A winter day visit to Chadron by Pete & Dora Miller

This is another of the several treasures shared with us some years ago by cousin Mike Miller of Ione, WA. It's grandfather Pete Miller and grandmother Dora Miller in front of the John Miller rental home at 223 Ann St. in Chadron, Nebr.  It was likely taken in about 1944, a few years before John and Lettie bought their long-time home at 450 Ann. In the background is the home owned by Luther and Helen Denton, both of whom had deep roots in both Dawes and Sheridan Counties of western Nebraska.  To view a wide variety of other Miller family photos, take a peek at our Miller Family Gallery.  You'll find a higher resolution version of this and many other family photographs.  As always, we'd be delighted to add any images that you're able to share. 

Cousin Mike Pollock, 71, dies in Beaumont, Texas

We're saddened by news that cousin Mike Pollock died on Monday, September 27 in Beaumont, Texas.   That's Mike and his wife Barbara above – in happier times – on an Alaskan voyage back in 2006.

Like many immigrant families that settled in the heartland, Mike's maternal grandparents, Pete and Dora Miller, raised a good-sized family – only to have several of their children and grandchildren leave their small Nebraska village home to find new lives in Texas, Washington, California, Kentucky, and other far away places.

Mike's mother, Pauline Miller was the first of Pete and Dora's children to be born in Whitney, Nebraska – and one of the first to leave Whitney, finding her way to Texas, where she would marry Olen Pollock in 1948.  Michael Lynn was born April 15, 1950 in Houston, but would spend most of his years in the Beaumont and Vidor area.

With Miller descendants scattered across the country, many cousins grew up never really knowing each other, except for those who lived in their state or region.  We suspect that more than a few cousins never met one another.

Here is a link to the Michael Lynn Pollock, Sr. obituary that appeared in the Beaumont Enterprise newspaper on October 2, 2021.

We were fortunate to meet and visit with Mike Pollock a time or two – not exactly and close relationship – but one we recall fondly.  We understand that he was plagued with heart troubles for many years.  He persevered, but finally was taken from us last week. 

There's no way to effectively encapsulate one's life through mere words, but we're compelled to share information about which others may not know.

Mike started his career as a machinist sweeping out a machine shop and learning the business from the ground floor.  He would eventually own his own business, A-1 Machines in Beaumont. 

He enjoyed boating and owned them over the years, taking them out for a bit of fishing and relaxation.

Mike was a self-taught guitarist and learned to "play by ear," and demonstrated an aptitude for music.  We're told he even collected guitars, as one might expect of someone who enjoys music.

He had an interest in aviation and took flying lessons.  After soloing, he took wife Barbara aloft with him!

His real accomplishments, of course, are the lives he touched over his71 years.  Family.  Friends.

Our thoughts and prayers are with all of the Pollock family.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

NOTE:  Thanks to cousin Judy Callaway for sharing some of the information contained in this story.  For a few more photos of the Pollock family – and many other Miller cousins and relatives, we invite you to visit our MILLER FAMILY GALLERY.

  

How Time Flies! A 5-Generation Photo

Alas, we have no date or location on this photograph, but at least all persons in the photo are identified!  Youngest is the lad held in the arms of his great-great grandmother, Charlotte (Flock) Miller.  The baby boy is Dylan Van Voorhis.  Others, Right-to-Left are G-G-Grandmother Miller, G-Grandmother Charlotte Miller, Jean (Miller) Roark, Grandfather Kerry Roark, and mother Heather (Roark) Van Voorhis.  Whew!  Hope all of that information is correct.  

Like this image, we have several photos within our Miller Family Gallery that need a date, or names, or location – or all of the above!  Your help would be very much appreciated!  You'll find this image and many more in the Miller Family Gallery. 

Another snapshot from years gone by...

 Marie Miller Derrick likely took this snapshot of husband Bill and two cute little girls – daughter Shirley Derrick at left and her cousin Linetha Miller on the right.  There's no date on the photo, but we're supposing it was about 1947-48.  Looks like they'd been practicing some "jump rope."  Alas, in 1949, young Shirley and her neighborhood buddy, Sandy Rankin, drowned in an accident at Whitney Lake.

