There is a family story told to me by my Mother (Louise Line Grout) that the name
“Milton” had been carried forward by my Grandmother Grout’s family because it was understood that their direct line went back to John Milton, the English poet, who wrote Paradise Lost, completed in estm 1665.  While we have yet to substantiate this connection, it’s interesting to note that the name continued to be prominent in my Grandmother’s family.  My Grandmother was named Ethel Ann Milton Evans (Grout).  Her mother’s name was Laura Ann Milton (Evans).  When my Grandmother died her October 18, 1965 Memorial Service announcement wrote her name as Ethel Milton Grout.

An interesting note about John Milton is that he had become blind and dictated his verses to his friends and daughters.  Paradise Lost was written during a period of personal and political difficulty whereas Paradise Regained, published in 1671, perhaps reflects a restored time.