*** The eighth child of
ALFRED MILLER
and Jane Copeland is ***
. . . GEORGE WASHINGTON
(WASH) MILLER, born April 30, 1843 at Stony Fork, Wilkes Co., NC, died
March 28, 1906 near Veak,
Custer Co., OK
married - September 21, 1863
at Ashe Co., NC
America Jane Phillips Mikel,
born January 18, 1844 at Job’s Cabin Township, NC, died June 11, 1880 at
Burns City, Cooke Co., TX
America is the daughter of
William and Jemima Yates Phillips. A genealogy of the John Yates family, found
at the North
Carolina State Library in
Raleigh, lists America married to Alexander Mikel.1 However, information from
Gay Clark in The
Heritage of Watauga County shows her with the married
name 'Gordon' prior to her marriage to Wash.2 While we have found no
other documentation to
support the Gordon surname, we do have additional documentation regarding
America’s marriage to
Alexander Mikel. The
Phillips Family, Our History, Our Heritage, by Shirley Phillips Friel,
contains a copy of the original Elrod-Mikael
family bible record which
states this union took place on May 20, 1859. 3
Gay tells that toward the
end of the Civil War, Wash came across a soldier who was dying. The man asked
Wash to take a
message back to his wife.
Wash kept his word, and that is how he met America Jane. However, of the three
dates that three of
America's siblings married
three of Wash's, two seem to conflict with this story. Paten (Payton) Phillips
married Rebecca Miller
and they had their first
child in 1853; Sara Ann Phillips married Alphus Miller in 1856; and Amanda
Phillips married Jesse Miller
in 1867. Further search into
the Phillips family may yield more information.
Another source, Richard
Hampton, tells the story this way, regarding Wash. “His closest Civil War
buddy, Mr. Mikel, was killed
in battle right by his side,
and he must have wondered why he was spared and his loved/respected
fellow-soldier was killed. He
heard those last dying
words, asking him to take word of his passing, and of his great love for her,
to his beloved wife, America
Jane. How could he do less,
he reasoned, if the Lord allowed him to survive this hideous conflict -- and he
did. Their eventual
union in marriage gave rise
to five precious children, two of whom were Aunt Emmie and Grandma Becky.”
GEORGE WASHINGTON (WASH)
MILLER
remarried - October 24, 1880
at Cooke Co., TX
Minerva Ann Houston, born
1862 in TN, died 1948 at Custer Co., OK
Minerva is the daughter of
Samuel V. Houston. She is a first cousin of the Sam Houston of historical fame.
She is also the aunt of
Gene Autry through her sister,
name unknown to us.
Gay Clark also reports in The
Heritage of Watauga County that America brought into this marriage three
children from her
previous marriage. We
currently have record of two:
Caroline Mikeal, born about
1862 at NC
Payton Mikeal, born January
19, 1863 at NC, died June 28, 1885 at Cooke Co., TX
This child is listed in the
1880 U.S. Census of Cooke County, Texas in Wash's home. He is listed as
"Mikeal, Payton, stepson”.
A gravestone for this child
is found at New Hope Cemetery, Cooke County, Texas..4
Mrs. Gay Clark, “Family
Article 436,” The Heritage of Watauga County North Carolina, Vol. 1,
(Boone: The G enealogical Society
of Watauga County, 1984), pp.
287-288.
Payton Michel
Born
Jan. 19, 1863
Died
June 28, 1885
Rest in peace
As many as eleven children
were born into this marriage. Those that survived and are known are:
1. JOHN CALVIN MILLER, born
September 23, 1866 in NC
2. EMMA (G. E./Jumima
Emmaline) MILLER, born May 18, 1869 at NC
3. GEORGE MATTHEW (MATT)
MILLER, born January 7, 1871 at NC
4. S. E. MILLER, born April
9, 1872
5. REBECCA (BECKIE) MILLER,
born June 15, 1873 at TN
6. P. (PAYTON?) R. MILLER,
born November 3, 1877
7. ROSA (ROSIE) MILLER, born
April 23, 1879 at Burns City, Cooke Co., TX
Wash and Minerva had sixteen
children. Those children not listed died in or during infancy.
8. MAGGIE MILLER, born about
1881
9. WILLIAM (WILLIE) A.
MILLER (TWIN?), born October 1883 at TX
10. INFANT SON MILLER
(TWIN?), born October 1, 1883, died October 15, 1885
11. GERTRUDE (GERTIE) L.
MILLER, born June 1887 at Mountain Springs, Cooke Co., TX
12. ARTHUR WILSON (BOSS)
MILLER, born November 1888 at TX
13 GROVER C. MILLER, born
September 1890 at TX
14. DOVIE M. MILLER, born
February 1894 at TX
15. MAUDE ETHEL MILLER, born
September 18, 1899 at Arapaho, Custer Co., OK
16. GLENN L. MILLER, born in
1902 at OK
17. JESSIE G. MILLER, born
in 1905 at OK
The 1900 U.S. Census of
Custer County, Oklahoma tells us that Willie was born in October 1883. A
tombstone located at New
Hope Cemetery, Burns City,
Cooke County, Texas, lists an "Infant Son" of "G. W. and M. A.
Miller." It states his birth date as
October 1, 1883 and his
death date as October 15, 1885. It appears, therefore, that the infant son of
Wash and Minerva was a twin
to Willie.
Gay Clark continues in her
writings, "Wash enlisted in Company B, 37th Regiment, North Carolina
Infantry on September 14,
1861, at Boone, North
Carolina along with his brother, Jesse. Wash was captured at the Battle of
Spottsylvania on May 12, 1864.
He was released at Elmira,
New York on June 19, 1865."4
The “Confederate Statement
of Service Reference Slip” of Wash Miller states that he enlisted on September
14, 1861 and was
mustered into service on
November 20, 1861 as a private. Wash was captured at the Spotsylvania
Courthouse on May 12, 1864,
and was listed as absent and
a prisoner of war since May 6, 1864. He was released at Elmira, New York on
June 19, 1865 upon
taking the oath of
allegiance. Wash’s military file includes those pages shown herein as well as
others.
There is a book entitled The
Elmira Prison Camp, A History of the Military Prison at Elmira, N.Y., July 6,
1864 to July 10, 1865,.5
Clay W. Holmes, A.M., The
Elmira Prison Camp, A History of the Military Prison at Elmira, N.Y., July 6,
1864 to July 10, 1865,
(1912).
6
War of the Rebellion -
Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies, Series II, Vol. 2, POWs,
etc., pp. 1424-1425.
7
Shirley Phillips Friel, The
Phillips Family, Our History, Our Heritage, (Shirley Phillips Friel, 1988),
p. 317.
8
War of the Rebellion -
Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies, Series I, Vol. 36,
Part 1, p. 1206.
by Clay W. Holmes.
5 This book tells how the camp
came to be, the major 'events' in its day-to-day operations, how it was closed
at the end of the war and
some of the general prison statistics. Included are illustrations and a map of
the camp. The book gives
an overall history of the
prison camp where Wash Miller and 12,122 other prisoners-of-war were held
during the Civil War. We
know from the following
service record that Wash arrived at Elmira on August 12, 1864. He arrived just
over one month after the
camp opened. According to
the book a total of 719 prisoners arrived by train that day from Point Lookout,
Maryland. Wash was
one of those 719. We also
know that he took his oath of allegiance on June 19, 1865. The statistics for
that day state 378 prisoners
took the oath. Although the
book is not about the prisoners-of-war themselves, it is very interesting
reading and gives a good feel
for what the prison
conditions were like in those days.
In War of the Rebellion -
Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies we find a reference to
Wash.6 In a section called
“Suspected and Disloyal
Persons” we find a letter to Brig. Gen. John H. Winder, Richmond, Virginia,
dated May 13, 1862. This
letter was written by A. T.
Bledsoe, Assistant Secretary of War. It states “Sir: You will dispose of the
prisoners named as follows:
. . . G. W. Miller, to be
sent to General Lee; . . .”
