Updated: 6/4/2021 to include information about James J. Miller’s full name and guardian.
In researching a formerly enslaved man named Moses Miller found in the 1870 Liberty County federal census, I came across a planter named John Miller, whose enslaved people were named in his 1836 Liberty County will and 1837 estate inventory, including a Moses, but who seemed unconnected from another prominent Miller planter family in Liberty Country. An Ancestry search turned up little information on him.
Even though Miller named his wife and children (including the daughters’ married names) in his will, I could not find them in Liberty County census or other records. I could not find that anyone else had documented him on Ancestry. What happened to them? Who was Miller? And why does that matter, given that it does not appear that his descendants are looking for him?
The reason lies in both the will and the estate inventory, which names enslaved people whose descendants may very likely be looking for them, or will be in the future. The most significant clue as to the answer was in the estate inventory, which (unusually) included land, and mentioned that Miller had land in Bulloch County.
By expanding the search to Bulloch County, the records started to appear. However, the search had to be made in the unindexed probate and deed records on FamilySearch/Ancestry. To find these probate records, search the catalog on either site for “Georgia Probate Records, 1742-1990.” Select the “browse” option, then select Bulloch County. Look for the record set title most likely to contain the type and time period of records you are looking for. Then browse it page by page. For deed records, use this guide and just replace “Liberty” in your search with the country you are researching.
People Enslaved by John Miller
The following picture emerged for the people John Miller held enslaved.
The earliest record found in this search for John Miller was in Bulloch County on November 9, 1831 (i) , when he gave his daughter Nancy Lovett of Screven County an enslaved woman named Rose, and her three children Nelson, Daniel, and Sampson. An Ancestry search (ii) revealed that Nancy Miller Lovett, born around 1805, was married to Thomas F. Lovett (1792-1852). She was residing in Screven County in 1850 (iii), with her husband, and children John (24), Eliza (18), Thomas (17), Berry (15), Louisia (12), and William H. (11).
On April 21, 1832 (iv), also in Bulloch County, John Miller gave to his daughter Mary Martin “a certain negro girl by the name of Lucy about sixteen year old.” A search of Ancestry records revealed that Mary Miller Martin, born around 1790, married James E. Martin (1805-1870) in Liberty County on December 5, 1827. The family later moved to Decatur County, Georgia, and were living there in 1860 and 1870. Their daughter Eugenia O. Martin (1850-1922) married Thomas Henry Gainer (1834-1870), and moved to Washington County, Florida, where she is buried.
In September 1836, John Miller wrote his will in Liberty County, Georgia (v), with the following provisions:
• To daughter Nancy Lovett: “the fellow York, and the boy Henry”;
• To son Fredrick H. Miller: “the fellows Harry and George”;
• To grandson James F. Miller: the two boys Richard & Moses” & appointed Enoch Daniel as his trustee until he came of age;
• To daughter Mary Martin: “the fellow Tom and the woman Clarissa”;
• To daughter Eliza A. Williams: the woman Charlotte and the boy Simon,” also “Lucy the child of Easter” [NOTE: probably the Esther mentioned below]
• Esther and her child Peter to be sold and the proceeds divided equally among the heirs.
• “Arter [probably Arthur] a aged servant priviledge [SIC] to choose his master or owner in the family provided the[y] will agree to protect and support him through life.”
• His will was to remain unexecuted during the life of his wife Mary Miller.
On April 1, 1837 (vi), John Miller “in consideration of natural love and affection for my daughter Mary Martin” gave her “one negro boy named Robert about three years old…”
On June 3, 1837 (vii), John Miller, Liberty County, gave to “my beloved daughter Eliza Williams” “a certain negro woman named Jane and her child Elsey with her future issue…”
John Miller appears to have died between June 3 and November 11, 1837, presumably in Liberty County, though no record was found.
In November 1837, his estate inventory was performed in Liberty County (viii). It mentions land in Bulloch County and in Liberty County. (No estate inventory was found for Miller in Bulloch County.)
Location: Liberty County, Georgia
Deceased: Miller, John
Date Sworn: 1837-11-11
Appraisers: Eli McFail, Newman Bradley, James S. Bradwell
Estate Executor: Enoch Daniel, Eli Bradley
Court Officer: Enoch Daniel, J.I.C.L.C.