Grandma Miller and "the girls" get together!

Alas, we have no date with this photograph, but it was almost certainly taken at the "ditch rider" house in Whitney, probably in the early 1940's.  Shown are Grandma Miller and her daughters.  Left-to-Right, they are:  Evelyn, mother Dora Miller, Bertha, Pauline, and Marie.  Wish it were a wider view; would like to have seen the cars and more of the house, but it was fun to seeing Grandma Dora and "her girls" together! 

Busted! A case of mid-morning nostalgia...

It used to glow in the dark.  Wait...wait.  It still does!

I take pictures at the drop of a hat. And then some.  So this morning, – instead of doing chores that need to be done – Karen caught me rummaging through the "numerous" photos occupying space on my cell phone.  I had been busted....mesmerized by the photograph on the left above. 

It was nostalgia at first sight, a photo snapped a few years ago while visiting sister Linetha in Oklahoma.  

We were reminiscing about our days of yore, when I recalled a framed picture of a "vagabond duck" that used to grace her bedroom wall when we were kids.

"I still have it," she exclaimed.

"No!" I retorted in disbelief. 

"After all these years?"

Within minutes she produced the object of my interest.   It wasn't very big.  It wasn't framed.  It had faded a wee bit....and....horrors.....it wasn't glowing!"  Nonetheless, I captured the above image of Linetha with her duck friend.

Yep, as a kid, I was enamored with this vagabond duck, apparently running away from home, or maybe just exploring new places.  And perhaps most intriguing for me (when I was a kid....and maybe still) was that this wandering waterfowl had glowed in the dark.

Maybe my early exposure to Linetha's vagabond duck explains why Karen and I have lived in a gazillion places over the past half century or so.

But my excitement over seeing this long-lost "friend" really was tempered by the fact that it didn't seem to glow anymore.  After all, that was what had really intrigued me as a kid.  I'm not sure what kind of goop (read that "chemically-treated goop") was applied to it to make it glow, but it did.

Methinks that goop has lost it punch, just like the rest of us.  

But with a little help from Photoshop, I wanted to let my dear sister know that her Vagabond Duck still shines! 

Still standing...Whitney's old Methodist parsonage

In the mid-1930's  Alex Miller met a high school girl from Crawford named Mildred Saxton.  But it would be a couple of years later, after he returned from working in Michgan, that they would marry.  It was on  July 1, 1936; they were married in the Methodist parsonage by Reverend C. Curtis Norlin.   It was Alex's 25th birthday, and they  were married nearly 50 years before he died in April of 1985.

Alex and Mildred's children have often visited the Whitney area, usually to visit the cemetery and occasionally to see if the old parsonage is still standing.  It was on one of those visits about 15 years ago that Charlene Miller took this photograph.

Charlene and brother Bruce were in Dawes County within the past few months  (winter 2020), and report that the old parsonage structure is, indeed, still standing!  Thanks to Charlene for sharing this photograph!

Happy Birthday TODAY to cousins Marlene & Darlene!

by Larry Miller

One of the real joys of genealogy is finding family you either didn't know you had – or reconnecting with family you've never met.

But those happy moments also apply to cousins you knew you had – but hadn't seen in a long time.  Say....50 or 60 years!

Such is the case with the Snyder girls, Marlene and Darlene (shown above, although it could well be Darlene and Marlene!)  They are  the twin daughters of Evelyn (Miller) Snyder, youngest of the 11 children born to Pete and Dora Miller, our German-Russian grandparents who lived the last 30-40 years of their lives in Whitney, Nebraska, where Evelyn was born in 1930.

I saw the twins at least once, but it was a long time ago.   I believe they were with Evelyn when she came back to Nebraska for the funeral of grandma Miller in 1963 – but in may have been in 1957 when grandpa Miller passed away.  

