Mary Murrell, wife of Moses Milliken
Mary Murrell, wife of Moses Milliken,
as she relates to the earliest Murrell records of South Carolina
The marriage of Mary Murrell and Moses Milliken was recorded in the St
Thomas/St Denis Parish records on Sept 9, 1721. The Moses Milliken
Bible records gave her date of birth as Sept 15, 1704. To try to
determine the identity of her parents, we
need records for Murrells who were living in the Charleston area at
that time. St Thomas/St Denis Parish lies on the east side of the
Cooper River from Charleston and on the north side of the
Wando River; Christ Church Parish lies east of the Cooper River on the
south side of the Wando
River. The two parishes adjoined, and many Murrell records can be found
in each.
Robert Murrell I (d March, 1710/11 or March, 1711/12 in Christ Church
Parish) can be ruled
out as he already had a daughter named Mary who can be traced. She was
definitely not the same Mary Murrell who married Moses Milliken. The
children of this Robert Murrell I can be proven by the memorials of
sons John Murrell, Jonathan Murrell, and Robert Murrell II, and the
memorial of William Porter, husband of daughter Sarah Murrell,
plus vol EE p 4-5, 7 (Miscellaneous Records) in which Sarah Hooker
named "my surviving children: John Murrel, Jonathan Murrel, Robert
Murrell, Susanna Huggins, Sarah Porter, Mary Frissel, Martha Hamlin."
The memorials also prove a brother James Murrell and a sister Elizabeth
Murrell who had both died. (Although John Murrell's memorial referred
to her as his sister, she could have been his sister-in-law, widow of
James Murrell.) Sarah
Hooker was
obviously the remarried widow of Robert Murrell I. The memorials state
that Robert Murrell's will was dated the 15th day of March Ann Dom
1711/12. But
the Christ Church Parish records give his burial on March 24th Ann Dom
1710/11. It is not known which record is in error and the will no
longer exists. The daughter Mary
(Murrell) Frissel was the wife of Alexander Frissel. Mary Frisel left
her will in Christ Church Parish dated 1 May 1770, proven 22 Feb. 1771.
It is thought that this Robert Murrell I may have moved to the Sewee
Bay area of Christ Church Parish about
1696-97 from
Salem, Massachusetts along with the Severance, Whilden, and other
families who belonged to the Wappetaw congregation.
There are
birth
records for the children of a Robert Murrell in Massachusetts, but
neither the names of the children nor the wife were included in the
records. Without more than this, we cannot be positive it was the same
Robert Murrell.
So Mary Murrell, wife of Moses Milliken, must have been the daughter of
some other Murrell who perhaps lived in the Charleston area at the time
of her birth. None of Robert
Murrell I's sons were born early enough to have produced a child in
1704. (Therefore her father could not have been Robert's son Jonathan
Murrell as some have claimed.)
The only other Murrell who appears in the records as early as 1704
was a John Murrell who lived on the
Wando River and died ca 1706
leaving
wife Elizabeth and an undetermined number of children. Two minor sons
can be
proven - John Morrall (of Berkeley Co and Craven Co, puchased 611 acres
at what's now called "Murrell's Inlet" in 1731, d 1770-71) and William
Morrall (of Berkeley Co and Craven Co, d after 1749 when he was named
an executor in Elias Lewis's will). Robert Lewis administered the John
Murrell estate in right of John and William and left land to John and
William in his will. This John Murrell and wife
Elizabeth would seem to be the most likely candidates for the parents
of Mary
Murrell - however there are no documents to prove the identity
or even the existance of any daughters. And there are no records
that suggest any association between Mary Murrell or her husband Moses
Milliken and John Morrall or William Morrall or the family of Robert
Lewis.
No land records have been found for Moses Milliken after his marriage
until
Aug 26, 1734 when a plat for 350 acres in Craven Co near
the
Black River was surveyed for him. A later grant for 350 acres was
dated March 10,
1743. He may have been living in the area even earlier since his
daughter Mary's birth was recorded in the Prince Fredrick's Parish
register in 1732. Moses still seems to have been living in 1763 when
William Coachman as administrator of John Moore was trying to recover
money that Moore had loaned to Milliken. One of the documents in this
folder dated 18 Nov 1763 "did implead Moses Miliken in an Action of a
plea of Trespass on the ??? & so forth to which said Action the
Defendant ??? Default, and thereupon the Court gave Judgment for the
said William." Another document from that set of records contains the
original promissory note dated 25 April 1744 - complete with Moses
Miliken's signature.
