Miller Family Cemetery, Christiansburg VA
Our thanks to Carrie Stultz for making us aware that this cemetery even existed and to Mike Browder for all the work he did on cleaning and repairing some of the stones.
This cemetery was originally on the farm of James Miller and his wife Lucinda Jewel Miller. It is located on the Walter Stultz farm in the Plum Creek area off US 11 on the way from Christiansburg to Radford. We viewed the cemetery on June 16, 2002 and took pictures. The cemetery is in an overgrown woodsy area with lots of periwinkle and honeysuckle. Some of the stones are lying on the ground while some are still upright. As you can see by the photographs, all were pretty legible. Additional information is included where it is available.
Click on the thumbnail for the larger picture. Some names have a link to a brief bio of that person.
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 Aunt Lucy - Lucinda Nunley Sept. 15, 1843 Nov. 27, 1933 daughter of Wm. & Mary Jewel and wife of James J. Miller & Isaac Nunley |
 Christena Shelor Born August 7 1835 Died Jan 9 1923 (Bible record indicates she died Jan 11 1923) daughter of Wm. & Mary Jewel and wife of Daniel Shelor |
 Daniel Shelor Nov. 9, 1820 Died Dec. 24, 1909 husband of Christena Jewel |
 Emeline Jewel Born Nov. 10, 1845 Died Feb. 10, 1890 daughter of Wm. & Mary Jewel, never married, known as Aunt Emmy |
 Wm. Jewel Born Jan. 25, 1800 Died Jan. 11, 1886 husband of Mary and father of Emeline, Lucinda and Christena - son of Thomas Jewell & Elizabeth Graham Jewell |
 George W. Gallion Born April 11, 1832 Died Aug. 4, 1882 George was married to James Miller's sister Mary Miller |
 Mary Jewel Born Aug. 3, 1805 Died Feb. 24, 1890 wife of William Jewel and daughter of Asa Hall, a Revolutionary War soldier |
 Mrs. A. J. Moses Born June 26, 1857 Died March 13, 1921 Has not been identified |
 Mary Miller Born May 1, 1802 Died Feb. 27, 1874 Believe she is the mother of James F. Miller although there is no documentation |
 Miles W. Miller Born March 23, 1838 Died May 28, 1874 Possible brother of James F. Miller but not really identified |
  James F. Miller Born Mar 29, 1825 Died June 15, 1890 First husband of Lucinda Jewel Nunley "Aunt Lucy" |
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James Miller and Lucinda Jewel were married 7 Sept 1880 when she was 37 and he was 59. It is not known if he was married before but he had no children (living at least). When Miller died in 1890, he left the land to his wife, Lucinda, for her lifetime. After her death it was to go to his 3 nephews, sons of his brother, John H. Miller. (Recorded in Montgomery County, VA Will Bk #12, pg 368). Lucinda bought the land from the heirs for $900. When Lucinda died in 1933 she left the land to her nephew Leslie but specified "graveyard is to be reserved and not sold to anyone." |
Further info on the Miller Family from Mike Browder..........
Concerning the parents of Mary (Francis) Miller, I am quite sure now that her father's name was John Francis and not Miles. I believed it was Miles based on the fact that after the death of Mary's father, there was an estate appraisement for a Miles Francis. It appears this Miles was actually her brother who inherited his father's estate. Since he was still under age, he had to have a guardian appointed for this purpose. I found in the courthouse records that a man named Henry Carty was appointed as his guardian in Dec. 1807. In a record from 1809, it states: ''Henry Carty, guardian of Miles Francis ... appraisement of the estate of the said Miles Francis.'' So the estate apparently belonged to Miles, son of John Francis.
Mary was not appointed a guardian until Oct.1,1822, the day she was married. Even though she was within a year of legal age (21), it seems her mother could not or would not sign for her. I found out that once an orphan (anyone who's father had died) reached the age of 14, they had the legal right to choose their own legal guardian. It looks like Mary chose Daniel Miller, who promptly gave his consent for her to be married, and they were, the same day.
I believe Daniel Miller was a junior, son of Daniel Miller Sr. (born Dec. 1747, according to two different military pension applications) and his wife, Ann (her name was mentioned in some land deeds). Daniel Sr. and Ann seem to have had a few daughters : Elizabeth, who married Joseph Muirhead n 1807; Sarah, who married George Muirhead in 1812; Mary, who married James Muirhead in 1813; and Rhoda, who married William Godbey in 1825. (I guess there were no more Muirheads available by the time Rhoda was married).
I think it is likely that Ann was Daniel Sr.'s second wife (born about 1770 according to one of his pension applications). He seems to have had some grandchildren who were born about the same time as his later children.
