BIOGRAPHIES
Source:
Biographical Memoirs
of
Wyandot County, Ohio
To Which is Appended
A Comprehensive Compendium of National Biography - Memoirs
of Eminent Men and Women in the United States,
Whose Deeds of Valor or Works of Merit
Have Made Their Names Imperishable.
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ILLUSTRATED
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Embellished with Portraits of Many National Characters and
Well Know Residents of Wyandot County, Ohio
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Published
Logansport, Ind.
B. F. Bowen, Publisher.
1902
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CINCINNATUS
HEINE MILLER, known in the literary world as
JOAQUIN MILLER, "the
poet of the Sierras," was born at Cincinnati, Ohio, in 1841.
When onlly about thirteen years of age he ran away from home and
went to the mining regions in California and along the Pacific
coast. Some time afterward he was taken prisoner by the Modoc
Indians and lived with them for five years. He learned their
language and gained great influence with them, fighting in their
wars, and in all modes of living became as one of them. In
1858 he left the Indians and went to San Francisco, where he studied
law, and in 1860 was admitted to the bar in Oregon. In 1866 he
was elected a county judge in Oregon and served four years.
Early in the seventies he began devoting a good deal of time to
literary pursuits, and about 1874 he settled in Washington, D. C.
He wrote many poems and dramas that attracted considerable attention
and won him an extended reputation. Among his productions may
be mentioned "Pacific Poems," "Songs of the Sierras," "Sons of the
Sun Lands," "Ships in the Desert," "Adrianne, a Dream of Italy," "Danites,"
"Unwritten History," "First Families of the Sierras" (a novel), "One
Fair Woman" (a novel), "Songs of Italy," "Shadows of Shasta," "The
Gold-Seekers of the Sierras," and a number of others.
Source: Biographical Memoirs of
Wyandot Co., Ohio - Published 1902 - Page 218 |
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DAVID SELSOR MILLER.
This well-known man was for many years a prominent farmer and dealer
in stock. He is now practically retired from business, though
he still retains his agricultural interests and is also a shipper of
hay. Before referring more particularly to his personal career
it will be appropriate to note a few facts regarding his ancestors.
David Selsor Miller is a member of one of the
notable pioneer families of Ohio. His
great-great-grandparents, Robert and Elizabeth Miller,
of Scotland, emigrated to Prince George county. Md., in 1738.
In this county their eldest son, David, was born, and here he
was married to Miss Rachel Blackwood, who was also born in
this county. Her mother, Ann Swain, was born in
this country, but her father, John Blackwood, was a
native of England. David Miller was a gallant
and patriotic soldier of the Revolution and died in the service in
1778. His son, Robert, was born in Prince George
county, Md., on the 19th day of August, 1767. He was married
to Miss Mary Highfield on the 19th day of January, 1793, and
in a few days thereafter removed to Buckingham county, Va. In
the spring of 1797 he removed to Kentucky and settled in Mason
county. He was ordained a deacon of the Methodist Episcopal
church in Bishop Asbury in Cincinnati in 1809 and was later ordained
an elder by Bishop Robert R. Roberts. Becoming
thoroughly dissatisfied with the institution of slavery Rev. Mr.
Miller emancipated his slaves in 1812 and removed to Champaign
(now Clark) county, Ohio. He was an uncompromising foe of
slavery and intemperance and his pronounced views on these questions
were for in advance of his time. David Miller his
eldest son, and the father of David Selsor Miller, was born
in Buckingham county, Va., Feb. 12, 1794, and was married to
Sarah Bent Parker Oct. 28, 1833. He was three years old
when he was taken by his parents to Kentucky and in 1812 accompanied
them on their removal to Ohio. Here he received the advantages
of such schooling as was the lot of the farmer boy in that early
day. One Apr. 7, 1827, he came to what is near known as Pitt
township, Wyandot county, Ohio (at that time Salt Rock township,
Marion county), and settled in what was then called the Sandusky
Plains. He entered land and bought it at the first land sale
held there, and on that tract he made his home. Altogether he
entered and bought one thousand acres of land in what is now Pitt
township, Wyandot county. He started active life there a
comparatively poor man, but was energetic and ambitions and soon
gained a competency. He made a business of going to Indiana
and Illinois to buy cattle which he brought to the Sandusky Plains
and grazed during the summer. He then drove them to market at
Philadelphia, Penn., or to Baltimore, Md. He was also the
pioneer sheep raiser of this county and a breeder of fine cattle and
horses. At the time of death he was the owner of five thousand
acres of land in Wyandot county. At one time he held the
office of county commissioner of Marion county, Ohio, and after the
organization of Wyandot county he held the same officer there.
He was formerly a stanch Democrat, but upon the formation of the
Republican party he joined that organization. He was one of
the principal supporters of the first Republican paper published in
Wyandot county. David Miller was thoroughly
Methodist in his religions views and his home was the stopping place
for itinerant preachers. He was a man of strong mentality and
was foremost in the advancement of all worthy enterprises. He
built the first frame house in Wyandot county. He died on teh
28th day of August, 1855, at the age of sixty-one eyars, and now
lies in Oak Hill cemetery, situated south of Upper Sandusky, Ohio.
