Other than the fact that William was a resident of Madison Co., Kentucky near the Village of Paint Lick, the most knowledge we have of him comes from the interview that Lyman Copeland Draper conducted when William was in his late-eighties.  The interview, no doubt was a result of his being one of the few remaining pioneers to the area.  William, by the interview, came with his father and mother to William Miller's Station on Paint Lick Creek when he was eight years of age.  He witnessed and/or was told, or listened to many early accounts of troubles on the frontier and the Wilderness Road.  In some instances, his recall is in error by historical fact.  Notes at the end of the Interview will apprise the reader of the facts.

     The following is a transcript of the interview done by Lyndon Irwin of Bois d'Arc, Missouri.  My thanks to him for making me aware of the document and his subsequent assistance.
This recorder has compared the transcript with the micro-filmed copy of the original and finds the transcript to be accurate in most instances.  (DM 18C)

     From William Champ born near the head of the North Fork of Roanoke, Botetourt County, Va. July 27th, 1776 - was taken to Miller's Station, on Paint Lick Creek, Oct. 4th, 1784.  His father and others came through the wilderness together - some 25 young men, mounted, served as guard and pioneers - would go ahead towards night and select a proper camp, with water convenient.  They camped on the south bank of Laurel River - the families arriving there after dark - had gone farther than usual as they could not find water.  At their camp discover the dead body and other mangled carcasses of McNitt and Ford's defeat, which occurred at that place eight days before - hence about Sept. 22 - as Mr. Champ supposes it took about four days to thence to Miller's Station.  Thirty odd persons were killed at that time - was called the big defeater camp.  All that night, the Champ party were camped there, their dogs fought the wolves who were seeking the carcasses of the unfortunate slain.  Polly Ford, so long with the Indians, was a daughter of Ford's - she once came to Kentucky, but did not like living with whites and soon returned to her Indian husband.
     Capt. Whitley raised around Crab Orchard and one from Miller's Station - Andw. Miller, a half brother of my informant - some 25 men, went and buried the dead - and then took the trail of the Indians.  Whitley well concluded that as the Indians got a very large amount of plunder, they would make slow progress in their retreat.  When Whitley and Party reached within a few miles of the Forks of Kentucky, where the old Indian trail crossed, he called a council of his men, and said it would be useless to pursue farther on the direct road, but proposed to make a dash and leave the trail and take a circuit and strike the forks of Kentucky at the crossing - making their best speed - all being mounted - they might possibly get to the ford before the Indians, in which case they could stand a fair chance of taking them unaware and defeating them.  They all agreed to Whitley's plans and at once put it into execution.  When reaching the ford, no fresh sign was discovered and glancing back towards Laurel, the unconscious Indians were discovered slowly winding down the hill with their long line of pack horses - both parties being on the South side of Kentucky.  Whitley and his men quickly attacked them.  Whitley and Andw. Miller shot the same Indian - the balls of both taking effect.  (Tom) Kennedy, of Miller's Station - famous for wrestling and fisticuffs - having shot off his gun, threw it down empty, and made at an Indian near him, who with others was turning the pack horses, and endeavoring to get them to retrace their steps and as he jumped at the Indian and the latter saw a conflict unavoidable raised his hands, exclaiming "Ken-naw-la" - perhaps an expression of surrender - Kennedy only saying "I'll give you Ken-naw-la," and as they clinched, Kennedy could manage to throw him, but the Indian would squirm over and couldn't be kept down, and as they were on the side of the river bluff, they ultimately rolled down clinched, and as good luck would have it, at the bottom they rolled and lodged against a log, and Kennedy on top - when he resorted to new tactics, by quickly thrusting a thumb in to each of the Indian's eyes, and thus succeeding in holding him while the Indian was endeavoring to draw his tomahawk from his belt and use it on Kennedy's head - when Nathan Ferris ran up and dispatched the Indian and relieved Kennedy in his heinous (hideous) situation.  Ferris came from Holston River.
