Thomas Stuart Milligan is referred to as the "patriarch 
of the Milligan family of Owen County, Indiana. Thomas 
was the sixth son of David Milligan, born in Swissvale, 
Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, on November 1, 1816. He 
married on February 28, 1846, Louisa Frances Warren, in 
Logansport, Indiana. 
Louisa was born in Westport, New York, on  April 29, 
1826. In her later years she was a bright, handsome lady.  
Her parents were John Parsons and Fanny (Skinner) Warren, 
the former from Somersetshire, and the latter from Yorkshire, 
England
Thomas's parents had moved to Allegheny County prior to 
his birth from Ireland. The family was part of the Presbyterian 
movement that left the British Isles in search of religious 
toleration.
Thomas' mother, worn out with the care of a large family 
and the hard work of a pioneer woman, died of consumption 
when Thomas was two and a half years of age. His older 
sister took on the role of "mother," nurturing him as he 
grew up on the family farm. He was a timid, sensitive, 
proud boy. At the age of fourteen he moved to Waveland, 
Indiana, to help his brother in a country store. His brother 
was the founder of the town of Waveland.
When he was about sixteen years of age, after what was 
perhaps a depression "he came out into the clear light 
of Christian faith."  He always felt that he owed much 
to the prayers of his mother, and the faithful labors of 
his pastor, Rev. John Thompson, of Waveland.  With the 
question of his soul's salvation settled, he was determined 
to study for the ministry, and entered the Wabash College, 
the new school established fourteen miles away by 
cultivated Christian scholars from New England.  There 
Thomas was a most faithful student from 1833 to 1839, 
when he graduated in the second class that graduated 
from the college, a class of four young men, all of whom 
entered the ministry.  These six years represent a period 
of great self-denial, as the $400 patrimony could not 
cover much of the way.  But his thirst for knowledge was 
something unusual.  He won a reputation for scholarship, 
specialty in the languages, of which he never tired.  He 
continued his studies in Greek, Latin and Hebrew till his 
death.  After graduation he spent one year in Wabash College 
as a tutor of Latin.  He then entered Lane Seminary, 
Cincinnati, for a three years' course in theology, under 
Dr. Lyman Beecher, Dr. Calvin Stowe, etc.  When the young 
minister was ready for active service, he was presented with 
a fine thoroughbred horse, saddle, bridle and saddle-bags, 
the gift of a wealthy Kentucky gentleman to home Missions.  
Mounted on "Zeno" Thomas Milligan traversed the marshes of 
northern Indiana, preaching in schoolhouses, barns, private 
houses, and organizing churches. For awhile he was settled at 
Rochester, as first pastor of a church that he organized. 
In 1846, he removed to Greencastle, where he had been pastor 
a few months. There he spent almost eight years.  One year of 
this time he was agent for the American Board, an office that 
required laborious travel over new country in Illinois and 
Indiana.  In the course of his travels he visited  Owen 
county south of Greencastle. Owen County  had one old 
Presbyterian Church, established in 1820.  This was a 
country church, once strong in every sense, but at this 
time depleted by large colonies that had gone from it to 
Iowa and Texas.  The "few sheep in the wilderness" 
appealed to this sensitive, self-sacrificing man, and in 
1853 he settled in the little log cabin parsonage of 
Bethany, five miles from the post-office and railway 
station at Gosport.  He then had a young wife and three 
little children.  In time a new and comfortable home was 
built, land purchased, orchard and vineyard set out.  
For years Thomas Milligan was the only Presbyterian minister 
in Owen County, but he was a power.  He traveled 
tirelessly, carrying Bibles, tracts, and religious papers 
in his saddle-bags; setting up family alters, persuading 
parents to educate their children; even taking the 
children home with him that he might  teach them, preaching 
the gospel of the kingdom wherever men would hear him.  
How he labored and prayed, organized circles of Bible 
study and the study of natural sciences, lectured, taught 
school, put his children through college, wrote for the 
press, organized churches, kept a happy home, carried on 
favorite studies, communed with nature, entertained as a 
charming host. This and much more would fill a volume.  
He was a favorite with his alma mater, usually attended 
her commencement, and contributed from his fund of ready 
wit and humor to her festive occasions, his toasts being 
long remembered.  In the eulogy passed upon him at the 
time of his death, by the president of Wabash College, 
he was called the best all around scholar that had then 
left the college.  His children remember him as a man of 
the highest and noblest ideals, of elevated conversation, 
of fine nature, of deep but repressed affection, of 
intensest energy, indomitable will, full of uncomplaining 
self-sacrifice for the home and the cause of Christ. 