David Miller's wife, whose maiden name was
Sarah Bent, was born on the 19th day of August, 1806, in Belpre,
Ohio. She was the daughter of Abner and Elizabeth
(Williams) Bent, who settled in Marion county, Ohio, at a very
early day. Her ancestry dates from John and Eidth Bent,
residents of England, the former of whom died July 11, 1588, and the
latter in 1601. Her grandfather, Silas Bent, was born
in Sudbury, Mass., Apr. 14, 1744. He saw service in Captain
Ephraim Jackson's company in Canada in the French and Indian
war. He served as private, ensign and first lieutenant in the
Revolutionary war. On July 1, 1781, he was commissioned
lieutenant-colonel of the Seventh Regiment, Massachusetts militia,
and held his position until his removal from Rutland in 1798.
He was a member of the Ohio Company at Marietta. Mr. Bent
and others laid out Belpre, Ohio, which was situated sixteen miles
down the Ohio river. At this place he spent the remainder of
his days. He died Apr. 4, 1818, respected by all who
knew him. The connection of his ancestors with Revolutionary
war entitles our subject, David Selsor Miller to membership
in the Society of the Sons of the American Revolution.
Abner Bent was a farmer residing in Marion county, Ohio.
He was born in 1780 and died in 1834. His daughter, Sarah
Bent, was quite young when brought to Marion county.
She was married in 1846 to George Parker, who died in 1828.
They were the parents of one child, Mary Ellen who was born
Mar. 19, 1827, in Marion county, Ohio, married F. F. Fowler,
Oct. 23, 1851, and died Jan. 30, 1877, near Dewitt, Ark.
Mrs. Sarah Bent Parker was again married Oct. 28, 1833, to
David Miller. She survived her husband about four
years, dying on the 24th day of june, 1859, at the age of
fifty-three years, and also lies in Oak Hill cemetery. She was
an active and worthy member of the Methodist Episcopal church.
David and Sarah Miller were the parents of three
children, viz.: Maria M., born Nov. 21, 1835, married
in 1855, to R. N. Taylor and died Apr. 1, 1874; Princess
A., born Aug. 4, 1837, became the wife of James H. Anderson
in 1856, and is now living in Columbus, Ohio, and our subject.
David Selsor Miller was born in Salt Rock
township, Marion county (now Pitt township, Wyandot county), Ohio,
on the 23d day of June, 1843. His boyhood days were spent on
his father's farm and here he attended the district schools.
Upon the death of his father, which occurred in 1855, his mother
with her family moved to Upper Sandusky, Ohio, where Mr.
Miller attended the public schools. He also attended the
Ohio Wesleyan University at Delaware, Ohio, for a short time.
At this time his health failed. In May. 1863, he took a trip
to Europe, spending most of the time in Germany, for the purpose of
recuperating his health, and returned to his native land in January,
1864. Upon his return he engaged for about one year in farming
and stock raising. Then he went to Alabama, where he bought a
large plantation and went into the business of raising cotton.
After spending two years in the south Mr. Miller
returned to this county and for two years again operated his farm in
connection with stock raising. In 1872 he became a member of
the firm of G. B. Stevenson & Co., manufacturers of sawmills,
engines, etc. In 1874 this firm was dissolved and Mr.
Miller again engaged in the live stock business, which he
followed about nine years. In 1885 he went to Pittsburg,
Penn., and took a position as salesman in the stock yards in that
city, being with the firm of S. B. Hedges & Co. for four
years. In 1892 Mr. Miller engaged in the hay
business.
On the 10th day of April, 1873, David Selsor Miller
was united in marriage with Miss Fannie Witter, who was born
at Frederick, Md., Mar. 17, 1845, and died on the 15th day of
December, 1888, at Upper Sandusky, Ohio. Her remains were
taken back to her birthplace for interment.
Fraternally Mr. Miller is a member of Warpole
Lodge, No. 176, F. & A. M., McCutcheon Chapter, No. 96, Royal Arch
Masons, and Marion Commandery, No. 36, Knights Templar. He is
a thirty-second-degree Scottish Rite Mason, and is a member of the
Ancient Order of Nobles of the Mystic Shrine. He has been a Mason
since 1864, joining as soon as he reached the required age. He
is a member of the Society of the Sons of the American Revolution.
After an active life Mr. Miller is now living
practically a retired life. By strict attention to the ethics
of life he has won a reputation for probity and is a man whose word
is a good as his bond. He has earned and enjoys the honest
regard of the community in which he lives.
Source: Biographical Memoirs of Wyandot
Co., Ohio - Published 1902 - Page 404 |
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JACOB MILLER, more familiarly known as "Uncle Jake,"
is one of the oldest living residents of Wyandot county, Ohio, if
not the very oldest, having come to this locality almost seventy
years ago. He was born Mar. 31, 1822, in Pendleton county,
Va., and is a son of Isaac and Margaret (Lair) Miller.
