DUANE
Duane's take
Here's my telling of what the official marker says about William Templeton Millican, right here in Brazos County. Now, some families just pass through history. And then there are families like the Millicans — the kind that leave their name on the map and their bones in the ground.
William T. Millican was born in South Carolina about 1780. He came to Texas in 1821, not alone, but with his parents and siblings, the whole family making that journey together.
They joined Stephen F. Austin's first colony — those original settlers who'd come to be known as the Old Three Hundred — and they were granted land right here in this area to make their home. A community grew up around that land, and it became known as Millican.
W. T. Millican's own property was granted in 1824.
By the 1826 census, he was listed as a farmer and stock raiser. A man putting down roots. A man building something.
But Texas in those years was never entirely still. Just before the outbreak of the Texas Revolution, Millican served as a delegate to the consultation at San Felipe in 1835 — that gathering that endorsed the establishment of a provisional government for the colonists. He was there.
He was part of it. And then came 1836, and the ground shifted under everybody's feet. News spread of Sam Houston's retreat eastward from Mexican general Santa Anna, and the Millican family did what thousands of families did — they fled.
The Runaway Scrape, they called it, and that name tells you everything about the fear and the haste and the chaos of those weeks on the road. The family ran for their lives. Millican's father, Robert Hemphill Millican, did not survive that flight.
He died during the Runaway Scrape. That is a weight no family forgets. By the time the rest of them reached Liberty, word came that victory had been won at San Jacinto.
They turned around and came home. From April until July of 1836, W. T.
Millican served in the Republic of Texas army, guardin' the frontier. For that service, Sam Houston awarded him land at this very site — posthumously, after Millican's death. During the years of the Republic, he served his community in several capacities.
Justice of the Peace. Member of the committee appointed to select a county seat for Brazos County — first called Navasota County — when it was established in 1841. A man still building, still serving, right up to the end.
He died two years after that and was buried in the Weaver Cemetery in Millican. He came with his family in 1821. He outlasted revolution, exile, and grief.
And the town still carries his name. That's not a bad legacy for a farmer and stock raiser from South Carolina.
What the marker says
Old Three Hundred Colonist William T. Millican was born in South Carolina about 1780 and came to Texas with his parents and siblings in 1821. They joined Stephen F. Austin's first colony and were granted land in this area on which to make their home. The community that grew up around their land became known as Millican. W. T. Millican's property was granted in 1824, and in the 1826 census he was listed as a farmer and stock raiser. Just prior to the outbreak of the Texas Revolution, he served as a delegate to the consultation at San Felipe in 1835, which endorsed the establishment of a provisional government for the colonists. The Millican family fled their home in 1836 as part of the Runaway Scrape, as news spread of Sam Houston's retreat eastward from Mexican general Santa Anna. Millican's father, Robert Hemphill Millican, died during the flight. By the time the rest of the family reached Liberty, victory had been won at San Jacinto and they returned to their home. From April until July 1836, W. T. Millican served in the Republic Of Texas army to guard the frontier and posthumously was awarded land at this site from Sam Houston for his service. During the years of the Republic, Millican served as a public official in several capacities, including Justice of the Peace and a member of the committee appointed to select a county seat for Brazos County (first called Navasota County) upon its establishment in 1841. He died two years later and was buried in the Weaver Cemetery in Millican. (2002)