Major John Miller / Millersburg, KY

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Historical marker #2608, located in Nicholas County, KY on the Bourbon County line, commemorates Major John Miller, the founder of Millersburg, Kentucky.

Major John Miller was born in Sherman’s Valley, near Carlisle, Cumberland county, Pennsylvania on September 21, 1752. Miller is the ancestor of many descendants who remain residents of Bourbon and Nicholas Counties. Major Miller served with distinction in the Revolutionary War and was known as an able commander. He married Ann McClintock in 1779, the sister of William McClintock, a member of the Miller Company.

Miller, his brother Robert, and several other men emigrated from Pennsylvania to what is now Kentucky. The men were induced to do so by the Governor of Virginia, who gave each man a grant of 400 acres of land. At the time, the land was a part of Fincastle County, Virginia. After multiple trips to and from the area, Miller, along with his brother Robert, led a company of 14 men known as the “Miller Company” and settled in the area that would become Millersburg in 1778. In addition to the land grants, Miller entered an additional 1,000 acres of land, paying 20 shillings for each 100 acres. Miller returned to Pennsylvania for his family and in the early spring of 1779, they began the final migration to Millersburg.

The journey to Kentucky was not without issues and the group landed in Louisville rather than in Maysville, where they remained until 1785 before leaving to settle the land in Bourbon County. After entering their lands, the Miller settlement grew in importance and population, due to its location along the main road between Maysville and Lexington, as well as the Hinkson River. Due to the lack of transportation and the eastern markets being distant from the location of Millersburg, trades and factories were established to serve the community. The Millers built flouring mills on each bank of the Hinkson River. Flour, along with jeans, linsey-wool and flax cloths, spinning wheels, furniture, and farm products were taken by road wagons to Maysville and shipped down the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers to New Orleans.

The location of the marker is outside a small cemetery in Nicholas County, where Major John Miller is buried. Nicholas County was formed from lands in Bourbon and Mason counties. The marker was dedicated on June 23, 2021 and a descendant of Major John Miller, Catherine Miller Wells, was in attendance along with others to celebrate Major Miller’s legacy.

The marker reads:

Major John Miller

In 1778 Major John Miller led
a company of 14 men, known
as the “Miller Company,” from
Carlisle, PA to Kentucky. After
multiple trips to and from the
state, Miller & his family settled
on their land in 1798, resulting
in the founding of Millersburg.
He served with distinction in the
Revolutionary War.

Presented by the Miller Family and Friends

Millersburg, Kentucky

Major Miller surveyed 100 acres of
land, given to him by the Governor
of Virginia as an inducement to
settle in Kentucky. Miller plotted
them into town lots, which were
incorporated as the town of
Millersburg. It was on a highway
of immigration into KY from the
East, resulting in Millersburg
growing in size and importance.

Presented by the Miller Family and Friends