G. N. Elaine (Ketchledge) Miller (1652 - 1731)

Born 12 Oct 1652 in Ayrshire County, Scotland

Wife of Alexander Miller Sr. — married 5 Apr 1680 in Glasgow, Ayrshire County, Scotland

Descendants

Died 1731 at about age 78 in Northampton County, Pennsylvania [uncertain]

Problems/Questions Profile manager: Bill Miller [send private message]

Biography

"G.N. "Elizabeth" (Ketchledge) Miller was born in Scotland in 1652. According to family tree information, her parents were Sean Ketchledge (1620-unknown) and his wife Mary Margaret (McRob) Ketchledge (1625-unknown).

Her biography below, came about as part of a larger effort to distinguish between several different Miller families, who lived in the same general area of colonial PA. Three different Miller families with Scottish backgrounds, lived in this part of PA. Books and records show that the three Miller families were not related to one other, despite the fact that all of them lived in Ayrshire County of Scotland, in earlier times. Here is a list of the three families:

1) G.N. "Elizabeth" (Ketchledge) Miller's family left Ulster and arrived in America around 1730, to help found the Hunter Settlement of PA by 1731;

2) A second Scots-Irish family named Miller left Ulster and arrived in America between 1726 and 1730, to settle near Neshaminy Creek, PA, where they helped to found the Neshaminy Presbyterian Church;

3) A third Miller family was founded by a young man named Robert Miller, who arrived directly from Scotland. He joined a wagon train which left for the NC/SC border, around 1751. He would later marry a young lady named Jane Pickens in NC in 1756, who was originally from the Paxton Township in PA.

The remainder of this memorial page is devoted to the life of G.N. "Elizabeth" (Ketchledge) Miller.

HER EMIGRATION FROM SCOTLAND TO ULSTER

The names of the places where G.N. (Ketchledge) Miller lived have changed quite a bit over the years.

She was born in Ayrshire County in Scotland, which later split into four different counties -- North Ayrshire County, South Ayrshire County, East Ayrshire County, and West Ayrshire County. The name of the town where she was born in 1652 is not confirmed, so it is not possible to determine the current county's name. If she and her husband lived in the town of Kilmarnock, then that would now be located in East Ayrshire County, Scotland as of 2015.

Her maiden name was said to be Ketchledge. Some family trees listed her first name as "FNU" which stood for "First Name Unknown". Other family trees described her initials as "G.N.", and her nickname as "Elizabeth".

A record of marriage from "Ayrshire, Scotland, Parish and Probate Records" shows that she wed Alexander Miller in Glasgow, Ayr (Ayrshire County), Scotland, on April 5, 1680.

She and her immediate family members belonged to the Church of Scotland, which was a Protestant church created in the country of Scotland around the year 1560. The Church of Scotland became known as the Presbyterian Church, and it was nicknamed "the Kirk". Scotland faced hundreds of years of violent power struggles, as it cycled through domination by the Catholic Church of Rome, versus the Anglican Church of England of Great Britain.

The persecution of Presbyterians for their religious beliefs was so bad in her lifetime, that thousands of Scottish citizens were sold into slavery or indentured servitude, by their own government. Many of them were also banished, meaning that they were forbidden to ever return home to Scotland again.

Some Scots fled from their own country in order to colonize the Ulster Province of Northern Ireland, after Catholic aristocrats in Ulster lost a violent revolution against the King of Great Britain in 1630. Other Scots immigrated from Scotland directly to various British colonies, such as the ones in America. "...Thousands of Scots were sold into slavery because of their religious beliefs." http://www.wileygenealogy.com/library/bothwellbridge/cloudofwitnesses.phtml

Ulster was a world unto itself. The conflict between religions and cultures in Ulster led to an unusually high level of violence, for hundreds of years. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plantation_of_Ulster

In response to the large number of impoverished Presbyterian citizens who fled Scotland for Northern Ireland in the early 1600's, the Presbyterian Church of Scotland assisted congregations in setting up new Presbyterian churches in Ulster. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Presbyterian_Church_in_Ireland

Sometime after 1687, when her last child was born in Scotland, she and her family moved to County Antrim in the Ulster Province of Northern Ireland. Then sometime before 1730, she and her husband immigrated to America, along with most of their children and grandchildren.

