The Dallas Journal, Volume 43, 1997 Page: 15
131 p. : ill. ; 28 cm.View a full description of this periodical.
Extracted Text
The following text was automatically extracted from the image on this page using optical character recognition software:
1845. He returned to Texas in 1859, at the age of 66, to make what was to be his last
political campaign. Opposition to secession was his one issue.
It seems likely that the events of that summer of 1860 would have been terrifying
for the young widow Emma Dewey Miller. She was a long way from Ohio, where
slavery would not have been an issue, and far from the home of her parents in Huntsville,
Texas. She was a beautiful, 20-year-old widow, living in a big house at Pleasant Run
with the children of her recently deceased husband. We wonder if her marriage to
William Brown Miller on August 2, 1860, just four months after the death of her first
husband, was precipitated by the alarming events of that time. At the time of their
marriage, Miller was within a few weeks of being 53 years old and his bride was 20.
However, their marriage seemed to be a devoted one, and when he died 39 years later,
she survived him by only two and a half months.
Millermore was not completed when Emma married William. She moved from
her big house, which included a rosewood square piano, mahogany secretaries, marble
topped tables, mahogany sofa and heavy gilt-framed mantel mirrors from New York, into
the old log house. Her first child, Charles was born there on July 11, 1861. Perhaps
she speeded up the construction of the "big house," for the family was established there
before the birth of her second son, John Hickman (called Dick), on October 14, 1862.
After the Millers moved into the new residence, the old log house was occupied
by Negro families for at least 60 years; first the slaves of Mr. Miller and later the
Negroes who worked on the Miller place. In the spring of 1865, the slaves were freed.
Many of them remained on the Miller place to work as field hands and house servants.
Arch, who came to Texas with Mr. Miller in 1847, and was probably one of the Miller
Negroes from Alabama, was persuaded by his wife, Charlotte, to move away. Mr. Miller
gave them a team of mules, a wagon, a plow and other farm and household equipment.
In a few years they returned to Millermore where they lived out the remainder of their
lives on Miller land. With the Emancipation Proclamation, Mr. Miller passed on to Arch
and his family the land on which the slave quarters stood.'2 This land became the
homestead of the Miller slaves and remained in their possession until well into the 20th
century.
Having been born in Kentucky and brought up in Alabama, William Brown Miller
was a strong supporter of the Confederacy, even though, being 54 in 1861, he did not go1977 15 DGS Journal
1977
15
DGS Journal
Upcoming Pages
Here’s what’s next.
Search Inside
This issue can be searched. Note: Results may vary based on the legibility of text within the document.
Tools / Downloads
Get a copy of this page or view the extracted text.
Citing and Sharing
Basic information for referencing this web page. We also provide extended guidance on usage rights, references, copying or embedding.
Reference the current page of this Periodical.
Dallas Genealogical Society. The Dallas Journal, Volume 43, 1997, periodical, June 1997; Dallas, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth186856/m1/21/: accessed April 23, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Dallas Genealogical Society.