In any event, it was a long time ago!  Fact is, my memories conjure up only the images I've seen of them in two photographs.  One of those photos is shown above.

In March, after finding information about both the girls in a 2000 obituary published in Akron, Ohio, I was able to locate Marlene in Virginia and track down a telephone number.  

We had a delightful conversation – followed some days later by a phone call from Darlene, who also lives in Virginia!

It's safe to say that most of the Miller cousins whose photos have appeared on this website and the linked Miller Gallery have never met these ladies, who are still on the young side – even though they're celebrating a landmark birthday today!  We hope they're able to review some of the many stories and photos we've posted over the years, learning a bit about their Miller cousins.

We hope to learn more about Darlene and Marlene.  Perhaps they'll share with us a bit about themselves and their families as so many of our other Miller cousins have over the past 15 years or so.  Maybe a photo from time to time that we can add to our gallery (It'll be hard to top the cute photo above!)

But for now, we wish them both a very Happy Birthday!  May you and your families be safe and well!

Cousin "Pete" Miller passes away in Spokane, Washington

Pete Miller (1945-2019)

We're sorry to report that we've lost another Miller family member.

Freddy Paul "Pete" Miller passed away on Tuesday, February 19, 2019, in Spokane, Washington.  Pete had been suffering the past few months, the victim of mesothelioma.  He was 73.

Cousin Pete was born February 24, 1945 in Wenatchee, Washington, the second child of Fred and Charlotte Miller.  He was their first child born in Washington state after they relocated from Nebraska to the the Pacific northwest in the early 1940's.   Pete's sister, Jean, was born in 1943 in Chadron, Nebraska, where Fred and Charlotte had married in June 1942.  

Pete was the oldest of the three Miller boys.  His younger brothers, Wayne and Charlie, were both born in Ione, Washington.

Pete, like the rest of his siblings, grew up in Metaline Falls, nestled along the Pend Oreille River in northeast Washington.  He lived there the rest of his life.   Pete met Judy Newman, and they were married July 29, 1966.  Their two children, Paul and Rhonda, were both born and raised in Metaline Falls.

Like his dad, Pete worked many years for the cement plant.  After it closed, he went to work at the Box Canyon Dam a few miles south of Metaline Falls.  After retiring, Pete and Judy found great pleasure in camping and the outdoors – but their greatest joy came from their children and grandchildren.

Pete loved his family and was proud of them.  I believe he also found great joy in the area his parents had chosen to make their home.  The Pend Oreille Valley and the Colville National Forest region is one of the most beautiful areas of the United States.  Those of us fortunate enough to have visited there understand and appreciate the quality of life that abounds there – particularly for raising kids.

Pete was just a few days shy of his 74th birthday when he passed away.  Immediate and close family members gathered on his birthday to celebrate his life.  It was a good life.  And Pete was a good man.  I suspect his namesake grandfather, Pete Miller and wife Dora, are joined by Fred and Charlotte looking down and reflecting on Pete's life, saying, "Well done."  

Our hearts go out to Judy and the Miller children and grandchildren, as well as to Jean, Wayne, and Charlie.  

All of us are the better for having known this wonderful man.

We are told that a memorial gathering will take place in the spring.

Rest in peace, cousin Pete.

Freddy Paul "Pete" Miller obituary

In search of family......and finding them!

"Müller" and "Miller" families pose for this photo taken September 15, 2018 in Thaleischweiler-Froschen, Germany.  Left-to-right are Roland Kurz, Lydia Leis, Max Leis, Karen Miller, Andrei Krug, Eduard Leis, Nelli Leis, and Rosalia (Müller) Leis.  You'll find a few more photos/information in our Miller Family Gallery of photographs.

Most family researchers work long and hard to find family and get to know them.  Usually, it's a search for ancestors – often family they never knew:  a great-grandmother long since deceased or a great uncle  whose life was shrouded in mystery.  That process of finding and learning more about ancestral families is what excites genealogists, professional and amateur alike.

