"Portrait & Biographical Record of the Willamette Valley Oregon."  Chapman 
Publishing Company, 1903. p. 1444.
 
THOMAS A. MILLIORN

     An unusually active and adventurous life has been that of Thomas A.
Milliorn, now one of the oldest citizens of Junction City, which is built upon a
part of the land which formed his donation claim, taken up in 1853, and where
for many years his activities have been given for the advancement of the welfare
of the city and community. An evidence of the prosperity which has followed the
efforts of Mr. Milliorn since coming to Oregon lies in the property which he has
accumulated, he having built the finest residence in the city, is a stockholder
and director and one of the incorporators of the Farmers & Merchants Bank, owns
twenty acres adjoining the town and one hundred and six included in a farm
located upon the banks of the Willamette, river.
     Mr. Milliorn was born in Campbell county, Va., August 18, 1828, the son of
John, also a native of that state and the grandson of Henry. Henry Milliorn was
born in Pennsylvania and later in life he wended his way toward the southern
states, settling first in Virginia, and in 1833 locating in Philadelphia, Tenn.,
where he died when about ninety-six years old. John Milliorn located with his
father in East Tennessee,. and later located in Philadelphia, thirty miles
.below Knoxville, Tenn. He was a wheelwright by trade and followed this work
until 1843, when he removed to Jackson county, Mo., and located fourteen miles
southwest of Independence in the neighborhood of Hart Grove. That remained his
home for nine years, when he outfitted with ox-teams and crossed the plains to
Oregon, on his arrival locating on a donation claim of three hundred and twenty
acres one mile west of Junction City, Lane county. The last days of his life
were spent in the city which he saw spring into existence in the wilderness,
where he lived retired until his death in March, 1891, lacking but two months of
being eighty-six years old. He was a public-spirited man and never shirked his
duty, serving the public in various ways, among them being county commissioner
of Lane county. He was a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church South. He
married Mary W. Lee, who was born near Lynchburg, Va., in 1811, and who died in
Lane county, Ore., in 1886. She was the daughter of Shelley Lee, also a native
of Virginia, a member of one of the branches of the honored Lee family famous in
the history of the Southern Confederacy. On attaining manhood Shelley Lee
removed to eastern Tennessee, later to Indiana, again to Tennessee, then to
Missouri, and back again to the southern state, where his death occurred at the
advanced age of ninety-nine years, having all his life been engaged in farming. 
     Of the four sons and six daughters born to John and Mary W. Milliorn the
second child and the oldest son was Thomas A. Milliorn, and in the common
schools of Missouri and an academy he received his education. At eighteen years
of age he engaged at the trade of a wheelwright in Kansas City, and built the
wagon in which he, traveled to the mines of California in 1849, oxen being the
mode of conveyance. The journey was accomplished safely, though not without the
harrowing experiences which invariably accompanied the pioneers in their
travels. On arriving in California Mr. Milliorn engaged first in mining and
later conducted a pack train from Colusa to Trinity. This he continued for two
years, and in 1852 he came to Oregon, and located the claim of his father and
built the cabin for him. Following this he became the owner of the claim which
constituted the land upon which Junction City was afterward laid, out. He later
sold ninety acres to Ben Holladay, and much of the remainder was laid out into
town lots, though for some time he engaged in general farmingand stock-raising.
After laying out the first addition of the city he followed this with another,
with C. W. Washburne to help him, now known as the Milliorn & Washburne
Addition. Always public-spirited, as was his father, Mr. Milliorn has done
everything possible to advance the interests of the city, giving both time and
means to its upbuilding. He donated land for the mills and a half of the school
block is the gift of his generosity.  As a Democrat he has served his party in
various offices, among them being school director for one term and notary public
for six years.
     During the Rogue River war Mr. Milliorn was with the quartermaster
department,  hauling supplies to the soldiers in the south. This was continued
for four or five months, and in all this time he never met with any trouble from
the Indians, it having been his happy faculty to mingle with them without having
to fight them. In 1862 he went, in company with his brother-in-law, E. W. Rhea,
to British Columbia with cattle, continuing from May until November, and the
following year, with his brother James, took forty pack animals over the same
road with provisions, a distance of fourteen hundred miles. In 1864-65 he went
with another brother-in-law with a pack train to Boise Basin, Idaho, and in 1884
went with eighteen men to the Coeur d'Alene mines in a skiff. Not satisfied with
his share in the dangerous expeditions in the western states he was eager to try
his fortunes in the Klondike, and was only dissuaded on account of his advancing
age, which might impair his activity in that cold, northern land, though he is
still a very active and energetic man, even at the age of seventy-five years.
     The marriage of Mr. Milliorn occurred four miles east of Eugene, Lane
county, in 1863, and united him with Eliza K. Awbrey, who was born near Grand
river, Daviess county, Mo., and died in January, 1877. She was the daughter of
Thomas Awbrey, who, from his native place in Virginia removed to Indiana and
later to Missouri, from which latter state he crossed the plains to Oregon in
1850. On his arrival he located near Eugene, Lane county, taking up a donation
claim of six hundred and forty acres. His. death occurred in Junction City. Of
the children born to Mr. and Mrs. Milliorn, Nina Ann is the wife of D. C. Gore,
of Springfield; one died in infancy and the remaining are Cora Lee ; Frank B.,
and James R., deceased. Mr. Milliorn married a second time in 1878, Mary L.
Hill, of Iowa, becoming his wife. She was the .daughter of William Hill, who
came from Iowa to California and to Oregon in 1864. He later returned to
California, where his death occurred in 1885. The two children of the second
marriage are Effie Gertrude and Merle H., both of whom are at home.  In addition
to the property before mentioned, Mr. Milliorn owns town lots, and also a timber
claim of one hundred and sixty acres, located in township 15, southwest quarter,
section 20, and range 6 west, and containing nine million feet of lumber. In his
fraternal relations he is a member of Eugene Lodge No. A. F. & A. M., and the
Royal Arch Chapter at Corvallis, Ore.

     
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Submitted to the Oregon Bios. Project in June 2008 by Diana Smith.  Submitter
has no additional information about the person(s) or family mentioned above.