KILLEN

1. William Killen, (1750 - c 1822)

William Killen, the oldest known ancestor in this line, was born in Dublin, Ireland on 4 SEP 1750. I have not found an immigration date for him. William married Jane Miller, the daughter of Samuel and Mary (Maffitt) Miller, on 22 AUG 1781 in Cecil County, MD. Family stories say that the Millers did not approve of the marriage, and so around 1789 William and Jane Killen moved to Cumberland County, NC. There were already two Killen men living there (Adam and Thomas), but no connection between the three has been proven.

William Killen is said to have died in 1822, though no will has been found. His last deeds were recorded in November and December of 1822. The family lived in that part of Cumberland County which is now in Harnett County, and the home-place was still partially standing in the 1960s.

Jane Miller Killen moved with her daughter Harriet to Houston County, GA around 1830. Two of Jane's sons already lived there (James and John). Jane Killen died in 1832 in Houston County. Her will is recorded there.

The children of William Killen and Jane Miller were:

  1. Robert Killen - b. 6 DEC 1782 dc. 1863 Darlington Co, SC. He m. Sophronia.
  2. Samuel Miller Killen - b. 24 APR 1785 d. after his mother
  3. Fannie Killen - b. 8 SEP 1786 d. before 1790
  4. John B. Mc. Newton Killen - see the next section.
  5. William Killen - b. 6 APR 1790. Lived in Cumberland County
  6. Thomas Killen - b. 8 MAR 1793 d. before 1810
  7. James H. Killen - b. 4 JUN 1796 d. 13 APR 1836 in Houston County, GA. James 1m. Mary Ann ?? who died in childbirth and the child died shortly after. James 2m. Rebecca M. ?? and they had four children: Martha Ann, William E., Sarah Catherine, and Frances Camilla.
  8. Harriet Killen - b. 29 NOV 1798 d. before 1804
  9. George Killen - b. 19 NOV 1800 d. before 1820
  10. B. J. McNeil Killen - b 15 OCT 1802 d. after his mother.
  11. Harriet C. Killen - b. 8 DEC 1804 m. the Reverend Lewis PEACOCK

2. John B. Mc. Newton Killen, (1788 - 1871)

John Killen was born in Maryland on 29 FEB 1788. John's name has been recorded as 'John Bell Newton Killen', but that is a misreading of an 1822 deed in Cumberland County, NC which lists him as 'John B. Mc. N. Killen' repeatedly. The 'B' and 'M' are run together and are misleading at first glance. It is not clear what the initials stand for, but 'Newton' is supposed because the name passed through the next generations.As a very small boy, John moved with his parents from MD to Cumberland County, NC. As a young man, John moved on his own to Darlington District, SC where he volunteered for service in the War of 1812.

John Killen is reputed to have first married Jane JOLLY in SC before 1820. She supposedly died from childbirth, and her twin sons did not survive either.

John married second to Louisa PARROTT on 28 FEB 1822 in Darlington County. Louisa was the daughter of Jacob and Penelope (?House?) PARROTT. John and Louisa Killen had six children:

  1. Samuel Dodderidge Killen - b. 16 FEB 1823 d. 5 APR 1880, m. Sophia Ann BASKIN 14 DEC 1843. Dodderidge was a lawyer and judge, and served in the CSA and was a prisoner for a time. His former home is now the Watson-Hunt Funeral Home in Perry. Dodderidge and Ann had 4 children: John Newton, Fannie Emily, Margaret Ann, and Mary Lou.
  2. Martha Emily Killen - b. 12 OCT 1824 d 14 OCT 1832 in Darlington County, SC.
  3. John Sidney Killen - b. 5 FEB 1826 d. 28 DEC 1903 in Minden, LA. Sidney m. Sarah Ann MONZINGO 4 OCT 1849 in Claiborne Parish, LA. He had traveled west with the MONZINGO family and kept a diary of that journey. Sidney also kept a diary of his Confederate days. Sidney and Sarah had 8 children: Louisa Parrott, John Walter, Martha Emma, James Barsh, Ida Nora, Laura Allie, Junie Sampson, and William McNeill.
  4. Theodore Newton Killen - see the next section.
  5. James Madison Killen - b. 28 DEC 1829 d. 7 OCT 1907 in Rotan, Fisher County, TX. Madison m. Alva Cinda Ann JONES 17 JUL 1853 near Minden, LA. He traveled west after Sidney had. Madison served in the Confederate Army and suffered greatly from measles while enlisted. The family moved west into Texas following the war. Madison and Alva Killen had 13 children: John T., Thomas Wise, Louisa T., James Russell, Robert Oswald Cephas, Julius Madison, Ida Harriet, William Sidney, Sarah Irene Lorena, Alva Cinda Ann, Birdie, Little Bud, and Theodore Newton.
  6. Julia Charlotte Killen - b. 9 MAY 1832 d. 15 JUL 1838 Perry, Houston County, GA.

Louisa (Parrott) Killen died at or shortly after the birth of Julia. John moved his family to Houston County, GA soon after. John Killen was a large land owner and was politically active in his new home. He served as a delegate to the State convention of the Union Democratic Republican party in 1835. He was Houston County's State Representative in 1841.

