Benjamin Rush Milam, son of Moses and Elizabeth Pattie (Boyd) Milam, was born October 20, 1788 Frankfort, Kentucky. He was named for the famous Dr. Benjamin Rush who worked so hard to save lives at Valley Forge where Moses had spent the winter.

"Old Ben" is the most famous of the Milam family, being the first Hero of the Revolution for Texas Independence. He never married because of loyalty and devotion to Texas. He is described as an imposing man with dark eyes, black hair and fair skin, standing about 6-foot-1 and weighing about 200 pounds.

Ben Milam went off to fight in the War of 1812, serving as a private in Captain John Jones’ Company of the Kentucky Militia; 8th Regiment of Kentucky Infantry. He was discharged as a Lieutenant in 1815.

In 1815, he and a John Samuels took a large-shipment of flour to New Orleans. Because they couldn’t get a good price, the two men decided to join in chartering a schooner so they could try to peddle the flour at Maracaibo on the coast of what is now Venezuela. During the voyage, an outbreak of yellow fever killed the captain and many of the men. Milam himself barely survived. No one left alove knew how to navigate the ship, and a fierce three-day storm made the situation more desperate. Somehow the damaged vessel made land, but its cargo was ruined.

By 1818 he was on his way into Texas and made his way to the headwaters of the Colorado River in Texas and began trading with the Comanche Indians.

In 1819, he joined James Long in an unsuccessful filibustering expedition to free Texas from Spain. Then he fell in with Jose Felix Trespalacios, a Mexican revolutionary, and went to Mexico, newly independent from Spain. Mexican authorities clamped Milam in prison twice, once briefly because he was suspected of conspiring to help set up a separate republican government in Texas, and again for six months because he was accused of plotting to kill Trespalacios. He blamed Trespalacios for the killing of James Long in Mexico City. Later Milam and Trespalacios patched up their differences, and Trespalacios helped Milam get Mexican citizenship.

In 1826 this citizenship enabled Milam to try his hand at being an empresario. He secured a government contract to establish a colony in Mexico’s Texas province between the Guadalupe and Colorado rivers. It included all of what now are Hays and Blanco Counties and parts of what would be Comal, Caldwell, Bastrop and Travis Counties. Terms of his grant required Milam to settle 300 families in his colony within six years. He also became agent for Arthur G. Wavell, an Englishman serving as a general in the Mexican army, who had a grant to settle 500 families in a North Texas area along the Red River. Ultimately, both colonies would fail because not enough settlers would come to them. None of Milam’s other ventures, including gold and silver mines in Mexico and developing tracts of land on the Trinity River for lumbering would fare much better.

He became engaged to Annie McKinney, the daughter of Texas colonist Collin McKinney, but when he went off for three years and never wrote, she married someone else. It wasn’t that he had forgotten Annie, he was just too busy with other matters. During a business trip Milam had made to England, he purchased a mahogany table and a set of silverware for Annie. When he learned of her marriage, he gave these gifts to her sister, Elizabeth, the bride of his nephew, Jefferson Milam. Ben Milam is said to commented to Elizabeth, "I haven’t any time for women anyway; my country needs me."

In the spring of 1835, Milam traveled to Monclova, capital of the state of Coahuila and Texas, where the state’s congress convened. He sought legislative action to protect the land of some settlers who feared their holdings were threatened by land speculators. The congress named Milam as a commissioner to help these settlers establish title to their lands, but fast-moving events would prevent his ever performing this job.

Mexico was in political turmoil as President-General Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna moved to centralize the nation’s government. As Santa Anna’s forces closed in on Monclova, Milam joined Coahuila-Texas Governor Agustin Viesca in fleeing for Texas. However, troops captured their party and Milam found himself back in a familiar setting, a Mexican prison, this time in Monterrey. But with the help of a friend, Milam escaped and returned to Texas where a revolution was erupting.

Arriving in Goliad near midnight of October 9th, 1835, at the beginning of the Texas Revolution, Milam joined a band of rebellious Texans about to make a surprise attack on the Mexican garrison. The Texans won a decisive victory and captured the garrison and its valuable supplies. After the battle, Milam took command of a company of scouts.

The Battle of Bexar occurred from December 5th to the 9th, in 1835. Since early October, Bexar--San Antonio--had been occupied by the Mexican army under General Martín Perfecto de Cós; the brother-in-law of Santa Anna. By December, supplies were dwindling, and the 1,200 soldiers were growing restless.

General Edward Burleson, promoted by election on December 3rd to replace Stephen F. Austin, and the Texan volunteers had been camped for two months on the outskirts of the town. They were undecided whether to attack or withdraw back to Gonzales for the winter. The force was only 400 strong and their supplies were low; desperately in need of money, winter clothes and provisions. Meanwhile, the Texan force had degenerated into a mob, as the farmers and planters had dribbled away, back to families, warm homes and their more pressing personal affairs.

The day after the decision to withdraw was made, John W. Smith, Sam Maverick and a Mr. Holmes, who had escaped from Mexican officers, quickly joined the volunteers and informed General Burleson of the decay of morale and shortage of supplies in the town. With this information, Colonels Benjamin Rush Milam, just arriving from a scouting mission, and Francis "Frank" W. Johnson agreed the Texans should undertake a surprise attack.

Milam shouted, "Who will go with old Ben Milam into San Antonio?". Some 300 men agreed to go but only after their trusted guide, Hendrick Arnold, could return from a hunting trip to lead them in. Arnold, a free black man described as "one of the oldest and boldest pioneers of the West," returned on December 4, and that day was spent in preparing for the attack.

Before dawn, Colonel James C. Neill initiated the attack by diverting the attention of the Mexican troops at the Alamo. Hendrick Arnold and John W. Smith guided Colonel Milam’s division as they advanced into the town to the de la Garza house. Deaf Smith, assisted by Colonel William T. Austin, guided Colonel Johnson’s troops toward the Juan Martin Veramendi house. Each of these houses controlled an entrance to the main plaza, where the enemy had erected breastworks and batteries.

Deaf Smith answered a sentinel’s rifle shot, and heavy firing from both sides began. Throughout the cold, wet days and nights, fighting raged from street to street and house to house, as the Texans broke through the thick-walled houses.

On the third afternoon of the fighting, on December 7th, Ben was killed by a snipers bullet. He had just slipped out into the courtyard of the Veramendi home, trying to reach Johnson’s position, and was crouched with only his eyes and the upper part of his head exposed above a five-foot rock wall, when a sniper concealed in a cypress tree on the west side of the river shot him in the middle of his forehead. He died instantly. Masons in his force conducted his funeral and buried him almost at the spot where he was slain.

The Texans elected Johnson as their commander and the battle went on. In great anger, the Texans fought madly after seeing their leader shot down. They successfully drove the Mexicans from the main plaza, and with the capture of a strong building known as the Priests’ House, on the night December 8, the town was theirs.

Before dawn, the Mexican forces had retreated to the Alamo. Realizing his position was hopeless, General Cós raised a white flag on the morning of December 9. Colonel Frank W. Johnson raised the flag of victory over the Alamo, claiming all of the 21 cannon, the lances, bayonets and ammunition. The terms of surrender offered by General Burleson required General Cós and his officers not to interfere with the restoration of the Mexican Constitution of 1824 and to withdraw across the Rio Grande. On Christmas day, General Cós and his army crossed the Rio Grande in defeat. These were the last Mexican forces in Texas.

Milam was proclaimed a hero for leading the force that drove the last of the Mexican forces out of Texas, thus causing Texas to celebrate the belief that they had won the revolution. It was yet known that Santa Anna would return with a large force in the spring of 1836.

The General Council, the provisional government of Texas, proclaimed, "God rest his soul! While his memory shall survive as long as a freeman has a standing in Texas."

Milam was buried where he was killed, in the courtyard of the Veramendi house, but was later moved to an old cemetery which today is known as Milam Square in San Antonio, Texas. The Captain Augustus Jones Chapter of the Daughters of the War of 1812 had a marker placed in Milam Square and the Daughters of the Republic of Texas erected a monument to him there as well. Milam County, Texas was named in honor of him.

His will left his land and mining interests to General Arthur G. Wavell.

Daughters of the Republic of Texas, The Alamo Long Barrack Museum, pp. 20-21

Editor, "Notes on the Life of Benjamin Rush Milam, 1788-1835", Register of the Kentucky Historical Society, January 1973, pp. 87-105

Fay, Mary Smith, War of 1812 Veterans in Texas, © 1979

Garver, Lois, "Benjamin Rush Milam", Southwestern Historical Quarterly, October 1934, pp. 80-121; January 1943, page 265; January 1949, page 286

Tutt, Bob, "Ben Milam", Texas, Houston Chronicle Magazine, December 8, 1985, pp. 10-13

Milam Park, in San Antonio, Texas, has been under renovation when downtown business leaders in December 1990 vowed to pursue plans to renovate the Park with or without a state grant to make life a little enjoyable for handicapped children and elderly patients at the Santa Rosa Medical Center.

The plans include a 35 foot-wide copper and wrought-iron kiosk donated by San Antonio's Mexican sister city of Guadalajara. The park is on a historical cemetery where the only known defender of the Alamo, Gregorio Esparaza, was given a christian burial.

The park was designated as parkland during Spanish rule in 1731, then converted to a Catholic cemetery--campo santo--in 1807 and Angel Navarro was the first person buried there on November 1, 1808. Gregorio Esparaza was buried there by his brother after the fall of the Alamo on March 6, 1836 when permission was given by Santa Anna for the burial to be allowed; all other defenders were burned.

The cemetery was later enlarged by 8 acres for Protestant as well as additional Catholic burials. Nearly 1,500 Catholic burials have been documented in the area, and the current park site covers about 3 and 1/2 acres.

The park was named after Benjamin Rush Milam, an early leader of the Texan fight for independence. Milam was born in 1788 in Kentucky and after fighting in the War of 1812, he became interested in Texas where he fought for Mexican Independence and became an empresario. His character was that of the stereotypical adventurer and swashbuckler on the frontier.

In late November 1835, Milam and Jim Bowie arrived back from a scouting trip to the camp of the Texan forces on the outskirts of San Antonio de Bexar when the leadership was indecisive and inactive. 1200 Mexican troops commanded by Santa Anna's brother-in-law, General Cos, were in controll of the town. These 1200 troops were the last Mexican forces still north of the Rio Grande River. Milam is said to have yelled to the Texans, "Boys, who will go with Old Ben Milam into San Antonio?" 300 men followed him.

At dawn of December 5, 1835, the Texans marched into San Antonio for five days of vicious house-to-house fighting. On December 7th Milam crossed the courtyard of the large home of Juan Martin Veramendi on Soledad Street and he was hit in the forehead by a Mexican musket ball. This only angered Milams followers who fought on to avenge his death. Two days later, Cos surrendered and the Mexican troops were allowed to keep their arms to defend themselves from Indians as they marched to Mexico.

During the battle Milam was hurriedly buried in the courtyard of the Veramendi house. On December 7, 1846, 11 years later, Milam's body was exhumed and reburied with full honors by members of the Alamo Masonic Lodge in the part of the compo santo used for non-Catholic burials. It is said that when his body was exhumed, his body was easily identifiable because it had barely decomposed, including the scarf that his head was wrapped in, andhis boots were still wearable.

In the 1850's, the cemetery was closed and all the bodies removed to the new burial ground far to the west, except that of Ben Milam's. A statue of Milam was placed viewing his grave which was marked by a granite marker. In 1976, during huried renovation for the country's bicentennial, the marker was moved and Milam's grave became lost to time.

The place where the kiosk is to be placed is the center of the park where Milam's remains were purported to be. As workers dug to build the foundation for the kiosk (1/93), a concrete slab was struck one foot down. Archaeologists with the UT-San Antonio center recognized it as the one said to have been laid over Milam's grave 93 years ago. The slab was removed and fragments of bone and wood were found just as it began to rain. Plastic sheets were placed over the site and the site remained undisturbed until the ground began to dry.

An archeological dig will by now have been conducted for several days, and then the remains of Milam along with other artifacts will have been taken to a secure place for a more detailed study, including a forensic examination. The remains will be kept secure until planned reinterment on Tuesday, December 7, 1993.

Robert M. Wilbanks IV, the leading authority of the Milam family in the United States, was contacted by the overall director of this project. As Ben Milam did not marry and has no descendants, it is hoped that descendants of the brothers and sister of Ben Milam can be located to obtain blood samples to determine the Milam DNA pattern and compare them with the DNA pattern of the remains to help to verify if the remains are those of Benjamin Rush Milam.

University of Texas at San Antonio

Center for Archaeological Research

Background:

Bones exhumed from 1848 reburial. Coffin almost completely gone, many coffin nails found. Also handmade bone buttons from shirt and pants. No sign of belt buckle or ring. Skeleton in pieces and fragments postmortem, now cleaned, separated and grouped in boxes according to body area, but before any repair or restoration attempts (probably futile).

Impression and Discussion:

All indications point to a male, Caucasian, late middle age, about five feet five to seven inches tall (estimation without osteometric board). Robust probably well-muscled, but strong evidence of osteophytosis in spine (especially the lumbar region) and osteoarthritis in joints of lower extremities (which may have contributed to his death).

Well worn teeth and strong evidence of dental disease (many teeth showed cavities although they were not yet deeply etched and eroded. The molars were especially afflicted). All recovered mandibular and maxillary bone shows gingivitis. This individual also possibly had occasional trouble with a right wisdom tooth.

Although little pitting was noted on the cranium fragments with the exception of the mastoid process of the right temporal, the extensive pitting of postcranial bones, expecially in the joint areas of the long bones and innonimates, might possibly indicate some form of anemia in conjunction with osteoarthritic infection rather than just deterioration by the ground water which seems to have collected mainly in the chest cavity. This might be consonant with a prison diet and with the general diet of a man on the move much of the time. The pitting may also be from leaching by the soil in which he was buried, after the coffin itself eroded and disappeared, but we will need a soil ph rating to be sure. However, were it simply leaching by ground water, I would expect more generalized pitting throughout the fragments rather than the localized places where it occurs.

No indications of any bone fractures antemortem noticed on recovered bones.

Findings on first examination appear to be consistent with what is known of Ben Milam and his life (which historical records say was strenuous and stressful, with a lot of time spent in Mexican prisons, and which culminated in his death by head wound during Battle of Bexar in December, 1835).

The following was extracted from a newspaper article appearing in the Sunday, May 23, 1993 issue of the San Antonio Express-News.

Ben Milam probably walked with a cane, had bad teeth and was slightly anemic, according to research at the University of Texas at San Antonio. Milam's height also was considerably less than the 6 feet 2 inches that history has given him.

Anne Fox, research associate of the Center for Archaeological Research at the university, stated that the remains are those of a male, in his late middle age, with a height of 5 feet 5 to 7 inches. She has not the slightest doubt that the remains are those of Ben Milam.

Archaeologists have been working to reconstruct the skeleton, while physical anthropologist Dr. Barbara Ann Winkler has examined the remains. Winkler and others have concluded some facts which add to the knowledge about Ben Milam.

A sufficient reconstruction of the skull has been able to find the bullett wound to the head which killed Ben Milam. Nothing more has or will be revealed on the wound until forensic anthropologists have examined the remains.

The individual had real bad arthritis problems with his hip and knee joints on both sides, indicating that he may have had to walk with a cane. Fox said that she thought he would have had to use crutches.

The skeleton denotes a male with a small face, a light jaw. The genetic traits, the way the teeth were formed, the shape of the jaw suggest that he came from European stock.

The exact height of the man will be determined when Fox acquires the use of an osteometric board, a device for measuring the long bones of the leg.

There is evidence in the remains cosistent with the lore of Milam as a soldier-of-fortune who spent time behind bars in Mexico. The remains indicate an anemic diet of a prisoner, soldier or traveler, of which Milam was all three.

Robert Benavides, chairman of the Friends of Milam Park Historical Committee, said plans are under way for a special ceremony to rebury the remains in Milam Park near Ben Milam's statue on March 6, 1994, Texas Heroes Day.

Phase I of the renovation has been completed with construction of the gazebo in the center of the park. It was formally dedicated on Friday, May 28, 1993 at 10:00 A.M. Guests included San Antonio city officials, leaders of the Friends of Milam Park and Gov. Carlos Rivera Aceves of Jalisco, the state in Mexico that donated funds and materials to build the gazebo.

Future phases are expected to be completed by June 1994. Major San Antonio companies will donate time and energy to update the playground, jogging trails and other amenities. There are hopes to eventually start a Milam Park marathon and to build a bridge linking the park with Market Square.

Phase II begins in mid-June with reviews, revisions and completion of Construction Documents then advertising for bids which will be opened in late-July. The construction contract will be awarded in mid-August and construction is hoped to begin by early-September and completed in June 1994.

The reinterrment of Benjamin Rush Milam, and therefore the ceremonies and activities surrounding this event, has been moved from the March 6th, 1994 date to sometime in July 1994; the date is not firm at this time.

There are several reasons for this rescheduling. The most important of these is that many facets of this project will not be done in time. The renovation of the park, and the sub-projects, such as preparation to reinterr "Ben", are more time-consumming than originally planned; these things are difficult to plan for, and hopes often exceed actual ability to pull off such events in a timely manner. As all of this activity has been based upon the donation of time by volunteers, and the donation of money by indiviuals and businesses, I would, in no way, put any kind of blame upon the "Friends of Ben" committee and the people involved. They have been doing a wonderful job considering the circumstances.

One such volunteer activity was the recent effort to contact all Milams in Texas by telephone. A major San Antonio firm donated a room, telephones and the costs of long distance calls, to a committee of 12 individuals who donated their time of 12 hours a day for four days to call all Milams in Texas. They attempted to reach over 1200 Milams, getting through to over 600, to notify them of the activities surrounding the Milam Park renovation, the planned reinterrment of "Ben", and a hoped for Milam Family Reunion in conjunction with these activities. About 500 of the Milams contacted showed a strong interest in this activity when they became more aware of it.

The "Friends of Ben" are also going to set up accomodations for the prospective Milam attendees, as well as catering, banquet facilities, and possible touring and bus transportation in the San Antonio area. Another major time-consuming effort to be pulled off by a few volunteers.

I think moving the event to July 1994 has many positive consequences. One thing of particular note, has been that many potential attendees are associated with education and so were unable to commit to attending the event in March; also, many other potential attendees were unable to commit because of their work or their children in school. More people will now be able to plan their summer vacations around this event.

Another positive note to the July date, and associated with the summer vacation idea, is that now more people can attend for a longer time-period. So the events can now be spread out into a four or five day activity, instead of trying to squeeze it into one weekend.

Some might say that July will be hot and humid, but that might still be better than a more probable cold and rainy March.

At any rate, please re-mark your calendars for July 1994 instead of March, and please "Spread the Word"!!! I will keep you notified of the activities as they progress, including the exact date, and hotel accomodations, as this information is sent to me.

I am sorry to have to announce this again, but it appears that the events in San Antonio, which were postponed from March 1994 to July 1994, are again being postponed.

Construction is progressing slower than expected, so the ceremonies surrounding the reinterment of Benjamin Rush Milam, including the National Milam Family Reunion, is tentatively being planned for December 1994, with the possibility that they will again be postponed to Spring 1995.

I promise that, through this publication, I will keep you up-to-date of the activities in San Antonio as I become aware of them. I am afraid that there is not much more that I can tell you at this time.

On December 7, 1993, two memorial services were held at Milam Park by two different chapters of the Daughters of the Republic of Texas, and included the attendance of representatives of the Sons of the Republic of Texas, as well as the Children of the Republic of Texas. These were the first services held at Milam Park since 1950. These services were due to the efforts of two members of the Milam Family, Kathleen Carter and Kay Day. We owe them a debt of gratitude to preserving this history and restoring this annual tradition.

Meanwhile, at this time, a firm date still has not been set for the re-interment of Col. Ben Milam. It appears that it pends on the completion of the Park, so that the re-interment will not occur in a construction area. Donations are still being collected to help in the completion of the Park Renovation Project which is scheduled to be completed in August 1994. The reburial of "Old Ben's" remains are expected to be part of the opening ceremonies for the "new park". As soon as a date is set, I will be informed and then will immediately pass the news on to all of you.