Date Recorded: 1838-02-01
Recording Official: E. Baker, Clk
Total Value of Property Appraised: $9890.75
Value of enslaved persons: $7100.00
Comments: Unusually, the estate inventory includes land:
-606 acres, improved and lying on Little Canouchie = $500
-300 acres in Bulloch County, not viewed by the appraisers
-300 acres in Bulloch County, not viewed by appraisers
-500 acres in Bulloch County, not viewed by appraisers
| Enslaved Person Named | Value | Description | Given in the will to: |
| Arthur | 175 | “Man” | Whomever he chose |
| Charlotte | 700 | “Woman” | Eliza Williams |
| Simon | 300 | “Boy” | Eliza Williams |
| Lucy | 100 | “Girl” | Eliza Williams (Lucy, daughter of Easter [Esther]) |
| Clarissa | 700 | ‘Woman” | Mary Martin |
| Tom | 800 | “Man” | Mary Martin |
| Harry | 900 | “Man” | Fredrick H. Miller |
| George | 700 | “Boy” | Fredrick H. Miller |
| Richard | 625 | “Boy” | James F. Miller |
| Moses | 500 | “Boy” | James F. Miller |
| Esther | 450 | “Woman” | To be sold |
| Peter | 250 | “Boy” | To be sold |
| York | 600 | “Man” | Nancy Lovett |
| Henry | 300 | “Boy” | Nancy Lovett |
On January 24, 1838 (ix), Frederick H. Miller, Bulloch County, sold to Thomas Jones Sr, also of Bulloch County, “one negro boy named George about fifteen years of age and to serve as a slave during life” for $750. It seems likely that this was the boy named George that he had inherited from John Miller. Frederick H. Miller needs more research, since there was also a man by the name of Frederick Hicks Miller in Liberty County.
John Miller’s daughter Eliza Martin Williams (1811-1868) married Benjamin Williams of Liberty County, and upon his death, she remarried to Benjamin Darsey. When Benjamin Williams’ estate was inventoried, sometime before April 1842, it named the following enslaved people: Arthur (listed as an “old man”), Easter, York, Jane, Charlotte, Simon, Elsy, Peter, Louisa, Celia, Nippia [nickname Nippy], Easter, Nancy, Richard and Georgia. It appears that at least Arthur, Easter, Jane, Charlotte, Simon, Elsy, and Peter likely came to Eliza from her father and passed to ownership by her husband, Benjamin Williams. It is also noteworthy that a man named York was in Benjamin Williams’ estate, as that was not a particularly common name.
I had previously done a study on the people named in Benjamin Williams’ estate to try to determine what happened to them (x), not realizing at the time that Eliza’s maiden name was Miller.
John Miller’s grandson James, named in the will, must have been born around 1831, because he appears to have come of age in 1852. On August 19, 1852 (xi), James J. Miller acknowledged receipt from E. Daniel of “two negro boys to wit Richard & Moses the same being left to me by my grandfather John Miller in his last will and testament.” He also received $4057.35 “in full for my claim on cash account.” It is noteworthy that James was styled “James F. Miller” in John Miller’s will, but in the 1852 receipt, his name was James J. Miller. [The initials were clearly written in each document.]
James J. Miller lived in Bulloch County, where he married Sarah Williams on March 15, 1848. In 1850, he owned 3 enslaved people, and in 1860, he owned 13. In his September 6, 1864, will, he left to his wife Sarah “two Negroes Richard a man and Mary his wife” and directed that Sarah was to keep the estate until the children came of age. Sarah appears to have lived past the end of the Civil War, so there were no probate records for her that would have named Richard and Mary. Happily, the other enslaved people held by James J. Miller would have been freed before any estate inventory or division would have occurred.
Update: An 1837 deed record [xv] was found in Liberty County Superior Court records stating that Thomas Jones of Bulloch County was the guardian of “James Jones Miller, son of James B. Miller, and the only divisee under his will.” The deed added that the executor of the estate, James E. Martin, was willing to pay to Jones all the property bequeathed to James Miller. Thomas Jones signed by mark (usually indicating illiteracy). Martin then turned over to Jones about $500 in cash and notes. This presumably indicates that John Miller had a son named James B. Miller, who died before him. It seems likely that Jones was the father of James Jones B. Miller’s wife.
Looking Past Emancipation
Is it possible to determine where some of these formerly enslaved people were in 1870 and what surnames they might have adopted? Below are examples of possible research methodologies for doing this.
Moses Miller
In the case of Moses, John Miller held enslaved “the two boys named Richard and Moses,” whom he left to grandson James F./J. Miller in the 1836 will. Use of the term “boy” suggests that Moses may have been born after 1820 but before 1836, probably by at least 1830.
Complicating the search for Moses after Emancipation are the facts that:
• Many formerly enslaved people did not take the surname of their last enslaver; and
• There was another Miller family in Liberty County, at least one of whom, David A. Miller, was a prominent slaveholder.
