Jane and Aaron Chandler are my maternal great-grandparents. My research started with them about 30 years ago. Since then I've added over 1300 names to my family file. A list of surnames can be found on this web page along with the family files of my great-great-grandparents on my father's side. I am very fortunate because both sides of my family originated in Burke County, Georgia. This has made my research much easier! I'm still looking, so if you have any information about any of the families on my web page please contact me.
Jane Parris’s mother's name was Millie Parris. I have some evidence that Millie may have been a slave on the Milhaven Plantation. Milhaven, which is in Screven County, is located about 30 miles from Hiltonia. The Parris Surname is pretty prevalent in and around this area. In fact, "the history of Millhaven goes back to Francis Parris (or Paris), who began purchasing land in the vicinity of Pine Log Crossing on Brier Creek about 1769. He put together a 4,7000 acre property from land previously owned by John Stirk, Thomas Morgan, John Graham, and William Williams, and built a saw mill which was said to be the largest in Georgia at the time. Water power was generated by a dam with a stone base which was constructed on Brier Creek”. ** Millie, who was part Cherokee or Creek, was a runaway slave and rumored to have killed an overseer. To solve the problem, the slave master cut off her leg. Millie and her husband (last name Hurst) were very dark-skinned. After having several children that were too dark to work in the house, Millie became pregnant by her white owner (last name Parris). Jane was born, therefore, because there was a need for a house slave who met her owner’s color requirements. Jane had a younger full brother who was born for similar reasons. Robert became a doorman and Jane became a midwife. -( Told by Bessie Griffin 1/98)
Jane (or Janie,as many in the family remember her) was born January 1, 1842 (1900 census). As far back as the family can remember, she was living with white people most of the time. She married twice. Her first husband was Jacob Ellison. They had four children (Abram, Crawford, Julia, and Mary). Jacob died in 1866 (Juttie Ellison -" he died when Crawford was 3 or 4 years old"). Her second husband , Aaron Mars/Chandler, was born October 1815 (1900 census). They were married July 17, 1867, and had seven children ( Mett, Jimmy, Juddie, Qunnie, Joe Ann, Georgia, and Carrie). Jane had a white half-sister, Vicey Parris, and two white half-brothers, Mose and Bob(Robert) Parris. They were English or of English descent. Jane also had a white first cousin who was a blacksmith in Sardis, Georgia. His name was Henry Prescott. Prescott's son bought Crawford Ellison a farm in Screven County. ( Told by Juttie Ellison 8/1991)
Jane was a house slave until she was about 21 years old. When she was about 9 or 10 years old, she developed an infected finger. Her complaints to her white mistress brought about the amputation of her finger when she was asked to lay it on the table so that it could be inspected.(Told by Bessie Griffin, Georgia Jones, and Frankie Higgins.) The 1900 census cites Jane - married to Aaron Chandler for 30 years, black, and had given birth to 16 children. She and Aaron are listed as illiterate, but both Georgia and Qunnie, who were living with them at the time were in school and could read and write. Jane died in July of 1927 at Brindson place in Burke County, Georgia. Her body was claimed by some unknown white people (Blonts??), and they had her embalmed, which was unusual for blacks at that time. She was buried at Beech Branch Baptist Church.
** - from the Milhaven plantation web site
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The Descendants of Aaron and Jane Parris - Chandler