Another document in this folder indicates that this is Moses' own
signature. It also states that the note was signed at Charleston.
South Carolina \
Berkeley County / to wit
Moses Miliken of the province aforesaid was attached to answer to
William Coachman administrator of all and Singular the goods and
Chattells Rights and Credits of John Moore Deceased of a plea of
Trespass on the Case and so forth and Whereupon the said William by
James Grindlay his attorney complains that whereas the said Moses
Miliken after the first Day of May which was in the year of our Lord
One thousand seven hundred and five to wit on the Twenty fifth Day of
April which was in the year of our Lord One thousand Seven hundred and
forty four at Charles Town in Berkeley County in the Province of South
Carolina and within the Jurisdiction of this Court Did make a
certain note in writing commonly called a promissory note with his own
proper hand thereunto Subscribed bearing Date and Day & year
last mentioned by which said note the said Moses Miliken Did promise to
pay or cause to be paid to the said John Moore.....
I have no idea what significance the date 1 May 1705 has in this
document.
In 1774, George Evans, James Coachman, John Postell, and James Calhoun,
the
executors of William Hull, were granted a judgment against "Benjamin
Milligen,
survivor of Moses Milligen." An undated document in this folder
states:
Benjamin Milligen who hath survived one Moses Milligen deceased
otherwise lately & in his Lifetime called Moses Milligen &
Benjamin Milligen of Craven County South Carolina planters was summoned
to answer to George Evans, James Coachman, John Postell & James
Calhoun Executors of the last will & testament of William Hull....
Another document in the folder dated 4 Jan 1774 states:
South Carolina.
George the Third, by the Grace of God, of Great-Britain, France and
Ireland, King, Defender of the Faith and so forth; To all and singular
the Sheriffs of Our Province of South-Carolina Greeting : We
command you, and each of you, without Delay, to attach the Body of
Benjamin Milligen who hath survived one Moses Milligen deceased
otherwise lately & in his Lifetime called Moses Milligen &
Benjamin Milligen of Craven County South Carolina planters..... [an
order to appear in court concerning the Hull debt]
William Hull had loaned 295 pounds18 shillings on 19 Sept 1760 "in the
District & Province aforesaid" (Craven Co) to Moses Milligen and
Benjamin Milligen.
So it appears that Moses Milliken must have died between 1763 and 1774.
Although the following record abstract gives the name Mons rather than
Moses, this was certainly a transcription error. With the references to
William Hull and "greatest creditor", there is no doubt that this
record must be for Moses Milliken. I would think it's safe to assume
that Moses died earlier in 1767 shortly before this record.
Probate Records of South
Carolina vol 3 Journal of the Court of Ordinary 1764-1771 Brent
H Holcomb
p 42
Citation Granted to Wm Hull of Prince George Parish to administer on
the Estate & Effects of Mons Milligan, as Greatest Creditor, of
said Parish, to be Published & Returned Certify'd. 21st July 1767.
No records have been found to place
Mary's death, but the birth of her last child Breton or Barton Milliken
was recorded in Prince Fredrick's Parish on Feb 8, 1749/50. Mary would
have been about 45 at this time. It's not surprising that no more
children were born to her.
No records have been found that indicate that Moses Milliken, Mary, or
their children
had contact with any other Murrell/Morrall families or Lewis families.
However,
their second son
Benjamin Milliken was associated with the Samuel Hargrove family of
Horry Co. Horry Co, SC, which adjoins Brunswick Co, NC, was also the
home of John Morrall, a proven son of John
Murrell d ca 1706 and wife
Elizabeth. The Moses Milliken Bible recorded the marriage of
Benjamin
Milliken and Elizabeth "Betsy" Hargrove on June 7, 1760. No location
was mentioned, but if the marriage occurred at the bride's home, it
would have occurred in the part of Prince George Parish now known as
Horry Co.
Betsy was actually
Benjamin's second wife. The identity
of his first wife is unknown, but he had at least one proven son by her
named John Milliken.
Samuel Hargrove Sr and Samuel Hargrove Jr were mentioned in a 1775
memorial by James Semple Sr for 500 acres on the Waccamaw River in
Craven Co. Samuel Hairgrove Sr and Samuel Hairgrove Jr appeared in
a list of Petit Jurors for the Parish of Prince George dated 1778.
These records place them in the Horry Co area near John Morrall at that
time. It is not
known where this Hargrove family was living in 1760. However, from the
record below, it would
seem that the family had been living in the same area since at least
1755. Although some research claims that this John Hargrave was
the son of a William Hargrave, I have seen no proof of that. I believe
the records indicate he was more likely the son of Samuel Hargrove Sr
and wife Lydia who moved from Beaufort Co, NC to the part of SC now
called Horry Co. More about this to follow.