     Whitley's party got three scalps - Indians dodged into the cave, and it was not regarded as safe to pursue them there: Recovered thirty three horses heavily loaded with the plunder from the (--?--) Camp, and brought it all in.  As Whitley and his victorious party approached near to Miller's Station, they fired a feu de jore, when the women in the fort alarmed, supposing Indians were coming ran helter-skelter hunting up their children, to see that they were all inside the gates and picketing.  They rejoiced in their ludicrous mistake - and Whitley's party went into Whitley's Station - advertised the recovered horses and plunder - all was claimed by survivors of the defeated party, except three horses with their packs, which were eventually sold and the proceeds divided among the captors.
     Edward Stevenson settled in Kentucky in 1785 - and about 1787, settled out, locating on the waters of Meadow Fork of Paint Lick Creek.  His daughter Patsy, a young woman grown, in August, 1791, at dusk of evening baking bread for a party of persons expected to pass through the wilderness, sent her sister Jenny out at the yard fence to get some hickory bark, of which a pile had been gathered there, and having got some of the bark, she felt her head strike against something, and looking around discovered it was the muzzle of an Indian's gun, with several others protruding through the fence, when dropping her load, she ran for the house exclaiming "there's a whole yard full of Indians."  Her sister Sally, came to the door to see about the alarm and was shot through the body, though in her confusion did not then know it - she barred the door and then discovered by the dripping blood that she was wounded.  Mr. Stevenson was at home and ready for the Indians - they soon decamped.  A silk handkerchief was drawn through Sally's wound, and she soon recovered - though shot completely through the body.
     Attack on Stevenson's, Aug., 1792.  Just a year after Sally Stevenson was wounded, early one morning in August, Andrew Stevenson, a lad of some eight years. With a younger brother, came home from their neighbor, Mr. Robinson's where they had accompanied some of the Robinson boys from school and stayed all night.  As the family was not yet up, the boys whopped and yelled around in sport, when at length their sister Patsy got up and unbarred the door to let the boys in - when several Indians rushed up so suddenly that none discovered them until they had possession of the door.  Stevenson and a young man named Bonham jumped out of bed.  Bonham was instantly shot and fell back dead upon the bed as he was in the act of putting on his pantaloons.  Mrs. Stevenson was shot while yet in bed, probably mistaken for a man - the ball entering below the knee and (--?--) up breaking the thigh bone half way up her body.  She never recovered, except to crawl about and lived only a few years and the ball went through her arm without breaking the bone.
     One of the Indians, who proved to be Captain Blue Skin, a Shawnee, and the leader of this party, rushed into the room, with a large knife nine or ten inches long, with a heavy buck-horn handle, in one hand, a large war club in the other - made a dash at Stevenson, who as he jumped from bed, without stopping for his clothes, aimed for his cutlass sword which was hanging up - but the Indian seized him before he could get it and commenced using his knife freely, cutting and slashing and stabbing and making the blood fly endeavoring to wield his war club, the handle had become slippery with the blood spiriting from Stevenson's wounds, it flew from his grasp and flew completely under one of the beds and no more figured in the contest.  Attempting to seize the formidable knife by the blade, Stevenson got both his hands completely scraped of flesh - the handle of the knife having a natural knob on the end, enabled its possessor easily to hold on his grasp.
     The other three or four Indians were intervening this unequal and exciting contest grinning and laughing - when Patsy who, for the moment, for this was all the work of a moment - stood behind the door, now suddenly shut the door with such force as to knock the Indians out and some of them upon their backs on the ground - the next instant she had the door barred. Remembering her father's butcher knife was in its scabbard hanging up with his gun and shot pouch and powder horn on hooks on the wall, ran and got it, and commenced stabbing the Indian -giving him half a dozen stabs, but each time striking his breast bone, and the last time with such force as to break the blade.  As she turned away, Captain Blue Skin made a stab at her.  This Indian and his antagonist at that moment grasped and floundering about the room and completely severed a big toe from one of her feet, which bounced away.
