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The graves of Mary "Polly" and David Miller Sr. located in the Smith-Miller Cemetery. Dave Miller's stone is the broken one on the right.
David Miller Sr.
David Miller Sr. was born about 1799 in North Carolina to Adam and Hannah Miller although some accounts have him being born in 1802. A male child shows up in Adam's family in the 1800 Census and it has to be Dave since he is the oldest son. On top of that his tombstone says he was 66 years old in 1865 when he died.
Technically, David Miller Sr is the first American born Miller. His father, Adam Miller, was the first male Miller born in the New World, but when America was under British rule. Dave Miller Sr. was the first male Miller born under the rule of the United States.
Dave had a brother William who was about 7 years younger and Andrew who was about 10 years younger. His sisters, Mary, Elizabeth, and Margaret were older and Sarah was his only little sister. Their father Adam farmed the North Carolina land he had gotten from his father Casper Miller, but when Dave was 25 years old, Adam moved to Washington County Indiana with his family. Andrew moved with the Millers too, but William stayed behind and came up from North Carolina with the Winglers, of which he eventually married into.
Dave "the distiller" Miller in the 1830 & 1840 US Census for Washington County Indiana - Polly's dad Ivy, who is my G-G-G-G Grampa the same as Adam Miller and Tandy Shewmaker, can be found here too, they are neighbors. Ivy and wife Olive Richardson are buried at Beck Cemetery.
At about age 31, Dave married Mary "Polly" Richardson in Washington County; it was the year 1830 a week after Valentines Day. Sometime after that Dave started up a distillery, something he probably learned from the Beck's nearby. There were several of them in those days, it was a way to keep from losing a crop to spoilage. I don't know how long Dave was "Dave "the distiller" Miller", but it would have been something his boys would have known how to do. Somebody had to cut and split wood for the fire and you can bet the boys all got their fair share of cutting and toting wood.
Dave and Polly were married by Peter Wright. - Marriage register courtesy of Dwayne Meyer
Dave and Polly had 8 boys: Andrew, David Jr., Milus Richard, William H., Ivy H., James Adam, Milton Jefferson, and Franklin Pierce. They had 2 daughters, Mary Olive and Hannah. Some of these people are named after family. Mary and Hannah are the names of Dave's Grandmother Mary Swink Miller and his mother Hannah Sheets Miller. Olive and Ivy are named after Polly's mom and dad. Andrew is also the name of Dave's youngest brother.
It also looks like Dave liked to name his children after presidents. If you look up what each of these men stood for you can get a good idea of how Dave Miller felt about government. Andrew could be an Andrew Jackson? Andrew was the oldest son and Dave grew up in Salisbury North Carolina, where Andrew Jackson practiced law.
The Millers in the1870 US Census after Dave Miller Sr. died. People listed next to each other are neighbors, and some are related. Dave Jr. is living next to his mom and brothers and their cousins the Smiths are close by too.
Dave's son Milus served in the Union Infantry, 66th Regiment, Indiana Infantry Company H. He enlisted in the 66th on 8/19/1862 and mustered out on 6/3/1865. Eleven days later most of his regiment was captured by the Confederates at the Battle of Richmond Kentucky. It isn't known whether Milus was one of those captured or one of those that got away. Those captured were paroled back to New Albany and those that weren't captured marched back to New Albany too. William H. Miller, his brother 2 years younger, also served for 3 months in the 9th Regiment of the Union Forces. His son in law Matt Criswell also served.
Milus may have been one of those that escaped capture and in fact may have said "forget this". It wasn't long after the Battle of Richmond that Milus was marrying his sweetheart Hester Hoggatt in Sullivan County Indiana - many hours away from where he was supposed to be - especially since his regiment had marched into the deep south!!
Civil War Pensions for Milus R. Miller, William H. Miller, and Mary Olive's husband Matt Criswell - Courtesy Dwayne Meyer
Dave's mother Hannah Sheets Miller died when he was about 37 years old and his father died when Dave was 51 years old. Adam had lived with Dave's sister Elizabeth for about the last 15 years of his life, when Dave visited his dad he did it at Joel and Elizabeth Smith's house.
