FOURTH GENERATION

14. David Thomas MILLER was born on 6 Aug 1846 in Jackson, East Feliciana Parish, LA. ⁽¹¹⁾ He died on 1 Nov 1925 in Wharton, TX. ⁽¹²⁾ He was separated from his wife and went to a hospital with cancer. He then went to live in Wharton, TX with his daughter, Mary Ellen Reavis. He was buried in Wharton, TX.⁽¹³⁾ He was married to Louisiana Prestine CHALFANT on 4 Jan 1874 in Simmesport, LA. ^(14)(15) They were married by his uncle, Methodist pastor, Rev. John Copeland Miller. Their honeymoon was at the Robert E. Lee Bridal Suite in New Orleans.
They lived at China Grove and Belle Aire Plantations. The plantation is on Bayou Lettsworth at Red River Landing, which was a shipping and outfitting point for Red River and Onachita boats. There was a general merantile store and a large commission business with mercharnts far up the river. It had a hotel and post office which did a huge business with the railroad, riverboats and stage lines.
She rented China Grove to John Crews for $1500 a year for five years and then sold it to her nephew, Foster Collins, for $5000 when she was dead broke.

15. Louisiana Prestine CHALFANT ⁽¹⁶⁾ was born on 31 Aug 1855 in China Grove Plantation, Merrick, Simmesport, Pt. Coupee, LA. ⁽¹⁷⁾ She was the eighth child and was 6 years old when her brothers George and Charles entered the War of Northern Aggression.
She recalled playing on the dock on the river and rolling down the hill of the levee which held back the river.
When Louisana was 10 years old her mother died. In 1998, family members in LA still talked of the "damned Yankees" who removed the seriously ill Carolina from her plantation house on her mattress and burned the house down. She grew sicker in the bad weather and died a few days later.
Louisiana is an orphan at 14 years of age when her father died. She appeared on the census in 1870 in Point Coupee, LA. She is living with her brothers, Charles (30), James H. (17), her sister Emma and Emma's husband, Foster Collins and their three children according to the Police Jury, 2nd Ward, Louisiana. She owned Chalfant Place on 2 Jan 1877 in Pt. Coupee, LA. ⁽¹⁸⁾ The land is on the Atchafalaya River sections 16 and 17 inTl, Range 7E and Lot #4 in Sec. 60 in T1R7E; 373 and 59/100 acres. She bought 1/7 of 1/3 from her brother, Charles, who received it by succession from his decd. sister Anna. (11170)
She sells her I/2 of the land above for $350 to her sister, Emma. Charles P. Tessier is the notary public. (Item 11172) She owned land on 31 Dec 1889 in Pt. Coupee, LA.⁽¹⁸⁾ Lady P sells Lot 4, Sec. 60, T1 S. Range 73 consisting of 40 and 37/100 acres of land to her sister, Emma Collins. She sold on March 8, 1887 for $246.85. This land was acquired from the estate of their decd father.(Item 14446)
Louisiana lives in Calcasieu Parish and is selling 125 acres for $5,200 to J. Foster Collins, the land is bounded on the east by J. T. Merrick and on the west by J. Foster Collins. She acquired her land by inheritance on 3 Jan 1877. (ITem 15616) Dec 28, 1889

She died on 29 Mar 1944 in Lake Charles, Calcasieu Parish, LA. ⁽¹⁹⁾ She is remembered as a supersitious woman who said things like, " never let a bird fly into the house, never walk under a ladder, etc." She had two Pekinese dogs named Boo Boo and Bummy. My grandmother, Mary Ellen would visit her a month each year by train. They talked and smoked late into the night, enjoying each others company. When she died she had 12 grandchildren, and 4 great grand children. Lady P had been blind for several years. She lived in Lake Charles near her daughter, Lora. She was buried in Lake Charles, Calcasieu Parish, LA.⁽²⁰⁾ She is buried next to her son Scott. She was also known as Lady P. She was a businesswoman in Lake Charles, Calcasieu Parish, LA. She made hats to sell in her hat shop. She owned several houses, an orange grove and a restaurant. She and her husband also owned a general store. Louisiana was 10 years old when her mother died and 14 years old when her father died. She then lived at China Grove with her sister, Emma and her husband, J. Foster Collins.
She went to school in Jackson, LA.
Emma bought out her brothers and her sisters so she owned all of the estate. When Lady P married David Thomas Miller, they lived in a small house at China Grove.
It is said by the daughter of her brother, James, that Lady P wanted to marry Sulser Harmanson after the death of her sister, Anna. Her sister, Bell, is said to have sat her down next to a picture of Anna and told her how wrong it was for her to want to marry him. Later, Laura Jenkins, sister of Mary Belle Jenkins Chalfant, mother of Bess, married him. Children were:

i. Charles Henry MILLER⁽²¹⁾ was born on 24 Jan 1875 in China Grove Plantation, Simmesport, LA. ⁽²²⁾ He died on 20 Feb 1877.⁽²³⁾ He was buried in China Grove Plantation, Simmesport, LA. ⁽²⁴⁾ Died in childhood
ii. McVay MILLER was born on 25 Jul 1876 in China Grove Plantation, Simmesport, LA.⁽²⁵⁾ He was buried in Kansas City, MO.⁽²⁶⁾ He was said to be a real Southern gentleman. He always dressed for dinner when he visited Gloria Swan. He spent many months in the Veterans Hospital.
iii. Scott Merrick MILLER⁽²⁷⁾ was born on 27 Jun 1878 in China Grove Plantation, Simmesport, LA. ⁽²⁸⁾ He died on 18 Jul 1898.⁽²⁹⁾ He died enroute to Cuba to serve in the Spanish American War He was buried in Lake Charles, Calcasieu Parish, LA. ⁽³⁰⁾ Remained single.
7 iv. Mary Ellen MILLER.
v. David Thomas MILLER⁽³¹⁾ was born on 8 Dec 1882 in China Grove Plantation, Simmesport, LA. ⁽³²⁾ He died on 23 Apr 1910 in Lake Charles, Calcasieu Parish, LA. ⁽³³⁾ He never married. He was buried in Lake Charles, Calcasieu Parish, LA.⁽³⁴⁾ Remained single.
vi. Emma Maud MILLER was born on 27 Jan 1885 in Lake Charles, Calcasieu Parish, LA.⁽³⁵⁾ She died on 8 Mar 1950 in Lake Charles, Calcasieu Parish, LA.⁽³⁶⁾ She was buried in Lake Charles, Calcasieu Parish, LA. ⁽³⁷⁾ Gloria Swan says, "She was crippled with arthritis badly for long years."
vii. John Foster MILLER (Private).
viii. Alma Irene MILLER was born on 29 Aug 1890 in Lake Charles, Calcasieu Parish, LA.⁽³⁸⁾ She died on 31 Oct 1893 in Lake Charles, Calcasieu Parish, LA.⁽³⁹⁾ She was buried in Lake Charles, Calcasieu Parish, LA. ⁽⁴⁰⁾
ix. Lora May MILLER was born on 28 Sep 1892 in Lake Charles, Calcasieu Parish, LA.⁽⁴¹⁾ She died on 3 Jun 1978 in Lake Charles, Calcasieu Parish, LA. She was buried in Highland Memory Gardens, Lake Charles, LA.
x. Garnet Ruth MILLER was born on 31 Dec 1894 in Lake Charles, Calcasieu Parish, LA.⁽⁴²⁾ She died in Jun 1970 in Lake Charles, Calcasieu Parish, LA. Ruth had many boyfriends when she was young.