COLUMBIA COUNTY OHIO - MORRIS/MILLER History Chapter 1 (published 1873) *********************************************************************** USGENWEB NOTICE: These electronic pages may NOT be reproduced in any format for profit or presentation by other organization or persons. Persons or organizations desiring to use this material, must obtain the written consent of the contributor, or the legal representative of the submitter, and contact the listed USGenWeb archivist with proof of this consent. The submitter has given permission to the USGenWeb Archives to store the file permanently for free access. http://www.usgwarchives.net/ *********************************************************************** File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by Maggie Stewart-Zimmerman MaggieOhio@columbus.rr.com November 5, 1999 *********************************************************************** "HISTORY OF THE MORRIS AND MILLER FAMILIES" By Morris Miller 1873 *********************************************************************** HISTORY OF THE MORRIS AND MILLER FAMILIES By Morris Miller 1873 Copied from original; edited to make more readable and to incorporate author’s corrections, 1967. Chapter 1 Early Account of the Miller Family I, Morris Miller, being over seventy-four years of age, have had it on my mind for some time past to leave, for the satisfaction of posterity, a short history of my father’s and mother’s families. I am now the oldest of my father’s family now living so far as I know, and with one exception the oldest of my mother’s. She has one half-sister (if she is yet living) about seven months older than I am. My account will be almost entirely from personal recollection, and I will be at some loss for precise dates, but their defect will not much impair the interest of the account which I conclude may be interesting to those now living and their posterity. Tradition avers that Robert Miller, my grandfather, and a sister came over from Ireland somewhere about 1747. They being young, served a short period for their passage, as was customary for many to do in those days who emigrated to America. They settled in Bucks County, Pennsylvania. The brother (at what date I can not ascertain) married in a family by the name of Shaw. The sister I have no tradition of, nor farther back of the Shaw family more than they were early settlers there and connected with the Nixon families of whose origin I have no knowledge. They were members of the Society of Friends, and I suppose that Mary, which was the name of my grandmother, lost her right in (the) Society by marrying contrary to its rules. I am not in possession of the dates of their marriage or of most of their children, consisting of four sons and five daughters; viz., as far as I know, James, Mary, Robert, Jane, Samuel, Levi and Hannah. Two more sisters, traditions says, married and emigrated to the State of Kentucky at an early period, of whom we have no reliable account. Nor am I able to place them in the order of the family as I could wish, having no record to apply to. James married Mary Phillips in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, and emigrated to Washington County, Pa., at an early period. To them was born six sons and one daughter; namely, David, John, Tacy, Eli, Robert, William, Ephriam and Joel. They emigrated to Columbiana County, Ohio, over fifty years ago. David, John and Tacy were married before they came; Eli, Robert and William married in Columbiana County, Ohio. Ephriam married in Virginia and lived there a few years, and as his brothers John and Eli emigrated to Highland County, Ohio, he moved there also, where they lived to a good old age and left a posterity of whom I know but little about. Tacy lived the latter part of her life in Jefferson County, Ohio, and left a posterity now very much scattered, as is also William’s, who lived and deceased in the eastern part of Columbiana County. Joel while young enlisted in a military expedition up the Missouri River, and never was heard of more. Robert married Nancy Shaw, she being the daughter of Samuel Shaw, of whom I shall speak hereafter, as I also shall of David Miller. Robert, much of the latter part of his life, was afflicted with rheumatism, as was his aged father before he deceased, and consequently did not live to so great an age as his parents and most of his brothers and sisters. His widow is still living, about seventy-four years of age, and enjoys herself around among her four very respectable children. She is the only one of James’ children’s companions now living that we know of. Mary, the eldest daughter, married a man by the name of Nathan Walton, he being one of a large family of whom I do not know the origin. They were very respectable members of the Society of Friends, and from what I know she became a member after marriage instead of him being disowned for marrying out of meeting. He was a lame man, having been hurt while young in one