Both she and her husband would have been close to eighty years old, when they made the trip. It would have been a major decision for them to undertake the long journey, due to the dangerous nature of the sea voyage, and the high cost of their tickets. For them to sail from Ulster to America this late in life, demonstrated a close bond between them and their children. They both appear to have died about a year after their arrival in America.

One of their sons named Andrew Miller remained in County Donegal of Ulster with his wife, where he died in 1746. Andrew Miller's son named Charles Miller immigrated from Ulster to SC around 1738.

HER CHILDREN

Information from various family trees shows that G.N. (Ketchledge) Miller and her husband had at least four children, who all appear to have been born in Scotland:

1) Alexander "Sanders" Miller (1681-1765), whose will showed that he was a resident of Badminster (Bedminster) Township, Bucks County, PA when he died in 1765;

2) Andrew Miller (1683-1746) who was born in Glasgow, Lanarkshire County, Scotland, and who remained behind in Ireland with his wife Jane (Brice) Miller in County Donegal;

3) Margaret (Miller) McCartney (1682-1771) who died in St. Clair, Allegheny County, PA near Pittsburg;

4) Thomas Miller (1687-1765) who died in Bucks County, PA.

Only a few records have been found so far to verify her children's identities, such as records of birth, baptism, marriage, farm leases, tax rolls, or military service. Since there is a record of marriage for her in Scotland, there should also be records for the baptism of all of her children in Scotland. The records from Scotland for this time period have survived. However, the government and church records from County Antrim of Ireland will probably never be found. Most of the official records from the Ulster Province of Northern Ireland are no longer available, because they were burned in Dublin during the Four Courts Fire of 1922.

FROM ULSTER TO AMERICA

The 1600's saw a challenging era in Scotland's history develop, which caused thousands of Scots to flee from their homeland. G.N. (Ketchledge) Miller's family chose to emigrate out of Scotland and settle in the Ulster Province of Northern Ireland. The Ulster Plantation was created after a rebellious uprising by the native Irish Catholic aristocrats was put down, around the year 1630. In addition to the many issues of political and religious discord, G.N. (Ketchledge) Miller's lifetime from 1652 to 1731 was also influenced by the cold weather of the Maunder Minimum (1645-1715).

The following summary is compiled from four ebooks, which are cited in item 8 at the bottom of this page.

The original plan for her group of settlers in America, was to petition the Governor of Massachusetts to allow them to create a settlement in MA. However their request to form a colony in MA was denied.

Fortunately, a settlement became possible when Governor Hunter granted her group of colonists permission to settle in his Province of New York. One story related that her group scouted for a suitable site, and founded a new settlement. They thought their site was located in NY, but later on to their surprise, it turned out that it was actually located in PA. This sort of error was common in colonial America, since the surveys and maps were often incorrect.

By 1730, her group of settlers had relocated to a new settlement in PA called the Hunter Settlement of Bucks County, PA. The Hunter Settlement was later identified by the town name of Huntingdon.

Her son named Alexander "Sanders" Miller is mentioned in a biography of the McFall family, because his daughter named Elizabeth Miller (1729-1808) married Francis McFall. Page 14 of an USGW Archives article, written by Ezra McFall Kuhns in 1936, states: "Alexander Miller was born in North Ireland in 1681. His parentage has not been ascertained. He arrived in this country with a group of Scotch-Irishmen about 1730 and settled in Mount Bethel Township, Bucks County (later Northampton), Pennsylvania. He took up land upon arrival and followed farming as an occupation. The location in which these people settled was known as Hunter Settlement, later Martin's Creek." http://files.usgwarchives.net/pa/northampton/history/family/m2140001.txt

The same USGW Archives article which is quoted above mentions on page 6 that it is difficult to trace the early records in Northern Ireland, since "practically all records, public and church, were destroyed in the Irish troubles of 1922". http://files.usgwarchives.net/pa/northampton/history/family/m2140001.txt

The Four Courts Fire in Dublin in 1922, destroyed over a thousand years of records, of Ireland's history. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Four_Courts

A MAP LINK, AND A MUSEUM LINK FOR THE HUNTER MARTIN MUSEUM

Here is a link to a Bing.com map with some of the towns in PA mentioned on this memorial page. http://binged.it/1O5LsJX

In 1730, the newly founded Hunter Settlement was part of the large 1,500 acre block of the Mount Bethel Township of Bucks County, PA.