Sometimes, however, it's a search for living relatives with whom we've lost all contact, perhaps for decades.  In some cases, we discover "cousins" we never knew we had – family far away, perhaps in a different culture, with a different language.  Such is the case here.

First however, a short disclaimer.  As yet, we have no evidence that absolutely confirms a close relationship between the Miller family from Whitney, Nebraska, USA and the Müller family from Karaganda, Kazakhstan, now living in Germany (Above photo).  No matter, We've met these good people – and we consider them family.  Perhaps DNA testing will help confirm our relationship.

But let us explain.

We've dabbled with family research for about half a century.  Retirement 15 years ago allowed a bit more time to pursue this passion – and that's when we created a few family history websites, including this one.  Then, one day in June of 2010, I received an e-mail from a young lady in Germany who wrote that she had visited my website about Unterdorf, Russia, ancestral village for our Miller family line.  

"My great-grandfather Friedrich Miller was born in 1869 in Unterdorf..."

Lydia Leis was in search of information I might have about her family.  I was delighted to learn of  another Miller descendant whose ancestors came from Unterdorf.  And with several Miller families in that small Volga River village, there seemed a likelihood that Lydia might be a distant cousin!

Still, it was a long shot.  We exchanged a few e-mails, and she gave me permission to post a photograph and information about her great-grandfather, which I labeled Reaching Across the Sea -- Finding a Cousin?  But we discovered no new information that might link our families.  And then......nothing. It seems that both Lydia and I became caught up in life activities – immediate family, friends, jobs, activities.  My web posting received little response from our "Whitney" Miller family, despite a gathering of our clan in Chadron the following summer (June 1911).  While it was a splendid reunion, the excitement of a possible relationship with another "Müller" family from Unterdorf faded. 

Fast forward seven years to October 21, 2017.  An e-mail arrived from a name and address I did not recognize. Nonetheless, I opened it...

"Dear Larry,  I am Nelli, sister of Lydia Leis from Germany..."

It revealed plans for visiting America, spurring visions of finally meeting other Miller family members whose ancestors also came from Unterdorf, Russia.  This happy prospect spurred my enthusiasm for re-visiting Miller family research.  

While Nelli and her husband were not able to make that trip to the United States last year,  wife Karen and I began planning our own trip to Germany!  While we had several objectives:  visit Monet Gardens in France, the American Cemetery at Omaha Beach, do the "Sound of Music" tour in Salzburg, and re-visit Rothenburg (a favorite place of ours on the Tauber River), my primary motivation was to visit Lydia, Nelli, and their families in western Germany.

We did just that in September 2018, and – for me – it was the highlight of our nearly three-weeks in Europe.  In the future, I'll be writing more about our visit with the Müller and Leis families who left Unterdorf, Russia, for Kazakhstan, where their families lived for generations before they "returned" to Germany whence their ancestors came centuries ago.  This, while our Miller ancestors set sail for America in the early 20th century. 

You'll find additional photographs and information in our online Miller Family Gallery.

The lessons of Tiananmen Square

Cousin Bruce Miller recently shared a story that we think is worth including on Miller Archives.  He referred to a speech given by a former Chinese student activist about events that he had experienced at Beijing's Tiananmen Square some 28 years ago.  We hasten to add that cousin Bruce was working in China when the popular nationalist protest occurred, forcibly suppressed by Chinese troops after the government invoked martial law.  Bruce began his piece with a refresher about that fateful event.

Bruce Miller

Dear Folks:

...Should memory not serve you, that bloodletting in Tiananmen Square in Beijing on the nights of June 3rd and 4th, 1989, was precipitated when a malevolent and evil totalitarian one-party government murdered hundreds – perhaps thousands – of its own innocent citizens who were petitioning for nothing more than the right to assemble, speak openly, and campaign for the establishment of basic freedoms and equalities that we Americans have long taken for granted.  That malevolent one-party state still ruthlessly rules the destiny of the Chinese people today.