Shirley Phillips Friel
writes “[Wash] contracted a disease named Rupia and was confined to a hospital
bed at Chimborazo
Hospital No. 5 in Richmond,
Virginia on July 11, 1863.”7
In Series I, Vol. 36 of War
of the Rebellion there is a reference to "Spotsylvania Court-House,
Virginia." It states there were
operations about May 8-21,
1864 and includes miscellaneous battles. "Angle, or the Salient, May 12,
1864" stands out to us
because that is the day that
our great-great-grandfather, Wash Miller, was captured. A footnote to the battle
listing says there are
no "circumstantial
reports on file."8
Tom Hopkins
Letter from Wash Miller and
family to T. C. Miller and family. Probably written by the hand of Alphus J.
Miller..1
Texas State Gazetteer &
Business Directory, 1890-91, p. 248.
Joe Steward
1880 U.S. Census - Cooke
County, Texas, June 3, 1880
Roll 1298, Page 274A, Lines
17-24
Miller, Washington W M 34
Farmer NC NC NC
America W F 36 Wife
Housekeeping * NC NC NC
John W M 13 Son Works on Farm
NC NC NC
Emma W M 11 Daug At Home NC
NC NC
Matthew W M 9 Son NC NC NC
Rebecca W F 7 Daug TN NC NC
Isabelle [?] W F 1 Daug TX NC
NC
Mikeal, Payton W M 18 Stepson
Works on Farm NC
[America died of Consumption
eight days after the census was taken.]
1880 U.S. Census - Cooke
County, Texas, June 3, 1880
Roll 1298, Page 274A, Lines
17-24
For ease in reading, this
letter from George Washington Wash Miller is translated here:
“Cook County Texas March 21
1875
“Dear Cousins and aunts..
“I am seated this Blessed
Sabbath day to communicate by leter as A. J. is writing I can inform you that I
and family is
well Ever hoping when this
reaches you it will find you all well and so doing well cousins I have no
[nuse] to wright
more than we have all come
to Texas and is well sadisfid with Texas and is doing as well as cold be
expeted for new
comers payton phillips and
Rebeca and Jess and family lives heare we think we have found a better porshon
of Texas
than van zandt We live 1
hundred and 25 miles from Canton north west of you well you have no idy how bad
we wants
to see you all we think that
it is you duty to pay us a visit as you have ben here longer than we have There
is more of
our connection talking
comeing to Texas well cousins write to us as soon as you get this we are
planting larg crops of
corn and cotton wheat and
oats sweet potatoes Cousin Thomas and cousin Elizabeth we want you to write
immediately
and give us all the news
tell us about aunt Rebecca and uncle Calvin I will close by saying to write
soon yours truly G
W Miller & family to
T.C. Miller and family”
Carol Tucker writes about
the Miller family’s trip west from North Carolina. “Indians followed
them on the trail asking for
their cattle. The brothers would give them a cow. The Indians would
return again the next day,
and again were given a cow. Wash’s son, Matt, who was said to have a
temper, decided not to give
them another cow - he would fight them instead. His father had to
claim him, and they gave the
Indians a cow. They had no desire to fight the Indians.”
After arriving at Burns
City, Texas, Wash established a mercantile business and, along with his
farming operations, did
pretty well for himself for several years. According to Columbus
Hampton, Wash and America
had five children that reached adulthood. "The three older
children, Calvin, Matt and
Immie (Emma) were born in North Carolina. My mother was born en
route [Rebecca, June 15,
1873], on their way West."
The Texas State Gazetteer
1 lists the following:
“BURNS. On Wolf Creek, in
Cooke county, 10 miles southeast of Gainesville, the
judicial seat, banking and
shipping point. Population, 100. Mail, tri-weekly. H. P.
Carter, postmaster.
Gilliland
John, corn mill and gin. Miller G W, General Store. Miller W H, saloon.
Viking & Goodrich, blacksmiths.”.
Shortly after the birth of
Rosa, America died of consumption (tuberculosis) and was
laid to rest at New Hope
Cemetery, Burns City, Texas. After America Jane died,
Wash remarried Miss Minerva
Ann Houston.
Lloyd Lee, a grandson of
Wash and Minerva, tells us how they came to be married.