So intense was his nature, that he wore himself out too 
soon, dying a few days before he was sixty, on Oct. 7, 
1876.  He lived such an elevated religious life of 
consecrated service that Heaven would seem more natural 
to him than earth. _
Owen County, Indiana History states Thomas Milligan 
became a minister and officiated principally in Owen County, 
Indiana, where he died in 1876. Thomas and his famly 
are buried in Hudson Hill Cemetery in Owen County, 
Indiana.
Thomas and Louisa had four children:	
i.	ERMINA CHEEVER MILLIGAN, b. July 09, 1848, 
Greencastle, Putnam Co., IN; d. Aft. 1900, National City, 
CA.
ii.	ALICE WARREN MILLIGAN, b. December 18, 1850, Owen 
Co,. IN; d. Aft. 1933, PA. Alice never married. She was a 
high school teacher and taught at Western College in Oxford, 
Ohio, which was her alma mater.She took care of her mother 
the latter part of her mother's life who lived in Spencer, 
IN.
iii.	ALBERT BUSHNEL MILLIGAN, b. October 11, 1853, 
Greencastle, Putnam Co., IN; d. Spencer, Owen Co., IN.
iv.	DR. JAMES WARREN MILLIGAN, b. December 21, 1859, 
Greencastle, Putnam Co., IN; d. South Bend, IN; m. SARAH 
DUNKLE, July 01, 1900, Logansport, IN; b. Logansport, IN.
James resided in Michigan City, IN,  and then South Bend, 
IN, where he was a physician.  James served as medical 
superintendent at the state prison.  He also designed  
the hospital for the criminally insane. James worked at 
the Logansport State Hospital in 1893 before joining the 
staff at the Madison State Hospital in 1915 where he 
worked until his death. Heand his wife  had no children.
A sister of Thomas Milligan, Hannah Milligan, eventually 
moved to Indiana with her husband William White.The 
family moved in 1866 to Pana, Illinois. 
A nephew of Thomas and Hannah, Alexander Shortess 
Milligan, followed the family to Indiana. Alexander was 
the son of Robert Milligan and Mary Ann Shortess. He was 
born on April 3, 1830, in Swissvale, Allegheny County, 
Pennsylvania. He married Anne Hawkins on September 29, 
1852. Anne was the daughter of William Hawkins and his 
second wife, Margaretta Dillinger and half sister to the 
aforementioned Janie Marie Hawkins
Anne was born on March 10, 1831, in Swissvale, Allegheny 
County, Pennsylvania. She died on January 25, 1857, 
leaving Alexander with three small children. The children 
were raised by the Hawkins family which caused a "rift" 
between the families as both wanted the children. 
Alexander then went to Indiana where his uncles had 
moved. He died of typhoid fever on March 12, 1867. 
Alexander and Anne had three children.
i.	FRANK HAWKINS MILLIGAN, b. July 14, 1853, 
Swissvale Allegheny Co., PA; d. 1929.
ii.	ANNA CLARA MILLIGAN, b. April 24, 1855, 
Swissvale Allegheny Co., PA; d. January 28, 1939; 
Anna Clara graduated from the Minneapolis Female Seminary 
in 1873. The schoool was owned and operated by her step 
mother's mother, Mrs. Bennet. Margery Bennet, Mrs. 
Bennet's daughter was Alexander Shortess Milligan's 
second wife. Margery was also a teacher at the seminary. 
After graduation, Anna Clara went to Pittsburg where she 
stayed with her grandparents, Robert and Mary Ann 
Shortess Milligan and Col. and Mrs. Margaretta Dillinger 
Hawkins. Harry Milligan, son of her uncle Joseph Milligan, 
was also visiting at that time from Crawfordsville, 
Indiana. When he returned to Crawfordsville Anna went 
with him. She spent the winter of 1873-74 in 
Crawfordsville where she became close friends with India 
Jane Hawkins who was her aunt even though she was only 
two years her senior.
In April of 1874 Anna returned to Pittsburg due to a
family emergency which is not known. She returned to 
Indiana the following September. She again was called 
back to Pittsburg in December during which time her dear 
friend, India, had died of typhoid fever. 
iii.	CHARLES W. MILLIGAN, b. January 16, 1857, 
Swissvale Allegheny Co., PA.

CONTRIBUTED BY: Diane Hitchcock-Owens