Going to the Miley Book¹ on pp. 118-119 and 122-123, one will find a mystery sentence in the will of Thomas William Miley. Why would he state "the real estate that I may own at my decease shall go to my children equally, except James B McAtees present wife"? The will was written 19 May 1886, exactly 112 years ago this year. It has taken this long for someone to be interested to dig out all the facts.

The information found might make some of Thomas William Miley's descendants angry that this has been found. I understand that feeling. However, we must also look at it in another way. For the family that did not know their ancestor in Pike County [Indiana], it was a blessing to finally have an answer. That is where my lady friend, Linda Odell, comes in. She is a fifth generation away from Thomas William Miley. Linda and her mother, Marlyn Miner, lived with the grandmother of Linda during WWII while Linda's father was overseas. After the war, Linda would spend every summer with her grandmother named Olive Grace McAtee Patterson Miner. More on those names later. When Olive Grace became elderly in her 80's, she came and lived with Linda until her death. Linda stated her mind never did fail her, and this is where she got all of her family history. Olive Grace left her pictures from Pike County as well as small notes on paper. Much of it did not make sense to Linda because she did not know the family as her grandmother did.

With that background, let us return to Pike County and the will. As a researcher I looked for a marriage for a Miley woman to a James B. McAtee. Finally I found it in Mt. Carmel, Wabash County, Illinois. The name of the Miley lady was Mary J. Miley as on the license, the 1860 census, and 1870 census. Her father gave his permission for her to marry, but did not list his name. The marriage took place 19 July 1874. It listed the age of Mary as 19 years, which would put her birth year in 1855/1856. Now you can see this was before Thomas W. Miley married Scyinda Phillips. I found James B. and Mary (Miley) McAtee living in Madison township in 1880 with 2 small children named Elizabeth and Sylvester. Sylvester, the child, died in 1880. Mary's middle name was now Isabelle. However, I could not find them after that date. So I did not have an answer to the mystery in the will.

As Linda told me the story as told by her grandmother and her grandmother's notes, it started with an unmarried woman named Susan Robling, a daughter of John and Elizabeth Robling, both buried in Poplar Grove Cemetery. Susan was the great, great, grandmother of Linda. Much has come to light in all this researching from James W. Robling in St Louis, Linda, and myself. We have found that Susan was an unmarried mother of 4 children in Pike County, Indiana. Her first child was Mary J. who became Mary Isabelle, Nancy J., Eva, and Emily Jane b. 1862-1867 and was buried beside John and Elizabeth Robling. In the 1860 census living in the home of John Robling, there was the daughter, Susan, and two children with ages and names mixed up. In the 1870 census, living in the home of John Robling, there was the daughter, Susan, and two children, Mary J, b. 1855 and Nancy J. b. 1858. In 1874 Mary J. Miley married James B McAtee and Nancy J. Miley married George Lovejoy. Neither one of these girls could I trace to a father in the census. Linda said her grandmother, Olive Grace, told her that "a Miley was the father of Susan's children, but he only claimed Mary Isabelle as his child." As this information came to light, the court records were searched in Pike County. The records that surfaced are included and you can see that Thomas William Miley was named as the father of Susan Robling's child. However, Thomas denied the charges but the charges stuck and the judge handed down the verdict. Thomas had to make payment for the upkeep of the child. Now, some 112 years later, one can understand why the line about James B. McAtee's wife was put in Thomas William Mileys' will. That assured the family that no more monies or real estate would come to James B McAtee's present wife since he had already paid her share in the court proceedings of 13 Nov 1855.

James B. and Mary Isabelle (Miley) McAtee built a house and lived across the road from Sylvester McAtee, the father of James. Sylvester McAtee married first to Mary Patterson and second to Susan Robling, the daughter of John and Elizabeth Robling. Mary Isabelle (Miley) McAtee was the daughter of Susan Robling and Thomas William Miley. The McAtee family did not approve of James and Mary eloping to Illinois, as they already had another girl picked out for James. This caused a lot of family problems. James bought a horse and buggy and sold fruit trees.