In 1846, David A. Miller and John W. Stacy used as collateral on a promissory note (xii) in Liberty County “the following named slaves to wit Moses about thirty years of age…” This Moses would have thus been born around 1810. However, in 1857, David A. Miller and Jacob Thiess used “Moses about thirteen years old” as collateral (xiii). David A. Miller and John W. Stacy also used as collateral in 1851 (xiv) “Moses about 8 years old.” This Moses would have been born in about 1843. David A. Miller died after the Civil War, so left no probate records naming enslaved people, but did frequently use enslaved people as collateral on loans, which provides an opportunity to see if he owned people of the same names as John Miller did. In this case, it appears that he did, which is unsurprising given how common a name Moses was.
The 1870 U.S. federal census for Liberty County named a Moses Miller, born about 1830. Other Ancestry records suggest he was born between 1830-1835, married to Martha and, interestingly, with a child named Eugenia. [Remember that John Miller’s granddaughter was named Eugenia.] This suggests he was in the right age range to be the Moses enslaved by John Miller, but too young to be the elder Moses enslaved by David A. Miller. Another Moses, presumably the child of this Moses, is listed in the household, and was said to be 21 years old, which would put him born in 1849.
There were no Moses Millers of the right age in the 1870 Bulloch County census. Could this Liberty County Moses Miller be the one named in John Miller’s will?
Of course, the individuals named Moses enslaved by John Miller and David A. Miller may not have taken the surname Miller, or may have moved elsewhere after the Civil War.
York Miller
York was a more unusual name. A York Miller, born about 1810, was found in the 1870 Liberty County census, living with wife Chittis Miller (identified as his wife in the 1880 census). When York Miller took the Reconstruction Oath on August 21, 1867, the record listed him as having been in the state for 57 years (his age) but only in the county and precinct for 12 years. This could suggest that he was the York described as a “man” and willed to John Miller’s daughter Nancy Lovett in 1836, when Nancy lived in Screven County.
However, there was also a York Miller named in the 1870 Screven County census. He was said to have been born about 1830 and was living with his presumed wife Charity and presumably their children. In his Reconstruction Oath, he was listed as having lived in the state, county and precinct for 30 years, which likely puts his birth date as more around 1840, if this is the same York Miller as listed in the 1870 Screven County census. These documents appear to rule him out as the “man” York named in the 1836 will, assuming these birth dates are correct. So could the Liberty County York Miller have been the one named in John Miller’s 1836 will?
Richard Miller
Interestingly, a Richard Miller, born about 1830, was living with presumed wife Matilda, and presumed son Dick (10) in Liberty County near York and Chittis Miller in the 1870 census. A Richard Miller took the Oath of Reconstruction in Liberty County, and said he had lived in the state, county and precinct for 21 years, putting birth date around 1841. The 1880 Liberty County census showed a Richard Miller, married to Matilda, as having been born around 1838. It is intriguing to think this might be the Richard named in the John Miller records, given his proximity to York Miller, but based purely on age, this appears to rule out this Richard as having been the Richard described as a “boy” in 1836.
Turning to Bullock County records, we hit the jackpot. In the 1870 Bulloch County census, Richard Miller, age 40 (born around 1830), is in household with his presumed wife, Mary (40), and presumed children Daniel (21), Jane (16), Easter (14), Simeon (12), Feanor (10), Louisa (8), Emmet (7) and Nancy (4). Recall that John Miller’s grandson, James J. Miller, left “Richard and his wife Mary” to his wife in his 1864 will. Richard Miller was listed in the 1880 and 1900 Bulloch County federal census records as well. It seems very likely that this is the Richard who was enslaved by John Miller, especially given that some of his children’s names match names listed in John Miller’s estate inventory (possibly indicating that they were related to Richard, given naming patterns that often had an individual naming his children after his siblings.)
Conclusion
Further research needs to be done to try to determine John Miller’s parentage, which might help place the people he held enslaved farther back in time. However, using the available documents in unindexed (but digitized) Bulloch and Liberty County probate and deed records, it was possible to build a picture of people he owned during his lifetime and at his death, and what happened to them following his death. In the case of his daughter Eliza Williams, previous research (conducted before her parentage was known) helps connect the dots to reveal even more about what happened to some of them.
It is suggested that anyone who suspects that the answers to their ancestry quest may lie with these Bulloch County connections contact the Statesboro-Bulloch County regional genealogy library and its genealogy librarian, Lillian Wingate.
Endnotes
(i) FamilySearch.org, Bulloch County “Deeds and mortgages, 1796-1912” “Deeds and mortgages, v. 5, FH-FI 1829-1859,” page 86, image 51 (link: https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-C3Q5-W912-1?cat=155333, accessed 5/24/2021).
