Processed by
Kathryn Wilmot
July 2007
Manuscript and Visual Collections Department
William Henry Smith Memorial Library
Indiana Historical Society
450 West Ohio Street
Indianapolis, IN 46202-3269
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VOLUME OF |
2 folders |
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COLLECTION |
1857–1889 |
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PROVENANCE: |
C. Wesley Cowan, Terrace Park, Ohio, July 2000 |
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RESTRICTIONS: |
None |
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COPYRIGHT: |
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REPRODUCTION |
Permission to reproduce or publish material in this collection must be obtained from the Indiana Historical Society. |
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ALTERNATE |
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RELATED |
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ACCESSION |
2000.0926 |
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NOTES: |
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Miles B. Briner was born in December 1830 in Ohio, the son of William Oliver, a farmer. Census records indicate Miles’s father was born in Maryland, and his mother was born in Pennsylvania. His mother may have been Elizabeth Briner, born in Pennsylvania ca. 1812. Based upon information in the collection and census data, if Elizabeth Briner was Miles’s mother, she and William Oliver were likely not husband and wife.
The 1850 census for Mississinawa, Darke County, Ohio shows Miles living with Samuel Briner (born in Ohio), Elizabeth Briner, and six other children. The 1850 census for Ross County, Ohio indicates William Oliver was living with Mary Oliver (born in Ohio, ca. 1805) and children named Mary J., Henry H., and William. By 1860, the William Oliver family moved to Empire (or LeRoy), McClean County, Illinois.
Miles remained in Ohio, living in Fort Recovery in Mercer County and in Rose Hill, Darke County. He married a woman named Mahala (likely Mahala Painter, b. ca. 1841 in Ohio), and the 1880 census indicates they had children named Irabell, John A., Mary, William, Alice, Elizabeth, and Rosa. The census indicates Miles was a farmer, although his teaching certificates for both Mercer and Darke counties are in the collection. The couple was still together in Mississinawa in 1910. Miles died on 27 August 1913 and Mahala died on 24 January 1914.
Sources:
Information in the collection
Ancestry Library Edition. Available at: http://www.ancestrylibrary.com
The collection consists of letters addressed to Miles B. Briner by his father William Oliver, his sister Mary J. Oliver Hall, and his brother Henry Harvey Oliver. There are also a few letters from Mahala Painter of Richmond, Indiana, John Stump of Germantown (Illinois or Ohio?), Ettie Smiley of Illinois, and Melville Birney of Illinois. In addition, there are three teaching certificates in Miles’s name.
The letters from Oliver family members provide news of farming, neighbors, weddings, dating, health, religious meetings, and teaching school. Letters from William Oliver express his affection for Miles, confirm Miles is his son, and relay sorrow at their geographical separation. A particularly pointed letter from Mary J. Hall indicates some family tension resulted over a suggestion that Miles would inherit Oliver family property if he changed his name to Oliver. Mary advises him to keep the name of Briner and mind his own business.
Letters from Mahala indicate a potential courtship between herself and Miles. Letters from John Stump reveal a mortgage agreement between him, Miles, and Benjamin Bayless.
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CONTENTS |
CONTAINER |
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Correspondence, 1860–89 |
Folder 1 |
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Miles Briner teaching certificates, 1857–85 |
Folder 2 |
For additional information on this collection, including a list of subject headings that may lead you to related materials:
1. Go to the Indiana Historical Society's online catalog: http://opac.indianahistory.org/
2. Click on the "Basic Search" icon.
3. Select "Call Number" from the "Search In:" box.
4. Search for the collection by its basic call number (in this case, SC 2823).
5. When you find the collection, go to the "Full Record" screen for a list of headings that can be searched for related materials.