Return to the Land

Charles T. Miller

In this genealogical search of our roots firm documentation finally surfaces when we look to Charles T. Miller, born January 1, 1796. Court records as well as family stories confirm Charles Miller as a progenitor of our line. Grandfather’s story had revealed that Charles Miller’s father was John Miller and his father in turn was also named John. The first official record of Charles was found in the Pearisburg courthouse in Giles County, Virginia. This courthouse was founded around 1816 or 1817 and the mention of Charles was among its earliest records. Bland County was formed long after Giles County. What is now Bland County is where many Millers settled and farmed. Therefore records at the Bland County courthouse did not contain documentation of the Miller family’s earliest activities in the area. However, an appraisal of Charles Miller’s estate, made by his son Lorenzo John Miller in 1863, was discovered in Bland County records. The information on Charles Miller from Giles County records revealed the following: Virginia Marriages of Giles County, 1806 – 1850 Charles Miller and Ann McNeil, 13, Aug. 1819. Statement, “This is to certify the clerk that I am fully agreed to marry Charles Miller.” Signed by Ann McNe il (Charles Kennison is guardian for Ann, 14 Aug 1819, by Charles Kennison). However, no birth records were uncovered for Charles or his parents. We were also unable to find any evidence for any possible siblings of Charles. Without this vital information the question of parentage for this Miller and the connection to John Miller at Dunkard’s Bottom becomes speculative. However, family stories relayed that Charles’ father was John a nd most likely was from Dunkard’s Bottom . Other conclusions can be reached by known dates. John Miller of Fincastle was dead by 1766 so he could not be Charles’ father (Charles was born in 1796), but possib ly he was Charles’ grandfather. Could Andrew, John Miller of Fincastle’s son, have been Charles’ father? Was Andrew in Dunkard’s Bottom ? We certainly can place a John Miller there around 1750. A possible theory behind the lack of early familial connections to Andrew and John is that Charles’ given name could have been other than Miller and he took the name Miller after some respected person that he knew. There was yet another Miller line in the area that I would like to introduce here. Elder Jacob Miller was born of Swiss-German parents who immigrated to Pennsylvania where Jacob was born in 1735. When Jacob became of age he moved to Virginia. Jacob was of the Brethren faith and along with his twelve children was instrumental in establishing the Brethren church in Franklin County, Virginia. We know that the Elder Jacob Miller family was opposed to slavery and they migrated from Virginia westward to Ohio. Eventually Elder Miller’s grown children moved to various areas in the mid-west and spread the Brethren faith. 25 This Miller line can be 25 Patricia Givens Johnson, Elder Jacob Miller, 1735-1815: a founder of the Brethren churches and Dunkard settlements in Franklin County, Virginia, 1775, Ohio, 1800, and Indiana, 1810 and some of his descendants (Silver Hill, Md.: PS Enterprises, 1977), pp. 31, 39-40, 52-53, 166-167.

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