John Killen married thirdly to Margaret SHINE 23 JUL 1835. John's brother-in-law Lewis PEACOCK performed the marriage. John and Margaret had eleven children:

  1. William Francis Killen - b. 16 JUL 1836 d. 16 DEC 1894 m. Ann Permelia LANE 7 MAR 1861
  2. Thomas Milton Killen - b. 19 SEP 1837 d. 14 APR 1902 m. Laura Ann Judson SINGLETON 27 OCT 1869
  3. Jane Pernice Killen - b. 30 SEP 1838 d. 27 JUL 1872 m. James Davis THARPE 23 FEB 1860
  4. George Washington Killen - b. 11 MAR 1840 d. 4 DEC 1912 m. Mildred Maria Temperance BASKIN 14 JAN 1870
  5. Sarah Louise Killen - b. 9 JUN 1842 d. 15 MAY 1919 m. Thomas FEAGIN 17 JAN 1861
  6. Margaret A. Killen - b. 30 OCT 1843 d. 29 OCT 1883 m. Sanders Leroy SPEIGHT 8 OCT 1872
  7. Alexander Lafayette Killen - b. 14 MAY 1845 d. 12 JAN 1864 in service
  8. Robert Shine Killen - b. 14 AUG 1846 d. 1 MAY 1863 in service
  9. Mary Elinor Killen - b. 14 APR 1848 d. 17 JAN 1852
  10. Charley West Killen - b. 21 FEB 1851 d. 19 DEC 1856
  11. Harriet "Hattie" Susan Killen - b. 22 JUL 1853 d. 2 JUN 1866

John Killen was 73 years old when the Civil War started. He himself did not serve, but did send all nine of his living sons off to war. Two of them did not survive, while others were captured or wounded.John Killen died 6 JUN 1871 at 83 years of age. He left a will which is recorded in the Houston County records. He also had an obituary printed in The Hawkinsville Dispatch on 15 JUN 1871. John Killen was photographed as an older man. In 1876, painter Charles de Berutt created a charcoal portrait on John from that photograph.

Margaret (Shine) Killen filed for a widow's pension based on John's War of 1812 service. Her file, #15006, is at the National Archives. Margaret Killen died 28 APR 1888 in Houston County. She and John are buried at Evergreen Cemetery in Perry, GA, but the tombstones do not have inscriptions.

3. Theodore Newton Killen, (1827 - 1902)

Theodore Newton Killen was born 11 NOV 1827 in Darlington District, SC. As a young man he traveled to New York to learn to be a watchmaker, but decided to return home. He worked as a mechanic for a time, then traveled with his brother John to Louisiana in 1851. Theodore lived in LA for about 2 years before returning to Houston County, GA. There he married Frances D. Ellison on 22 FEB 1853. Frances was born 11 JAN 1834 in Burke County, GA. See the ELLISON/ELLISTON/ELLYSON page for more about her family.During the Civil War, Theodore served the Confederacy in a munitions factory in Macon. He also served in the Georgia Militia defending the railroad there.

Theodore and Frances Killen moved to Terrell County, GA sometime in the early 1860s. There he owned and operated a lumber mill and later a coffin factory. He was active politically, and served on the Board of Education. Theodore Killen also built furniture, and built his home in Bronwood without using nails. The home still stands (with a large recent addition) just north of Bronwood.

Frances Killen died on 28 SEP 1887. She is buried out behind the old Killen home in Bronwood. Theodore married on 22 JAN 1888 to Frances's widowed sister, Caroline V. (Ellison) ALEXANDER.Theodore Killen died on 10 AUG 1902 in Bronwood, and is also buried in the family plot at the house. Nothing further is known about Caroline Ellison Alexander Killen.

Theodore and Frances Ellison Killen had seven children:

  1. Louisa Killen - b. 12 DEC 1853 d. 3 MAR 1885 m. Dr. James F. STAPLETON 25 NOV 1883
  2. Marium Killen - b. 20 NOV 1855 d. 23 FEB 1927 m. Dr. John Lawson STAPLETON 19 DEC 1875
  3. Frances L. "Frankie" Killen - b. 30 SEP 1857 d. 31 DEC 1943 m. James Augustus HORSLEY 28 NOV 1880
  4. Samuel Killen - b. 27 OCT 1862 d. 13 JUN 1863
  5. John B. Killen - b. 31 DEC 1864 d. 2 SEP 1885
  6. Varina Killen - see the next section
  7. Julia Killen - b. 17 AUG 1873 d. 24 JUN 1864 m. Benjamin Thomas MARSHALL 4 NOV 1891

TN Killen

Bronwood, GA House that TN Killen built without nails.

4. Varina Killen, (1867 - 1953)

Varina Killen was born 7 JAN 1867 in Terrell County, Georgia. She was named for Confederate First Lady Varina (Howell) Davis. Varina Killen was the sixth of Theodore Newton and Frances (Ellison) Killen's seven children. Varina Killen grew up in Brown's Station/Bronwood, GA. At age 22, she married Dr. John Fillmore McMath on April 28, 1889. The ceremony was performed by the Reverend M. B. L. Binnion. See the McMATH family page for more information on this family.