America was very ill, and
Wash was quite busy in the fields. A neighbor girl,
Minerva Ann Houston, would
come over to help out and care for America and her
baby. After America died,
Minerva's family encouraged her to marry Wash, who
was well off. She did, and
our family continued to grow.
Columbus Hampton relates
"also in this period two of Wash Miller's daughters
were married in Burns City.
Rebecca married George A. Hampton of that
community. The other
daughter, Immie (Emma) was married to W. T. Williams,
also of Burns City."
1 Planters’ and Farmers’
Directory of Texas, p.1509.
In the Planters’ and
Farmers’ Directory of Texas we find the Miller brothers listed.1
“J M, 180, Burns . . .
G W, 279, Burns
W H, Burns . . .
A J, Mountain Spring
M D, Mountain Spring”
The initial page of the
directory tells us that the numbers above (180, 279) refer to “the number of
acres cultivated, as taken from
official lists. Following
this is the postoffice address.” Wash (G W) and Buck (W H) are listed together
as are Alphus (A J) and
Mark (M D). Jesse (J M) is
listed several entries prior to Wash. This document was provided to us by Carol
Tucker.
With the decline of Burns
City, "Wash decided to move on to greener pastures, which at that time
seemed to be the 'Cheyenne-Arapaho'
Indian reservation that had
just been declared open to white settlement in Western Oklahoma. After Wash
moved to
Indian Territory in 1894 and filed on land, he began writing to the ones he left behind about the opportunities he'd found in the
newly opened land, and
finally induced all of his children to leave Cooke County and move to Indian
Territory.
“In March 1896 Wash sent
Matt, one of his boys, back to Cooke County to help us move. We loaded all our
worldly goods in
covered wagons and started
out as the crow would fly to our new home. I well remember our stop over in
Fort Sill and seeing the
Indians, Indians everywhere.
Old Geronimo was a prisoner of war there at that time, along with many other
Indians being held
there as prisoners of war in
the 90's," wrote Columbus Hampton.2 Geronimo arrived at Fort Sill on October 4, 1894 and lived the
rest of his life there. He
died on February 17, 1909, two years after Oklahoma became a state.
The previous photograph was
originally taken in 1882 by Clarence Studio, Pampa, Texas. The image above was
taken from a
photo which was copied from
the original in 1957..The following letter was sent to us by Richard Hampton.
It was sent to his mother, Marion Wise Hampton, from Frances Basinger
Van Nostrand. It is slightly
different than the version printed in the Butler Party Line which follows.
“10-31-74
“Marion
“This a letter from Grandpa
Miller to Uncle Abe and Aunt Becky who lived in Texas at the time. This was
sent to me by
Ollie McCullough and she
thought it would be an interesting thing for us to keep. She says she has
copied the letter just
as it was written. At the
time the letter was written Aunt Becky was pregnant with Ollie, but she goes on
to say that she
was born in March 1896 and
at the age of two months they bundled her up and made the move to Oklahoma.
“Frances
---------------------
“Elm, Okla Nov 18 1895
”Dear Children
“It is with much pleasure
that I seat myself to answer your very kind note we received the other day.
“Was glad to again hear from
you and to hear you was well, but sorry you could not come out this fall for
this has been
a good fall to make the trip
from there.
“Was so much made this year
with every thing so cheap and this is a good country to get to the railroad
that is about 80
miles. Tom Williams has made
or worked out 75 dollars or more when he could not get a days work to do down
there,
and he has made 200.00 worth
of grain to sell. Work is 75 cents to 1.00 per day cutting sorghum cane and
putting out
fruit trees.
“I have paid out about
100.00 for work. Have 6 thousand feet of cottonwood and walnut lumber all ready
on the ground
for building. I was picking
out my building place yesterday also where I would put my orchard. I have just
received 45
dollars worth of the finest
fruit I could select for a fine family orchard. Received a hundred trees to
bear in 14 months
after I set them out. He
throwed in for me 4 hundred forest trees such a mulberries, maples and two
weeping willows.
We have so much wild fruit
such as currants. They are as large as the end of your thumb. Wish you could be
moved
here by May to eat them when
they get ripe.