James sold his Uncle Jake McAtee some cattle, and when Jake refused to pay him, James forged a check on his uncle's account. James was arrested and jailed in Petersburg. Now David McRoberts was soon to be a member of the McAtee family as son-in-law of James and husband of Elizabeth born in 1876. James had a cellmate named Pomeroy. James, Pomeroy, and the jailer would play cards every night. David McRoberts, Elizabeth McAtee's betrothed, devised a plan of escape with James and Pomeroy. One night at their usual card game, Pomeroy slipped the key out of the jailer's pocket and gave it to James, who dropped it out of the window to McRoberts, who was waiting below. McRoberts hid in an outhouse with the key until everyone was asleep. James called out a a password "have more" which was a common phrase back then. That was the signal for McRoberts to come and unlock the cell. He had horses waiting, and they made their escape. Somehow, James got shot in the foot. He hid out in the house of an old woman a few miles from his house. He went to Cape Girardeau, Missouri, where he worked as a farm hand. There was a reward out for him, and a cousin, named Jim Hughes, who work at the post office back home, found out where James was and turned him in for the reward. He was arrested and rejailed in Petersburg. Sylvester, the father of James, made bail for him and the family packed a few belongings and went to Evansville where Sylvester and Susan (Robling) McAtee had bought a house. Remember, Susan Robling was a daughter of old John and Elizabeth Robling buried at Poplar Grove Cemetery. James, Mary Isabelle (Miley), & their children Ethel May b. 1883 Pike County and Olive Grace who was born 1884 halfway between Union and Petersburg all spent the night with Sylvester and Susan McAtee. The next morning Svlvester took the family to the train station. Olive Grace was 6 years old at the time so this happened roughly about 1890 or before. Olive told Linda that she remembered running back into the house and kissing her grandmother, Susan, good-bye. She said Susan was standing behind the door with her apron across her face crying. Olive Grace said this was the last time she ever saw her grandmother.

James, Mary Isabelle (Miley), Ethel May, & Olive Grace McAtee went by train to Cape Girardeau, Missouri, in 1890. Their daughter Elizabeth who was to marry David McRoberts stayed in Pike County until her marriage in 1892 and then they joined the family in Kansas.

James and his family stayed for a short time at the farm where he had previously worked. The farmer offered them sanctuary, but James thought it safer to move on. They went to St Louis where they changed trains for Kansas City. While waiting for the train, James told his family "from now on your name will be Patterson; never tell anyone your real name was McAtee." The name Patterson was the surname of his first wife, Mary Louisa Patterson. [note - should be Mary Louisa Patterson was James' mother's maiden name.] James also changed his middle initial from a "B" to Karl. So all of his children who had been born McAtee, now were called Patterson. Olive Grace had the same picture that was in the Miley book at the top of p. 416 of Elizabeth McAtee and their adopted daughter, Goldie (Miley) McAtee. Only on the back of the picture belonging to Olive Grace was "Lizzie Patterson, a relative of Dad's" because they were going by the name of Patterson.

They took the train to Kansas City, Missouri, around 1890/1892. When he arrived with his family, he only had $20. They stayed at the Morgan House Hotel across from the Orpheum Theater for one week.

James (McAtee) Patterson got work via an employment agency at a farm 10 miles from Kansas City that was owned by Fred Kluth. James worked as a farmhand and Mary Isabelle (Miley) McAtee Patterson was a housekeeper. Do you see how she got all those names? They were there for one year, 1893.

James wanted to go further west, and they moved to Bucyrus, Kansas. He worked as a farmhand for Jim Goodman. Mr Goodman gave them a 2 room house to live in. Mary Isabelle raised chickens and had 2 cows for milk. They went to Kansas City and bought some furniture. Linda still owns the rocker they bought today. They lived there one year, 1894. They rented a farm, "the old Holden place", near Bucyrus, Kansas, for four years, but they only stayed for one year, 1895. They bought a farm in Coffey County, Kansas from Bill Schwartz. Olive Grace was 12 yrs old then and they stayed till she was 16. That would have been from l896 to 1900. James and family moved back to Kansas City in 1900.