Later on the large Mount Bethel Township was divided, to include Lower Mount Bethel Township which was established in 1746, and Upper Mount Bethel Township. http://northampton.pa-roots.com/history.html

Lower Mount Bethel Township included the town called Martin's Creek, as well as the town called the Hunter Settlement. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lower_Mount_Bethel_Township,_Northampton_County,_Pennsylvania

Upper Mount Bethel Township included the town called Mount Bethel. It was located about 10 miles northeast of Martin's Creek and the Hunter Settlement. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Upper_Mount_Bethel_Township,_Northampton_County,_Pennsylvania

As of 2015, the Hunter Martin Museum is available for tours. This museum contains artifacts from the early towns called the Hunter Settlement and Martin's Creek. Their website includes a tab labeled "Township History", which includes a brief and useful history of the area. http://www.lowermtbethel.org/

THE MYSTERIOUS PLAINFIELD TOWNSHIP, AND THE MISSING WYOMIN SETTLEMENT

Two other location names in this area of PA may be relevant.

One is the Plainfield Township of PA which seems to be located west of Martin's Creek. Plainfield Township includes a village named Miller, and another village called Belfast. http://twp.plainfield.pa.us/

The original city of Belfast was located in County Antrim of Northern Ireland. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Belfast,_Pennsylvania

The other was a place mentioned in books as the Wyoming or Wyomin Settlement, with an unknown location.

MARTIN'S CREEK

Around the year 1730 James Martin purchased a tract of land from a settler who had lived in the Mount Bethel Township since 1728. James Martin founded a new town on his land, and the little town was eventually renamed Martin's Creek in memory of him. The town of Martin's Creek was adjacent to the Hunter Settlement, but they were not the same town. James Martin married Ann Miller, who was the daughter of Thomas Miller. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martin%27s_Creek,_Penn sylvania

BY 1790, MOST OF THE BUCKS COUNTY PIONEERS OF THE HUNTER SETTLEMENT, HAD MOVED OFF TO TENNESSEE

A steady stream of Scots-Irish pioneers departed from Bucks County, PA to colonize the American frontier. Organized groups moved into to the Cumberland Gap and Pittsburg, PA -- to Charlotte, NC and Spartanburg SC -- and to Knoxville, TN. It was as if the Scots-Irish were inspired by the thought of getting up into the highlands -- behind the safety of the mountains of the Appalachians and the Blue Ridge. In 2016, the two largest population areas for Presbyterians in America are for Pittsburg, PA and for Charlotte, NC.

Many of the Bucks County settlers followed the Great Wagon Road to various new sites in the wilderness. The Great Wagon Road was a network of Indian trading paths which ran all over the country -- sort of like a colonial era system of interstate highways.

When the Revolutionary War came along in 1773, the Scots-Irish up in the mountains, and down by the Atlantic Ocean, were able to set up a crossfire zone for the British soldiers. The British were ping ponged on both sides by Patriot armies, and picked apart by lone snipers and raiding parties. The American patriots had mastered a brand new style of asymmetrical warfare, where men did not always march to their deaths in neat columns and rows, but rather they hung from the trees to shoot and then hide, or they drifted about like shadows in the morning fog. One pivotal battle at King's Mountain in SC, helped to enlighten the British military, as to their dire situation. Most of the British soldiers had little motivation to continue the fight, and many of the Hessian mercenaries just wanted to go back home, or stay put and become farmers. At that point, the British officers gradually lost their will to continue the fight, as well -- and it was game over.

