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 Exciting News:  (For a budding genealogist, that is).

In June of 2009, my husband Greg and I went on a fortuitous genealogical foray to Westmoreland County where my Miller ancestors lived eventful and even dangerous lives.  One of our planned stops was the Westmorland County Courthouse complex in Greensburg.  We had a very lucky break when we were helped by a nice lady who works in the Register of Wills office. She had a great surprise in store for us (or someone like us) and said that she had been wondering when she would have an opportunity to show her discovery to someone who would take an interest in it 

 

 

When I inquired about an ancestor, Samuel Miller of Miller blockhouse fame, her eyes lit up  She said that her office had recently discovered a box that had been buried under many old stored records for years  In the box were original court house records of the Westmoreland County Orphan court proceedings for Samuel Miller's children and his wife Jane. The papers were in very fragile condition but she patiently placed them back together on a copy machine and made copies for me. 

Although she gave me a total of 7 documents,  I will show only two examples here. If any would like to have copies of any of these 7 documents or have questions please contact me at:  miller.malcom.ft@gmail.com .  I learned a lot more about Samuel, his children and his wife Jane who married soon after the death of Samuel to Andrew Crookshank.

 

The first is document dated March 16, 1793.  It is the sworn testimony of Jane Miller Crookshank informing the court of the birthdates of her children and the date of her second marriage.  Samuel, her last son by Samuel Miller, is not mentioned as he was killed by Indian after the sacking of Hannastown town on July 13, 1782 because he was too small (about age 4 or 5) to keep up with the fleeing Indians and their prisoners on their way back north after the attacks.

This second document be- low ▼is dated May 4, 1784.  It is a petition to the Westmoreland County Court held at Hannastown. 
   Jane Miller Crookshanks is asking the court to pay her widows pension owed her after the death of her husband Captain Samuel Miller while serving in the PA 8th Regiment during the Revolutionary War.
    This document was in particularly fragile condition but still intact enough to read.
    Below the document are written the hereunto before unknown facts, at least un-known to me.
New found Facts:  Samuel Miller is appointed a Captain of the the Eighth Pennsylvania Regiment for the protection of the Western Frontier on August 9, 1776 and that he was killed Indians on July 10th, 1778. Both of these fact are verified by Colonel Daniel Broadhead on a submitted certificate as "necessary proofs". Jean is entitled to 1/2 his pay pay from the time of her widowhood (1 year 9 months and 29 days) until the day of her second marriage.  This amounts 5 £s (pounds) per month which comes to total of 114 £s and 10 shillings to be apportioned quarterly. All four of her children by Samuel Miller are mentioned here, Jean (sometimes Jane, Jenny or Janey), Dorcus, Isaac and Samuel Jr. because at the time Samuel's death all were alive. Another document dated also on May 4th, 1784, and signed by Jane Crookshank ascertains that before Samuel Miller is killed he had "obtained a Furlough to Return from Head Quarters whither the Regiment had be taken. "  We know that the 8th Regiment had been ordered to "march east with all expedition" on November 1777 to join  Washington's Continental Army in New Jersey.   The Eighth Regiment was ordered back to Pennsylvanian in Feb 1778.