David and Marsha Grady Family
Our McMILLIAN FamilyMarsha has very little information about her MCMILLIAN ancestors. Her great-grandmother was Mamie MCMILLIAN, the eighth child or Crawford Andress MCMILLIAN and Elizabeth MASON.
Crawford Andress MCMILLIAN was born 11 February 1860 in Alabama. It is unknown who his parents were or what county in Alabama his family was in prior to moving to Monroe County. Marsha's grandmother (the daughter of Mamie MCMILLIAN COLEMAN) remembers that Crawford had a brother, "Uncle Charlie", who lived in Clarke County, Alabama, who occasionally visited. Charlie had no known children.
Crawford MCMILLIAN married Elizabeth "Eliza" MASON January 1882. Elizabeth MASON was born 11 January 1864 in Alabama, but nothing further is known of her family or exact origins.
Crawford and Eliza had ten children:
- Byron Thomas MCMILLIAN (1882-1968).
- Robert Howard MCMILLIAN (1885-1964). Married Bertha (maiden name unknown.)
- Willie Mae MCMILLIAN (1887-1975). Married L.M. SAWYER.
- Vester MCMILLIAN (1891-1922). Buried at Mexia Cemetery.
- Edward MCMILLIAN (1891-1937).
- Joe MCMILLIAN (1894-?)
- Margaret "Maggie" MCMILLIAN (1897-1988). Married Burt T. SMITH.
- Mamie MCMILLIAN (1899-1965). Married James William COLEMAN.
- Cornie Waters MCMILLIAN (1902-1968). Buried at Union Cemetery, Frisco City, Alabama.
- Lillie Mae MCMILLIAN (1906-bet. 1992-1996). Married Henry Joseph ANDREWS.At the time of the 1910 Federal Census for Monroe County, Alabama, Crawford is listed with his wife and children, on a rented farm in the Mexia community. His eldest son, Byron, is listed in the adjacent household, with his wife, Bertha. His younger son, Vester, is listed as a boarder and farm laborer in Byron's household.
According to Juanita Elizabeth COLEMAN WHITE DOVE, granddaughter of Crawford and Elizabeth, Crawford was "not the brightest man", but he had hard-working sons who helped maintain the family farm. Apparently, some or all of the sons served in World War I, because after that time, Crawford left the farm in Monroe County, and moved with wife, Eliza, and their youngest daughter, Lillie Mae, to the Century, Florida area, where he worked for a sawmill. Eliza died in Century 25 November 1917. Eliza is buried at Mexia Cemetery in Mexia, Alabama.
After Eliza's death, their daughter, Lillie Mae, went to live with her sister, Mamie MCMILLIAN COLEMAN's family. Crawford MCMILLIAN moved back to Monroe County, where he worked odd jobs (mostly custodial and janitorial) until he got a position as "overseer" on the "Carter Place." By 1920, Lillie Mae had moved back with her father, acting as his housekeeper, until her marriage.
Sometime after 1920, Crawford married a "widow woman" from near Bermuda in Conecuh County, Alabama, and moved to her home. He died there 4 August 1946, and is probably buried there with his second wife. Marsha has been unable to discover her name or Crawford's burial place.
Robert Howard MCMILLIAN and his wife Bertha are buried at Union Cemetery in Frisco City, Alabama. The 1969 "Supplemental Edition" of The Monroe Journal contains a picture of R.H. MCMILLIAN taken about 1925-1935 with the caption, "Keeping Store - The late R.H. MCMILLIAN of Monroeville, son of Lizzie MASON and Crawford A. MCMILLIAN, who was a farmer, mechanic and shoe repairman, also kept store."
Lillie Mae MCMILLIAN ANDREWS and her family lived not far from Marsha's family in Frisco City, Alabama. Marsha recalls visiting "Aunt Lillie Mae" and "Cousin Norma" at times throughout her childhood.
Maggie MCMILLIAN SMITH moved back to Monroeville, Alabama, after her husband's death in 1954. She purchase an old hold just off the square in Monroeville and proceeded (over a very long period of time) to "renovate" it herself. Marsha also recalls visiting "Aunt Maggie" and being amazed how someone "her age" could do that kind of manual work alone.
More information on Mamie MCMILLIAN COLEMAN can be found on Marsha's COLEMAN Page.
Reports:
Photographs:
Margaret "Maggie" McMillian Smith and her daughter, Euline Smith
Lillie Mae McMillianRelated Families:
Marsha's MASON Page
Marsha's COLEMAN PageRelated Census Records:
Miscellaneous MCMILLIAN Census Records - contains miscellaneous census records for MCMILLIAN families transcribed by Marsha; includes Monroe County AL
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