“I think you ought to make
your arrangements to be here by next spring. I will have you a house to move
into, let you
have all the hogs you want
and as many cows to milk 25 if you want them. With everything else you need
even give you
a fat beef and won’t cost
you a cent.
“I have two beeves to kill
this winter and am to make at least 150 pounds of sausage when I kill my hogs,
and I want
you all to be here in the
spring and help us eat it. Your provisions next year won’t cost you a cent. I
will have to hire a
lot of work done, as I have
to build and work all the year in my orchard and garden.
“We have the finest garden
country and everything in the vegetable line we raise up here. We have a house
full of
pumpkins and the finest
cashaws I ever have seen. We have 8 or 12 bushels of peas, 6 bushels of navy
beans, and would
have gathered 25 times that
much if we had have had time.
“Our baby has never been
sick a moment. She is packing in stove wood. We have all had good health here.
“Write soon this is from G.
W. Miller to G. A. And Rebecca Hampton.”
“Ollie states that she
thinks the baby referred to in Grandpa’s letter was Dovie.
She said Grandpa sent Uncle
Matt to Texas with a wagon and with the wagon
Uncle Abe had, they moved
all their possessions to Oklahoma. Uncle Matt was
a teenager at the time.”
Another version, taken from
the Butler Party Line, dated August 19, 1975, is
provided here courtesy of
Lloyd Lee.
"Elm, Oklahoma,
November 28, 1895
"Dear children,
"It is with much
pleasure that I seat myself to answer your very kind
letter that we received the
other day.
"Was glad to hear from
you, and to know you are all well, but sorry
you could not come out this
fall, for it has been a good time to move
from there. There was so
much made this year with everything so
cheap, and in such a good
State, also easy to get to the railroad at El
Reno, which is about eighty
miles from here.
"Tom Williams has
worked out $75.00 or more, did it when he could not get a days work down there.
He has, beside,
$200.00 worth of grain to
sell. Work is seventy-five cents to one dollar a day, cutting sorghum cane and
putting out
fruit trees.
"I have paid out about
one-hundred dollars for work. Have six-thousand feet of cottonwood and walnut
lumber all ready
on the ground for building
of our home.
"I was picking out my
building place yesterday, and where I would plant my orchard. Have just
received forty-five
dollars worth of the finest
fruit trees I would select for a family orchard. Received a hundred which will
bear fruit in
fourteen months after
setting out. He also throwed in for us four-hundred forest trees such as
mulberries, maples and
two weeping willows.
"We have much wild
fruit, some of the finest such as grapes and currants. They are as large as the
end of your thumb.
Only wish you could be here
in May to eat them when they get ripe.
"I think you should
make arrangements to be here by next spring. I will have you a house to move
in, let you have all
the hogs you want, and as
many cows to milk, twenty-five, if you want them. Also everything else you
need, even give
you a fat beef, and won't
cost you a cent.
"I have two beeves to
kill, and plan to make one-hundred and fifty pounds of sausage when I kill the
hogs. Sure want
you all to be here in the
Spring to help us eat it.
"Your provisions next
year won't cost you a cent for anything, as I will have to hire a lot of work
done in order to build
and work all year in the
orchard and garden.
"We have the finest
garden country, everything in vegetables can be raised here. We have a house
full of pumpkins and
the finest crooked necked
cashaws I have ever seen. Have eight or twelve bushels of black-eyed peas, six
bushels of
navy
beans, and would have gathered twenty-five times that many if we could have had
the time.
Miller, George W. Head Un
1843 57 NC
Minerva A. Jan 1862 38 TN
William A. S Oct 1883 16 TX
Gertie L. D June 1887 12 TX
Arthur W. S Nov 1888 11 TX
Grover C. S Sep 1890 9 TX
Dovey D Feb 1894 6 TX
Maud E. D Sep 1899 8/12 OK
Ter.
1900 U.S. Census Soundex -
Custer County, OK
Roll 27, Vol. 3, Sh. 13,
Line 9
Richard Hampton
Lloyd Lee
"Our old home place
before Father died"
"Our baby, Dovie, has
never been sick a minute. She is packing in stove wood now. We all here in
Oklahoma have the
best of health. Write soon.
