John T. Millar (1787 - 1831)

Born 11 Jan 1787 in Pennsylvania, United States

Husband of Elizabeth (Payne) Betts — married 11 Nov 1814 in Tattnall County, Georgia

Descendants

Died 21 Oct 1831 at age 44 in Colorado, Texas, United States

Biography

Note: Prior to May, 2009 all that was known of John T. Millar was from "family hearsay" which stated that he was a medical doctor from Kentucky who married Elizabeth Payne in Tattnall County, Georgia in 1814.

Daniel Millar, Sr. was in possession of two letters written to John Millar, one dated 1820 and the other dated 1830 which stated that there was other family and that their location was Mount Sterling, Montgomery County, KY. Three other letters were preserved by Daniel Millar (John's son) from 1848 and 1849 in which family information was shared by a first cousin, James Miller, Jr. of Paris, Edgar County, IL. This information plus study of census records from 1850 and beyond have pieced together a family for Dr. John T. Millar, Sr.

Even though Dr. Millar "came from Kentucky", as family legend stated, he was born in Pennsylvania. Census records for 1850 for his brother, James Miller, Sr. in Edgar County, IL clearly state that James was born in Pennsylvania. Furthermore, records found on John's sister, Jane Miller Gibson (wife of Samuel Gibson of Montgomery County, KY) also state that she was born in Pennsylvania. Furthermore, Jane Gibson's death record from Montgomery County, KY also gives the name of her father as being DANIEL MILLER.

The spelling of John Millar's last name is not consistent, even among family. A letter to him dated 1820 was sent to John MILLAR, while his brother James and sister Jane spelled their last name "MILLER". The accepted way of spelling the Texas branch of this family is "MILLAR".

There is at least one researcher who has stated that John Millar attended medical college in Philadelphia, and this would make perfect sense, as there were no medical schools in the wilds of Kentucky in the earliest years of the 1800s. The reason that he went to Southern Georgia (Tattnall County is not too far from Savannah) remains a mystery. What does remain clear is that John and Elizabeth's young family travelled with Elizabeth's widowed mother and two single brothers to Cotaco (later Morgan) County, Alabama by 1818 when the newest Chickasaw Session opened up land there. Cotaco County's name became Morgan County in 1821. It is located practically on the Southern border of Middle Tennessee on the Tennessee River.

Chances are good that when John and Elizabeth Millar and their family and servants moved to Texas in 1831 that they went by boat. The Tennessee River empties into the Mississippi, which goes to New Orleans. John Millar's passport to the Mexican Province of Texas was received by him in New Orleans, and the family then proceeded to go, once again by boat, along the Southern edge of Louisiana and the Eastern edge of Texas until they arrived at the Colorado River which would have taken them inland as far as present day Columbus, Texas.

Marriage

Date: 11 NOV 1814

Place: Tattnall County, Georgia

Sources

• Burial: "Find A Grave Index," database, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QVLD-JVP5 : 12 June 2020), John Millar, 1831; Burial, Alleyton, Colorado, Texas, United States; citing record ID , Find a Grave, http://www.findagrave.com. Find A Grave: Memorial #91997915, citing Alley Cemetery, Alleyton, Colorado County, Texas, USA ; Maintained by MarilynB (contributor 47307797) .

• Marriage: "Georgia, County Marriages, 1785-1950," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:KXJN-TLJ : 7 February 2020), John Millor and Elizabeth Payne, 11 Nov 1814; citing Marriage, Tattnall, Georgia, United States, Georgia Department of Archives and History, Morrow, FHL microfilm 206,419.

• https://www.familysearch.org/tree/person/sources/K26N-NBP - see "Papers of Daniel Millar / Miller (1816-1894)" located at the University of Texas at Austin, Texas Library.