Special Collections: Letter from the Draper Manuscripts, 20C14 Transcribed and contributed for use in the USGenWeb Archives by Diana Lehman, dlehman@ix.netcom.com ********************************************************* USGENWEB ARCHIVES NOTICE: These electronic pages may NOT be reproduced in any format for profit or presentation by any 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.rootsweb.com/~usgenweb ************************************************************************ J.M. McCue to Lyman C. Draper, August 17, 1883 Draper Manuscripts, 20C14 Transcribed from microfilm copy of the original document from the Draper Manuscripts Collection of the State Historical Society of Wisconsin, Madison, WI. Spelling and punctuation are as they appear in the original text. Transcriber's notes in {} * * * * * Staunton, VA. Aug 17 '83 Hon Lyman C. Draper My good friend On returning from Lynchburg, Richmond &c, some days ago - encountered one of your vols. at Afton, in the Expr. Office, shewn a note from you by E.E.Goodhue, p. master, who has forwarded a book here before receiving your note. I reached here four days ago after near a months absence, found your letter, & have been shewn your letter to my cousin Judge Jno. Howard McCue, & his reply to you &c. He also shewed me a letter to him from Rev J. Wesley Webb of Meth. Church, raised by me, have known since he was in his nurse arms, as did old man Jerry- his father, he (Wesley) says Danl Boone & his father were cousins. Now whilst I had known the Webb & Miller families all my life, never heard this before, yet it may all be so. But before entering on this formidable epistle, if you judge by the dimensions of the sheet, let me thank you for the book, your kind remembrance & all that. This communication in its now incomplete state, I was preparing for publication at first in one of our newspapers, but having been repeatedly urged to review the very remarkable volume of one John Lewis Peyton, which comprised in four hundred pages, devotes one fourth or more of it to a disgusting & childish laudation of Lewises, Peytons &c I am preparing a brief review of it and embrace some local historical matters. Thought of including this & some similar productions, & I can see no reason why we may not each of us use it, as the probabilities are, our several productions, for the most part, will each have a different class of readers. I was born on the 20 of July 1816, within a few hundred yards of the head of Moss Creek, in N.W. Augusta, and which turned the machinery of Henry Millers Iron works, about three miles below. The stream, about seven miles in length, unites with North River, just above the village of Bridgewater, six miles from its head. Henry Miller, a native of Berks Co. Pa. born there, as somebody who put the dates on his tombstone says in 1735, died at his sugar camp in North River Gap, 14 miles from his furnace, in 1790. Tradition says he came into that region at an earlier day than could have been the case, as I supposed from all I had heard that Boone and himself visited there at least as early as 1730. Now, it could not have been possible to sustain what tradition painted. Dan' Boone' fathers family removed from the old stone house in which Dan saw the light, seven miles east of Reading about 1750 to N. Car. So Hy Miller, only 15 at that date, if the tombstone tells the truth. I have been entirely disappointed in my efforts at Reading, ___ Col Nicholas Jones, or his young friend - Montgomery, a lawyer, to whom he turned me over, in enquiries I have been making, to learn a single fact as to his (Millers) antecedents. In their several visits to Mossy Cr. hunting & trading with the Indians, their eyes at that time familiar we may suppose with the mineral deposits of their own region, saw the fine hematite ores, there much more easily seen, in all the valley region, then a pararie, & the hunting grounds of the Indians, who burned em every Fall left the mineral exposed// But to go back now to the history of the Winter family, into which Miller married, Wm Winter, a native as I believe of Berks, married "Annie Boone," some writer says, cant now remember who, "in the Province of Virginia." This I can't believe to be so, as to her locality, but she was sister to Danl father. So Miller in marrying Hannah, the oldest of Winters seven children by Annie, became D. Boone' nephew. I should have said Wm. Winter was born in Berks Co. in 1728, and died at Williamsport in Lycoming (formerly Northumberland) but date not given. His first child Hannah married Henry Miller. 