I was in Shanghai, China that Sunday morning of June 4th, 1989, on a university campus where I had been teaching English for nearly two years.  How vividly I recall speaking with several of my students on the central plaza of the university that morning as the sun rose and awareness of the massacre on Tiananmen Square was taking hold.  One middle-aged professor who had been my English student, with tears streaming own his face, told me "Mr. Miller, what can we do?  The government's police and army have all the weapons, what can we do?!"

And that, in summary folks, is the strongest argument that I can propose to resist until our last breath the efforts of those in positions of power and authority in our statehouses, our federal governemtn, our colleges and universities, and sadly, even many of our churehes and religious institutions, to take away our right to freely keep and bear arms!

We have a national administration and President in place today that strongly acknowledges our 2nd amendment rights enshrined in the Constitution, but the time may well come, and likely will, when "liberal" leftist politicians will again gain ascendency and undertake once more their efforts to disarm our citizenry.

Look around, folks, even in our "democratic" world, citizens have been effectively disarmed and accepted the lie of big government that "we'll protect you – society is better and safter if only have arms!"  (It's a given that the first thing totalitarian governments always take away is the right to bear arms.)

In summary, remember, freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction!

Regards,

Bruce

The children of Alex & Mildred Miller - Summer 2017

Taken at the time of a Lusk (Wyoming) High School reunion in the summer of 2017, these are (left-to-right): Jerry Miller, Jeanette Gleed, Charlene Miller, Bruce Miller, and Connie Merchen.  Thanks to cousin Bruce Miller for sharing this photograph.  A nice looking group, don't you think?  For a higher resolution image, visit our Miller Family Gallery.

Another clue on the Eckerdt trail…

We found this funeral remembrance card neatly tucked between the deteriorating pages of an old German book at the end of our bookshelf.  The book — undated, but I would guess a turn-of-the-20th century vintage — is printed in the Gothic looking old German script.  The front introductory pages, as well as pages beyond 246, are gone.  The heading on page 3 reads:  "Geschichten des Alten Testaments" or "History of the Old Testament."  It likely earned its dog-eared pages through use in the Pete and Dora Miller home in Whitney, Nebraska, and was likely the repository of many  newspaper clippings and other mementos over the years — all long since gone.  So finding this was a pleasant surprise.

The card honors Helene Eckert (Eckerdt), the second wife of Conrad Luke Eckerdt. 

Conrad's first wife is believed to have been Maria Dorotea Wilhelm.  About her, we know almost nothing, since it is believed that she died giving birth to her only child — Dorotea (Dora) Eckerdt.  Dora was born in Schwed, Russia, on January 8, 1892.  Her father Conrad  then married widow Helene Neuwirth sometime in the 1890's.  By the time Conrad Eckerdt and his wife Lena left for America in 1905, they had three children.  A daughter (Dora) by Conrad's first wife.  A son (Henry) by Lena's first marriage.  And their own son, Alex, born in 1900.

In the United States, while living in Longmont, Colorado, Dora Eckerdt met and would later marry Pete Miller on March 21, 1909.

Finding this remembrance card of Lena's rekindles our interest in learning more about Conrad Eckerdt and his first wife, Maria Dorotea Wilhelm, cold though that trail might be!

Cousin Cece (Miller) Kennedy dies May 16th at age 72

We’re sorry to report that Cecelia Lou (Miller) Kennedy passed away last Saturday (5/16/15).  She had been in failing health the last few years and was recently admitted to the hospital.  She had been living for some time with her brother, Albert (Mike) Miller, and his family in Ione, Washington.

The daughter of Albert and Edca Miller, Cece was born September 8, 1942 in Milford, Nebraska. Early in life she spent some time in the Chadron area and Whitney, where her grandparents, Pete and Dora Miller lived.  Cece graduated from Ione (WA) High School and was married to Leslie Kennedy.  She is survived by two daughters, Anita and Leslee, who live in the Ione area. and by four granddaughters, one grandson, and two great-granddaughters..

