miller315

MILLER DOGGETT

(George, Richard, Rev. Benjamin)

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315 MILLER DOGGETT, son of George and Ann (Chattin) Doggett; b. abt. 1736, Lancaster Co., VA; d. 18 Apr 1807, Jefferson Co., TN; m. MARY (surname unknown).
Children (Doggett) (order approximate):

315:1		George		b. 1762
315:2		John		b. 1763
315:3		Jacob		b. 1765		m.	Susannah
315:4		Jesse		b. 1767	d. 1834	m.
						m.	Nancy McCown
315:5		Leanah				m.	Mr. Edes
315:6		Isaac		b. 1776		m. 1803	Margaret Crump
315:7		Sarah				m.	William Shelton
						m.	Mr. Lucas
315:8		Susannah			m. 1803	Benjamin Crump
315:9		Thomas

Miller Doggett was one of the children of George Doggett named in George’s will as "all my children." Although he is not named in the will, and no extant records have been found stating that Miller is a child of George, there is no real question about his ancestry. There are no other logical possibilities for his parents in Lancaster County at the time of his birth, and the geographical movements of his parents and siblings to the Piedmont area of Virginia are consistent with Miller’s identity as a child of George and Ann. The persuasive evidence is the name "Miller," which does not occur elsewhere in the Doggett family except in this line. Miller must have been named after his maternal grandmother’s family, as her maiden name was Miller. The use of "Miller" as a given name occurs frequently among the descendants of this Miller.

The earliest references to Miller occur in connection with his military service in the French and Indian War. The Washington Papers in the Library of Congress contain a document dated July-Aug 1757 listing Miller as a recruit from Lancaster County for the 7th Company of the Virginia Regiment under Capt. Joshua Lewis. Miller is described as age 21, 5’11" in height, born in Virginia. His occupation is shown as "planter." From this document we can determine that Miller was born in 1735 or 1736. As Miller’s parents lived in Lancaster County in October 1736, when George purchased land in Spotsylvania County, Virginia, Miller must have been born in Lancaster County.

It does not appear that Miller’s parents lived on the Spotsylvania County land, and George Doggett sold the property in August 1743, by deed reciting that he was a resident of Orange County. As Orange County records show that George held a militia commission in that county in February 1741, so the infant Miller must have moved with his parents to Orange County during the period 1737 to 1740. Culpeper County was formed from Orange County in 1749, and it is probable that George and Ann continued to live on the same plantation until George’s death in 1759.

Although Miller was recruited into the Virginia military establishment in Lancaster County, this does not mean that he was a resident of that county, and family ties to Lancaster County probably induced him to enlist in a company being formed by Capt. Lewis in that county. It does not appear that Miller served long in Capt. Lewis’ company. He seems to have had some mechanical skills, resulting in his transfer to the armory at Winchester, Virginia. He is listed on a Roll of Artificers Employed in Works around Winchester under Command of Capt. William Peachy (1756-1757) contained in Col. George Washington’s Memo Book compiled while he was in command of the Virginia Regiment in its efforts to defend the frontier against the French military threat.

Miller’s parents appear to have had six children. Four of these are named in their father’s will: Thomas, who was of age when George wrote his will in January 1758, and who was named as one of the executors of the will; Chatwin, or Chattin, who was not 21 in 1758; Sarah Ann, who was married to a Mr. Rynnolds, or Reynolds; and Margaret, who was married to Humphrey Scroggin. The two children who were not named in the will were Richard, who was probably the eldest child, and Miller. It would appear that Miller was the next-to-youngest child.

The Seven Years War effectively ended with the evacuation of Fort Duquesne by the French forces in 1759. Miller probably was mustered out soon after that event, but he could have returned to his home when his father died in December 1758 or January 1759.

In any event, Miller was married, probably in 1760 or 1761, to his wife Mary. The surname of Mary has not been discovered. After the marriage, Miller and Mary moved their home to Halifax County in southern Virginia. In 1767, Pittsylvania County was formed from Halifax, and Miller appears on a 1767 tax list from Pittsylvania. On 27 August 1770, Miller received a grant from the Crown of 97 acres of land on the Pigg River in Pittsylvania County. This grant was probably of the land upon which Miller was living in 1767. In 1777, Henry County was formed from Pittsylvania, and the 97 acre parcel became a part of the new county. On 22 July 1779, Miller sold his land in Henry County and moved to Washington County in that part of North Carolina which became east Tennessee. He appears in a 1780/81 tax list in Washington County.

During the last few years of the Revolutionary War, Miller received a specie certificate for patriotic service from North Carolina, which certificate was later exchanged for land. As there is no indication that Miller performed actual military service, he probably furnished supplies to the North Carolina forces and received payment in the form of a specie certificate.

By 1783, Greene County had been split off from Washington County, and Miller appears several times in county records from 1783 to 1786. In 1784, a settlers’ revolt in east Tennessee had resulted in the formation of the short-lived state of Franklin, under leadership of Colonel John Sevier as Governor. That effort collapsed in 1788, but during the brief period of its existence, Miller Doggett signed a petition to the State of North Carolina in which he was identified as a resident of the State of Franklin.

In 1789, Miller purchased land in Hawkins County, on which he lived for the remainder of his life. His sons John and George were witnesses to the deed to Miller. In 1790, North Carolina ceded to the federal government the land in the western territories which became known as the "ceded territories south of the Ohio River." In 1792, Jefferson County, which included Miller’s homestead, was split off from Hawkins County. Tennessee, which was formed from the ceded territories, was admitted to the Union as a state in 1796.

Miller died intestate in 1807 in Jefferson County. His widow, Mary, and his son Jesse were appointed co-administrators and filed an inventory of the personal property of the estate on 18 April 1807. As the other sons of Miller had moved to Missouri prior to Miller’s death, Jesse was the only son remaining in Tennessee to act as administrator.

There is a series of deeds of record in Jefferson County conveying the interests of the heirs to the homestead. In 1808, son Jesse acquired the interest of his sister Susanna Crump, and in 1809, he purchased the interest of his sister Sarah Shelton. In 1816, Miller’s son Thomas acquired the interest of the children living in Missouri, namely, sons George and Isaac Doggett, daughter Leanah Edes, and the three daughters of of deceased son Jacob. In 1827, Miller’s widow, Mary, conveyed her dower interest to her son Jesse. In 1841, Thomas recited that he had purchased the share of his brother John, but no deed evidencing that transaction has been seen. Therefore, at that time, Jesse owned three of the eight distributable shares and Thomas owned the remaining five. In 1841, Thomas sold his interest to his granddaughter’s husband, David Cox.. Cox also probably obtained Jesse’s shares, but, again, no deed to that effect has been discovered. After Miller’s death, his personal property was sold at public auction, and thereafter Mary lived with her son Jesse. It is no known whether she moved to Jesse’s home, or whether she exercised her dower rights to occupy the homestead during her lifetime and son Jesse moved to the homestead.

315:1 GEORGE DOGGETT, son of Miller and Mary Doggett; b. abt. 1762, Halifax Co., VA; d. bef. Apr 1822, St. Louis, MO; married, wife’s name unknown.
Children (Doggett):

315:11		Asa
315:12		John			d. 1831	m.	Nancy Massey
315:13		Rhoda		b. 1797		m. 1816	Jesse Doggett
						m. 	William Jackson
315:14		Rachel		b. 1799	d. 1846	m. 1818	George McGahan
315:15		Isaac		b. 1806	d. 1854	m. 1827	Catherine Massey
315:16		Mary				m.	George Williams