As of mid-February, the remains of Ben Milam have been sent from the University of Texas at San Antonio, to Douglas Owsley at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington D.C., on loan for about six weeks. It is believed that further study of Milam's remains at the Smithsonian will help to find out more about him, as well as help the Smithsonian in compiling information for a research database.

It is my understanding that at the Alamo there are only two markers in recognition of Benjamin Rush Milam’s contribution to Texas Independence. The first is a small plaque on the doors from the Vermondi Place where Ben was killed and the plaque merely indicates that he was killed near those doors. The second is a painting in the "Long Barracks" with a poem written about him by Deaf Smith in 1837.

Apparently there is no kind of recognition for his leadership in the Battle of Bexar and the attack against the Mexican forces at the Alamo. Despite his death in this battle, it was a successful and highly significant battle.

Greg Lindstrom, fellow Milam kin, of 807 Missouri, South Houston, Texas 77587, wrote me and wondered if we couldn’t find some way to better recognize Ben Milam for his significance at the Alamo. Any input and response to this idea would be greatly appreciated.

As most of you are by now aware, the Dedication of Milam Park in San Antonio, Texas, was held on Friday, December 9th, 1994, and the Reinterment of Ben Milam was held on Sunday, December 11th, 1994.

Unfortunately, short notice was given that these events would in fact be held, and I, myself, was not made aware of the ceremonies until about 3 or 4 weeks before the events were finally scheduled. This was well after I had already sent out the last issue of this publication, so I could not notify anyone of the upcoming events. Official invitations were mailed out to over 800 Milam descendants nationwide by the Friends of Milam Park. I did not receive my invitation until about a week and a half before the event, and I am aware that some did not receive them until a few days before, or even after. I apologize for this last minute notice. I know that many Milam descendants wanted to attend this event, but were unable with such short notice. I was also unable to attend the ceremonies, to which I very much would have like to have gone.

I do understand that it was a wonderful event, and that more people attended the Reinterment Ceremonies than the Park Dedication Ceremonies. There was an estimated 200 people who attended the Reinterment Ceremonies, with about 100 of those being Milam family members.

If you missed the event, not to worry, it was recorded, and editing is in process for a video to be made which will be sold to all interested persons to help raise funds to continue other projects for Milam Park. Some projects to be conducted in the future will be the installation of flag poles at Ben Milam’s grave site ($6000), other renovations and additions to the grave site itself, and eventually a complete restoration of the Ben Milam Statue ($14,000). Funds are being sought for these projects, and as each one is completed, a project dedication event will be held. So there will still be plenty of opportunities to visit Milam Park and attend a ceremony. In fact another event will be held soon, on March 5th, 1995.

Robert F. Milam, of San Antonio, and a member of the Friends of Milam Park, was kind enough to write me in great detail about the Reinterment Ceremonies, and so I am including his letter in this issue. He also sent information regarding the other projects and methods by which they are seeking funds, such as selling a photo of Benjamin Rush Milam, and in the future sell a book about him. I am also enclosing this information.

On Sunday, March 5th, 1995, at 2:00 PM, there will be an official dedication of a Red Granite slab to be placed over the concrete sealed grave of Benjamin Rush Milam, in Milam Park, San Antonio, Texas. The ceremony will include official consecration of the grave by a Priest, and will include involvement by the local Masons. Afterwards, any Milam family members in attendance will be directed towards a building near the park for a family gathering.

During the great deal of activities in San Antonio surrounding the renovation of Milam Park and the discovery of the remains of Benjamin Rush Milam, it was discovered that a descendant of James Milam, the brother of "Old Ben", who now lives in Birmingham, Alabama had the original oil portrait of Benjamin Rush Milam which was painted before his death. This old oil portrait, is a treasured heirloom and is more than 160 years old.

A current photograph copy of the portrait was sent by the family to Robert F. Milam in San Antonio. Through a variety of methods, including being scanned into a computer, this portrait was professionally cleaned up, as portions of the painting were discolored with age, was apparently weather-worn, and had even been touched-up at an earlier time to cover damage caused by it’s age.