Dave named his last son Franklin Pierce Miller and that is a pretty good indicator that Dave Miller was a Democrat. Prior to this period elections had consisted of the Democrats and the Whigs, but then the Republican party was formed as the anti-slavery party. The people of Washington county were of mixed opinions. The Democrats did not think that slavery was worth fighting for and should just let the southern states "live and let live". It wasn't so much that they supported slavery as it was that they didn't want to be forced by the government to take up weapons against their families still living in the south. Until the confederates raided Salem, some of the men were not willing to fight.
Dave died October 22, 1865 when he was about 66 years old, of what I do not know. It was a stressful time in his life though, he had 2 sons Milus and William, who were fighting for the Union. Milus had just mustered out in June and his regiment captured; it may have been a while before anyone knew what had happened to Milus. The Confederates had raided Salem several months before, and President Lincoln had also been assassinated just 6 months before.
His youngest son Frank had just turned 13 years old when his father died. Frank was the first known fiddler of the Miller family, he was the grandfather of Edgar Miller who built a fiddle from an orange crate before he died at 22 years old.
Dave's son, Dave Jr, had a son named David M. Miller, 3 months before Dave Sr. died. All three of these Dave Millers are buried at the Smith Miller Cemetery, little Dave was only about 5 years old. I personally have a brother named Dave Miller who was born and died in 1956 (buried at Raglesville in Daviess County), but my father did not know of his GG Grandpa Dave when my brother was named.
Below is a copy of Dave Miller's Probate dated Tuesday August 13, 1867. Courtesy of Dwayne Meyer.
There was a story passed down that there was a Dave Miller that was mean as a snake. Dave Miller is my Grampa Miller's - Great Grampa, so this could be just lore passed down. Being a good story teller was something everybody of his time did, and the embellishments for sheer entertainment was as common as dust. Somewhere along the line the Millers and alcohol found each other, they had been a religious people, but to some it became a pretty good friend. In the History of Washington County of 1884, it says that Dave Miller took up distillery as an occupation, and I suspect that whiskey was his occupation. The census taker of 1840 either got gradually tired or gradually drunk because his handwriting took on the appearance of inebriation after leaving Dave Miller's place.
Dave & Polly Miller's
Family
Andrew B. Miller was born August 22, 1831 in Washington County, Indiana. He married Ellen Unknown; she was born ca 1833 in Indiana. Andrew married Eleanor Long on February 9, 1853 in Harrison County, Indiana. Eleanor was born ca 1833 in Indiana, the daughter of Thomas Long and Anna Allison from Virginia. Andrew B. Miller and Eleanor Long had at least one child Isabel Miller.
Hannah Miller was born ca 1835 in Washington County, Indiana. She married (1) Bueford Wilson on September 6, 1854; (2) George Thompson on March 3, 1878.
Mary Olive Miller was born October 14, 1836 in Washington County, Indiana. Olive died November 1, 1915 in Washington County, Indiana. Olive married Matthew G. Criswell on June 28, 1854 in Washington County, Indiana. Criswell was born December 24, 1832, the son of Daniel Criswell of North Carolina and Elizabeth Bolijack. Matthew died August 2, 1906, buried in Harmon Cemetery, Howard Township, Washington County, Indiana. Olive and Matthew had 6 children: Wilford L., Mary Elizabeth, David A. Hester Catherine, Matthew K., and Allen K.
David D. Miller was born July 19, 1838 in Washington County, Indiana. He married Mary Catherine Taylor on December 1, 1862 in Washington County, Indiana. Mary Catherine was born on September 28, 1848, the daughter of David Taylor and Nancy Unknown. Catherine died August 17, 1931. David died August 28, 1890 in Washington County, Indiana. Both were buried in Smith-Miller Cemetery, Howard Township, Washington County, Indiana. David and Mary Catherine had 6 children: Matthew R., Daniel R., David M., Nancy Jane, Calvin Preston., and James J.