2d Nancy - George Crawford of Middle River, Augusta Co. Va. 3rd Jane - married ____Campbell, 4th Elizabeth to Abraham Lincoln, 5th Phebe to ____Jones 6th William 7th John. Annie died & he in 1784 Ellen Campbell. Her first child Archibald, 2 James, 3 Elias, 4h Polly, 5h Elleanor 6h Sarah, 7h Betsey, 8h Lucy. Here, I find an impression, so long indulged in, & called it a fact, has been dissipated, to-wit that by the last wife Wm. Winter had twelve, as I have often, when conversing, from memory - spoke of his having nineteen. Henry Miller had sons, Samuel, James, William & Henry - daughters, Rachel married to Col Cameron, Elizabeth to Col Chas. Lewis, bro of Andrew -- who fell at Pt. Pleasant - Hannah -- to James Moffett & Patsy or Martha to Capt. John M. Estill. Samuel the oldest son, married Margaret Grattan, & had sons Henry M., married to his first cousin, as you will see presently____Crawford. John -- to another____, Crawford -- first wife -- &c Juliet Crawford the 2nd wife -- Robert to ____Kyle - Samuel to Elizabeth Matthews, James to ____Kyle, & 2d to his first cousin Lizzie Moffett. William - his first cousin Nancy Crawford. Betsy to Harvey H. McDowell, oldest son of Gen Jos (wasn't it -- one of the heroes of Kings Mtn. Nancy to Charles L. Francisco -- & Margaret to her first cousin Col Andrew Warwick Cameron of Bath Co. Va. James second son, married Elizabeth Moffett - 1st cousin - and son George M. who married a sister of my father Margaret McCue - Ozborne, who married Lavinia Custer of Rockingham, & Henry M. & Samuel died single. Sarah only daughter, married David M. Kyle of Rockingham (you referred to a letter from her, thro' one W ... Clarke). William married Margaret Browne of Greenbrier Co. Had sons Henry - married - name forgotten - Brown -- & William - if married - have forgotten. Daughters ____ to Francis Allen, Nancy to Jas C. Shipman, Elizabeth to Chas. K. Hyde. Henry M. youngest son - born in 1788 - died in '41 - single. Rachel Col Charles Cameron - I think died without issue. Elizabeth to Col Charles Lewis, who fell at Pt. Pleast had several children - sorry can't give you names of any, except John - of Cow Pasture, in Bath - who had a large family - forget his wife - one daughter married Jas A. Cochran of this county - one Gen' Sam' H. Lewis of Pt. Republick - father of John F a very weak man - yet under reconstruction was U.S. Sen a half brother - on the Supreme bench of our State -- under Mahone -- several other children of Charles Lewis son Jno - cant recall 'em. Hannah married James Moffett - who had daughters Hannah - married to my uncle Jno McCue - father of your correspondent Jno Howard - Evaline to Geo McChesney, Sally to And. M. Gatewood - Patsy to Wm. W. King. Elizabeth to Jas Miller - Margaret to ___ Hutchinson - Hannah to Thos Moore : Jas McDowell - to - Mrs. McDowell of Mo. Dr. Geo Boone Moffett of Parkersburg, W. Va - to Sarah Beale - Henry M. to ____ Beale. Martha to Capt. John M. Estill, had sons Dr. Harry M. married Mary Jane Patrick of this county - large family. He an emm't physician - and many of his children distinguished - cant now recall 'em - Benjamin - died single. Dr. Jno M. Estill - now living at Jeffersonville, Tazewell Co. Va - married Lavalette - daughter of the late Rev. And B. Davidson, Presb. Minister of Lex. Va. Dr. E. has a tolerably large family. Hannah - married W. Livingston Waddell of Waynesboro, Va - gr-son of W.. Blind Preacher - has some eight of prettiest daughters ever sat around a hearth-stone - one of 'em wife of Rev Thos L. Preston of 1st Presb Ch, Richd. Va. One wife of Rev Jno Pratt successor of W. Stuart Robin at Louisville - one wife of Rev M. Houston - of Presb. Ch - others married well -- & several sons - cant recall their history - Kitty married Robt . M. Kyle of Rockingham - Nancy Robert McCh__tie of Bath. Rachel & Martha single. This finishes the Millers. Nancy - Wm. Winters second daughter went with Hannah to Mossy Creek for ... married Geo. Crawford of Middle River - cant remember their names - five daughters - all beauties - married James Bell, Saml McC__ng, James Bourland, Henry M. & John Miller, Franklin McCue, Jas Walker, Peter Hanger. All had families except Walker - Marshall Hanger - Speaker several sessions of Va. Leg. One of a half doz or more sons of Peter Hanger. Jane - 3rd by Annie Boon married ____Campbell. Elizabeth, gr. mother of