Seeds of Magnolia author Bill Miller

Austin was a wealthy man. He owned a large plantation in Hardeman County, Tennessee and a larger one in Tunica County Mississippi.

•         He was an attorney and Circuit Court Judge. Later he was elected and then reelected several times to the Tennessee Legislature.

•        People that are familiar with the history of Tennessee and Mississippi probably know about something about Austin Miller. Early in the 1800’s he was pretty much responsible for relocating the line that separates the two states. He insisted that the line should be further south in the state of Mississippi. He was right. Today, South Memphis is in Tennessee rather than Mississippi in part because of him.

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1.            Austin had a slave named Sophia. He bought her and her mother to be his housekeeper. He didn’t want Sophia because she was just a little tot, too young to work or do anything other than play. He saw her as being more of a pest than an asset. Yet, he ended up with her and her mother. Austin was single at the time, and there really wasn’t much to do around the house as far as housekeeping is concerned. Sophia played with three white girls that lived nearby. They were from well-to-do families and it didn’t matter to them that she was a slave. Looking at them, it was pretty much impossible to tell who was white and which one was the slave.