BOURBON COUNTY, KENTUCKY

Source: "Stockading Up" by Nancy O'Malley. Kentucky Heritage Council, University of Kentucky Program for Cultural Assessment, April 30, 1987, pp. 77-85.

John, William and Robert Miller were three brothers who, along with other settlers, came to Kentucky in 1778 from Sherman's Valley near Carlisle, Pennsylvania (Kentuckian-Citizen 1944). John Miller had apparently made his first trip as early as 1775 to claim land possibly along with William McClintock, William Steele, one of the Houstons and others. The 1778 party included the Millers, McClintock, Steele, Robert Pollock, William McClellan, David Marshall, Henry Thompson, John Patton and others, totalling eighteen men with their families. A surveyor named Johnson laid off their claims and land was cleared and corn planted. Indian depredations drove them back to the settlements (with the loss of Robert Miller's life) but some apparently returned in 1779 and built a blockhouse (Kentuckian-Citizen 1944). Mastin (1965) reported that the Millers did not take possession until 1785-86. A Miller descendant stated that each of the brothers built a cabin (Chontrelle Layson 1983: personal communication). The reported locations of these structures are indicated on Figure IV-20. A check of the Miller land grants revealed that both John and William obtained patents but Robert did not. Presumably, Robert's death prevented him from entering his claim. However, the early occurrence of Robert's death immediately upon their arrival in 1779 (Mastin 1965) suggests that his "cabin" may have been no more than an improvement or crude log pen, possibly dating from 1775 if he accompanied John. John-s tract formed a rectangle with the settlement to the northwest and the preemption to the southeast. Hinkston Creek formed his westerly boundary for the length of his settlement and preemption, then made a right-angle curve to the east and slightly north at his southwestern preemption boundary. Since John later provided land for the town of Millersburg out of his grant, the placement of the creek at his westerly and southerly lines appears justified. This placement also includes his reported station location just within his preemption but very near his settlement line. Miller adjoined for a short distance with William Steele to the northwest. According to John Miller's survey calls, he was to adjoin William Miller along Hinkston Creek although the calls did not specifically state that they shared any corners along the boundary. However, John's southwest preemption corner specified "a sugartree hoopwood and spanish oak on the bank of the creek near a large buffaloe crossing", while William Miller's southeast corner specified "three lin [linn] trees on the bank of highstone [Hinkston] fork near a large buffaloe road", suggesting that these corners were close to one another. A check of other potentially shared corners did not indicate a match. The only other clues come from William McClellan's settlement which shared a corner with William Miller. In order for McClellan's attached preemption to not interfere with John Miller's southerly preemption line, the plats were connected. However, the survey calls and plat of William Miller were not in complete agreement and the connected claims could not be made to join conformably by following the directions of the entries.

Another contradiction is notable in the reported locations of William and Robert Miller's cabins. Family history attributed a small single pen cabin discovered within a more recent structure (designated Bb-193 in the Kentucky Heritage Council inventory) to William Miller. Its original location (it now stands on an adjacent lot) falls within the preemption claim of William Steele who adjoined a portion of John Miller's northerly settlement line. However, the preciseness of their adjoining boundaries again was elusive in the records and two possibilities are approximated in the map. The main difficulty lies in that John Miller's line begins in Steele's line and passes one of his corners. Reference to Steele's plat indicates that he intended to claim land on both sides of Hinkston Creek and that the creek was to run through the length of his preemption, exiting on his westerly line after making a large bend. Given the orientation and stream details of Steele's plat and John Miller's calls, either of the possible connections are problematical. However, both contain the cabin attributed to William Miller. This location is marked with a square denoting the house and the name W. M. Layson on the 1877 Beers and Co. map of Bourbon County. The Laysons and Millers intermarried and, in fact, the descendants (Laysons) still own both the John Miller Station and the log cabin attributed to William. A comprehensive deed search would undoubtedly account for the intricacies of ownership but such a task was beyond the scope of this research effort.

