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Hi Folks,
I am descended from John and Eda (Jeffery) Milligan of the Milligan Campground at Strawberry, Arkansas thru their son Ellis Ragsdale Milligan's Family Branch. As a result of this descendancy, I have been studying this Family Branch nearly all of my natural life. This study included many of my Great and Grand Aunts, Uncle's and grandparents (when they were alive) and they have left allot of information for me about our family.
It has come to the Family's attention that many Genealogists on the web also cunducting studies into our family have come up with an incorrect name who had married our Great Grandpa, Ellis R. Milligan. These genealogist claim that Ellis' wife was a woman by the name of Mahala BENNINGS.
We descendants of Ellis' Family don't know who the Bennings family is and have never heard of this BENNINGS person being Married to Ellis R. Milligan.
Ellis R. (Ragsdale) Milligan married a woman by the name of MAHALA LIGHT BILLINGS on 16 Aug. 1843 in Union Township, Jackson County Arkansas. They were married by the Reverend John Milligan (Ellis' Father) who was a Presbyterian Minister at the Milligan Campground in Strawberry, Arkansas. Ellis R. Milligan and Mahala Light Billings were more than likely married at the home of Reverend John and his wife Eda Jeffery.
There is scant documentation about Mahala Light Billings and her family and this is probably the primary reason that other Family genealogists have created the BENNINGS family name and associated it with Ellis R. Milligan but I can assure everyone that there was never a marriage between the BENNINGS Family and the Milligan's of the Milligan Campground history. It's Mahala Light BILLINGS not Mahala BENNINGS. The descendants of this Milligan Family Branch is afraid that these other genealogists are crossing family lines by associating the BENNINGS family with this Milligan Family. The BENNINGS family information relative to Ellis R. Milligan's family is false and not accurate and I would suggest to those who have placed the BENNINGS family name into your Family Tree's about Ellis R. Milligan's Family to please Remove the BENNINGS name and replace it with his rightful wife's name, Mahala Light BILLINGS, Just as his marriage license indicates that it is.
The reason we believe that there isn't much information of the BILLINGS family in Arkansas is because they were Originally from Tipton County Tennessee. Heinrich Billings, Mahala Light Billings Father, moved his plantation operations to Arkansas to avoid the changeing slavery laws in Tennessee in 1840. He moved his whole family to Jackson County Arkansas (where genealogists can find records of the Billings family at the Jackson County Library)but on a return trip back to Tipton County Tennessee to complete the families move; he passed away. His Last Will and Testament had to be Probated from Tipton County even though his family was already living in Jackson County Arkansas.
Mahala Light Billings in 1841, petitioned the Janckson County Arkansas Court to appoint her a guardian which the court did by appointing a man name of Henry "H" Miller. Mahala's brother held Mr. Miller's Bond for Mahala because she was an under age, over 16 years of age, heir to a portion of her father's will. These documents from the Jackson County Courthouse are available to researchers from the records of the Jackson County Probate Court. Within the Jackson county court records for Mahala Light Billings is the Marriage License between her (when she turned 18 in 1843) to Ellis R. Milligan dated 16 Feb. 1843.
All of the Legal and Court Records about the Billings Family have been saved from loss to time by a man name of James Logan Morgan who is the Jackson County Arkansas Historian. This brilliant man was also on hand to help the people of the Latter Day Saints organization to photograph "All" of the Jackson County Court Documents for their own Archives and did the same thing for Lawrence, Independence and other counties in Northeast Arkansas. The Billings Family Documents can also be found in the Jackson County Arkansas Library as well as the archives at the Jackson County historical museum. Mr. Morgan also has these Billings Court Documents in a book he authored (1 of 16 to his name)which can be purchased from Mr. Morgan himself.
So, We descendants of the Ellis R. Milligan Family are humbly asking all of you who are studying our family; please remove the BENNINGS family name from the trees you have created and put on the WWW and replace the Bennings name with the rightful name of Mahala Light BILLINGS. If you need any other documentation from our family, we would also be more than willing to send you whatever we already have accumulated from the Jackson County Court, The Lawrence County Court and the Jackson County Library as well as the information that we have accrude as a result of our own conversations with James Logan Morgan. To recieve these documents please write to the Milligan Family at sevensdeep@myfamily.com and we will forward all of our "legal and Correct documentation to you".
Thank You all so much,
The Milligan Family
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