In some ways, the American Revolutionary War was reminiscent of the conflict between the Romans in ancient England, against the natives of ancient Scotland. The Roman Empire was never able to conquer the Picts of the Scottish highlands, who were expert at innovative guerilla warfare tactics, just like the Patriots of the American Revolutionary War. The conflict between the Picts and the Romans along Hadrian's Wall can be seen in a romantic movie called "Centurion". The Picts are memorable for their blue war paint and tattoos, and for their warm fur capes and footgear. The Romans wore red and white uniforms with tall hats, and strategically marched about in well organized formations. https://www.amazon.com/Centurion-Michael-Fassbender/dp/B003XU02QG/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1471523699&sr=8-1&keywords=centurion+movie

After the Revolutionary War wrapped up in 1783, there was a serious conflict between the Scots-Irish and German communities in the Lower Mount Bethel Township of Bucks County. The Governor of PA offered to intervene and mediate between the two groups, but the Scots-Irish from the Hunter Settlement and nearby Martin's Creek declined his kind offer, and they sold their land and moved away to TN together in one large group by the year 1790. Only a few of the Scots-Irish stayed behind, because they had integrated into the German community through marriage.

The Scots-Irish pioneers founded a new town called Mount Bethel in TN around the year 1790, which was located outside of the modern day city of Knoxville in Knox County. The new town was said to have a beautiful cemetery. However their cemetery and their town in TN cannot be identified easily. Here below are the two oldest cemeteries in Tennessee. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_Presbyterian_Church_Cemetery

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Old_Gray_Cemetery

The trip from Mount Bethel, PA down to Knoxville, TN was about 650 miles in length. https://binged.it/2ipGlLv

About 30 miles northwest of Knoxsville, is the Museum of Appalachia. http://www.museumofappalachia.org/

BOOKS AND ARTICLES

In addition to the articles and web sites listed above, four ebooks are available online which provide insight into the colonization of Bucks County, PA. The link below has a summary of links to these four ebooks. http://usgwarchives.net/pa/pahist.htm

8a) History of Bucks County, Pa. edited by J. H. Battle, A. Warner & Co. Publishers, 1887.

8b) The History of Bucks County, Pa. from the discovery of the Delaware to the present time, by W. W. H. Davis, A. M., Doylestown, PA, 1876.

8c) History of Northampton County, Pennsylvania, Illustrated, 1877. Edited by Davis. Philadelphia and Reading: Peter Fritts, 1877. http://www.usgwarchives.net/pa/northampton/davistoc.htm

8d) History of Northampton County Pennsylvania and The Grand Valley of the Lehigh, under supervision of William J. Heller, Vol. III, American Historical Society, 1920.

HER PASSING AND HER MISSING HEADSTONE

G.N. (Ketchledge) Miller seems to have died in 1731, only about a year after she arrived in America. Her husband died in the same year, and was said to have a grave at Plainfield. However it is not clear exactly where Plainfield was located, and whether Plainfield was part of PA or NY in 1731. As of the year 2015, there is a Plainfield Township in Northampton County, PA, which is located a few miles west of the Hunter Settlement and Martin's Creek in Lower Mount Bethel Township of Northampton County, PA. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plainfield_Township,_Northampton_County,_Pennsylvania

Slate and other types of rock were plentiful in this area of PA, so it was fairly easy to make stone cemetery markers. However no headstones can be found, for either G.N. (Ketchledge) Miller, or her husband.

The large Scots-Irish cemetery at Martin's Creek was probably not founded until a few years after her death in 1731. Therefore it seems likely that she and her husband had adjacent grave sites at their family farm, or nearby. No wills or other estate paperwork can be found for either one of them, among Probate records which were filed as early as 1683 for the area around the Hunter Settlement and Martin's Creek, which is now part of Northampton County, PA. Perhaps their probate paperwork was filed in York County, PA instead.

If she died in 1731, then she lived to be about 80 years old."^[1]

{NOTE: The text above can be reproduced freely, for non-profit purposes, as long as this paragraph is included. This text was written and published online under the pen name of Martha Hopscotch, on 05/07/2014, and last updated on 12/24/2016. The complete article can be found online at FindAGrave.com memorial page 129350647 for G.N. "Elizabeth" (Ketchledge) Miller.}

Notes

Around 1700 the Ketchledge surname is found in Glasgow, Scotland and near the border of Pennsylvania and New York (but a rare surname with very few in the world).

Sources

1. ↑ Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com : accessed 12 April 2021), memorial page for G. N. “Elizabeth” Ketchledge Miller (12 Oct 1652–1731), Find a Grave Memorial no. 129350647, citing Evergreen Woodlawn Cemetery, Factoryville, Wyoming County, Pennsylvania, USA ; Maintained by MarthaHopscotch (contributor 47955559) .

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