     Mr. Stevenson now weak, with a portion of his entrails protruding from his wounds, called to his little son Andrew to get his gun and shoot the Indian, saying if the Indian should succeed in killing him, he would then soon kill them all.  Andrew seized the first gun he came at, which proved to be a double-triggered gun, of which he had no knowledge of the management, and cocked it without setting the trigger, and aimed to shoot the Indian, but it would not go off and so exclaimed to his father, who told him to pull harder on the trigger.  He did so and broke both triggers.  Then Mr. Stevenson mistrusted the matter, said to Andrew to throw it down, and get another - all were loaded for use at a moment's warning - and got his hunting gun, with a half ounce ball.  Mr. S. now kept urging Andrew to shoot and the Indian probably seeing how matters stood made desperate efforts to dispatch his antagonist and keep on the alert meanwhile - so Andrew placed the muzzle to the pit of the Indian's stomach and fired - the Indian rolled over, and gave a single long groan and all was over with him.  The Indians outside had been endeavoring to break in the heavy (--?--) door, now hearing this groan, made off.
     The Indians previous to attacking Stevenson's house had gathered up in that region quite a drove of horses.
     Jenny Stevenson, sleeping in the loft of the house, and while the Indians at the commencement of the affair were at the front door, jumped out of an upper window, her petticoat caught on a fence stake, which threw her head downwards and broke the straps of her garment, and she ran off in her undress; perhaps a hundred yards off at the spring was a lame Indian, who intercepted the fleeing girl and made off with her.  Her brother William, who seems not to have been at home during this attack, served on Wayne's campaign of 1794 & 1795, and at the treaty got his sister - she was married to a French trader in Detroit who (-----ed) her out in gaudy dresses.  It was very likely a marriage of necessity or convenience.  After her return home, she married Mr. Turbing and they left the country.  Patsy never married in Madison.  Sally married Edmund Terrill, a young man, moved away and raised a large family of children.  Don't know what became of Andrew.  The killing of Mr. Stevenson and crippling and short life of Mrs. Stephenson, scattered the family.
     Dr. Reuben Smith, a physician from of the eastern states, attended Stevenson, cut off a plate full of caul fat and cleansed his entrails and got them in again as well as he could and said the man could not live.  He survived till the next morning.  Dr. Smith attended to families professionally at twenty five cents a year for each person, taking his pay in the produce of the country.  Thus many subscribed for his services, and was faithful and got a fair living.  He resided in Madison Co., and died a few years after of consumption.
     Before noon of the day of the attack, fifteen men gathered, my informant one of them - Col. Edmund Terrill, an old Revolutionary Va. Colonel who served in Washington's army, was among them, and proposed to go and reconnoiter and scout - ten volunteered, Champ among them, then 16 years of age, all mounted - soon found the trail and followed till a heavy storm obliterated all traces of the route of the fugitives and had to abandon the pursuit that afternoon, leaving the Indians to retire with their prisoner and horses.
     With a pony and rope, the dead Indian was dragged off some distance and left - after which a young Harris (not Nathan) cut a piece of skin from the Indian's back for a razor strap.
     Col. Whitley, about 1790 - not certain as to date - perhaps later - with a party chased two Indians who had stolen a couple of fine mares - some snow on the ground and thus could track them - found them at their camp, and attacked them near day light, killing one, and recovering the horses - when the other Indian broke off on foot.  Whitley and men pursued him as soon as it was light enough to track him - and followed him nearly all day, until he became too weary, that he dodged into a briar thicket - from which he was soon driven out and killed.
