On Sunday last Mr. Jonathan J. Milner was buried from the Baptist church, after a most excellent and appropriate discourse by the Rev. A. L. Moncrief of Marshallville.

Mr. Milner was the son of the Rev. John Milner and Eunice, sister of the Rev. Joshua Calloway. The Baptist Church at Barnesville was constituted with Rev. John Milner for its first pastor. Jonathan Milner joined this church in its infancy, was early ordained as one of its deacons. He continued to discharge the duties of his deaconship until his last illness and death.

Mr. Moncrief, after alluding to the fact that Mr. Milner has lived throughout a long life in this community and was known of all men therein as a righteous man, who loved the Lord and savior Jesus christ, said;

"He thought for himself. He formed his own conclusions. He exercised his own judgement, and had the courage of his convictions."

This estimate by one of the ablest thinkers in the denomination was felt to be true by those who knew Mr. Milner best.

He was born July 15, 1816, and married Martha Shivers on September 18 1839. Immediately after his marriage he settled upon the adjoining lot of land to that occupied by his father and for 50 years lived in the same place. In 1850 with his brother and several of his nephews and friends he caught the "gold fever" and crossed the plains to California, but the life of a miner in those early days did not suit him and he returned at the expiration of a year by way of the Isthmus of Panama. With this single exception has whole life was spent on his farm. In all these years he owed no man anything; he loved his fellows and served his God, and dying, only went to his reward leaving no one in doubt about his final destiny.

In 1883 when it was deemed best to change the site of the church, all save John R. Jenkins, Mr. Milner, and his cousin Simeon C of its old men had passed away. The struggle to get his consent to abandon the old church over which his father, his uncle, two of his brothers and his nephew in succession had presided as pastors, in the grave yard and by the side of which four generations of his people lay buried was one of the hardest of his peaceful life.

 His judgement being convinced that it would be best for the Masters cause and for the good of his neighbors and their children, he yielded and took his accustomed seat in the new church and to the end did what he could to hold up the hand of his pastor.

His body lies buried precisely where stood the door of the old church, through whose portals he had passed to and from the service of his Savior for so many years and his spirit has passed through other portals to the place prepared for him in the Fathers house of Many Mansions.
 

The Barnesville Gazette, Barnesville, Georgia, 20 November 1890, page 6, columns 4-5.

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