A family of Millers and Stewarts

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Foreword

A genealogist who undertakes to delve Into the past and find the origin of families has a very difficult task. When the genealogy of the family of Elizabeth Stewart and James Weston Miller was undertaken, it was not hoped to accomplish so much. For the Stewart (or Stuart) family we had access to many genealogies of record, the old Bible of Lieut. Wm. Stewart, of which a photograph is presented later, and this page copied from the Bible of Lieut. Wm. Stewart's older brother, Alexander, who remained at Green Hill, near Letter-kenny, Ireland. This latter Bible, brought to America in 1832 by the descendants of Alexander, brother of Lieut. Wm. Stewart, and given to the family of Wm. Stewart, Jr., son of Lieut. William, and now in the possession of Mr. J. H. Stewart of Minneapolis, Minn., reads thus:

"Alexander Stewart of Carnamauga, was born In the year of our Lord January 1st. .

This Is to certify that the bearer, Elizabeth Stewart, wife of Sam'I Stewart, Is a regular member of the congregation of the Reformed Presbyterian Church, under the pastoral Inspection, free from censure or publick scandal known to me. Certified at Green Hill, this 3d day of June, 1831.

WILLIAM GAMBLE, Minister.

County Donegal, Ireland.

Alexander and David Stuart, Martha and Eliza Stuart, children of Samual and Elizabeth Stuart have thereto supported an unblemished moral character and, although not actual members of my congregation, have attended the ordinances of instituted worship. Certified at Green Hill, this 3d day of June, 1831, by Wm. Gamble, minister, Green Hill, County Donegal.

Samual Stewart departed this lite in the year of our Lord, 1835, August 20.

Elizabeth, his wife, departed this life December 14th, 1837.

David Stewart died March 14th, 1875.

Martha Stewart died January 1st, 1876.

Elizabeth Stewart died March 14th, 1876.

Alexander Stewart died January 21, 1877.

The tradition handed down to us is that Lieut. Wm. Stewart was of noble birth, but disagreeing with his family, left Green Hill, County Donegal, Ireland, changed his name to Stuart for a time and never returned to visit his people there. / Tradition is also that he resented his older brother's ) inheritance of the estate of Carnemauga. His mother, < according to tradition, was Rebecca, daughter of John Galbraith. His use of the spelling "Stuart" is shown by the entry of his first 10 children in the family Bible. His son, William II., was not on friendly terms with some o<' his people in America, but he and his children exchanged many visits with the descendants of Alexander at Green Hill, Ireland. Later the family in Ireland became extinct by the death of a bachelor grandson, Alexander Stewart, and his maiden sisters, Martha and Elizabeth, at the home of their cousins, the Stewarts, in Wayne County, Ohio, In 1876-77. These American cousins inherited the property and the old Scotch-Irish Bible. The geneaogy of the familes of the Fort Stewarts is given as approved by the Stewart Society of Edinburgh, Scotland.

The descent of the Stewarts of Galloway, Scotland, from whom our Stewarts, of Fort Stewart, Ramalton, County Donegal, Ireland, come, has also been questioned, because all of the family papers of the Earl of Galloway were destroyed with the family mansion about 150 years ago. History has been searched and every collateral evidence collected so that there is now very little room to doubt the complete genealogy as given below. There is probably at least one generation lapsed succeeding Sir Walter of Tonderagee, but the Fort Stewarts are unquestionably accepted as direct descendants as tabled.

