The Virginia Milams

The phrase "The Virginia Milams" refers to two very large Milam families whose descendants represent the vast majority of Milams living in America today.  The patriarchs of these two lines are Thomas Milam of Bedford County, Virginia, and John Milam of Halifax County, Virginia.

They both are believed to have been born in early 18^th century Virginia.  It is believed that Thomas and John were brothers, although no direct evidence exists to prove this positively.  No records exist that tie them together as members of the same family, and there are no records of them together in any business, legal, or governmental transaction.  They are in no census together and their parents are unknown.  The opinion that they are brothers is based upon circumstantial evidence such as living in relative close proximity to each other, similar naming patterns of their children, and apparent closeness in age.

NEW:  Through our Y-DNA testing of living members of many widely diverse branches of each family tree it has been determined that John and Thomas did have a Recent Common Ancestor.  While this does not PROVE they were brothers, it does prove they were Closely Related.  This new evidence, combined with the circumstantial evidence we currently have through traditional genealogical research, increases the probability that they were brothers.

Fortunately, although the ancestries of Thomas Milam and John Milam is still a mystery, their descendancies are fairly well known.   There are many records of them in 18th century Virginia, and of many of their children in other colonies, territories, and states, when they later removed from Virginia.  From these records, several generations of family trees have been established.  Unfortunately, not all of their descendant lines have been established, and there are some Milams of today who are currently unable to connect to these two main Milam lineages.

Adding to the mystery of their ancestry is the fact that Thomas and John are not the earliest known "Milams" in 18th century Virginia.  There is the well-known record of the marriage of Samuel Mileham to Martha Gardner on September 8, 1724 in Christ Church Parish, Lancaster County, Virginia.   For several years it was thought that John and Thomas were the sons of Samuel Mileham and Martha Gardner, however, because no conclusive evidence exists, it is currently an open question.

Also, there are reports that a Joseph Milam/Milum lived in northwestern Virginia in the early 1700’s, in what is Madison County today.  Milam's/Milum’s Gap and the Milam Apple are supposedly named for him.  His existence, though apparent, is currently undocumented, and his connection to Thomas and John, if any, is currently UNKNOWN.

Additionally:
Plymouth Colony, Massachusetts:  Records of a Samuell Mylam, 1667-1673.
Maryland:  Records of mid-17th to early 18th century Milams.
North Carolina:  Record of a Samuel Milam there before 1730. 

The ancestries and the descendancies of these Milams are currently UNKNOWN.  It is possible that they are relatives of Thomas and John, or separate and distinct Milam lines.  Much more research is sorely needed to properly place these Milams genealogically.

Thus, it can be seened when comparing the genealogy of the Boston Mylams and the Virginia Milams, that a gap currently exists from the late 1600’s to the early 1700’s.  In other words, there is no proven genealogical connection between the Boston Mylams and the Virginia Milams, currently.  Much more research is needed in order to discover the true lineages of these Milams.

Despite the existence of these questions, we know with certainty that Thomas Milam and John Milam of Virginia did exist, and that the vast majority of Milams in America today, can trace their roots back to either John of Virginia, or Thomas of Virginia.

John's descendants tended to migrate south and west to SC, GA, AL, TN, LA, AR.  Thomas' descendants tended to migrate west to WV, KY, TN, IL, IN, etc., and then south to MS, LA, TX.  Benjamin Rush Milam, slain hero of the Texas Revolution, and probably the most famous Milam, is one of Thomas' descendants.  Sadly, "Old Ben" was killed before marrying or leaving offspring.

The known descendants of The Virginia Milams are listed in the Family Tree section of this website's table of contents.

Good luck in your hunting, Cousin!