"Love from G. W. Miller
to G. A. and Rebecca Hampton."
In searching for an obituary
for Wash Miller we ran across the following item in the March 3, 1906 edition
of The Arapaho Bee.
“Elm [News]
“... Mr. and Mrs. G. W.
Miller buried a pair of infant girls last week. ...”
Wash died perhaps a month
after these babes were buried.
The following is a
transcription of Wash's will, found at the Custer County Courthouse, Arapaho,
Oklahoma.
CASE #497
#1076 WILL
March 27, 1906
This is the last will and
testament of G. W. Miller.
I give Arthur Miller one
sorrel mare named Puss, one brown mare named Ruby, Give Grover Miller two roan
mares
three years old named Kate
and Dude. Give Willie Miller two gray horses named Dick and Bill. Give M. A.
Miller all
hogs to dispose of as she
sees fit. Want M. A. Miller to pay $100.00 note given to the First National
Bank of Arapahoe.
Want my wife, M. A. Miller,
to have the place known as the Vaughan farm. Want wife M. A. Miller to have the
place
known as the Barber Land,
240 acres. Give wife, M. A. Miller, all entire stock of cattle one bay colt
horse name Sill.
Want wife, M. A. Miller to
have all the household goods. Want Maggie Smith to have their homestead and give
the note
and mortgage to Maggie
Smith; Want Gertie Barton to have one gray mare 4 years old name Patsie and her
colt, Want
Boss to have one bay horse
pony. Want Grover Miller to have one gray mare pony. Want W. I. Basinger to
have one
note of $500.00 and all
other indebtedness. Want Dovie Miller to have one three year old roan mare
named Fannie.
Want Maud Miller to have one
roan mare colt name Snipe Want Glen Miller to have one bay horse colt from the
michael mare. Want Jessie
Miller to have one bay mare colt, from a Colorado mare Want the J. C. Miller
place to be
divided between the four
oldest children, Mat, Emma, Beckie and Rosie Want the remainder of the unnamed
horses to
be divided between Emma and
Beckie and Mat and Rosie.
Signed G. W. Miller
Witness
A. J. Shelton
C. W. Steward
H. Phillips
Territory of Oklahoma Custer
County} ss. I, R. J. Shive in and for the above named county and territory, do
hereby certify
the foregoing to be a true
and correct copy of the will of G. W. Miller, which said will was duly admitted
to probate by this
court on the 18th day of
June 1906.
Witness my hand and the seal
of said court this 23rd day of July 1906.
Signed R. J. Shive
Probate Judge.The following are
descriptions of the lands specified in Wash's will. These descriptions were
found on various documents
included in the probate
file.
The note and mortgage to
Maggie Smith:
W2 SW4 Section 10-14N-18W,
E2 SE4 Section 9-14N-18W
Vaughan Farm
SE4 Section 5-14N-18W
J. C. Miller Place
S2 NW4, E2 SW4 Section
10-14N-18W
Other items found on various
documents in the probate file include:
Order Probating Will, dated
June 18, 1906:
Wash left 13 children.
EMMA WILLIAMS, Daughter, Age
34 of Veak, Oklahoma
MATT MILLER, Son, Age 32 of
Thomas, Oklahoma
REBECCA HAMPTON, Daughter,
Age 30 of Butler, Oklahoma
ROSA BASINGER, Daughter, Age
27 of Osceola, Oklahoma
MAGGIE SMITH, Daughter, Age
25 of Veak, Oklahoma
WILLIE MILLER, Son, Age 22
of Veak, Oklahoma
GERTRUDE BARTON, Daughter,
Age 19 of Veak, Oklahoma
ARTHUR MILLER, Son, Age 16
of Veak, Oklahoma
GROVER MILLER, Son, Age 14
of Veak, Oklahoma
DOVIE MILLER, Daughter, Age
12 of Veak, Oklahoma
GLENN MILLER, Son, Age 4 of
Veak, Oklahoma
JESSIE MILLER, Daughter*,
Age 2 of Veak, Oklahoma
*Other documentation says
that Jessie is a son, Jesse G.
Petition of Probation of
Will:
Wash departed this life near
Veak, Oklahoma on March 28, 1906.