Mr. J. H. Stewart, B2 years of age, of 407 Fourth street, S. E., Minneapolis, Minn., and Annandale, Minn., in summer, son of James Charles Stewart and Harriet Patience Mason, dead, and grandson of William Stewart, II., of Pennsylvania and Wayne County, Ohio, and great-grandson of Lieut. Wm. Stewart of revolutionary record, a retired man of affairs who lived for many years at Osmond, Neb., states as follows concerning the kinship of the Alexander Stewarts, the Stewarts of Fort Stewart and the descendants of Lieut. Wm. Stewart. His father, his uncle, William Stewart III., and his grandfather, William Stewart 11., son of Lieut. Wm., did not visit much among their Stewart kin in Pennsylvania (yet had a son named for my ancestor Galbraith Stewart), but at various times visited the cousins In Ireland, their records and versions must be accepted as authentic. The reason that Samuel Stewart and his children do not appear as members upon the rolls of Green-Hill Presbyterian Church, though they attended that church, Is probably due to the fact that many of the Stewarts of Fort Stewart went to the Episcopal Church, as well as the Presbyterian Church, and the present Sir Harry Jocelyn Urquhart Stewart, Bart., is an Episcopalian. It must also be remembered that Sir Augustus Abraham James Stewart, the Ninth Baron of Fort Stewart, uncle of the present Baron, and a crusty old bachelor, who died in 1889, and his third cousin, Sir James Annesley, his predecessor, after holding the title for many years, during some of the visits which the family of Mr. J. H. Stewart sxchanged with their cousins, the bachelor, Alexander, and his maiden sisters, Martha and Elizabeth, at Green Hill, styled themselves Sir Augustus, Sir Abraham, Sir James, Sir John James, Sir John and even Sir John Augustus. They were notoriously eccentric, crabbed and crusty and evidently no joy to their kindred. The latter went so far as to either conceal or destroy all of the family papers, and his nephew, who succeeded to the title five years after his Jeath, stated to my cousin, Rev. Wm. Stewart Red, last March, that he "did not know his own genealogy, since his uncle had left none for them to consult." We shall see what follows.

By permission, I quote from various letters of the above Mr. J, H. Stewart, as my main foundation for many statements of fact and belief following: First letter, April, 1898:

We have the old Scotch Bible taken to Donegal, Ireland, and I have promised to get It from my sister.

J. H. S.

Second letter, July 23, 1898:

I am careless in my correspondence and, beg pardon, taking up that part left out, I will say that my great-grandfather (Lieut. Wm. Stewart) came to America after Alexander, his older brother, succeeded to the family estate, and settled in Pennsylvania. Then, when his family were grown, there was a disagreement, and my grandfather, Wm. Stewart II., moved to Ohio, and he and his son, Wm. III., became importers of stock, going frequently to Scotland, Ireland and England; and they renewed their former kinsmen's acquaintance In Ireland, descendants of Alexander Stewart, who, when they came over in 1836, brought the old Bible. Referring to the determination of the Stewarts, will say that it Is a strong characteristic and, "In many Instances, family troubles were never settled."

Third letter:

MINNEAPOLIS, MINN., March 25, 1907. Dear Sir — -Tour letter addressed to Osmond, Neb., reaches me at Minneapolis. I note all you say In regard to the relationship and can only affirm that you are on the right track as I have gone over the matter thoroughly and will say that the family Bible Is about all we have to guide us through the labyrinth of time since our ancestors left Scotland. Some of them lived at Green Hill, County Donegal, Ireland, When I was In Ireland I found a "Sir John James Stewart" who Is undoubtedly of the same family, but who was an arrogant fellow, and I did not talk with hira but a tew minutes on account of his arrogance, as we disagreed at once with regard to America and things American. I have never tried since that time to probe Into the history of the family.

Fourth letter:

MINNEAPOLIS, April 21. 1909.

My Dear Doctor— Tour letter has reached me at my home; I do not maintain an office now, having practically retired from business, and In Summer live at my Summer home at Annandale.

Answering your questions, I will say that I have not a great fund of knowledge relative to the Stewart family, other than tradition and our family Bible which was brought over, at a later period, from County Donegal, Ireland. The church was located at Green Hill a little place near the North Coast, which I readily found many years ago. where I had gone to locate some of our relations, but meeting with insufficient success and attention from those Interested there. I became disgusted with and dropped the subject. Will say that while In Ireland I located a man styling himself "Sir John James Stewart," who was a prig, and I soon became disgusted with him. J. H. S.

