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INDIANA GENEALOGY EXPRESS
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Welcome to
ELKHART COUNTY,
INDIANA
HISTORY &
GENEALOGY |
BIOGRAPHIES
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 Source
#1 - Page 710 |
JOHN W. MILLER has
for so long a period been a resident of Elkhart
county that he is numbered among its old settlers,
and his life has been so well spent that he is
classed with its most respected citizens. He
was born in Osolo township May 18, 1838. His
father, Jesse Miller, was a native of Ohio,
and came to Elkhart county, about 1837, locating on
the northern part of the county, where he remained
for a year. He then traded his land there for
a farm in Harrison township, Elkhart county, upon
which he spent his remaining days, his life's labors
being ended in death when he was about sixty-six
years of age. With the pioneer development and
improvement of this section of the state he was
connected, and his aid could always be counted upon
to further the interests of Democracy and of the
Methodist Episcopal church. His religious
faith was a permeating influence in his life and
made him worthy the regard in which he was uniformly
held. He married Miss Lucy Dalrymple, a
native of Ohio, who died in Concord township,
Elkhart county, when about sixty-six years of age.
They were the parents of three sons and five
daughters, and with one exception all reached adult
age.
John W. Miller, the fourth child and eldest son,
was only about a year old when taken by his parents
to Harrison township, this county, and upon the home
farm he was reared, pursuing his education in a
schoolhouse built of round logs and furnished with
primitive equipments in harmony with the methods of
instruction. He remained at home, assisting in
the work of the farm save through the short winter
season when he attended school, and became familiar
with all the duties and labors that fall to the lot
of the agriculturist.
In 1860 occurred the marriage of John W. Miller
and Miss Mary Stutsman, a daughter of
Daniel B. and Betsey (Bashore) Stutsman, who
came to this county at an early day, settling in
Harrison township, where their daughter's birth
occurred. At the time of his marriage Mr.
Miller located on a farm adjoining his father's
place, but after a year sold that property and
bought his present place of residence about 1865.
There were few improvements on this place and it
stood in the midst of the forest, but he has since
developed one of the best farms of the county.
He has carried on general farming and has also made
a specialty of the raising of berries and other
fruit. About twelve thousand ties were
furnished from his farm to the Lake Shore Railroad
Company, and also much timber was furnished for
building cars. In former years Mr. Miller
owned other farms, but has since disposed of much of
his property, retaining possession of the old
homestead, which comprises one hundred acres, all of
which is valuable land, the greater part of it being
under a high state of cultivation.
To Mr. and Mrs. Miller have been born the
following named: Cyrus, who is inspector for
the street railway company and is living in Concord
township; Nervy, at home; Ira J., of
Elkhart; Louis R., an engineer on the Lake
Shore Railroad, living at home; Ortha, the
wife of Charles Dinehart, of Concord
township; Edward, a druggist of Elkhart; and
Lawrence, engaged as foreman of the Tablet
Works, of Kalamazoo, Michigan. Mr. Miller
is a Democrat but has no aspirations for public
office. His entire life, covering sixty-seven
years, has been passed in this county, and he is
familiar with much of its development and growth.
What to many is merely a matter of history is to him
a matter of personal experience, because of his
residence here during the occurrence of certain
events that have aided in shaping the annals and the
policy of the county, and at all times he has
furthered the movements for the public good. |
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