#Unknown and Rachel (Wilcoxson) Mylar
The last name could have been spelled Milar or Mylar. There was a Mylar in Pennsylvania in 1700 development of Kentucky. One story is that he worked on the “Wilderness Trail” which ran from South Carolina to Kentucky. At a later date it is believed he was, also, a good friend of William Briant.
Unknown Mylar married Rachel Wilcoxson about 1781 in Virginia near Fort Boonesborough. Rachel was the daughter of John Wilcoxson and Sarah Boone. The couple moved from Virginia to South Carolina, where their first son James was born about 1782. Unknown Mylar died in Kentucky during an attack by Indians in 1789. Rachel (Wilcoxson) Mylar’s second marriage was to William Briant in 1790 in Kentucky. The courthouse in Fayette County burned in 1803 and all records were lost. The Bryant’s first born child was in 1791.
Let’s see how other authors viewed the events.
The Boone Family by Hazel Spraker Page 65) William Briant led a group to Kentucky in 1779. “It is quite possible that in the party of kindred were William Bryant and his wife Rachel Wilcoxson”. Quite possible means that I do not know. Rachel and William’s first child was born in 1791. If the above was true why or how would they wait eleven years to have their first child in 1791 and then eight in twelve years? Page 107) “Rachel Wilcoxson married William Bryant who was born 1739 in Wales”. But in William’s application for a pension he stated on June 25, 1833, his age was seventy-nine. “I was born in Orange County, North Carolina, in 1754”. Page 108) “William Bryant was a captain in the Revolutionary War under Colonel Todd and Boone”. William stated that he was in the service in February 1780 for eight months as a private under Captain Enoch Enochs. In January 1781, he was in the service as a private under Captain Hemphill and Captain John Dial. William was still a private in the military when he was sent to New York in the winter of 1782 just before his discharge.
Missouri Historical Review, vol 3, p 46, October 1908 – July 1909 William Bryant had returned to Kentucky at the close of the Revolutionary War. “During these early times he took part in several engagements with the Indians, holding the rank of Captain under the command of Colonel Todd and Boone”. William was a Captain after the Revolutionary War when fighting Indians in the State Militia. William Bryant could not read or even write his name.
The same material word for word that is in the Spraker book can be found in the book Boone’s by Sarah Rochenfield on pages 359, 361, and Wilcoxson and Allied Families by Dorothy Wulfack on pages 24, 25, 26. None took the time to check for possible errors, but repeated hearsay information. The dates have been reevaluated on the birth of Rachel Wilcoxson to 1762 and the birth of her son James to be 1782. In the 1700’s a taxable person was a white male sixteen years or older. James was on the Kentucky tax rolls in 1799 and 1800. He would have been eighteen in 1800 and twenty-four when he married in 1806.
Unknown Mylar and Rachel Wilcoxson had two known children. James Mylar, their first child, was born in South Carolina in about 1782. In about 1784 the Mylar family moved to Fayette County, Kentucky. Rachel Milar/Mylar, their daughter, was born in Kentucky about 1789. Rachel Milar/Mylar married Stephen Jett on February 24, 1806, and James Mylar married Henrietta Jett on October 2, 1806. Both marriages were in Madison County, Kentucky. Henrietta Jett was born in Virginia (later Kentucky) and was the daughter of Isaac Israel Jett and Mary Letcher.
The Unknown Mylar, while in the wilderness in about 1789, was killed during an attack by Indians. A year later his wife Rachel married William Briant in 1790. In the books and articles of Ed Bates, Wilcoxson and Allied Families by Dorothy Wulfack, Norma Nyberg of Missouri, and “Boone’s Sierra Echoes” all list the probable children of William Bryant. The names of the children were compiled by descendant one hundred years after William’s death. Some children are listed in the will of William Bryant. Another source was John Ellis, when he was trying to settle the estate. Only three of the children have known birthdays. There is no way to prove or disprove the rest of the children of Rachel and William Bryant. I am placing a letter in the appendix, it is on page 103, from J Samuel Smart of New York who is related to R&W Bryant. He believes that the children George, William, and Elizabeth are niece and nephews of William Bryant, not his children. Rachel is established as a Wilcoxson related to the Boone family. Her second marriage was to William Bryant. The enclosed marriage consent document shows Rachel Bryant to be the mother of Rachel Mylar. This confirms that Rachel had a first marriage to a Mylar before that of William Bryant in 1790.
Lydia (Neal) Mylar, in about 1906, decided to write down her story of the Mylar family. Near the beginning she states, “The Mylar family was related to Daniel Boone by marriage”. A quote from Some of Her Life Experiences by Dr. Owens-Adair on page 213. “Mrs. Rachel (Mylar) Kindred was born in Kentucky in 1822, and is the great-grand niece of the celebrated Daniel Boone”. Rachel is the daughter of James and Henrietta Mylar. In order to be a great-grand niece of Daniel Boone the relationship would be as follows. Sister Daniel Boone Brother Sarah Boone (M) John Wilcoxson Niece Rachel Wilcoxson (M) Unknown Mylar Grand Nephew James Mylar (M) Henrietta Jett Great-Grand Niece Rachel Mylar (M) B Kindred
Copy of the marriage consent document for Rachel Milar/Mylar to marry Stephen Jett was found in Madison County, Kentucky. Rachel Milar/Mylar is the daughter of Rachel (Wilcoxson, Mylar) Briant . In the above the (I) is crossed out and (we) was inserted meaning that more than one person is giving permission. The marriage consent in 1806 for Rachel Milar/Mylar and Stephen Jett to marry was given by her mother, Rachel (Wilcoxson, Mylar) Briant and stepfather William Briant. James Mylar, brother of Rachel Milar/Mylar, signed as a witness to the marriage consent in Madison County, Kentucky in 1806. Neither Rachel nor William Briant could write their names then who signed their names. At the bottom of the above document “Sworn to” is a verbal promise of approval. The signatures are written by James Milan, the minister, taking the verbal statement and seem to be the person that wrote the whole consent form except for James Mylar and James Ryley. James Milan changed the Y’s to I’s in the spelling of Milar and Briant. In the book Early Kentucky Marriages, by Annie Bell, she states the marriage of “Stephen Jett to Rachel Miller was February 24, 1806, her father was James Miller” Marriage Consent Form
Annie Bell in her book made a number of errors that are now being passed on for others to repeat the same mistakes.
- The first mistake was to change the spelling of the names from that which appeared on the marriage consent document. The name Rachel Milar/Mylar and James Mylar were changed to read MILLER.
- With the name change the author could make James Miller the father of Rachel Miller. In reality James and Rachel are brother and sister.
- Rachel Milar/Mylar married Stephen Jett in February 1806, and her brother James Mylar married Henrietta Jett in October 1806. Therefore James Mylar could not be the father of Rachel Milar/Mylar.
- James Mylar and James Ryley signed under the heading (Teste). They were the witnesses to the marriage document.
- Looking at the document the word “I” is marked out and the word “we” is inserted. This means that more than one person gave their permission for the marriage. A. The only persons who could consent to the marriage were Rachel’s mother Rachel (Wilcoxson, Mylar) Bryant and stepfather William Bryant.