MILLENNIUM K. ALEXANDER - Earliest Recorded Burial in a cemetery in Manor

Although there may be a few small, family cemeteries in the area near Manor with burials from earlier dates, it seems that the earliest burial in a cemetery located in what is now the City of Manor, may have been that of Millennium K. Alexander.

The fifth child of Allen Jenkins and his wife (name unknown), Millennium K. Jenkins was born August 21, 1816 in Mississippi (probably Carroll County). She had five siblings, one of whom was a sister named Louisiana Jenkins.

On September 19, 1838, twenty-one-year-old Miss Jenkins married thirty-one-year-old John Thomas Alexander in Carroll County, Mississippi. Not much is known about their marriage except that at some point he went to medical school and became a doctor. 

Carroll County, Mississippi Marriage Bond Records, book A, page 152

Dr. Thomas, his wife, Millennium, and her father, Allen Jenkins, moved to Louisiana. Dr. and Mrs. Alexander were living in Caldwell Parish, while Mr. Jenkins resided in Quachita Parish which adjoined Caldwell Parish on its northern boundary.

On November 8, 1842 a deed was written and signed between Allen Jenkins and his daughter, Millennium K. Alexander in Caldwell Parish, Louisiana. Years later, it would also be filed in Travis County Deed Records, book H, pages 428-431. In this deed record, Allen Jenkins gave Millennium K. Alexander possession of 30-35 slaves of various ages with a total value of $7,925.00. He also gave her 560 acres of land in Caldwell Parish valued at $1500. In return, Millennium agreecd to pay Allen $100 per year for the rest of his life, only if he demands it of her. If he fails to demand payment for any particular year, then the amount for that year is considered by him to have been remitted. Allen Jenkins lives only six more years, dying in 1848.

 Travis County Deed Records book H, pages 428-431  

In 1852, Dr. John Alexander, along with his wife and five children, moved to Travis County, Texas. 
Their children were Newton John Alexander, Virginia Evelyn Alexander, Edward H. Alexander, John Thomas Alexander and William Allen Alexander.

Dr. Alexander opened an office on Congress Avenue in Austin not long after arriving. Shortly thereafter he began advertising his services in the local newspaper.

Texas State Gazette, December 11, 1852

Millennium K. Alexander purchased one half interest in 350 acres, more or less, from Edward Harrington on December 29, 1852. This land is located approximately 2 miles northwest of where the town of Manor was founded twenty years later. The purchase price of the land was $1500 and was paid for by giving Mr. Harrington one slave named Hester, valued at $800, her child Alick, valued at $400, and her child Jim, valued at $200. In addition, Mr. Harrington is given $100 cash.

Travis County Deed Records, book H, page 427

On January 17, 1853 Dr. Alexander was elected President of the newly-formed Travis Medical Society.

 Texas State Journal of Medicine, Volume 49, Number 5, May, 1953

At a meeting in Austin on November 13, 1854, Dr. Alexander was elected President of The Medical Association of Texas. 

The Texas State Times, November 18, 1854

Thirty-nine year old Millennium K. Alexander died on August 10, 1855 and was apparently the first person buried on land owned by Judge Thomson Mason Rector, Sr. – in a small area that would later become known as the Rector Cemetery. Located approximately 1 ½ to 2 miles east of the land purchased by the Alexanders in 1852, the cemetery is one of 3 cemeteries within the city limits of Manor today.

Millennium K. Alexander Grave, Rector Cemetery

Tombstone inscription

The inscription on the tombstone says, 

          

Note: Many records on FindaGrave.com and FamilySearch.org, etc. state that Millennium K. Alexander was born August 2, 1816 and died on August 10, 1855. Travis County Probate Minutes, book B, page 233 says that the date of her death was August 3, 1855. However, a plaque that was erected with the historical marker at the Rector Cemetery gives August 21, 1816 as her birthdate thereby agreeing with the inscription on the tombstone marking her grave. 

 

On September 24, 1855 John T. Alexander was appointed administrator of her estate and James Manor, William H. Hill and William W. Atwood were appointed to make an inventory of her property.

State Gazette newspaper, November 10, 1855

The inventory of her estate was presented to the Probate Court on October 30, 1855. Travis County Probate Records A, pages 427-429 showed that she owned;

5 acres on Wilbarger’s Creek - $60
One half interest in 354 acres on Gilleland Creek - $1770
133 acres south of Gilleland Creek property - $332.50
19 slaves of various ages - $12961.62
Personal property consisting of livestock, wagons, buggies, farm implements, field crops, household furnishings and other items, gold watch and chain, and cash on hand - $1931.
Community property consisting of livestock, wagons, carts, bottles, jars, medicines and books - $361.00

A record of her accounts showed that she owed $625.14 to 27 different people and that she had $35 cash on hand at the time of her death.

October 31, 1855 – John T. Alexander petitioned the Probate Court to allow him to sell most of the personal property of his deceased wife. The Court approved the sale to be held by public auction on December 17, 1855. (Travis County Probate Minutes B, page 247)

The record states that John T. Alexander was said to have no means of his own to support the five Alexander children, and that they had no property of their own for their maintenance, so the Court also approved an amount of $1000 to be taken from the sale of the items as maintenance for one year for the children, of whom John T. Alexander is now considered to be their natural guardian.      

  In 1869, along with his son, Newton J. Alexander, Dr. Alexander opened a drug store on Congress Avenue in Austin.                                                                                                                                          

Georgetown Watchman newspaper
Saturday, March 20, 1869

By April, 1871 Dr. Alexander was appointed Superintendent of the Blind Asylum in Austin.

John Thomas Alexander died on January 3, 1879 and was buried in the Oakwood Cemetery in Austin.

An article in the Weekly Democratic Statesman newspaper of August 4, 1881 gave high praise to Dr. Alexander and his skills as a compounding and manufacturing pharmacist over a period of many years.

Weekly Democratic Statesman, Thursday, August 4, 1881