Born 1814 in Kentucky, William was a lawyer, cotton broker, and riverboat gambler. He is the father of Thomas Marshall Miller (b1847) and is our great-great-grandfather. We don’t know when he died but he was alive during the Civil War. This picture belongs to Laurean Reynolds of New Orleans, great-grandaughter of Earl Van Dorn Miller.
Photo made in Sawtelle, CA, when EMM was one year old. The older woman is Mrs. Graybill.
Sarah (Smith) Dabney was the wife of Benjamin Dabney and mother of Philip Augustine Lee Dabney. (Philip is the father of Letitia Dabney Miller [1852-1946], the wife of Thomas Marshall Miller [1847-1920].) Sarah is our great-great-great grandmother.
The Virginia Historical Society lists an image of Sarah with the Macon family, under “Macon: Sarah (Smith) Dabney, 1775-1851” but the image is not on the web, just “in storage, make appointment to view”. It may be a picture of the same painting. So if anyone goes to Richmond, they should look it up.
Early 1900s I suppose. EMM says that Eula’s second husband lived in San Angelo.
Below: Octavia Van Dorn Sulivane, brother of Earl Van Dorn, daughter of Peter Van Dorn.
During the Civil War, she wrote a long, fascinating letter to her sister Jane—an annotated transcript of the letter is available here in three formats: HTML (best for on-line viewing, 84 Kbytes plus pictures), PDF (best for printing, 93 Kbytes), and Microsoft Word (95 Kbytes). The transcription is comprehensively footnoted by Edgar Crisler, a descendant.
The letter, written from Octavia in Maryland to Jane in Mississippi, recounts the difficulty of getting letters through the lines and blockades. She writes in detail about the Military Court of Inquiry into charges of incompetence against her beloved brother Earl; she describes her trip home from the trial where she shared a railway car with “the President” (i.e., Jefferson Davis), whom she overheard saying that it was the most complete vindication he had ever seen. Octavia lists the many friends and relatives killed in the war, most by battle, many by disease.
The annotation on the transcript reads: The letter is from the Murray J. Smith Collection in the U. S. Military History Institute, Carlisle Barracks, Pennsylvania. It is a transcription of the handwritten letter. The annotations to the letter were written 12-16 July 1993 by Edgar Crisler (deceased) of Port Gibson, Mississippi, who located the letter. None of the misprints, misspellings, or antiquated spellings were altered. An error in the numbering of the footnotes was corrected.
"Mommie" to us, she raised her granddaughter EMM.
Major General Earl Van Dorn of the Confederate Army, son of Peter and Sophie Van Dorn, and brother of Emily Van Dorn Miller. Picture from “Van Dorn: The Life and Times of a Confederate General,” R. G. Hartje (Vanderbilt, 1967).
There is a short biography of Earl available in three formats: three formats: HTML (best for on-line viewing, 29 Kbytes plus pictures), PDF (best for printing, 387 Kbytes), and Microsoft Word (378 Kbytes).
Born 20 September 1820 at Port Gibson, MS. Educated in Baltimore. Appointed to West Point class of 1842 by President Andrew Jackson (“Uncle Andrew”); Earl finished 52nd in a class of 56 men he was to fight with and against in the Civil War; a personal friend of fellow officers Zachary Taylor, Robert E. Lee, and Jefferson Davis. Stationed in Alabama, he married Carolina (Carrie) Godbold and had three children.
Earl fought in the Mexican War, then in the Indian Wars. Commanded Confederate armies in AS, MS, and TN. Fatally shot by Dr. George Peters on 7 May 1863 at Spring Hill, TN, near Nashville, re misbehavior with the young Mrs. (Jessie) Peters. Buried in the city cemetery at Port Gibson, marked still today with a simple stone, “Earl Van Dorn”. Emily Miller later assembled material for “A Soldier’s Honor: With Reminiscences of Major-General Earl Van Dorn” by His Comrades (Abbey, New York, 1902); single copy advertised 9/2000 for $550.