Milus R. Miller was born in 1842 in Washington County, Indiana. Milus married Hester A. Hoggatt on May 11, 1865 in Sullivan County Indiana. Milus and Hester had one child: Lydia O.
William H. Miller was born May 30, 1844 in Washington County, Indiana. William died March 7, 1909 in Indiana; he was buried in Crown Hill Cemetery, Salem, Indiana. William married (1) Martha C. Elsworth on May 26, 1868 in Spencer County, Indiana. Martha was born March 19, 1848; she died before 1875. William married (2) Martha C. Smith on November 16, 1875. Martha was born March 19, 1848, the daughter of Nathan Smith and Priscilla Voyles; she died June 4, 1929 in Campbellsburg, Indiana. William H. and Martha Elsworth had 6 children: Mary O., James A., Maggie R., Samuel, Claudius E. and Catherine Renna. A related link for this family can be found at http://joyfranklin.com/853/
Ivy H. Miller was born April 1846 in Washington County, Indiana. Ivy married Delila Snyder on December 24, 1877. Delilah was born June 19, 1846 in Washington County, Indiana, the daughter of Christian (Christopher) Snyder of North Carolina from Germany and Julia Ann Beck of Washington County, Indiana. Delilah died December 13, 1930 at 84 y 5 m 24 d. Ivy died November 12, 1904 in Indiana; he was buried in Beck’s Mill Cemetery, Washington County, Indiana. Ivy and Delilah had 5 children: Frederick E., Herman H., Minnie P., Otis E., and Laura E.
James Adam Miller was born May 20, 1848 in Washington County, Indiana. James married Mary Caroline Voyles on August 13, 1871. He died August 6, 1915 in Washington County, Indiana; James and Mary were buried in Kansas Cemetery, Howard Township, Washington County, Indiana. Mary was born July 8, 1852 in Washington County, Indiana, the daughter of Daniel Voyles and Emily Markland (Emsley); she died April 4, 1934 in Washington County, Indiana. James and Mary had 4 children: Rebecca E., Addie May, Clara Emily, and Harvey Dawson.
Milton Jefferson Miller was born August 10, 1851 in Washington County, Indiana. Milton J. married Susan Jane WINGLER on December 21, 1871. Susan was born May 20, 1851, the daughter of Jacob Wingler and Elizabeth Stagley. Milton died February 19, 1931 in Washington County, Indiana; both were buried in Kansas Cemetery, Howard Township, Washington County, Indiana. Susan Jane died May 9, 1926 at 74 y 11m 19d. Milton and Susan Jane had 6 children: Infant Son, Homer Dalton, Ivy, Dora, Lewis C., and Clara.
Franklin Pierce Miller was born October 10, 1852 in Washington County, Indiana. He married Sarah Pearl Norton. Sarah was born ca 1854 in Indiana, the daughter of Thomas Norton and Rebecca Aylsworth. Franklin died January 29, 1929 in Indiana; he was buried in Kansas Cemetery, Howard Township, Washington County, Indiana. Franklin and Sarah had 8 children: Oscar F., Alonzo G., Milus R., Clyde E., Clarence J., Elmer A., and Emma.
Click here to read about Polly's family - the Richardsons.
Average people inspire no one. James A. Miller
This information is the research of many people across the United States and may contain errors. It is presented as the best information to date. Like all of those whose work I have incorporated herein, my research is a work in progress and subject to change without notice. A special thanks to Marlene Ricci of CA, Dwayne Meyer of CA, Jacqueline Bean of TX, Debbie Dick of IN, Milus Miller of IL, Carol Hendricks Miller of IN, Clarence Miller of IN, and Harold Glen Miller of IN. There are numerous others too; many of which are unknown, but their findings and stories are still much appreciated. Much of this would not have been possible with out their information. Also this website includes historical facts gathered from Washington County History, Indiana History, Rowan County and Salisbury North Carolina Historical sources and other US Historical sources.
James A. Miller- Great -Great -Great -Great Grandson of Adam Miller and Hannah Sheets.
©2004-2008 The Millers of Washington County
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Last Updated 10/11/08 07:48:08 PM -0700