The Probable Value or Worth
of various parts of his estate consisted of:
24 head of horses and colts
about $600.00
About 40 head of cattle
cows, yearlings and calves
400.00
About 106 head of hogs
700.00
Farm Machinery about 150.00
Real Estate 8500.00
Personal Property 1850.00.Carol Tucker
98/99 Miller, Minerva A. Head
F W 47 Wd 16 9 TN TN TN English Manager Boarding H. W No 0 Y Y
Grover C. S M W 18 S TX NC TN
English Laborer Odd job W No 12 Y Y
Dov ie M. D F W 16 S TX NC TN
English None Y Y Y
-----
Maud E. D F W 10 S OK NC TN
English None Y Y Y Y Y
Glenn L. S M W 8 S OK NC TN
None Y
Jes sie A. S M W 5 S OK NC TN
None
1910 U.S. Census - Custer
County, Oklahoma, April 20, 1910
Roll 1250, Page 5A & B,
Lines 48-53
X/12/12 Miller, Minerva A. H
O/F F W WD Y Y TN TN TN Y Proprietor Lodging House OA
Glen S M W 18 S Y Y Y OK NC
TN Y None
Jes se G. S M W 15 S Y Y Y OK
NC TN Y None
Sanders, Walter Lodger
Alexander, Millie Lodger
Alexander, Alla Lodger
1920 U.S. Census - Custer
County, Oklahoma, January 2, 1920
Roll 1461, Page 10A, Lines
41-46
In another document dated
November 25, 1939:
M. A. Miller "executed
her certain Warranty Deed" for the Vaughan Farm "to and in favor of
Willie A. Miller, Arthur
W. Miller, Grover C. Miller,
Dovie M. Miller, Maude E. Lee, Glenn L. Miller and Jesse A. Miller, share and
share
alike . . ."
Recorded in Vol 66, Page 23
Deed Records
In a document filed on
January 1, 1907, it is stated that Minerva paid $42.50 in funeral expenses and
$57.00 for a monument for
Wash.
Richard Hampton shares a
story of an incident as Wash lay dying. He writes the “story connecting Aunt
Ollie with her beloved
Grandpa Wash. When Wash lay
on his death bed, he requested that his favorite song be sung for him by his
precious little.granddaughter, Aunt Ollie [Hampton]. That beautiful little
child came to the foot of his bed, stood there and boldly sang from
memory the verses of ‘God
Will Take Care of You’. A few hours later, that dear soul passed into the
presence of our Living
Savior. Many years later,
Aunt Ollie said, ‘I had no idea of the significance of that moment. I just sang
for Grandpa!’...He
wanted all of those gathered
around to remember (from the mouth of that little child; for their own lives)
the words of that
precious hymn.” Continuing,
Richard writes “After Aunt Ollie finished the verses of ‘God Will Take Care of
You’ Grandpa Wash
is said to have reached for
paper and pencil and signed his name to a ‘Will statement’; then instructed
someone near his bed ‘Go
and buy this child the
finest (pump) organ you can find’.”
Richard tells us that he can
remember a pump organ in the living room of his Aunt Ollie’s home when they
would visit her back
in the 1960s and 1970s. Out
of curiosity he contacted a cousin, Flo Heater Gillham, about the organ. She
“knew exactly the
source of the organ Aunt
Ollie had in the living room of their Williams, CA, home. It had belonged to
the family of ‘then
California Governor’ Pat
Brown, and apparently Aunt Ollie was quite pleased to have it. Flo knew the
story well, about her
mother singing at the foot
of her grandfather’s death bed and about the beautiful gift that had resulted,
but said she had never
known what happened to it”.
An obituary for Wash Miller
is found in The Arapaho Bee. It is dated March 30, 1906 and is found on the
front page.
“Obituary.
------
“George Washington Miller,
died at his home 4 ½ miles north west of Gip, Okla. last Wednesday night at 6
p.m., aged
62 years.
“Wash Miller, as he was
called, was born in Watouga [sic] county, N. C., and moved to Tennessee.
“By his first wife he had
eleven children, and thirteen children by his wife that survives him. Those
living are Mrs.
