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Birth: 4-8-1759 CRAVEN CO NORTH CAROLINA
Death: 11-27-1837 WARE CO GEORGIA
He is buried in Kettle Creek Cemetery, Ware County, GA.
Service: NORTH CAROLINA [1]
Rank(s): PRIVATE
Pension Number: *S25689
Service Source: *S25689
Service Description:
This Revolutionary War Patriot is one of the most documented gentlemen of the 18th century, and certainly has the most Ancestry "hints" (30+) of anyone on my family tree. He has his own William Miller Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution, and I've counted over 20 individuals who attributed their DAR membership to him.
His life is fascinating. I spent hours in the New Bern, NC and East Carolina Univ library pouring over volumes and documents to determine the exact connection to the German Palatines who came over to North Carolina in the very early 1700's. This is a fascinating story of early settlers, tragic Indian warfare, and a few who survived.
I believe the tradition that William is the son of Tobias who is somehow decended from one of those original Palatine settlers remains very close to the facts, by tracing land records and relationships -- while it's not written in stone, the evidence is in the records of the early North Carolina counties. If you are a relative of this person and like history, look up the stories. From pre-Revolution colonial days through the Civil War and beyond, this family has tragic but moving stories.
Check the sources for his full story; here is an excerpt: The said William Miller has the Record of his age as he received it from his parents, from which it appears (and he has no doubt of the fact) that he was born on the eighth day of April 1759, in the County of Craven (since Jones) in the State of North Carolina. From the time of his birth he resided in said County until he removed to the State of Georgia between or about the years 1785 and 1790, in company with David Blackshear, a native of the same County with the said William Miller. Coming directly from North Carolina as aforesaid the said William Miller first settled in Burke County, State of Georgia, and resided 10 or 15 years in Burke County of aforesaid, about 20 or 25 years in the County of Bullock in the State last aforesaid, and upwards of four years in the County of Ware in the State of Georgia where he now resides. The said William Miller was known from his youth by the said David Blackshear (at present General Blackshear of Laurens District, Georgia) by whom alone has any person living so far as he knows or believes, he could prove any of his revolutionary services. The said William Miller served all the while as a Private.
Millennium File U.S., Revolutionary War Rolls, 1775-1783
U.S., Sons of the American Revolution Membership Applications, 1889-1970
This week's featured connections are Redheads: William is 14 degrees from Catherine of Aragón, 19 degrees from Clara Bow, 25 degrees from Julia Gillard, 9 degrees from Nancy Hart, 14 degrees from Rutherford Hayes, 13 degrees from Rita Hayworth, 17 degrees from Leonard Kelly, 19 degrees from Rose Leslie, 19 degrees from Damian Lewis, 15 degrees from Maureen O'Hara, 22 degrees from Jopie Schaft and 32 degrees from Eirik Thorvaldsson on our single family tree. Login to see how you relate to 33 million family members.
M > Miller > William Henry Miller
Categories: NSDAR Patriot Ancestors | Craven County Regiment, North Carolina Militia, American Revolution