Declaration for
Revolutionary War Pension of John Hargrave, Sr.
State of Illinois
Union County
Declaration in order to obtain
the benefit of an Act of Congress
dated June 7th 1832
On this 20th day of October 1832 personally
appeared in open court before the Hon. Tho. C. Browne, Judge of the
circuit court of Union County now sitting, John Hargrave resident of
said county and state, aged 77 years on the 23rd Nov. next being born
in 1755, having now no record of his age, who, being sworn according to
law, doth on his oath make the following declaration, in order to
obtain the benefits of an Act of Congress dated June 7th 1832. That he
entered the service of the United States under the following named
officers & served as herein stated: This applicant states that he
was born in South Carolina near the
state line
of N&S Carolina in 1755 where he lived until he volunteered
in the
service of his country in '75. That sometime in the summer of
1775 when the Tories arose in the back part of the state there was a
call for men & that he volunteered under one Capt. Dennis Hawkins
& One Col. Daniel Horry, and stood in readiness for service at a
minutes warning, being called minute men......
Hargrove/Hargrave research claims his name was actually John Robert
Hargrave. If so, he may be the same as Robert Hairgrave who was owed
money by the estate
William Williams of Little River, Horry Co., SC in
an account dated 28th July 1775. Perhaps they were two separate
people. I have not seen a record that proves that John Hargrave was
also known as John Robert Hargrave. It seems strange to me that he
would use the name John for his pension declaration and Robert for the
Williams estate record.
The name Dennis Hawkins in the pension declaration was obviously a
mistranscription for the name
Dennis Hankins. He was actually Dennis Hankins II whose parents were
Dennis Hankins I and Martha, daughter of Samuel Masters. After Dennis
Hankins I's death,
Martha was remarried to John Frink. Her son Thomas Frink, younger
half-brother to Dennis Hankins II, is said to have been married in 1769
to an Elizabeth Hargrove who was born 13 Jan 1752. [I do not know what
records support this marriage.] The Frinks and Hankins lived in the
area now known as Horry Co. So now we would seem to have two
Elizabeth Hargroves, one who married Benjamin Milliken in 1760 and one
born in 1752 who married Thomas Frink in 1769. Thomas Frink's name also
appeared in the records for William William's estate, but he owed money
to the estate. Most likely, the
younger Elizabeth Hargrove, Thomas Frink's wife, was a daughter of
Samuel Hargrove Sr
and a sister to Samuel Hargrove Jr and John Hargrave above, while
the older Elizabeth Hargrove, Benjamin Milliken's wife, may have been
the sister of Samuel Hargrove Sr. It's not likely that Samuel Hargrove
Sr was the father of two living daughters both named Elizabeth.
To make matters more interesting, Samuel Frink, brother of Thomas Frink
who married Elizabeth Hargrove, sold land to John Morrall's son Daniel
Morrall. Samuel Frink was living in Brunswick Co at the time. By
this time, the Horry Co area was part of All Saints Parish.
(p227)
S-5 199-201 Lease and release. 9&10 Feb 1784 Samuel
Frink of Brunswick County, North
Carolina, planter, to Daniel Morrall
of parish of All Saints, George
Town District, South Carolina, by
grant dated [no date given in abstract] 245 acres in All Saints Parish
(called Craven County at
the time of the grant) to Samuel
Masters,
and said premises did devolve
by heirship to
his daughter Martha Frink and
by her
conveyed to Samuel Frink, now for L1200 SC money. Saml Frink(LS). Wit
Daniel Bellune, William
Fithful.
Charles Lewis Jr and wife Martha Bollough (stepdaughter of John
Morrall) were the parents of William Henry Lewis. William Henry Lewis's
second wife was named Rachel. It's suspected she might have been a
Frink. William Henry Lewis and Thomas Frink were closely associated.
William Henry Lewis to Thomas
Frink.
30 lbs sterling. 200 acres gr. 5 Jun 1786. 12 May 1801. /Wm. H. Lewis.
W/John
Frink#, Charles Lewis. Receipt. PS/21
Dec 1801. Dower: Rachel Lewis 12 Jun
1801.
Recd 10 Jan 1805.
William Henry
Lewis to Thomas Frink.
40 lbs sterling. 500 acres (part of tract of 3700 acres gr. to Benjamin
Goddin 9
Nov 1735). 12 May 1801.
