller <mio@netins.net>
		      Penny Harrell <Incog3678@aol.com>

====================================================================