Biographies M
James Milligan
James Milligan was married on August 19, 1788 in Greene Co., Georgia, to Ellizabeth Cessna, per the marriage records there. No dates of birth are known for James or for Elizabeth but if they married in 1788, it is estimated that their year of birth was about 1770. It is suspected that Elizabeth was a daughter of Charles Cessna or William Cessna. Per the will of Charles and William's father, John Cessna, 1793, Shippensburg, PA, Elizabeth and her brother John, also listed in the will, were the children of William. However, since Charles was married to Elizabeth Culbertson, we can safely assume that she might also be a daughter of his. Charles and Elizabeth were married in Franklin Co., PA in 1770, per the Culbertson Genealogy book by Dr. L.R. Culbertson so this date of birth, around 1771, would be a fair and accurate estimate.
The Milligan family came to Muhlenberg County about 1799/1800 when James Milligan arrived from Greene Co., Georgia with Charles Cessna, William Cessna, John Robinette and Aaron Neel. These men have been researched and found to have been living in Greene County in the 1780s and 90s.
The early tax records for Muhlenberg show that these men took out tracts of land mostly in the Cypress Creek area. A few parcels were purchased along the Green River/Nelson Creek area also.
In 1802, Charles and William Cessna, Robinette, Reed and Neel and possibly Milligan had moved on and bought land tracts in Adams Co., Mississippi along the Homochitto River and the Pierre Bayou. The Cessna men are believed to be Col. Charles Cessna and his wife Elizabeth Culbertson and his brother Lt. William Cessna and his wife Margaret Williamson. It is believed that John Robinette was a son-in-law to William and that Aaron Neel was a son-in-law to Charles. It is also believed that either William or Charles was the father of Robert Cessna, who had already arrived in 1796 in Muhlenberg with his father-in-law, Capt. John Culbertson. Culbertson was a brother-in-law to Col. Charles Cessna.
In 1802, James Milligan shows up on land grants in Adams Co., along with Charles Cessna and Aaron Neel. This and the fact that James does not show up in Muhlenberg records until 1805 for tax purposes, indicates that Milligan went on down into Mississippi with Charles, tried it out and then for whatever reason, returned to Muhlenberg. This is a theory.
James first shows up on the tax records of Muhlenberg in 1805 when he is taxed for 200 acres on Nelson Creek, a parcel that was originally surveyed for Warren Davis.
James and Elizabeth Cessna Milligan had the following children:
- John C. Milligan, born October 10, 1790; married Elizabeth Hester Cessna on April 3, 1816 in Muhlenberg; died October 20, 1834, Monroe Co., Missouri
- Melilea Milligan, born March 11, 1792, died December 23, 1797, age 5½ years
- Melinda Milligan, born July 1, 1795, no info
- Matilda Milligan, born September 25, 1797; married Nathaniel Kitchel on August 7, 1823 Muhlenberg
- Charles Milligan, born January 20, 1800, no info
- James Milligan Jr., born 1802; married Milly Reno on February 25, 1835
After James Milligan Jr. was born in 1802, there is a gap in the children for James Milligan Sr. As already stated, it appears that James was in Adams Co., Mississippi, and he appeared back on the Muhlenberg tax rolls in 1805. The next child listed for James Milligan is William Mc Milligan in 1807. However, these children have a different mother, Esther. Esther's last name is not known.
In his will of 1839, Henry F. Glenn names his daughter Esther M. Sharp, formerly Glenn and the “M” is thought to be for Milligan. However, for Esther to have married James Milligan about 1806, she would have needed to be at least 15 years of age, so her date of birth would have been about 1790; this would make her age appropriate to be Henry F. Glenn's sibling not his daughter. Andrew Glenn, father of Henry F. Glenn, named all of his children in his will: there was no Esther. So this theory is incorrect. She could have been a Sharp, a McConnell, a Glenn cousin - we just don't know but we do know that she was the mother of the following children, based on the Muhlenberg County Court Records Book 2, pages 349-350. (However the name Roseannah S. is not listed as her child. This child may have died in childhood which is why we have no record.)
The children of James Milligan Sr. and Esther are:
- William Mc Milligan, born January 21, 1807
- Rosannah S. Milligan, born February 12, 1809
- Joannah Milligan, born June 7, 1811; married Charles Culbertson Sharp, December 24, 1829 Muhlenberg
- Joseph Milligan, born March 25, 1814; married Laura Rogers December 1835
- Esther “Hetty” Milligan, born June 1, 1816; married Robert C. Sharp on August 14, 1834 Muhlenberg
Esther named her daughters after herself and Rosannah and Joannah. This would seem to fit the naming pattern of the Robert Sharp-Joanna Culbertson Sharp family. Could this Esther be a child of Joanna Culbertson Sharp and Robert Sharp? The age would fit: Esther would/could be the youngest child, and so there may have been 4 children in the Robert Sharp family: Rosannah, Nelson, James and Esther.
This information was produced by a Mr. Millard Haley of Madison, Missouri in September 1984. Millard was a great-great grandson of Elizabeth Hester Cessna and John C. Milligan. He was able to submit the entire names of their children and dates of birth and some dates of death. Some of the names that Millard produced were already known in the Muhlenberg records; however there wasn't a family connection but he was able to bring the pieces together. He did not know Eliza Hester Milligan's maiden name, Cessna, but she and John had named their second son, Robert Cessna Milligan. He was able to produce her date of birth and date of death.
The Haley family records stated that John C. Milligan was from Virginia. It has been suspected that the Milligans were from Virginia before moving into Georgia.
Written & contributed by Cheryl Cessna
Updated June 29, 2018