S/Wm. H. Lewis. W/ John
Frink#, Charles Lewis.
Receipt. Dower: Rachel
Lewis, wife 12 Jun
1801. Recd. 10 Jan 1805.
Samuel Hargrove Sr and wife Lydia had moved to SC from Beaufort Co, NC
shortly before 1755 when John Hargrave was born in SC near the NC line.
As further
evidence that this was the same Samuel Hargrove, he did not appear on
the 1755
list of taxables for Beaufort Co although he had appeared in
the records there until 1754.
Book 3, page 55 Dec. 1750. Beaufort Co., NC Deed
to John Hodges Jr. from Samuel Hargrove--sum
of 20 lbs. current money of VA. Beginning at a red oak at mouth of
branch
that makes out of Grindal Creek....land granted to Seth Pilkinton 14th
Feb. 1739 and afterwards conveyed by said Pilkinton to Elias Hodges as
by deed bearing date 11th March 1740....the said Samuel Hargrove....hath
good right, title, & est of inheritance....
Witnesses: Benj. B. Hodges, Robert Hodges.
According to a tracing
of the Seth Pilkington patent, Samuel Hargrove had acquired this
land some time before 1744. This is probably because of record in
Beaufort Co DB II, p 441 dated 19 Nov 1744
in which Elias Hodges sold 270 acres to his brother John Hodges on the
north side of Grindal Creek. Samuel
Hargrove's corner tree was mentioned. So we know Samuel owned land
at that time and must have been of age by 1744. Grindle Creek is now in
Pitt Co, NC.
In 1754, Samuel Hargrove Sr appeared in a Beaufort Co, NC deed with his
wife
named Lydia. I do not yet have this record, but according to Jean
Larson, "As to the deed with Samuel and Lydia
it
was in Beaufort, NC 1754. It was an abstract: Book 3 pg 172 Samuel
to Geo.
Collins, land Samuel had received 1748. 100 acres witt John Collins
on the
Neuse River, which would make it Craven co. later probably." Another record Jean found was of interest as it might
help to follow this family further: 1753 Beaufort Co, NC
Book 3 pg 183 Samuel
Hargraves
planter to John Cason. witt. Robert Hargraves.
There seems to have been some kinship between Samuel Hargrove and the
Hodges family as Samuel
Hargrove is said to have been an heir of Elias Hodges. I will leave
it to the Hargrove/Hargrave researchers to follow this line further.
Samuel Hargrove Jr
and his mother Lydia left SC and moved to
Brunswick Co, NC where he (or possibly Samuel Sr if he was still
living) proved a
deed from Levi Swaine to Benja Milligan for land on the
Waccamaw River in 1782.
I have not found a record for Samuel Hargrove Sr's death, so I can't
rule out the possibility that it could have been the father who
witnessed the deed rather than the son. But no Jr or Sr appeared in the
record, so most likely only the son was living at that time.
Brunswick Co, NC
Apr 28, 1800 Josiah Bozman enters 200 acres being Croosos Island a
place where Lyda Hargrave
use to live.
We cannot tell exactly when Lydia
Hargrove lived in Brunswick Co from this record, but we do know that
she had left Horry Co and moved to Brunswick Co at some time prior to
1800, possibly many years earlier. (By 1800, her son Samuel Hargrove Jr
had left Brunswick Co and
moved to Logan Co, KY.) We also
know from these records that Samuel Hargrove Sr had married Lydia by at
least
1754, possibly earlier since he was of age by 1744, and that he and his
family had removed to SC by
1755.
The name Lydia came down in the Hargrove family. On 6
Feb. 1835, Samuel Hargrove (Jr) signed his will in Butler Co, KY. Among
others, he named a daughter Lydia. According to the research
of Bev Hargrave, John Hargrave (AKA John Robert Hargrave) also had
a daughter named Lydia. Others Hargroves/Hargraves who might relate to
this family include Hezekiah Hargrave, Willis Hargrave, Seth Hargrave,
and William Hargrave. Many left records in Logan Co, KY where both
Samuel Hargrove Jr and John Robert Hargrave also left records. Many are
believed to have been born in SC during the 1760's. The name Hezekiah
is of interest. Samuel Milliken and Elizabeth Hargrove named two of
their sons Samuel and Hezekiah. Bev Hargrave's research states that
Robert Hargrave b ca 1792 NC or SC, son of John Hargrave b 1755 SC,
named three of his children Samuel, Hezekiah, and Willis.
