As far as early settlers were concerned, the Millwood family got somewhat of a late start in the Union District. An analysis of census records indicates that the first Millwood family moved into the area between 1810 to 1820.

In 1840, there were only 17 Millwood families in the United States. Ten of those were in Union District, South Carolina.

James Millwood was the first to move into the area. He was also the first to come across my research radar for a very simple reason. He married my relative Melinda “Milly” Fowler (b. 1800), daughter of Ephraim Fowler (1765-1822), son of Henry Ellis Fowler (1746-1808).

There were initially no red research flags. Until later. As I began to dig deeper into my Millwood-Fowler family connection, I realized that every Millwood family used the name James; including two Millwood families in 1810 in nearby Spartanburg County.

There were James Millwoods sprinkled throughout family trees, and everyone seemed to be just as confused as I was. And James was not the only name used over and over; Amanda, Jackson, Franklin, Jane, Elizabeth were almost just as popular.

And never mind that two James Millwoods married women named Melinda, and one James Millwood married a Matilda. And the Millwood men were marrying women named Lucinda at a dizzying rate.

With so few Millwood families in the United Stated in the early 1800s, it may be correctly assumed that all of these Millwoods were closely related. ,

It is certain that the ones in South Carolina descend from James Millwood who was born circa 1725 in Bedford County, Virginia, and who died in Stokes County, NC. circa 1792. He was married to Nanny, the father of at least 3 daughters and 3 sons, the youngest son another James Millwood.

It is fortunate that James Millwood of Stokes County, NC left a Last Will and Testament:

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I found it interesting that of the eleven Union County SC Millwood households of 1830 and 1840, seven were headed by women and only four by men.

I have spent the past few days intensely analyzing records, and I am beginning to get a grasp on the different family groups. I have a feeling that on-line family trees will never recover from the research confusion. I hope my work will help others sort out their Millwood ancestors.

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MURILLA MILLWOOD (b. 1758)

The older Murilla Millwood was born in Virginia circa 1854. She was likely a daughter or daughter-in-law of the James Millwood of Stokes County, North Carolina.

Old Murilla Millwood is found in two census records in Union County: 1840 with 2 males (ages 20-29); and 1850 with Jenny Millwood (age 40), and three children. Madison Millwood (age 40) lived adjacent, as did Nicey Millwood (age 42).

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FANNY MILLWOOD (1780-1865)

Fanny Millwood, born in the 1780s, was head of one of only five Millwood families found in Union County in 1830.

Fanny was listed as age 40-49, and there were 2 females age 15-19, 2 females age 5-9, and 3 males under the age of 5 in her household.

Her household was surrounded by the other Millwood families and right in the middle of the households of the Ephraim Fowler descendants: widow Nancy Fowler, sons Stephen Fowler, Jasper Fowler, John Fowler, daughters Sarah Fowler Hames, Mary Fowler White, and Melinda Fowler Millwood.

There is no doubt that Fanny Millwood was related to all of the Millwood familes who had settled in Union County. I do not know if she was a Millwood daughter or daughter-in-law.

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JAMES MILLWOOD (1802-1881) m. Grizzy; m. Frances

This James Millwood and his wife Grizzy (or Gracy) arrived in Union District between 1820 and 1830. They had at least three daughters, one being Elizabeth Millwood who married Wiley Wood. I do not know the name of the other two daughters.

Grizzy died before 1870, and James Millwood married the widow Francis Garner Holcomb before 1870.

• James Millwood (1802-1881) m. Grizzy (1795-bef. 1870)
  • Elizabeth Millwood (1822–1881) m. Wiley Oliver Wood (1824–1886)
  • Daughter Millwood (1828–)
  • Daughter Millwood (1832–)

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MURILLA “RILLER” MILLWOOD (1804-aft 1867)

Murilla Millwood was Head of Household in the 1830 Union County SC Census. She was young –in the 20-29 age bracket — and had two sons. Four more sons would be born during the next decade.

My theory is that she was a sister or sister-in-law to one of the elder James Millwoods above. But, actually, that is a wild guess. I do not know.

Murilla Millwood’s son James Millwood enlisted in the Confederate Army and died during the war.

There was a Joseph Millwood who enlisted and survived. More research needed to confirm if this was Murilla’s son.

She was likley the Orilla Millwood in the 1870 census in the poor house.

• Murilla Millwood
  • James Millwood (1829-1864)
  • Francis Millwood (1833-)
  • Thomas Millwood (1838-)
  • Joseph Millwood (1840-)
  • Edward Millwood (1842-)
  • Bobo Millwood (1846-)

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NICEY MILLWOOD (1806-1863)

Nicey Millwood was the daughter of Fanny Millwood.

From the affidavit below given by Andrew Jackson Millwood, we know his mother Nicey Millwood did not marry and had children out of wedlock with William Sprouse. The Millwood and Sprouse families lived next to each other in Union District in 1840.

The affidavit concerned Indian heritage, but it gives us treasured information about this branch of the Millwood family. Andrew Jackson Millwood moved to Georgia and died there in 1912.

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NANCY MILLWOOD (1785-bef. 1850)

My educated guess is that Nancy Millwood was another daughter of the elder Murilla Millwood; or a daughter-in-law.

In 1830, Nancy Millwood lived a little way from the other Millwood families. She lived north of the Pacolet River, whereas the other Millwood families were in the Pinckney area of Union County in 1830.

The 1830 Census shows a household of only females:

• Nancy 40-49
• 1 female 15-19
• 2 females 10-14
• 1 female 5-9
• 1 female < 5

In 1840, there was one less female in the Nancy Millwood home. Rebekah Millwood who lived nearby was been the daughter who had moved out and started her own family.

