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From: John Blankenbaker <>
Subject: [GERMANNA] (1114)Germanna Colonies, History of
Date: Tue, 13 Mar 2001 05:36:04 -0500

The eleven hundred and fourteenth note in a series on the Germanna Colonies

Some of our potential Germanna Revolutionary War heroes are difficult to
identify positively. Henry Miller, to be discussed this time, is one. There
was a Henry Miller among the Germanna people. There was a Henry Miller who
enlisted from Culpeper Co. on 10 Jul 1780. (See Register 21, Vol. 1 of
"Papers Concerning the Army of the Revolution," which exists in manuscript
form at the Virginia State Library.)

Are these the same two Henry Millers? Probably they are. Before we examine
a bit of circumstantial evidence to support this, we might note that Henry
was 53 years old with a physical description of 5 feet, 5 inches in height,
black hair, dark complexion, hazel eyes. According to the enlistment
record, Henry was born at "Keipoltz." (Thus, he was probably a German
German, not an English German.)

Henry lived in Pennsylvania prior to Virginia. He had married (in
Pennsylvania) Susanna Sibler, daughter of Michael Sibler, citizen and
master carpenter, and of Barbara who were husband and wife in legal and
honest wedlock. Susanna was born at Auerbach and the birth was recorded in
the Lutheran Church at nearby Langensteinbach in Baden. Susanna brought a
certificate describing herself when she came to America (apparently she
traveled alone) which said she was born 21 Feb 1731. Thus, in 1780 she
would have been 49 years old. This supports the idea that Henry of the army
at age 53 was the Henry who lived in the Germanna community.

Of course, the origin of Henry in Keipoltz also supports the idea that he
was in the Germanna community. Family tradition suggests he was an
immigrant to Philadelphia about 1748. Shortly before the Revolution he
moved to Virginia with an established family. Several of his children are
recorded in the Lutheran church register though it seems clear that not all
of them were born in Virginia. More likely, when the register was being
rewritten in 1775, they attempted to show his family completely even though
not all of the original records were in Virginia. In the process, they
obviously got some of the dates wrong as they are mutually impossible. One
of the daughters, Sophia, is clearly indicated as baptized in Lancaster
which probably means Pennsylvania. However, some of the children older than
Sophia were clearly baptized in Culpeper Co. as they have known Germanna
sponsors.

At about the time of the Revolution he purchased some land near the Hebron
Church but his big land purchase was 1536 acres at the foot of Peaked
Mountain in what became Rappahannock Co. He is said to have operated
tanneries in both Pennsylvania and Virginia. He died at his home in Madison
Co. in June of 1801. His will had been witnessed in 1796 and it was settled
in November of 1807. Of his twelve children, nine were still living as was
Susanna.

There were other Henry Millers in the county but none of them fit as well
as the Henry described above.

John Blankenbaker
http://www.germanna.com/
http://homepages.rootsweb.com/~george/johnsgermnotes/germhis1.html
http://www.inficad.com/~genelea/gerhist/gerindex.html

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