The location of Robert Miller's cabin is placed as shown in Figure IV-20 and based on local oral history. However, sparse evidence suggests that this location more likely applies to William McClellan's cabin. The reported site (now occupied by a brick dwelling) is on the settlement tract of William McClellan. A William McClellan (or McClelland) was interviewed by John Dabney Shane (Draper mss. 11CC181184). He was probably the son of the McClellan (or McClelland) who acquired the land and accompanied the Millers to Kentucky. According to his recollections, his family came to Kentucky in the fall of 1787. He mentions in passing that "McClelland's Station" was "not far from Millersburg in Bourbon [County]" (Draper mss. 11CC183). The McClellans may have taken over Robert's cabin after he was killed.

Systematic shovel probing was carried out on the site (designated 15Bb83) attributed to John Miller. The site is located on a lower bench of a ridge next to Miller's Run (now called Layson’s Branch). A shallow depression within an area of moderately dark brown cultural midden containing late eighteenth to early nineteenth century and possibly later artifacts is notable on the ridge bench. Later artifacts and moderate quantities of soft-fired brick suggest that the house was subsequently modified to include a brick chimney. The depression measures approximately 9 m in diameter and is about 1.5 m northeast of a brick concentration suggested to be chimney rubble. A well is located about 7.5 m southeast of the edge of the depression. The associated spring was once walled in and flowed due east of the site in the small tributary valley below. Perhaps 25 m downstream from the spring is a stacked and mortared stone retaining wall which may have once supported some type of outbuilding.

Two transects running north-south and east-west were laid out across the structural depression. The site was in pasture at the time of survey but has been used for tobacco in the past. Probes were placed at ten-foot intervals. Table IV-3 (refer to in book) indicates artifacts collected or observed from each 'shovel probe and those collected from the surface. Of particular interest are the fragments of chinking which indicate log construction, the lead-glazed red paste earthenware, the possible creamware sherd, the extremely thin windowpane glass and the presence of probable "flow blue" and shell edged decorated pearlware dating from at least 1790-1820. Limestone and brick fragments were also observed in all the shovel probes. Depending on which date is most acceptable for John's permanent settlement, the chinking probably is associated with the earliest construction phase. Later modifications probably account for the windowpanes and brick chimney. The limestone encountered in the probes consistently conformed to small, flat pieces commonly used in the chinking process. Large stone foundation stones were lacking but likely would have been removed to facilitate cultivation. The artifact inventory from the site includes the same lead-glazed red paste earthenware found at John Grant's Station as well as possible creamware (dating from 1759 on) and pearlware (dating from 1790 on). The shell-edged decoration on the rim was also an early innovation although it continued into the nineteenth century. Another interesting artifact is an iron key which is of a type fitting the seventeenth or eighteenth century plate stock-lock (Noel Hume 1978:244-245).

A possible reconstruction of the history of the John Miller Station site is as follows. The original building was a log house, probably double pen in size and plan, built for defensibility. The defensive nature of the structure may not have exceeded the inclusion of rifle portholes and, possibly, blockhouse features such as an overhanging second story and a door that could be barred. The depression may have served as a shallow root cellar beneath the house.

Subsequent to the pioneer era when protection from Indians ceased to be necessary, the house was gradually improved. The early chimney may have only been stick-and-daub; if so, it would have required replacement with more durable, less hazardous materials. Miller's son built a small Federal-style brick house (designated Bb-195 in the Kentucky Heritage Council inventory) about 400 m to the west sometime in the late eighteenth-early nineteenth century. Bricks are thought to have been manufactured at a homemade kiln in the small valley between the two structures (located by Chontrelle Layson during bulldozing operations). Brick from John's site is very similar to that of the later house, suggesting that improvements to the log house may have coincided with the construction of his son's house. John Miller died in 1815, possibly while still occupying the log house.

In light of the relatively high density and good preservation of the documented deposits, this site may be considered potentially eligible.