     Of Col. Whitley, can give no other details - speaks of his killing an Indian over the (--?--) in 1813, swimming his horse over and getting the scalp - and having one or two other scalps (which later is doubtful).  Always loved to fight Indians.
     Col. Daniel Boone, 1795-'96 - Mr. Champ saw Boone but once.  Champ was sent by his father with a stock of cattle to winter high up on Licking - and went during the winter with others on a hunt up Sandy.  This was after Wayne's treaty - while Indians still lurked somewhat in the frontiers - and was before my informant's father's death, in 1799 - and before  Boone migrated to Missouri.  He met Col. Boone on head waters of Sandy - he had with him, his wife, two sons, two married daughters with their husbands.  They had half faced camps - ate their meals form common tough tray very much like a tap trough, placed on a bench instead of a table, each using as needed a butcher knife to cut the meat, using forks, made of cane, with tines or prongs - and having only bread to eat with the meat.
     It was a hunting camp - a great number of bears had been killed, and the skins were curing, and the meat hung up drying all around the camp.  Col. Boone said he decided to take the meat down Sandy by water, and up the Ohio and Kanawha salt works for market.  He said he thought he ad killed, as he expressed it, "the master bear of the Western country" - he was a monster for size - two feet across the hip bones, but was very aged and poor - if in good condition, he would have weighed five or six hundred pounds.
     As Champ was out wintering stock the next winter, and went hunting at the very head of Sandy, Licking and Kentucky and there heard Indians yell and he and his party of hunters pursued, but Indians scattered and disappeared in the cover.  I should think very likely it was the winter after Wayne's Treaty he met Boone: See Col. Nathan Boone's notes and Col. Thomas Rogers' letter, (etc.).
     Joe Scott - can only tell of him, that he was a witty and odd Irishman, who went scouting - lived at Miller's Station.
     John Champ - he was a cousin of my informant's father - don't know what became of him - and no knowledge of his settling in Ky. - certainly not in Madison region. Can tell nothing new of him. 
     No knowledge of an Indian being killed in a bed by a woman, as represented by Capt. C. Wood.  Nor about the wounded Indian in a cave trying to stab a soldier as represented by Peyton.
     Gen. Green Clay went out on Logan's campaign in 1786 - and behaved well.
     Boone's Gap is in the dividing ridge between Rockcastle River, Paint Lick and Silver Creeks -here Boone's old trace passes.
     Col. William Miller - thinks he was a native of Virginia - lived early on Reedy Creek of Holston - and was out on some early Indian Campaigns, but couldn't tell what ones.  Has no knowledge of Miller's drawing a pension.  At Estill's defeat thinks Miller not blamable.  Estill sent him with six men to flank the Indians and the Indians killed two of his men in the first fire and broke the cock of his gun with a bullet, so it was useless.  There was a thick cane-break and could not see how many nor where the Indians were and Miller and the survivors thought it foolhardy to remain and be shot down and so left.  Col. Miller was called a brave man.  He was not out on any expeditions after Mr. Champ came to this country, except scouting near home.  (Yelverton Peyton said Miller was as brave as any man, but that even the bravest sometimes falters.)
     Col. Wm. Irving was shot through the lights(?) At Estill's defeat and always after had a weak effeminate voice.  (Here Draper inserts the word effeminate between the words weak and voice as if an afterthought. Shot through may mean the lungs or throat in this instance, otherwise?)
     Logan's Campaign, 1786.  Col. Thomas Kennedy jumped and ran to the Indian, by his luck, who shot Capt. Irvine and others, and tomahawked him - the Indian had powder already in his hand for another load, and "his mouth full of balls" - so he would pour in the powder, and drop in the bullet from his mouth, and shake down the load, which would frequently pack itself, and ready to shoot again. 
     Wm. Champ was often out scouting during the period 1792-95, but in no Indian fight.  He is fully six feet in height - with a large bony frame - quite vigorous for his age, A Reformed Presbyterian.
     Col. Thos. Kennedy lived at Miller's Station in early times - was brave and reckless - loved horses - left a large estate, which his children mostly squandered.  Sept. 11, 1863.