(ii) All documents turned up in searches for the Miller family are documented in my public Ancestry tree for John Miller and his descendants, which can be found at: https://www.ancestry.com/family-tree/person/tree/160855012/person/362291513056/facts. (User name sashmore135; tree: Liberty County African American Research – theyhadnames.net)
(iii) 1850 Screven County federal population census, District 74, page 18a. (Ancestry link: https://www.ancestry.com/imageviewer/collections/8054/images/4191560-00042?pId=18929397, accessed 5/24/2021).
(iv) FamilySearch.org, Bulloch County “Deeds and mortgages, 1796-1912” “Deeds and mortgages, v. 5, FH-FI 1829-1859,” page 98, image 57 (link: https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-C3Q5-W9BW-6?cat=155333, accessed 5/24/2021).
(v) See original will [last page only] at: “Georgia Probate Records, 1742-1990,” database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QS7-L93L-GCQ4?cc=1999178&wc=9SYT-PT5%3A267679901%2C268032901 : 20 May 2014), Liberty > Wills, appraisements and bonds 1790-1850 vol B > image 553 of 689. See entire will at: Ancestry.com, “Georgia Probate Records, 1743-1990,” Liberty County, within “Estates 1775-1892 Mell, James-Perry, John,” images #329-30. (Link: https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QS7-893B-T912?i=328&wc=9SBX-823%3A267679901%2C267985701&cc=1999178, accessed 5/23/2021.) See transcript at: https://theyhadnames.net/2021/05/23/liberty-county-will-john-miller/
(vi) Liberty County Superior Court, “Deeds & Mortgages v. K 1831-1838,” p. 414, John Miller to Mary Martin; digital image, FamilySearch.org, “Deeds & Mortgages, v. K-L 1831-1842” within “Deeds and mortgages, 1777-1920; general index to deeds and mortgages, 1777-1958,” image #259, (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-C3QP-T926-2?cat=292358, accessed 5/24/2021).
(vii) Liberty County Superior Court, “Deeds & Mortgages v. M 1842-1847,” p. 414, John Miller to Eliza Williams; digital image, FamilySearch.org, “Deeds & Mortgages, v. M-N 1842-1854” within “Deeds and mortgages, 1777-1920; general index to deeds and mortgages, 1777-1958,” image #243, p. 404 (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-C3QP-549Q?cat=292358, accessed 5/24/2021)
(viii) Find the digitized original at: “Georgia Probate Records, 1742-1990,” database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QSQ-G93L-GCQX?cc=1999178&wc=9SYT-PT5%3A267679901%2C268032901 : 20 May 2014), Liberty > Wills, appraisements and bonds 1790-1850 vol B > image 554 of 689. See abstract at: https://theyhadnames.net/2019/08/18/liberty-county-estate-inventory-john-miller/.
(ix) FamilySearch.org, Bulloch County “Deeds and mortgages, 1796-1912” “Deeds and mortgages, v. FH, FH-FI 1829-1859,” page 251, image 136 (link: https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-C3Q5-W9BN-6?cat=155333, accessed 5/24/2021).
(x) https://theyhadnames.net/2019/10/28/follow-the-enslaver-benjamin-williams-estate-research-snippets/
(xi) Family Search.org. Liberty County Superior Court “Deeds and mortgages, 1777-1920; general index to deeds and mortgages, 1777-1958,” Film: Deeds & Mortgages, v. M-N 1842-1854,” Record Book N, pp. 485. Image #665 (Link: https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-C3QP-5WQH?i=664&cat=292358). See abstract at https://theyhadnames.net/2019/09/12/estate-settlement-miller/.
(xii) Family Search.org. Liberty County Superior Court “Deeds and mortgages, 1777-1920; general index to deeds and mortgages, 1777-1958,” Film: Deeds & Mortgages, v. M-N 1842-1854,” Record Book M, pp. 440-1. Image #261 (Link: https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-C3QP-54DG?i=260&cat=292358)
(xiii) Family Search.org. Liberty County Superior Court “Deeds and mortgages, 1777-1920; general index to deeds and mortgages, 1777-1958,” Film: Deeds & Mortgages, v. O-P 1854-1870,” Record Book O, p 304. Image #196. (Link: https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-C3QP-RS57-4?i=195&cat=292358)
(xiv) Family Search.org. Liberty County Superior Court “Deeds and mortgages, 1777-1920; general index to deeds and mortgages, 1777-1958,” Film: Deeds & Mortgages, v. M-N 1842-1854,” Record Book N, pp. 318-9. Image #579 (Link: https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-C3QP-5CMM?i=578&cat=292358)
(xv) Family Search.org. Liberty County Superior Court “Deeds and mortgages, 1777-1920; general index to deeds and mortgages, 1777-1958,” Film: Deeds & Mortgages, v. K-L 1831-1842,” Record Book K, 1831-1838, pp. 451-2. Image #278 (Link: https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-C3QP-T92L-8?i=277&cat=292358)