Rebekah was the mother of James Millwood who had married a woman named Melinda; the same James Millwood who enlisted in the Confederate Army and had been shot in his abdomen at the end of the war, yet lived until 1894.

• Nancy Millwood 50-59
• 2 females 20 thru 29
• 1 female 15-19

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JAMES MILLWOOD (1798-aft 1880) married Melinda Fowler

James Millwood was the son of the elder Murilla Millwood, and the older brother of Fanny and Nancy Millwood.

He married Melinda “Milly” Fowler, daughter of Ephraim Fowler (1765-1822). They had five sons, and one daughter, although there were two younger females in the 1850 census who may have been daughters or granddaughters.

James Millwood was too old to serve in the Civil War, but he sent sons to fight. Tillman Millwood had married and had one daughter before he marched off to the battlefield. He did not return.

James and Milly Millwood may have begun their married life in Pinckney, but lived north of the Pacolet River for the final years of their lives.

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I have attempted to create a family tree for the Millwood family based 80% on documentation and 20% on speculation.

The questionable research involves the women Fanny Millwood, Nancy Millwood, Nicey Millwood, both Murilla Millwoods young and old. Were these women Millwood daughers by birth and having children out wedlock, or widows of Millwood men?

It is safe to say that Nicey Millwood was born a Millwood and having children by William Sprouse. The other Millwood women … I just don’t know. I have never seen so many women Heads of Household before the 1870-post Civil War census records.

There may be mistakes in the Millwood family tree below. I have done my best to sort out these families in a short amount of time. More research needs to be done.

Admittedly, this family tree is incomplete and does not take us to present day. It is a work in progress, but it is a fairly good start to a better understanding of the early Millwood families.

THE MILLWOOD FAMILY TREE

• JAMES MILLWOOD (1725-1792) m. Nancy Jane ‘Nannie’ (Millwood)
  • James Millwood m. Murilla Millwood (1758–1852)
    • Fanny Millwood (1780–1865)
      • James Millwood (1803–1881) m. Grizzy (1795-bef 1870)
        • Elizabeth Millwood (1825– 1881) m. Wiley Wood (1824-1886)
        • Daughter Millwood (1828–)
        • Daughter Millwood (1832–)
      • Murilla Millwood (1804–)
        • Nicey Millwood (1808–) m. William Sprouse
          • Sally Millwood (1824-)
        • William Millwood (1828-)
        • Andrew Jackson Millwood (1830-)
        • Nelly Millwood (1837-)
        • Frances Millwood (1839-)
        • Jesse Millwood (1843-)
        • Charity Millwood (1847-)
      • Hugh Millwood (1812–) m. Miriam Whitlock (1824-)
        • James Millwood (1842-)
        • William Millwood (1843-)
        • Jane Millwood ((1845-)
        • Franklin Millwood (1847-)
        • Amanda Millwood (1849-)
        • Samuel Millwood (1852-)
        • Sarah Millwood (1852-)
        • John Millwood (1854-)
        • Rosalie Millwood (1858-)
        • Martha Millwood (1859-)
        • Harriett Millwood (1862-)
      • Matthew Madison Millwood (1815-) m. Sally Harris
        • Ana Millwood (1858-)
        • John Millwood (1859-)
        • James Hicks Millwood (1860-1945)
    • Nancy Millwood (1785-)
      • Rebecca Millwood (1810- aft 1870)
        • Narcissa Millwood (1831-)
        • Pamela Millwood (1835-)
        • James Millwood (1837-1894) m. Melinda (1835-1894)
          • Mary Millwood (1858-)
          • Susan Millwood (1859-)
          • Martha Millwood (1860-)
        • Nancy Millwood (1845-)
        • William Millwood (1847-)
    • James Millwood (1798-aft 1880) m. Melinda Fowler
      • Jackson Millwood (1819-186) m. Lucinda Fowler
        • Nancy Millwood (1843)
        • James Hicks Millwood (1846-1864)
        • Amanda Millwood (1849-)
        • Victoria Rebecca Millwood (1855-) m. George Turner
        • James Hicks Millwood (1869-)
        • Sallie E. Turner (1877–)
        • Noah Turner (1886–1940)
        • Lillie L Turner (1890–)
        • Mary Turner (1893–)
      • Jefferson Millwood ( 1826-1900) m. Adaline
        • James Millwood (1866-)
        • Mary Millwood (1868-)
        • William Millwood (1870-)
        • Rossy Millwood (1872-)
        • Forest Millwood (1874-)
        • Hampton Millwood (1876-)
      • Daughter Millwood
      • Franklin Millwood (1828-1895) m. Jane E Gault
      • (1819–1905)
        • Paleth Millwood (1850-)
        • John Robert Millwood (1855-1922)
        • Mary Susan Millwood (1857-1908)
        • Martha Millwood (1858-)
        • Marrion Millwood (1859-)
        • Emily Millwood (1860-1885)
        • Alexander H. Millwood (1861-1884)
      • Tillman Millwood (1827-1862) m. Mary Jane (1838-)
        • Ramoth L. Millwood (1858-)
      • James Millwood (1835-1915) m. Lucinda Hames (1840-1923)
        • James Newton Millwood (1861–)
        • Hix Millwood (1867-1918)
        • Robert L. Millwood (1868-)
        • Edward T. Millwood (1871-)
        • Isaac Millwood 1872-)
        • Charles Millwood (1874-)
        • Monroe Millwood (1875-1942)
        • Mary J. Millwood (1877-)
        • Samuel S. Millwood (1878-1949)
        • Melvina Millwood (1879-)
        • Virgil Millwood (1883-)
      • Nancy Millwood (1841-)