During this process of computer enhancement, more of Ben Milam’s left ear was exposed and it was found that he had a kind of notch at the top edge of the ear, just after the ear tops-out and begins it’s down slope away from the head. Robert F. Milam immediately recognized it as a physical trait in his own immediate family for seven generations, including himself. He also found this trait in other distant Milam relatives who live around the San Antonio area and other parts of Texas, who descend from other branches of the family. This is a very exciting discovery. Do you and members of your family have this trait?

For me, another reason for the excitement in this trait, is that Robert F. Milam and his family descend from John Milam Sr., born before 1720 and lived in Halifax County, Virginia, migrated to York District, South Carolina where he died and left a will in 1789. But Benjamin Rush Milam, and current members of his branch of the family who live in Texas, are descended from John’s brother Thomas, born before 1716 and died in 1775 in Bedford County, Virginia. Since members of these two distant families have this trait, this helps to prove that John and Thomas were at least very close kinsman, if not brothers, and that this physical trait precedes them.

I have been asked to give a review of the computer enhanced portrait of Benjamin Rush Milam, to help all Milam family members in their decision to purchase a copy of this portrait. I am most willing to review this portrait and encourage you to buy a copy, because I am extremely impressed with the portrait. It is an absolutely beautiful photograph. It is an actual photograph, and not a color Xerox or Laser paper copy. Documentation is provided with the portrait.

We can all claim kinship to Benjamin Rush Milam, and this portrait is a wonderful item to add to your personal Milam family history and photograph collection. The life of Benjamin Rush Milam is a perfect example of the combination of the history of the Milam Family and the history of the United States. The Milam family is filled with pioneers and patriots who continuously settled the American frontier, fought for the freedom of all people, and helped to establish peace and prosperity throughout the country through their efforts to establish communities, churches, schools, libraries, or through their skills as teachers, doctors, lawyers, politicians, and their constant willingness to help others.

As I compare the computer enhanced portrait with the original, I can see how much time and effort went into cleaning the portrait and yet primarily maintain it’s original appearance. The obvious difference is the brightness of the colors as on the original portrait the colors had become dull and faded, and even black due to the age of the portrait. None of the facial features were retouched, and only the outside hairline had been cleaned up where black paint had been to hide cracks in the original painting. This includes where the left ear was more completely exposed and the Milam trait was discovered. Most of the touchup work was in the background which was cleaned up to bring out the original color into those areas which had turned black with age. The yellow curtains turned green every time during the computer enhancement process, so it was decided to make them red which looks much better as a background to Ben Milam’s navy blue military uniform. The brass on his uniform shows very nicely. There is much facial detail in the portrait which does not show in the smaller photos, but comes out very nicely in the larger photos. For instance, each whisker (in his "5 o’clock shadow") is a black dot and comes out very clearly in the larger photos.

All that I can say is that it is an absolutely fabulous photo and I intend to frame my copy and hang it on the wall at my earliest convenience. A copy of the order form is on the last page of this issue and please note that all of the net proceeds from the sale of these photographs goes into the fund to continue work on the gravesite of Benjamin Rush Milam and Milam Park in San Antonio, Texas. Please give serious consideration to buying yourself a copy.

On the following page is a copy of the souvenier program of the ceremony surrounding the dedication of the Ashlar, a red granite grave cover, placed over the gravesite of Benjamin Rush Milam which took place on Sunday, March 5th, 1995. I understand that it was a beautiful ceremony with quite a number of people in attendance, including a large number of Milam family members. In fact a number of Milam family members were part of the dedication ceremony in a variety of ways.

For those who missed this ceremony, there is no need to regret it. With so much more renovation work still to be completed in Milam Park, including restoration of the statue of Ben Milam, and other added elements to be placed at the gravesite, there will continue to be unveilings and dedication ceremonies for a couple of years to come. I, myself hope to be able to attend such a ceremony in the future.

Robert M. Wilbanks IV
Genealogist & Historian
8375 E. Via De Ventura Apt E110
Scottsdale, AZ 85258-3129
(480) 990-7914
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8/28/00
©Robert M. Wilbanks, IV