We understand that no funeral service is planned.  Cece’s immediate family, including her sisters Betty Jo and Mary Dot, and brother, Mike, will gather in Ione, Washington, this June to celebrate her life.

New Miller memorabilia shared by cousin Mike Miller

Another treasure trove of family history was revealed this week when Washington cousin Mike Miller visited us and brought along a box chock full of artifacts, photographs, letters and other documents related not only to his father, Albert Miller, but also to Pete and Dora Miller.  They are, of course, the two key people for whom this web site was created.

These items take on increased importance for the family, since so much memorabilia that belonged to Al Miller fell into the hands of a non-family person who, unfortunately, has been unwilling to share any of it with uncle Al's children.  That's a separate and tragic story.

Remarkably, these several items are in wonderful shape.   Precious letters written to Albert in the Pacific during his Marine Corps service in World War Two.  Newspaper clippings.  And several photographs that most of us have never seen.

Among them is this photo (at left) of Pete and Dora Miller taken in about 1945 in Chadron, Nebraska.  Behind them is a home we immediately recognized as the Denton residence at 217 Ann Street in Chadron.  

There are several others, which we'll soon post in our Miller Gallery.

Thanks to Mike Miller for sharing these photographs and allowing us to scan them and post them in the Miller Gallery!

Remembering Charlotte Miller...

We were saddened by the news that Charlotte Miller had died last week.

According to her family, she passed away on Sunday, July 1, 2012, while being transported from her home in Metaline Falls, Washington, to the hospital in nearby Colville.  She was 87 years old.

Charlotte and brother Gerald

“Aunt Charlotte,” as she was known by so many of us, was a product of the tough Depression years.   But we never heard her complain about how tough things were – and they were plenty tough for the Flock family of northeast Nebraska, where she was born and raised.

Charlotte Lavonne was the 12^th of 13 children in the family of Lyman and Charlotte “Lottie” Flock.  Born at Loretto in Boone County Nebraska on September 13, 1924, her family moved to nearby Bartlett and eventually to the community of Spalding, Nebraska, where Charlotte began school.

Lyman Flock “did a little bit of everything,” Charlotte once told us.  He worked in the wheat fields, at the Gambles store in Spalding, and on a road repair crew.  Whenever and wherever he could find a job during those early years of the 1930’s, Lyman went to work – including work as caretaker for the cemetery.  Complicating things was Lyman’s health, which took a sharp turn for the worse in 1934. He suffered from “double pneumonia” and kidney failure.  Lyman died on May 7, 1934 at 62 years of age.

His wife, Lottie, was left with little more than several children who needed to be fed and cared for, including their 9-year-old daughter Charlotte, and Gerald, who was the youngest in the family.

Within months, the widow Flock—along with her youngest children, Charlotte and Gerald – moved to Chadron, where her older sister, Mary, and family lived.  Charlotte attended school at both Chadron Prep and the city school system.  And it was in Chadron some years later that she met Fred Miller from nearby Whitney.

They wed on June 2, 1942, but with the United State in the throes of World War II, it was just a matter of a few months that Fred was drafted and was on his way to basic training with the Army Air Corps in California.  Their first child, Jean, was born in Chadron in 1943.  After training in Lincoln, Nebraska, and then Chicago, Illinois, Fred was assigned to installations ranging from Kearns, Utah, and Indianapolis, Indiana, to Fresno and Glendale, California.

Charlotte and Jean were able to join Fred when he was assigned to duty first at Moses Lake, Washington, and later at Ephrata.  Their second child, Pete, was born in nearby Wenatchee in February of 1945, and Fred was discharged from the Army Air Cops nine months later -- on Armistice Day of 1945.

After a short stint back in Chadron after the war, The young Miller family packed up and headed back for Washington, where Charlotte’s mother and other family members were living.  It was the summer of 1947.  While Fred worked at a variety of jobs, two more Miller children were born:  Wayne in 1948 and Charlie in 1950.  Both were born in Ione.