James and Mary Isabelle (Miley) had:

1. Elizabeth McAtee b. 6 July 1876, married David McRoberts on 26 Dec 1892 and died 9 Jan 1957 with burial at Elmwood Cemetery in Kansas City. They had 8 children.
2. Sylvester McAtee b. 1878 and died 1880 Pike County, Indiana.
3. Ethel May McAtee Patterson b. 1881, married Guy Hafner, died 1969 with burial at Elmwood Cemetery, Kansas City. They had 2 children.
4. 0live Grace McAtee Patterson b. 12 Dec 1884 Pike County, married Albert B Miner on 15 Aug 1903 in Hall's Summit, Kansas, and died 23 Dec 1969 with burial at Elmwood Cemetery, Kansas City. They had 3 chiIdren one of which was Marlyn Miner b. l919 in Leavenowrth, Kansas, the mother of Linda Odell. (Linda is the source of this information)
5. Carmen Patterson who lived 10 days.
6. James Patterson who lived 5 days, and
7. Della Patterson who lived 2 and one-half days.

 

James McAtee Patterson died at Kansas City in 1918. Here is his obit:

(Linda's note "I contacted the American Woodmen several years ago. They said he died of pneumonia, and his occupation was a car cleaner. They issued a check to Mary I Patterson in the amount of $1000.")

Mary Isabelle (Miley) McAtee Patterson went by the name of Belle as shown on the above obit. Linda verified this. Her tombstone has born Nov. 28, 1855 and died Aug. 22 1932 in Leavenworth, Kansas with burial at Elmwood Cemetery. The following obit was sent by Linda:

Linda was hesitant to reveal all of the information just enclosed but after several months, she realized we were sincere in helping her and getting at the truth. She ordered a Miley book and when I sent it to her, this was her reply:

"I received the book and copies of the court papers. I was so excited, and almost afraid to open the package. Oh! What a wonderful book it is. I immediately went to the pages that you indicated, and as I read them, I was so overcome with emotion that l just had to sit there and cry. It was such an emotional experience. I can't explain it, it was just incredible, I felt so connected...something lost was found.
     In the last two days I have been imagining how it must have been for the people involved. For Susan (Robling) and Thomas (W Miley) to go through the court action; and how awful for Mary Isabelle, a little child, to carry such a brand. I finally got to see a picture of my gggrandfather (Thomas W. Miley), I'd always wondered what he looked like. I am an artist. I think I will do a painting of Thomas from the photo in the book. I wonder what color of hair and eyes would run in the family?
     The family reunion sounds like it would be so much fun. l've always wanted to visit Indiana and see all the places where my ancestors lived, died and were buried."

Linda has never been to Pike County, Indiana, and I have invited her to come to our reunion. It is my hope that each will welcome her and make her a part of the family. Lives today cannot be responsible for lives lived in the past.

I realize this has been a very sensitive subject to deal with, and I hope I have not offended anyone for that was not my intent. I saw this as a wonderful opportunity to clear up a mystery in a will and in doing so, have the chance to make new found friends. Then for what we know, we have helped the new found friends have roots. Everyone needs to know they have roots. I am so glad my friend in St. Louis, James W. Robling, and myself have had the time to develop the Robling, McAtee, Miley, Patterson information into real lives that trace back to Pike County, Indiana.

Enjoy the photos that belonged to Olive Grace McAtee Patterson Miner, Linda's grandmother.

Kyle: Family lore says we kept the jailcell key after the jail break, and it was passed down to remember that fateful night. They said it was in possession of Jim McRoberts, my grandfather. I have such a key from him now, and it does indeed resemble Indiana jail keys from 1890.

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1. "The History and Families of John Miley, 1788-1867, Thomas William Miley, 1829-1886, Perry Commodore Miley, 1859-1928, Descendants of Henry Miley, 1765-1847", Natalie Stewart Robling, 1997
2. "Descendants of Henry Miley, 1765-1847 and descendants of his brother, Johann David Miley, Sr. 1769-1849 : with some allied names of Pride, Harrell, Sovereigns, Nichols, Brenton, Davenport, Smith, Maxwell, Griffith, and Coonrod / researched and compiled by Natalie (Siewert) Robling"