His grandfather, Anthony Miller was a native of the German
Empire and was the first of the family process the Atlantic to find
a home in America. He was a gun-smith and blacksmith by trade,
but also earned on farming operations in the United States.
Isaac Miller was a native of Pendleton county,
Va., also, and was reared to manhood in that state. He was a
soldier in the war of 1812 and continued to make his home in his
native state until 1834, when he moved his family to Ohio, locating
in Wyandot county in what is now Pitt township. He was a
farmer by occupation and after moving to this state he rented land
of the Indians for the first year. He was one of the first
white men to settle in that locality and it was necessary for him to
cut his way through the timber, the only road being found by
following "blazed" three through the wilderness of brush and
undergrowth. The Indians were friendly to him and his family
and did not try to molest them, on the contrary giving them many
tokens of good will. In 1835 he moved to the reservation of
the Wyandots and made his home there until 1843. The following
year he was called to mourn the death of his wife. They had
been members of the Methodist Episcopal church in Virginia, but
after moving to their new home in the wilds of the Buckeye state it
was many years before an organization of that kind was established,
although it was the first religious body to make its appearance in
that country. He was a man who took an advanced and liberal
view of the most serious questions of life and was ever foremost in
all improvements which were introduced during his time, being
remembered by many of the older residents as a man of great
resources and sterling worth. He passed into that haven of
peace and happiness for which his spirit longed, about 1863, and the
neighborhood lost one of its strongest and most honored citizens.
He was the father of seven children, two of whom are with him in the
mansions of rest. John and Isaac are both
deceased; Mary is the wife of John Holloway;
Catherine married William Hartman, who is now
deceased; Elizabeth is the widow of Reuben Johns
and lives in Nevada; Jacob.
Jacob Miller did not have the advantage of a
schooling, attending but a few days, not long enough to learn to
read and write. He remained at home until, he was twenty-two
years of age, when he was joined in marriage with Miss
Harriet Beals, of Perry. Wyoming county, N. Y.
She was born Aug. 24. 1828, and is a daughter of Samuel and
Parmelia (French) Beals, who came front York
state to Ohio at a very early day and settled in Wyandot county.
He was a farmer and leased land from the Indians for many years,
later going to the state of Indiana, where he died. His wife
survived him and moved to Iowa, where site died. The children
born to Mr. and Mrs. Miller are Rosanna, who married
Alphonso D. Fesser, of Allen county, Ohio, and is deceased;
John, a fanner of Hardin county; Isaac, a farmer of
Tyner City, Ind; Samuel, a farmer of Crawford county;
and Harriet Jane, who died young.
Mr. Miller moved to his present place May
9, 1846. It was in its original state, not an axe had been
stuck in a tree when it cante in his possession and his first
attempt at improvement was the construction of a cabin of round
logs. This building was 20x26 feet in size and was heated by a
large fireplace which was built in one end of the room. There
were eighty acres in the tract he purchased and a pleasant thought
in connection connection with it is, that every improvement on the
land was placed there by himself and every tree planted by his hand.
He has engaged in general farming and is one of the well-known and
popular agriculturists of Antrim township. He is a renowned
hunter and great numbers of game have been felled to earth by his
skillful markmanship. Deer, wolves and foxes were common
trophies of the hunt and one week he shot twenty deer, selling
eighteen of them for one dollar each. He has earned many a
dollar with his trusty gun. Much of his younger years was
spent in company with the Indians and their customs and habits were
so firmly impressed on his mind that he is still able to recall many
stories of the early life and adventure of the early settler and red
men, can speak their language and sing their songs, as well as go
through their dances with all the agility of a native. His
reminiscences of pioneer times are interesting in the extreme when
given in his graphic and entertaining manner and lead us to realize
to some extent the dangers and obstacles encountered by our
ancestors when they redeemed this beautiful and productive land from
its wild and almost useless state.
“Uncle Jake" is a stalwart Republican, and has always
stood by his party. He has voted for four of the noted
Republican presidents: Lincoln, Grant. Garfield
and McKinley, and well remembers the old “Tippecanoe and
Tyler, too" days of 1840,—the cider campaign. Fie can well remember
of being in the crowd when they hauled a "Buckeve" cabin with four
yoke of oxen and Uncle Jack played the old violin.
This cabin w as hauled in Bucyrus. Ohio. Their little old
fashioned home in Antrim township is graced by the big open
fireplace, the old-fashioned clock, the three-cornered cupboard, the
tin candlesticks and the old-fashioned picture of Washington and
such prints which adorned the wails of our forefathers. “Lucie
Jake's" old violin sits on the old-fashioned press, and shows
recent usage. He has a deer call which a Wyandot Indian gave
him: this was made of white walnut and imitates perfectly the cry of
a young lamb or fawn.
Source: Biographical Memoirs of Wyandot
Co., Ohio - Published 1902 - Page 296 |
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