George Miller was born in March 1756 and died in Shenandoah County, Virginia, between 15 June and 22 October 1829. [1] His place of birth and parentage are not known at this time.
George had some connection to Pennsylvania: in 1834 Jacob Miller traveled to Pennsylvania to collect money owed to George’s estate.[2] George married Margaret (surname unknown) [3] who probably was born by 1760 and died at the home farm on Little Stony Creek probably by 1840. [4]
Possibly George is the George Miller with five in his household who is recorded in the 1785 tax lists: George and Margaret’s first three children were born by 1784. The first record in Shenandoah County that definitely applies to George was the baptism of his son George on 30 July 1786. Four of the children of George and Margaret were baptized at the Zion-Pine Church on Stony Creek, a church whose building and record book were shared by Lutheran and Reformed congregations. The Lutheran records begin in April 1786, after the births of the first three of the Millers’ children and one month after the birth of Johan George, whose baptism in July was recorded in the Lutheran section of the record. Three of the next seven children were baptized in the Reformed Church, whose records began in 1788. George and Margaret do not appear among the communicants of either church. [5]
George was a farmer and lived on Little Stony Creek. He was called George “Oil” in county records to distinguish him from “Black” George, “Red” George, “Trumpet” George, and others with the same name. It may have been that “oil” referred to the production of linseed oil: George’s moveable property included a grindstone and “2 oil tubs & measures &c.” George also produced whiskey and apple brandy. His inventory included an apple peeler, two apple mills, and eighteen gallons of brandy. Only his stallion brought a higher price at the estate sale than his still kettle and cooling tub. He had twenty-six still tubs and six new whiskey barrels. [6]
Land Records The first purchase of land that can definitely be connected with George was on 14 October 1796, 338 acres on Little Stony Creek from Zane’s executors for £150. [7] This became George’s “home place.” Of this land, 210 acres were sold in 1813 to George Jr., who resold it in 1817. [8] George sold his son Henry 89½ acres in 1827 for $200 and repurchased it on 15 June 1829 for the same amount. [9] Henry was on his way to Ohio. On 5 August 1807, for $250, George purchased 130 acres on Stony Creek from John Lichtliter. He sold it to his son, George Jr., on 11 September 1809 for $475 and on 13 September 1813 George Jr. resold this land to Adam Barb. On 7 September 1813 for $1100, George Sr. sold 210 acres of his 1796 purchase to George Jr. On 12 August 1817, George Jr., preparing to purchase land in Hardy County, sold this property to Joseph Parker for $1260. [10] On 17 March 1830, Absolom Rinker, Joshua Foltz Jr., and George Lanz surveyed the dower lands of Margaret Miller, widow of George Miller, “Oil”, on Little Stony Creek. This was the 89½ acres and 38½ acres of the home place, which was retained by Margaret for her lifetime. Margaret waived any rights to the other land, 414 acres that George owned in Shenandoah County and 109 acres in Preston County. [11] The dower land-home place was described in the Land Books as ten miles west of the court house. The neighboring properties were owned by George’s and Margaret’s son, Jacob Miller, and by Adam Barb, who had purchased 210 acres from George Jr. This land was assessed to Margaret to at least 1859, although she apparently had died by 1840. In 1830 the buildings on the 38½-acre home place were valued at $262.50 and the land at $215.57. The land and buildings of the 89½ acres were valued at $501.20. The tax assessed on the two tracts was 80 cents. By 1853 the land had appreciated in value to $832.50 while the buildings’ value had decreased to $150. [12] George must have been planning for his children’s security. When in his seventies, he acquired patents to additional lands. He received a patent for 109 acres in Preston County, (West) Virginia, on 13 November 1825 and at his death owned 175 acres there. [13]] On 29 September 1827, George received a patent for 414 acres on Little Stony Creek. His heirs sold this land to Walter Newman in three deeds from 1830 to 1832 for a total of $220. [14]
Probate records George left no will. His personal estate was appraised on 22 October 1829 by Heinrich Bauer (Henry Bower Jr.), Adam Barb, and George Keller. All three signed the appraisal in German. The personal property was sold the next day, on 23 October 1829. George’s estate was administered by Joshua Foltz, Jr., who submitted two accounts prior to the final settlement, which was made on 9 November 1835. George’s personal estate included moveable property that was appraised at $379.25, notes totaling $646.13 owed to George by his sons and sons-in-law, and $47.24 in cash for a total of $1,072.62 less credits of $133.97, or $938.65. The moveable property brought $530.92 at the sale. Margaret, prior to sale, took goods valued at $69.76, making a total of $600.68. George’s coffin cost $5.00. Jacob Miller was paid for collecting money in Pennsylvania. George Jr. collected $12.13 in Preston County, (West) Virginia. [15]
George Miller’s Bible When George’s personal estate was sold, it included a German Bible printed in Nuremburg, Bavaria, in 1788. George Jr.—called “George Miller, Capon” in the records because of his residence near Lost River of Cacapon—purchased the Bible for $14.00. George Jr. took the Bible back to his home on Kimsey’s Run, near Lost River, Hardy County, (West) Virginia. When he died in 1861, the Bible, described as a “Large fam[i]ly Bible” was sold as part of George’s personal estate. Henry Funkhouser of Baker, Hardy County, bought the Bible for $7.15. [16] The Bible passed to Daisye Funkhouser Purnhagen, a granddaughter of Henry Funkhouser, then to her daughter, Carolyn Duncan, and, in January 2001, came into the possession of Daisye’s nephew, Dr. James W. Funkhouser of Dayton, Ohio, a great-grandson of Henry Funkhouser. Dr. Funkhouser allowed James Funkhouser of Troy, Ohio, to photograph record page of the Bible.
Writing in German, George recorded in this Bible his month and year of birth (“so far as I know”) and the names and birth dates of his eleven children. George does not mention his wife in this record. The birth years range from 1780 to 1802, and it looks as though the births records were recorded at the same time, after the last birth. One date and one name are marked through and corrected. Ten children are named in George’s estate settlement and in deeds by his heirs. [17]The ten named in the estate settlement and deeds are: Jacob, Anna Maria, George, Barbara, Elizabeth, Susanna, Henry, Mary, Nancy, and Joseph. One daughter must have died before 1829. Of the daughters, only Anna Maria and Elizabeth, who were widowed, are named in the settlement; the others are “wife of....” Their given names were found in the deeds pertaining to George’s real estate. In the estate settlement, the children are listed in the order found in the Bible record, oldest to youngest, except that Margaret is missing and “Mary” is in the place of Magdalene. My inference is that Margaret was the daughter who died and “Mary Magdalene” is the ninth child of George.
https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Miller-85517