NOTES:
 

!.     William's father, William Champ, Sr., was at Paint Lick in November of 1785 as his name appears on a petition to the General Assembly of Virginia for the resulting creation of Mercer and Madison Counties in 1786.  Therefore, William Champ, Jr.'s account of the family's arrival in then Lincoln County is correct.  James Rood Robertson, (Louisville, 1914), Petitions of the Early Inhabitants of Kentucky to the General Assembly of Virginia, p. 84 Petition No. 27, p. 185 name index.

2.     By other historical accounts, Mr. Champ is in error as to when the McNitt-Ford Defeat occurred.  Draper, by calendar date deductions, supposes that by Champ's description, his party arrived on the south bank of the Laurel River about September 30, 1784, and that the massacre occurred some eight days prior, September 22, 1784.  October 3, 1786 is the date most consistently given for the McNitt Defeat and on the south bank of the Little Laurel River.  Robert L. Kincaid, (Middlesboro, KY. 1966, 3rd Edition), p. 177, references Bayless Hardin, ed., "Whitley Papers" published in The Register of Kentucky State Historical Society, Vol. 36, No. 116, July 1938, pp. 190-209.  Charles G. Talbert, William Whitley 1749-1813, published in, Early Lincoln County History, compiled and edited by Mrs. M. H. Dunn, 4th printing, February 1975, p. 51.  Thomas D. Clark, ed., The Voice of the Frontier, John Bradford's Notes on Kentucky, referencing J. J. Dickey, "McNitt's Defeat", in Russell Dyche, History of Laurel County, pp. 17-18, gives night of October 1, 1786 for raid upon the McNitt party.

3.       A legend persists that Polly did return and stay with her people (the whites); that she married a John Pruitt and had a family, that it was said she also had an Indian child, a girl.  Madison County records report a marriage bond for a John Pruett and Polly Ford for 10 September 1805.   This would be about 19 years after the capture.  Her return was not before the death of her father, Peter Ford in 1801.  Peter left his daughter 50 acres, should she ever return from captivity. The census records of Madison County lists a John Prewitt/Pruitt/Pruett from 1810 through 1830.  By 1840, John is apparently deceased as Polly (Ford) Prewitt is listed as head of household, being between 50 and 60 years of age.  Polly would have been but a child of about 8 years of age when captured.  So, it would stand to reason that her Indian ways would tend to dominate her life style and would add credence to her return to her Indian husband as reported by Champ.  Yet, there is evidence that Polly did return and stay. Some of the facts do contradict the above statements.  Her child was actually a son, not a daughter as reported, of the Miami War Chief "Little Turtle", and was called by the whites, "Indian Jack".  After Polly married John Pruett/Prewitt, Indian Jack was adopted and renamed John Ford Prewitt.  He married Milly Green in Garrard County on 11 March 1823.  They had one child, Elizabeth whose marriage to Sidney Warmouth has produced many descendants, some in present Madison County.  John Ford "Indian Jack" Prewitt, walked away from home one day and is lost to history to this day. "Polly's Story" is an interesting one, but time and space does not permit its inclusion in this publication.  Work will be done to add her story in the next publication of Heritage Highlights. (These notes are as appeared in the Madison County Historical Society's Heritage Highlights publication Vol. 3, No. 2 Winter 1999.)  Forrest Calico, History of Garrard County and Its Churches, 1947, pp. 196-197.  Bill and Kathy Vockery, Madison County Kentucky Marriage Records Vol. I  1786 - 1822, 1993. Anna Joy (Munday) Hubble, Madison County Kentucky Census Records, 1810-1840.  Bill and Kathy Vockery, Garrard Co., Kentucky Marriage Records 1797-1853, 1989.  Michael A. Leaverton, Prewitt, Pruitt, Pruet, etc. - a Miami name, published in Indian by Blood II by Richard Pangburn, 1996.  Jim McNitt, James McNitt & Kentucky's Worst Indian Massacre, excerpts from the original by V. V. McNitt, 1951.