Emma Williams, Mrs. Gertie
Barton, Mrs. Rosie Basinger, Mrs. Beckey Hampton, Mat Miller of Thomas, Mrs.
Maggie
Smith, William, Arthur,
Grover, Dovie, Made, Glen and Jesse.
“Mr. Miller was a life long
and consistent member of the Baptist Church, and was prepared for the
unexpected call to
which he had to answer in
the prime of life. He was a prosperous and respected citizen of his community.
“He has entered into his
reward.”
Columbus Hampton writes
"Wash died in March 1906 after a very prolific and prosperous life. His
second wife, Minerva, was
laid to rest beside him at
the old early day cemetery known as 'Old Elm Oklahoma' in January 1949."
Old Elm Cemetery is
located in Custer County to
the North and West of Clinton. America is buried at New Hope Cemetery, Burns
City, Cooke
County, Texas. Following are
the tombstone inscriptions for Wash and both of his wives.
Richard Hampton writes “Aunt
Ollie ... named hymns beloved by Grandpa Wash and his family. They included:
‘God Will Take
Care of You’ (Grandpa Wash’s
favorite), ‘Brethren We have Met to Worship’ (another of his favorites), ‘When
the Roll is Called
Up Yonder’, ‘We Shall Rise’,
‘There’s a Stranger at the Door’ and ‘Oh, They Tell Me of a Land with an
Unclouded Sky’.
“...can’t you just know that
Grandpa Wash’s love for God’s precious Word and love for these great old hymns
drew his family
around him -- and drew each
family member to saving knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ? He was (and as we
get to know him,
he remains) a spiritual
leader of his people. [How true!!!] He was tender hearted and loving and
compassionate to every member
of his family...It seems
safe to say that he was beloved by all who knew him.”
In another message Richard
writes “I believe we are more than his (Wash’s) descendants; we are also his
spiritual offspring, as
well. We come to know him as
MORE than a name in family history, born in Watauga County, North Carolina, and
buried in Old
Elm Cemetery. He was very
special to Daddy and Grandma Becky and Aunt Emmie, and he is a special person,
led of and. “Mother”
Minerva A.
Miller
1862 - 1948
G. W. Miller
Apr. 30, 1843
Mar. 28, 1906
Rest in peace thou gentle
spirit
peace and love.
America Jane
Wife Of
G. W. Miller
Born
Jan. 18, 1844
Died
June 11, 1880
Rest in peace thou gentle
spirit,
Throned above -Souls
like thing with God inherit
Life and Love!
Art Finch:
These were Blessed by God,
to us.” To that we say “Amen”.
Lloyd Lee relates a bit of
Minerva’s personality. “Grandmother was always at a domino table. If
she wasn’t winning she would
shake the table and say ‘excuse me’ to get a new hand dealt to
her.” He writes, “She had to
have someone stay with her at all times. Lula Baker was the one I
remember most. She had every
Sunday off to go visit her family. Each time she left she said ‘I
am quitting. You are too
hard headed to take care of.” Lloyd thinks Minerva had some kind of
heart trouble. “She would
get out of bed and try to go to the outhouse. She would faint on the
way to the outhouse and Lula
would find her in the yard pulling up weeds. She wouldn’t admit
that she had fainted...she
would tell Lula she had just come outside to get some fresh air and
sunshine. Lula would have to
call Mom (Maude) and have her come up to the house and help pick
her up and take her back in
the house.” Minerva is buried next to Wash at Old Elm
Cemetery, Custer County,
Oklahoma. America is buried at New Hope Cemetery, Cooke
County,
Texas.
Evelyn Yates Carpenter, John
Yates 1712-1772 and His Descendants to 1989, (Clarksville, TN: Jostens,
1989), p. 224.
2
Mrs. Gay Clark, “Family
Article 436,” The Heritage of Watauga County North Carolina, Vol. 1,
(Boone: The G enealogical Society
of Watauga County, 1984) pp.
287-288.
3
Shirley Phillips Friel, The
Phillips Family, Our History, Our Heritage, (Shirley Phillips Friel, 1988),
p. 245.