hip, so that from thenceforth he was a cripple, but enjoyed life reasonably well to an advanced age. He first used a cane, and then a crutch. In early days he wisely learned the tailor’s trade, by which he made a comfortable living. He had a pretty fair education for those early times and took great delight in reading. They had no children. It so befell the Miller family that they were bereft of parents when the youngest were quite small. I recollect hearing my father say that he could just remember his mother, and that his father lived but a few years afterwards. Here a dark era follows in which I have no tradition whether the family were dissolved or kept together for a time. One thing I recollect hearing was that what schooling my father got was by going without a hat. From the best I can glean I infer that Mary and her husband, Nathan Walton, became the guardians of Jane, Levi and Hannah, they being the youngest. Sometime in the year of 1794 or five they emigrated to Washington County, Pennsylvania, and purchased a small farm about four miles southwest of Brownsville (then called Old Fort.) Father drove the team, and I remember of hearing him say that on one descent on the western side of the mountains he had to take his horses and go a mile to get a small tree to make fast to the hind end of the wagon to steady it down, as locking the wheels was not considered secure enough. The rule was for each descending wagoner to loose from his tree and leave it in the road, and the next one that came along had to cut it out or get by it as he could. I mention this circumstance to show the contrast of crossing the mountains then and now. We will now leave the three sisters and their youngest brother here and notice Robert and Samuel. Robert I knew little about. He came to my father’s house in the summer of 1804; he tarried with us a few days, after which I recollect of hearing but little more of him until 1808 (when) he married and brought his wife to see us. I believe they never had any children. They resided in Washington County until the War of 1812, when he joined the Pennsylvania troops and deceased in camp on their march to the west. Samuel remained in Bucks County, the place of his nativity. He made a visit to the west, I believe in the autumn of 1808, to see his brothers and sisters. I have no knowledge of the time he was married, nor to whom, and do not know whether they ever had more than two children – a son and daughter. The son’s name was William. He married in early life and was a good mechanic, a chairmaker by trade, but of the extent of his family or how long he lived I have heard nothing more for many years. The daughter, I believe, never married. Her name was Sarah. When about forty years of age she made a sojourn with us here in the west, of a few months, and a few years after another of a longer tarry. She was a very pleasant woman, and much liked wherever she went. Now we will speak of Jane, she being the next oldest. About the year 1797 she married a man by the name of Jacob Hormell, he being a pioneer in early settling of Washington County. He was somewhat in advance of her in age and owned a pleasant tract of land adjoining the purchase of Walton. It afforded a very pleasant home, in view of her elder sister. In process of time there was born unto them five children, two sons and three daughters. Their names were John, William, Nancy, Prudence and Catharine. They all lived to be men and women and married except William, who deceased when about 21 years of age. Catherine and Nancy have also deceased. They went west, and their posterity is very much scattered. John resided on his father’s homestead and raised a very respectable family, which I believe are mostly settled near him. Prudence married William Shaw and settled in Columbiana County, Ohio. They, too, have their respectable children settled near them. Jacob and Jane lived to a good old age and were gathered home among their children. Hannah, the youngest of the family, I believe, married in the year of 1798 to a man by the name of Thomas Ball, who had resided in Greene County for some time, and was a blacksmith by trade. They settled on a near farm near by Nathan Walton. Thus, the three sisters were located near each other, and for many years enjoyed each other’s society, but in process of time two of the families became restless and wished to sell out and go to Ohio as their brother-in-law, Levi Miller, had done in 1810. (The reason for his doing as I shall give in detail hereafter.) Nathan Walton, feeling the effects of age, wished to be neared to his former apprentice, as Levi had lived with him about seven years before he was married ( the proverb afterwards was that he had served seven years to the tailor trade) and making him his agent to sell his farm, and moved to Ohio in 1814, Levi having purchased a quarter-section of partially improved land one-half mile west of where he had himself purchased and moved to four years before.