Abr Lincoln. Phebe - 5th - married Jones - 6th William Winter. John, 4th married Eliza Wilson, & had Sarah, William W., & Geo. S. Sarah married ____Knox & she died at Warsaw Ill. in 1850 - leaving children Jno W. Knox, at Denver Col, Geo S. at Warsaw Ill. Hy C. same place, & Mary wife of Hy Pott... of Chicago. William Winter, the third, lived in Chemung N.Y. having three daughters there & one son at Braidwood Ill. Polly - 4th by Ellen Campbell - married Judge Chas Houston of Center Co. Pa. Their oldest daughter was the wife of Jas T. Hale, who died in Washington - a M.C. from that district. Lucy, their second daughter - wife of Gen Jno Sturtivant of Wilkesbarre Pa. Eleanor 5 daughter of Ellen Campbell wife of Judge Thos Burnside of Bellefonte -- & left three children, at the date these notes were made. Sarah 6h - married ____Harris - no history we knew of. Betsy - 7h - married Thos Alexander. Ella their first child unmarried. Sons Jas & Wm lived at Montourville. Their fourth child married Edward H___ie - law partner of Gov Curtin - now member of Congress. Lucy - eighth child - married W.W. Potter - son of Gen. Potter of the Rev. Her husband died in Washington in 1838 - a member of Congress - and she survived him forty years - and died the year before the centennial - in her 90th year// Now go back to the birth of Hannah - wife of Hannah {Draper's note in brackets} [Henry?] Miller - and come down to Lucy' death and it will make a long, long period - you will say Wm. Winters was in very truth a remarkable family- I have hunted among the old records here to find out how Henry {Draper's note in brackets}[Miller] entered his land & the quantity - can find nothing - many of the old records pertaining to early entries &c here, are at Orange C__ There was a large boundary of land, & in selling it off - the right to mine iron or other ores on it, always retained. The Hy Miller land lay so near the border of Augusta, as to extend over largely in Rockingham. Had always believed until last evening - when, to satisfy myself as to date of Hy Miller birth examined a file - present year - of Valley Virginia - found where some one strolling about the old dilapidated grave yard - connected with the ironworks - gave the date of Henry birth - so he was quite too young - to have built - as was inclined to believe - the second furnace in America - Gov. Spotswood having built the first. From door of my old house - looking due north - a mile would have brought you to the Cyclopean Towers -- Howe tells you of . Used, when I was a boy, to be called "Natural Chimneys." Many years ago, a half dozen young men of Va - except one, Wm Cook an artist, were from Va - one a son of Gov Barbour - had rode in from Stribling or Augusta Sh__ -- six miles s. west - some of 'em climbed on the highest - near a 100 feet high - drank some bottles of champagne - broke the bottles over the rocks, & christened 'em "Cyclopean Towers." Saw W Cooks picture often afterwards in his studio in N. Orleans, in March 46. The lands are naturally thin -- the Miller boys reared without work -- fond of hunting - adventures &c - desired to move to Mo - the father gratified 'em -- and no family of emigrants to a new state was better fixed up - fine new horses wagons - carriages - near a 100 negroes - - made a caravan would look like one in old times from Independence Mo. to Santa Fe. To save the n..g..s from Birneys men travelled up Valley of Va - old trace my grparents this year ___ years ago -- Seventy in cemetery under Gen Knox of Rev, head of caravan, entered KY at Crab Orchard -- near Cumberland Gap -- as it passed out thru Lex. Va. Col Tom Benton -- spent his vacation in that co. at his father's relations, Col McDowell's -- where I spent a night with ___ when I was a boy - and Jessica Fremont was a buxom girl of 15 - My uncle Jno McCue, father of (come back to margin) your man Jno Howard -- with Benton on side of street, talking - McCue walked down to tell the Millers good- bye - his relations - he married Hannah Moffett - year married -- their 1st cousin - when he came back - Benton asked who they were - McCue told him . Where going? To Saline Co. Mo. Benton shook his head - "am sorry for it - am sorry for it -- will die off like rotten sheep." Isaiah never uttered a truer prophecy - McDowell buried six fine daughters in one year -- & two of em in one grave. Sorry my sheet' not big enough - Let me hear if it comes to hand or will meet your wishes. Sincerely J.M. McCue