4.     It is established that Hannah is the mother of William Champ, Jr. and Andrew Miller. As William Champ, Jr. is but an eight year old lad at the time of his arrival in Kentucky, it is apparent that his half-brother is somewhat older to have been included in Whitley's pursuit party.  Champ established his birth place as  near the head of the North Fork of the Roanoke River in Botetourt County, Virginia in 1776.  At a Court held in Botetourt County on May 10, 1774, by the abstracts of Summers in his Annals of Southwest Virginia, page 124, a guardianship is set up for a William and Andrew Miller, orphans of David Miller.  In the succeeding paragraph, it is ordered that Laird Robinson, John Robinson, and Samuel Robinson do lay off and Alott to Hannah Bryd (index says Byrd) late widow of Laird Miller (this may be an error in a duplication of the name Laird), decd., her dower in two tracts of land of the said dec'd estate lying on the North Fork of Roan Oak.... ....The location of the Miller estate and the birth place of William Champ, Jr. is close enough, in this recorder's belief, to rule out a coincidence. It is likely also that a check of the original Court Record will reveal a David Miller as Hannah's dec'd. husband.  William Champ, Sr. last paid tax in Garrard County in 1799, his wife, Hannah is listed on the Tax List afterwards as a widow.  William Champ, Sr.'s death was in the same year that he last paid taxes; his son relates to his death in the Boone segment of this Interview.  Harold J. Kurtz, 1797 and 1799 Tax List of Garrard County Kentucky, 1990 and 1800 - 1802 Taxpayers of Garrard County, Kentucky, 1997.

5.     By William Whitley's own words on the McNitt Defeat, "I was in Virginia, and they (the Indians) were not followed."  Mrs. M. H. Dunn, Early Lincoln County History, p. 51,
 Charles Talbert, William Whitley 1749-1813.

6.     This entire account may be of fact, but not for the Defeated Camp of McNitt.  Numerous massacres occurred on the Wilderness Road during 1784.  The McClure attack occurred on Scagg's Creek in October of 1784.  Whitley and others followed up on this occasion and rescued Mrs. McClure.  This is not likely the incident that Champ relates to.  A few weeks later, south of Raccoon Spring, south of Laurel River was the attack on the Moore party.  Whitley followed up and recovered 28 stolen horses, goods, cash, and eight scalps of the murdered party.  No captives were found.  Considering the years elapsed and the age of Champ at the interview with Draper, it is highly probable that the stories heard and told over the years became mingled into one.  Champ was noted for his stories about the Indians.  In the family records of  Guy Boatright, he mentions that his mother used to relate to his (Champ's) Indian stories he told her.  Robert L. Kincaid, TheWilderness Road, accounts of McClure's and Moore's Defeats. Guy Boatright, Family Notes, 1950. Van Every, Men of the Western Waters, 1956, p. 220 Appendix, 1784 Summer - 100 listed killed on Wilderness Road. 

7.     Meadow Fork is probably meant Walnut Meadow Fork, but likely different from when Stephenson/Stevenson settled.  Today's Walnut Meadow, and how it is located on the 1876 Beers map, is an eastern tributary of Paint Lick Creek with its head waters near the present city of Berea.  Mr. Calico, in his History of Garrard County and its Churches, supposes that in the beginning, the Walnut Meadow Branch began somewhat north of where it now joins Paint Lick Creek, and at the forks of present day White Lick and Paint Lick Creeks, thus taking the course of the current main Paint Lick Fork that serves as the eastern boundary line of Madison and Garrard Counties; that the White Lick Creek from the forks of Kennedy's Branch (current Walker's Branch)was once the main fork of Paint Lick. So, pinpointing Stevenson's settlement would require more research than this recorder will attempt. Sadie Ralston Kuhlman, Family Notes, places Stevenson's Station at or near Gum Spring, which is on the Garrard County side of Paint Lick Creek adjacent to State Highway 21 which parallels Paint Lick Creek and is somewhat south and west of Bell's Spring.

8.     This recorder does not pretend to know the significance of the silk handkerchief and the wound treatment unless the absorption power of silk aids in some way the cleansing of the wound.  Silk's "weight can be increased as much as 30% in moisture." I can report that the 18th century layman practitioner was in many ways a better doctor than the learned physician.  Rick Brainard's segment on the Internet, History--The 18th Century, sourcing Daniel Boorstien, The American: The Colonial Experience, pp. 209-210 3 Vols. New York: Vantage Press, 1958. Encyclopaedia Britannica, Vol. 20, Silk p. 668, 1961. Further knowledge of the silk handkerchief treatment and its availability on the frontier would be interesting.
 