Fifth letter:

MINNEAPOLIS. May 9. 1909.

My Dear Doctor — My grandfather's family consisted of Alexander, Galbraith (who died young and was named for my grandfather's brother, your ancestor). William. Ann. Eleanor, Samuel and James Charles (my father). My Uncle William was an Importer of stock from Scotland and Ireland. As to John (James) Stewart of Green Hill, Donegal. Ireland, will say that he styled himself as "Sir John James" when I visited him In Ireland, was an erratic and very stubborn man. Inclined to know It all, and I knew almost as soon as I saw him that he was one of the family. I shall be at my Summer home. Annandale. Minn., till about the 1st of October, when, after a short time in town, we shall spend the Winter in California. J. H. S.

Sixth letter:

MINNEAPOLIS. May 11. 1909.

Dear Sir — I do know that my grandfather (William Stewart II.) received one hundred acres of land on the Susquehanna River, from his father (Lieut. Wm. Stewart), and where my father (J. C. Stewart) was born. My father moved to Ohio and died in Iowa. Relative to the Irish branch of the family, Alexander and Elizabeth Stewart, bachelor and bachelor girl, came from Ireland and visited my father In Ohio, and their grandfather, Alexander Stewart, was Lieut. Wm. Stewart's brother. They died In Ohio and willed their property to my father and his brothers and sisters. My grandfather (Wm. Stewart II.) was living at the time, so there can be no mistake about this. What I wished to learn when I went to Ireland was to establish the identity of the Irish branch, but could not do so, as these Irish people, who came over had died before I made my trip, and I had no chance to talk with them. Yet they were related to Sir John James Stewart, who was then living, but had no records of any kind. My Uncle William and his father William, made several trips to Ireland and Scotland and brought over blooded stock on their return each time, which was kept on their lands about one mile north of Bridgeport. Ohio, where my father had a farm also. J H S

Seventh letter:

ANNANDALE. MINN.. 7-12-1909

Dear Doctor— Answering your letter. I will say that Alexander, Elizabeth and Martha, who died in Ohio at my father's home, were all of the family. None of them ever married, and when they did not agree with their cousin In Ireland (at Green Hill) thev brought all they had and came to my father, who had been In correspondence with them, and no doubt but that branch of the family is extinct. They were cousins of my father and cousins of Sir John James Stewart, whom I visited, but I would not sav first cousins (they were really second coiwlns, once re-

!"."T^ . ''""''' *° "^''" •^'"^" James" about them but could not get anything from him as to their disagreement. Will say that they were highly educated and very proud and independent to the end of their lives I

IV »hi!,/'"'"" "'■ """'"■• ^^"^ " "^'"S, would know all about our connections, but in the rush of a busy business life I took no notice of It. which I now re^ gret. Referring to the old Bible, I am quite sure that their parents are buried at Green Hill. Truly.

As to Lieut. Wm. Stewart's mother being Rebecca Galbraith, I quote from Mrs. Nancy Adams MoFadden Dravo of Washington, Pa., a lady of great culture who has reached the allotted span of life, and who is a lineal descendant of Lieut. Wm. Stewart through her mother, Margaret, daughter of Galbraith, son of Lieut. William. Mrs. Dravo says under date of February 26, 1907: "Galbraith Stewart, Senior, was born in 1766, died January 26, 1848, aged 82 years. The name of his father's mother was Rebecca Galbraith, which is the way the name Galbraith came into the family."

Rev. S. Ferguson of Londonderry, Ireland, says of the Stewart-Galbraiths: "They probably intermarried with the Galbraiths, who are not a large family in Donegal, the last representative being a ruling elder in Convoy Reformed Presbyterian Church." The name John, as father of Rebecca, is assumed because Lieut. William named two sons John, and we have no other feasible explanation in the family."

When we go further into the genealogy of the other ancestors of Elizabeth Stewart, and the ancestors of her husband, James Weston Miller, we must remember that sooner or later it must be said of all of us:

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