Administrative Information

Access Restrictions

There are no restrictions.

Use Restrictions

Use microfilm copies, Goochland County (Va.) Reels 122-139.

Preferred Citation

Thomas Miller Papers, 1773-1852. Accession 38114, Goochland County Circuit Court Records, Goochland County (Va.) Reels 122-139, Local government records collection, The Library of Virginia, Richmond, Va. 23219.

Acquisition Information

Transferred from Goochland County Circuit Court under the accession number 38114.

Microfilm reels were generated by Backstage Library Works in 2010 through the Library of Virginia's Circuit Court Records Program.

Biographical/Historical Information

Thomas Miller was born in Goochland County, Virginia on 20 March 1754. He was the son of William Miller and Mary Heath. He was an attorney, deputy sheriff and sheriff of Goochland County, a member of the Virginia House of Delegates, and a planter with estates in Goochland, Spotsylvania, and King William Counties. He married Constance Massie, the daughter of Maj. Nathaniel Massie and Betsy Watkins. Thomas Miller died at his residence Lavallie in Goochland County on 27 April 1819.

James B. Ferguson was one of Thomas Miller's executors. He was born circa 1781, and was also a planter and member of the Virginia House of Delegates. He married Sally Gay, the daughter of Willam Gay and Judith Scott.

Scope and Content Information

Papers, 1754-1819, of Thomas Miller (1754-1819) of Goochland County, Virginia, as well as the executor of his estate James B. Ferguson (b. ca. 1781), also of Goochland. Includes correspondence, subject files, accounts, receipts, papers of William Gay and William Pope, and oversize items. This collection is part of the Goochland County Circuit Court Records.

The correspondence covers the years 1781-1848 and is divided into letters to and from Thomas Miller, and those to and from James B. Ferguson. Topics covered in the Thomas Miller letters mainly concern business matters relating to the operation of his vast land holdings in Goochland, Spotsylvania, and King William Counties, and his various plantations, including Byrd, Lavallie, Manskin Lodge, Slab City, and Woodville. Subjects include the purchase, sale, and shipments of corn, wheat, flour, and timber produced on his plantations, as well as the sale and hire of slaves to work the land. Many of these letters are written by the overseers of his properties.

A large proportion of the letters are financial in nature as well, and deal with his acting as security for loans, as well as the loaning of money himself, to various individuals. There are orders for payments of money and for goods. There are letters from brokerage and mercantile houses in Richmond, including Gallego, Richard & Company and Lewis Perkins & Company, which sold Miller's products, and also advanced him his needed capital.

Thomas Miller was an attorney, and many of his letters deal with his duties representing various clients, including notices of his intention to take depositions in court cases. Miller was also deputy sheriff and sheriff of Goochland County. There are a few letters relating to his duties in these positions, including the issuing of executions.

Likewise, the letters of James B. Ferguson are business and financial in nature. Many of them are written by Miller's sons, who inherited their father's estate after his death. James B. Ferguson was one of Miller's executors. There are also many letters from Joseph S. Watkins, with whom Ferguson had numerous business dealings. There is also a letter from Watkins detailing his candidacy for the Virginia House of Delegates in 1832.

The estate papers concern the estates of Obediah Daniel, Gideon Hatcher, Thomas Miller, John Salmon, and Matthew Vaughan. Material found in this series includes accounts, attorneys', clerks' and sheriffs' fee bills, bonds, correspondence, fifas, receipts, sales, and suit papers.

The subject files contain a variety of material, including advertisements, affidavits and depositions, agreements, bonds, clerks' and sheriffs' fee bills, deeds, fifas, various lists, powers of attorney, promissory notes, slave bills of sale, suit papers, and other items. There are also files, interfiled in this series alphabetically by name, for individuals with whom Miller had extensive business dealings.

There are series containing accounts and receipts, both arranged by year. Within the receipts series is a group of receipts for Miller's wheat crop.

There are two series of personal papers of William Gay (1745-1815) and William Pope. Gay's daughter Sally married James B. Ferguson. His papers include accounts, a bond, clerks' fee bills, correspondence, deeds, promissory notes, receipts and a tax bill. The material is business-related, much of it between Gay and John Tabb (1736-1798) of Amelia County. The William Pope papers include accounts, attorney's fees, correspondence, powers of attorney, and suit papers. The majority of these papers relate to William Pope's activities as attorney for Col. John Syme (1727-1805) of Rocky Mills, Hanover County.

The series of oversize items includes accounts, deeds, inventories and appraisements of the estate of Thomas Miller, a lease, lists of judgments recovered against Thomas Miller's executors, and suit papers.

Arrangement

I. Correspondence. II. Estate Papers. III. Subject Files. IV. Accounts V. Receipts. VI. William Gay Papers. VII. William Pope Papers. VIII. Oversize.

Related Material

See also Goochland County Judgments at the Library of Virginia for civil suits that involved Thomas Miller.

See also Goochland County Chancery Causes available on the Chancery Records Index at the Library of Virginia web site for chancery suits that involved Thomas Miller and his estate.

Index Terms

Persons:

• Daniel, Obediah, d. 1790.
• Ferguson, James B., ca. 1781-
• Gay, William, 1745-1815.
• Hatcher, Gideon, d. 1807.
• Miller, Thomas, 1754-1819.
• Pope, William.
• Salmon, John, d. ca. 1799.
• Syme, John, 1727-1805.
• Tabb, John, 1736-1798.
• Vaughan, Matthew, d. ca. 1799.
• Watkins, Joseph S.

Family Names:

• Miller family.

Corporate Names:

• Gallego, Richard and Company (Richmond, Va.)
• Lewis Perkins and Company (Richmond, Va.)

Subjects:

• African Americans -- History.
• Plantation owners -- Virginia -- Goochland County.
• Plantations -- Virginia -- Goochland County.
• Plantations -- Virginia -- King William County.
• Plantations -- Virginia -- Spotsylvania County.
• Slaves -- Virginia.

Geographical Names:

• Goochland County (Va.) -- History -- 18th century.
• Goochland County (Va.) -- History -- 19th century.

Genre and Form Terms:

• Accounts.
• Agreements.
• Bonds.
• Deeds -- Virginia -- Goochland County.
• Estate administration records -- Virginia -- Goochland County.
• Financial records.
• Judicial records.
• Letters (correspondence)
• Personal papers.
• Promissory notes.
• Receipts.

Adjunct Descriptive Data