Thursday, February 28, 2013

Searching for information about Andrew Miller; Elizabeth Miller and Adam McGowan; and the Miller's who went to Columbiana County, Ohio

Columbiana County, Ohio
It is always wonderful to hear from one of our great followers. Below is a letter from Diane Tichenor, and I'm hoping this request gets a wide read on the internet and lots of responses below. 

From Diane: 

[Am] doing a lot of work on my branch - the Elizabeth Miller/ Adam McGowan family.

I looked at your blog again this morning after I had a revelation. It has puzzled me for years why my  Elizabeth and Adam's oldest child, born 1792 in Maryland (1850 - 1880 census records), was quoted in a newspaper article saying she was born in "Delaware County, Maryland", which of course does not exist.   What dawned on me is that she probably told the reporter that she was born near the border of Delaware, which was probably Cecil County.

I would appreciate any evidence found about Andrew [Miller].  As Elizabeth and Adam followed William Miller and Rebecca Bradford Miller to Fayette County, I am wondering if Andrew had died by then, or ???

I would also appreciate being put in touch with any of the William Miller branch who descend from the brothers who went to Ohio.    I have recently copied all of the tax records for Columbiana Co, 1816 - 1838 for Abraham and Samuel Miller and Adam McGowan.   Fun to see how many horses and cows they all had.  I am also very interested in James Miller, who got married in Poland, Ohio, but apparently went back to PA at some point.

Diane McGowan Tichenor


Thanks again for writing, Diane, and best of luck on your research! I'll be sending along what I can, especially about Samuel Miller, my ancestor who went to Columbiana County - Donna  

Thursday, February 21, 2013

A History of Cecil County Maryland

Here is a wonderful book that might be of great interest to us, the descendants of the Miller's and Bradford's of Cecil County, Maryland. 

Thanks to the Cecil County blog listed below
for bringing this book to light. According to this site:

A second edition of At the Head of the Bay:  A Cultural and Architectural History of Cecil County Maryland by Pamela James Blumgart is finally back in print.  This sought after hardcover title, which was originally published in 1996, is available from the Historical Society of Cecil County for $75. 
 This well-illustrated volume interprets the incredibly diverse stock of historic buildings in Cecil County for local history buffs and architectural historians alike. Beginning with the prehistoric period and continuing through the mid-twentieth century, the authors offer a history of the county as a context for its architectural heritage, as well as a detailed discussion of the style and form of houses built by county residents during the past 300 years. These insightful discussions are followed by an inventory of county buildings, both prominent and ordinary, that gives the reader a sense of the wealth of history in the county. Photographs, maps, floor plans, and paintings, many of them historic images, illustrate both the history and the buildings. Hardcover, 506 pages, $75.00." (Source: http://cecilcounty.wordpress.com/2010/08/26/1793/ )
This entry is almost three years old, so hopefully the book is still available. There are other wonderful posts at this site and I would highly advise it to all who are researching in Cecil County, Maryland.

Tuesday, February 19, 2013

Land Record From 1779!

[Note: Sorry, but I couldn't get the image any larger without it going off the screen. You should be able to right click on it and Save Image onto your computer for a more readable version]
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It never ceases to amaze me that we can look at a document that is over 230 years old and see our ancestor's names on it! This is a land record from Cecil County, Maryland, and while the principle parties are Andrew Miller (our William Miller's brother) and Benjamin Pearce, it also mention William and Andrew's  father, our great, great, great... grandfather, Abraham Miller (the Miller information starts about one-third of the way down).

The date is March 1779. The American Revolutionary War is still raging, but our people still live, marry, farm, buy and sell land, and conduct their lives as best they can.



Possibly more amazing is that these records survive! So many documents were destroyed, especially during the Civil War. Though we wish we had more information about our people, we are truly blessed to have several wonderful land papers for our Miller and Bradford ancestors. Some have already been published on this blog, and there will be more to come. Let us be grateful for each and every document that has survived, and for the insight that it gives us into our ancestors lives.

ADDENDUM: Adding the other two pages that are part of this land document. Page 1 is above; pages 2 and 3 are below. Kudos to anyone who wants to transcribe this unusual hand-writing!: