Francis Miller

Francis “France” Marion Miller Sr. (1856-1948) was a settler of the No Business community in the Big South Fork National River & Recreation Area. He was a shopkeeper and postmaster in the community.

See Also: Noteworthy Settlers of the Big South Fork Region
See Also: Scott County Lineage Project

Biography

Born Nov. 2, 1856 in Wayne County, Ky., France Miller was the son of Thomas and Margaret Ann Miller, both of whom were born in North Carolina.

France’s maternal grandparents were Thomas Millican and Mary “Polly” Burke, who was a sister to Big South Fork settler Jonathan Burke. They were married in Scott County in 1830 or 1839. She later moved to Oklahoma with many other members of the Burke family, and died there in 1886. When the 1860 and 1870 censuses were taken, France Miller was listed as France Millican, and was living with his grandparents, along with his mother (born 1836) and several of his siblings, all of whom also went by Millican. They included: William Riley (born about 1861), Thomas Jefferson (about 1862), Mary “Polly” (about 1867), James (about 1868) and Pharzina (about 1873).

France’s death certificate, when he died in 1948, lists his parents as Thomas Miller and Margaret Miller. However, an old book of Kentucky birth records, dated 1856, lists Frances M. Miller as the son of William Miller and Margaret Miller.

There’s no record that Margaret Millican ever married William Miller. She was living with her mother and children, using her maiden name, when both the 1860 and 1870 censuses were taken. However, the 1880 census lists her as Margaret Miller, and her marital status is listed as “widowed.” That same year, she filed for a Civil War pension and identified herself as the wife of William Miller, who enlisted in the Union army in 1865 and served in both the 3rd Kentucky Infantry and the 5th Kentucky Infantry. His registration record shows that he was born in 1830, and that he was married when he registered for the draft in Kentucky on July 1, 1863.

It appears that Margaret Millican’s children began going by “Miller” after 1870.

Francis Miller married Elizabeth “Eliza” Spradlin (1854-1920) on April 26, 1876. She was the daughter of Ambrose Spradlin (1827-1901) and Sarah “Salley” Foster (1835-1931) of Wayne County, Ky. The marriage took place in Scott County, Tenn., where France was living at the time. His name in the marriage record was recorded as “F.M. Miller,” the first official record of him going by Miller instead of Millican. They had eight children: John Francis, George Marion, Mary Ann, Reason Jefferson, Emily, Lieuvada, William and Victoria.

After Lizzie Miller died in 1920, Francis Miller remarried to Elizabeth “Lizzie” Slaven (1903-1978), who was considerably younger than him.

Community leader

France Miller was a community leader in the No Business settlement. He lived near the mouth of No Business Creek, where it empties into the Big South Fork River. There, he owned a general store and served as the community’s postmaster. It has been written that he built the first school and the first store at No Business.

Miller purchased the home of Jonathan Burke and moved it to No Business. The Burke home was located at Duck Shoals, near Parch Corn Creek, and was the site of the Battle of No Business in 1863. Confederate soldiers who had spent the day raiding farms in the Station Camp and No Business communities took refuge in the Burke cabin that night, when they were surrounded and gunned down by local residents.

Following the battle, the Burke family moved out of their home, haunted by the events that had occurred there. The home was vacant for several years, and was eventually purchased by George Pennington, who in turn sold it to Miller. Miller disassembled it and moved it to his farm at the mouth of No Business Creek, where it stood until it burned.

Death

In May 1948, the 91-year-old Miller left his home in McCreary County to look for a horse in the forest. When he did not return, a search was launched. His body was discovered the following day on a “lonely mountain path” near No Business Creek, 12 miles from his home, by a group of boys who were fishing. A coroner ruled that Miller died of natural causes. He was buried at Litton Cemetery in Oneida.