Brunswick Co also became the home of Benjamin Milliken's sister, Sarah
Milliken,
the wife of Gilbert McKeithan. Gilbert McKeithan's son, Alexander
McKeithan, named a son Hargrove McKeithan. The first wife of Alexander
McKeithan and the mother of Hargrove McKeithan has never been
identified. Perhaps she too was a Hargrove. But we have no proof. It's
not impossible that Hargrove McKeithan was named for Elizabeth Hargrove.
A later Moses Milliken lived in Horry Co and served in the
Revolutionary War. His exact descent from Moses Milliken and Mary
Murrell is not known. He was born about 1748 - a date that does not
agree with either of Moses Milliken's two sons named Moses. The first
was born in Jan 1729/30 and the second was baptised in 1737. Perhaps he
was
an unproven son of Benjamin
Milliken by his first wife. Only two of Moses's sons were born early
enough to be the father of a child born in 1748 - Jonathan Milliken
born 6 Sept 1724 and Benjamin born 19 Feb 1727/28. No later records for
Jonathan have been found, and we know Benjamin was associated with the
Hargrove family from Horry Co. Certainly Benjamin looks more likely,
but without additional records, we can only
speculate.
SOUTH CAROLINA -
FEDERAL PENSION REPORT 1835
REPORT
FROM THE
SECRETARY OF WAR
Name: Moses Milligan
Rank: Do (Private)
Annual allowance: 96.00
Sums received: 787.73
Description of service: S. C. cont'' line
When placed on the
pension roll: Dec. 13, 1821
Commencement of
pension: Do (April 4, 1821)
Age: 73
Laws under which they were formerly inscribed on the pension roll;
and remarks: Died
June 17, 1829
Although several Millikens or Milliken descendants lived near the
families of John Morrall of Murrell's Inlet, Prince George Parish,
Craven Co and Charles Lewis Jr (also of Prince George Parish, a
grandson of Robert Lewis - Charles Jr's wife was Martha Bollough,
stepdaughter of John Morrall by his wife Martha's first marriage to
John Bollough), no records have been found that
indicate any close association between the Millikens and Morralls or
the Millikens and Lewises.
There were no
marriages between the families and no documents that indicated any
association between the
families. The opportunity existed since they did live within a few
miles of each other - but it just didn't happen. Unless
Mary Murrell was separated from her siblings at a very
young
age and never developed any closeness with them, she would not seem to
be the sister of John Morrall, a proven son of John Murrell d by
1706. But we know she wasn't a daughter of Robert Murrell I, and
no other Murrells can be placed in the area as early as 1704. There was
an Anthony Murrell who appeared in the records about 1710-12 and a
Francis Murrell whose first record was 1720. I have not yet searched
out their records. To obtain these records and other SC records, see SC Research. If Mary's family cannot be
found in the SC records, there is still the
possibility that Mary was born in Barbados or some distant place and
was brought to SC as a child by a guardian or an adoptive family.
There has been
much speculation that Moses Milliken might have come
from Kittery, Maine or even Maryland. This is only
speculation - no records have yet been found to prove it.
To correct an error found in some earlier research......
White research incorrectly states that John White who moved from
Berkeley Co to Prince Fredrick's Parish in Craven Co (near the
Millikens and McKeithans on the Black and Black Mingo Rivers) was a son
of Susannah Murrell (daughter of
Robert Murrell I) by her first marriage to William White. This
error occurred because of memorials by John White and William White
which indicated they had inherited the land from their father William
White. A Christ Church Parish record gives the birth of William White
to William White and Susannah. It was assumed that John White of Craven
Co was a brother to the son William White, and both were children of
William White and Susannah Murrell. John White of the memorial was NOT
John White who moved to Craven Co. John White and his brother William
White of the memorials remained in Berkeley Co where both left wills.
So the fact that John White of Craven Co lived near Moses Milliken and
wife Mary Murrell means nothing. That John White was NOT a son of
Susannah Murrell, but was probably a son of an earlier John White and
Hannah of Bermuda and Berkeley Co, and a grandson of Anthony White of
Bermuda. More details and records for the Whites can be found at http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~fcharper/White.html
The
Robert Murrell I/Sarah
records and John Murrell/Elizabeth records are the
collective
work of Elizabeth
Girardeau, John
Morrel, and Frances Cullom
Harper. The Milliken and Hargrove
records were collected by Frances
Cullom
Harper. Jean
Larson spent countless
hours searching her Hargrove records and found Samuel and wife Lydia in
Beaufort Co, NC. Additions and corrections will be
appreciated.
With your help, perhaps more can be proven in the future.
