JAMES F. MILLIKEN was born in Pittison, MA. in 1844 and moved to Waushara Co., WI in 1851 with his family. He married CHARLOTTE V. RUGG in 1866 in Wisconsin. They moved with her family to Clackamus Co., Oregon in 1876. They had 3 sons born to them in Wisconsin. and one daughter born in Oregon in 1877.  His first wife died in Oregon in 1878 and her parents helped raise their children. James came to Washington and is shown in the 1880 census in Spokane Co., near Sprague, along with his brother WILLIAM TRIPP MILLIKEN (who later settled in the Spangle area) and James oldest son EARNEST MILLIKEN, age 13.  James and son returned to Clackamas Co. in 1882 and he leased land from BLM there. He then returned to the Sprague area in about 1886 as he is listed in the 1887 census for Lincoln Co. with two of his sons, WILLIAM and CHARLES MILLIKEN. His best friend in Wisconsin was  WILLIAM V. R. MORTON.  Mr. Morton and his 3 children along with his sister GEORGIANNAH,  and her husband, ANDREW HARPER came to the Sprague area in about 1885. The Harpers settled near Harrington.  Mr. Harper died in 1886 and two years later, Georgiannah married James F. Milliken in a church at Spokane Falls.  James farmed in the Sprague and Harrington areas until about 1892.  He applied for a civil war pension, based on injuries and illnesses he incurred in the civil war. He joined Co. C of the 38th Inf. Regt. in Wisconsin and served honorably. He was a member of the GAR of Davenport.  He was awarded a pension of $8.00 per month.  James Milliken died on Sep. 29th, 1898, one day after he turned 55 years of age. He was attended by Dr. Bittner after a heart attack and stroke.  His wife then applied for his pension and received it until her death in 1904.  James Milliken died in his home near Gresham Community, near Lamont. He was buried in Lakewood Cemetery near Sprague with a GAR marker headstone.  He and Georgiannah held two burial plots there and it is believed my grandfather, William E. Morton (son of William V.R. Morton) is also buried there, but we have not been able to confirm this as the cemetery is so overgrown.  Georgiannah chose to be buried in Harrington next to her first husband.  James Milliken's only daughter, GRACE ADEL MILLIKEN married WILLIAM E. MORTON, my grandparents.  His first son, Earnest attended college in Portland, Oregon and became a school teacher around 1891 in Wilbur. He died at a young age of 33 in Wilbur and is buried there.  He married SARAH STAMBAUGH of Wilbur and their children were HARRY and GENEVA MILLIKEN.  One other son was WILLIAM R. MILLIKEN, who married FANNY HARPER (daughter of Georgiannah Harper) and their children were SUSAN and WILLIAM E. MILLIKEN. The other son was  CHARLES E. MILLIKEN, who married SARAH E. HUMPHREY of Hesseltine, Lincoln Co., and their children were OWEN, EDWIN, JENNIE and WILLIS MILLIKEN.

There are still several Milliken gr grandchildren and gr gr grandchildren of James Milliken in the Lincoln Co. area. WILLIAM V.R. MORTON and his children, WILLIAM E. MORTON, GEORGE GRANT MORGAN and MARY MORTON, who married  JOHN RAMSEY, lived in the Sprague area for many years and farmed there as well as in the Lamont area. 

 

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Submitted to the Lincoln County, Washington GenWeb

 August 24, 2004, by George W. Morton