     Upon first examination of historical facts regarding this attack, it was felt that Champ again had  been confused as to the time of this encounter.  In September of 1790 the appraisal of the estate of an Elizabeth Stephenson , decd. was ordered, followed by the return of the Inventory and appraisement of the estate of Edward [Elizabeth] Stephenson in February 1791 made it  apparent that it was not the same Stephenson family that fell victim to the Indian attack.  The Edward Stephenson who died as a result of the attack made a nuncupative (oral) Will which was proved on 2 October 1792. The will allowed for his wife to keep the estate to raise the children which agrees with Champ that she lingered for a few years before dying. Additionally, in a newspaper account in Frederick County, Virginia, October 1, 1792, Winchester, " a traveler who passed thru this town on Friday informs that the Indians about 5 weeks ago killed a Mr. Stevenson and family not far from Madison Ct. House, Kentucky." There is more than one report on the Stephenson Attack which confirms the time of occurrence. Jackie Couture, MadisonCounty, Kentucky, Court Order Book A, 1787 - 1791, 1996. Micro-filmed copy of Madison  County Kentucky Book of Wills, Appraisements, Inventories (Vol. A), p. 44, Townsend Room, Eastern Kentucky University Library, Richmond, Kentucky.   Jackie Couture, valued assistance to references at the Eastern Kentucky University Library's Townsend Room, Richmond, Kentucky.

10.     Jenny Stevenson married Moses Turpin, 22 April, 1800. Madison County KentuckyMarriage Records Vol. I, 1786 - 1822, Compiled by Bill and Kathy Vockery, 1993.

11.     Joseph Scott's survey covered a great portion of the area from William Miller's Paint Lick Station survey stretching to and including the Kirksville Road (Hwy 595 off Hwy 52) intersection. Fred L. Simpson,  Back of the Cane, Early Virginia Surveys in Today's Garrard County, Kentucky, 1992 (Plotted Map - Some surveys are on both sides of the present Garrard and Madison County border). 

13.     William Miller left no male heirs, four of five daughters lived to adulthood and married.  Other than his settlement at Paint Lick, little is known of him except his marriage to Nancy Yancy, a supposed biography (mostly fiction) penned by Anna Burnside Brown in  first person, and William Harris Caperton's account of Estill's Defeat where he says, "It is, however, disgraceful to relate that, at the very onset of the action, Lieut. Miller, of Capt. Estill's party, with six men under his command, ‘ ingloriously fled' from the field, thereby placing in jeopardy the whole of their comrades, and causing the death of many brave soldiers."  It might be said that Caperton lost kin in this battle.  Additionally, Richard Collins, History of Kentucky, Vol. II, pp. 634-637, Battle of "Little Mountain, or Estill's Defeat", reports that..."7 were left dead upon the field; 11 came back to Estill's station, and were ever after held in high honor; and 7 returned to dishonor"-- (strange that 7 returned when Miller reports that 2 of his 6 men were killed at the first fire?).  David Cook, Estill's Ensign, who was ordered to take Miller's abandoned position, is said to have watched for Miller to come to Richmond for over twenty years, "swearing he would kill him on sight, but Miller prudently kept away."  (Richmond did not exist until about 1798, so if Cook looked for Miller for over twenty years it must have included the 16 years from the end of the Defeat up to the founding of Richmond.  Perhaps Miller stayed away from the county seat of Milford during the time also).  Lancaster Women's Club, Patches of Garrard County 1976 - 1974, 1974. The Register of the Kentucky State Historical Society, October, 1945, Vol. 43 No. 145, Colonel William H. Caperton, Estill's Defeat, pp. 333-335.  Although there is no proof of a relationship of Champ to William Miller, it is possible as Champ's mother had been married to a Miller, and the Champ Party's destination, from the beginning, seems to have been Miller's Station.  It is also possible that Champ's half-brother Andrew Miller may have already been at Miller's Fort before the arrival of the Champ Party.  This recorder suggests that William Miller may have been an uncle to Andrew.

14.  Col. Thomas Kennedy is  an interesting study separate of this report.  As to his estate, only his son, Thomas, Jr. is believed to have squandered his portion of the estate, which was the larger part.  It only took him four years to do so as he only survived his father by the same period of time.