Within a few years, Fred and most of the boys were working at the Lehigh Cement plan in Metaline Falls.  And it’s there that the Millers made their home and raised their family.

Charlotte and Fred were able to watch their children grow, marry, and have families of their own.  Delightfully, the children all have remained in eastern Washington, where they’ve raised their own families.  Watching their children and grandchildren grow up – and then having them near in their later years – was a joy.

From their modest house perched on a hillside overlooking the Pend Oreille Rive at Metaline Falls, Washington, Fred and Charlotte enjoyed the home that they had created for themselves and their descendants in this beautiful region of America.  They camped, fished, celebrated birthdays and enjoyed the fruits of their labors.  The above photograph was taken when Fred and Charlotte celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary.  Left-to-right are:  Pete, Charlie, Jean, Fred, Charlotte, and Wayne.  Thanks to Pete Miller for sharing these photos. 

We've added this and a few other photographs of Charlotte, Fred, and the Fred Miller family in our Miller Family Gallery. 

Fred died suddenly in late December of 2005.

And now, almost seven years later, Charlotte will join Fred as her ashes are scattered along the landscape of the Pend Oreille valley.

The Millers of Lusk visit Whitney - ca. 1944

Mildred and Alex Miller and family -- Jeanette, Connie and Bruce -- in about 1944. 

Every now and then we come across a photograph that effectively captures the activities of our Miller ancestors.  Sometimes it's just a standard pose, and occasionally it's a creative bit of 20th century photo journalism at work!

This photograph shows the Alex Miller family while visiting Alex's parents, Pete and Dora Miller, in Whitney -- probably around 1944 or 1945.  A frequent backdrop is shown -- the Whitney elevator building that was adjacent to the Chicago & Northwestern Railway tracks.  At left you can see the wooden bench that sat outside the house, which was actually owned by the Whitney Irrigation District.  For many years, Grandpa Pete Miller was the "ditch rider," keeping tabs on irrigation gates that regulated water flowing from Whitney Lake.

Although Alex and family had lived in Crawford, it was in Lusk, Wyoming, that they finally chose to settle, building and living in a basement home for many years before adding on an upstairs.

We understand that dwelling in Lusk is still in the family, occupied by a grandson of Alex and Mildred Miller.

A new glimpse of grandpa Pete Miller

Sharing photographs has long been a joy of ours, and rummaging through a large number of photos shared by cousin Dori Derrick Savage during the recent Miller Family Reunion has been particularly enjoyable.

That's when we happened upon the photograph here of grandpa Pete Miller, taken in 1955 in Whitney, Nebraska.  He was 69 years old and appeared to be healthier and more robust than he would be during the subsequent two years.  Despite medical treatments in Omaha and Denver, he would not survive the cancer that afflicted him.  He died June 2, 1957 at the age of 71.

While there were several other people included in the original photograph shown here, we were so taken by grandpa Pete's smile and laid back manner, we thought we'd focus just on him.  We'll include the original photograph -- along with several other new ones -- in the Miller Gallery in coming days.

By the way, this picture was taken in front of the small stucco house that sits on Missouri Street, just across the street west from where Connell Oil Company did business in Whitney for so many years.  It was the final residence for Pete and Dora Miller, the German-Russian immigrants who sought...and found....a new life in the United States.

It's a "fer piece" from Alaska to the Lower 48!

Since the Miller Family Reunion took place last weekend in Chadron and Whitney, we've had a chance to visit with a few folks who attended -- and others who weren't able to be with us.

Then a few days ago, we received a note from cousin Debra Derrick Marsh in Anchorage, Alaska, who said she missed being able to attend the reunion and acknowledged that the "the distance between us and the States sadly makes it difficult to be a part of family events."

Thanks to Deb Marsh of Anchorage for sharing this family photo.  In the back row (l-to-r) are:
Jack Marsh, Lindsay Marsh and Riley Marsh; in front of them are Whitney Gobbi, Debra 
Derrick Marsh, and Madeline Duran; in front of them are Jack Duran, Piper Gobbi, Nicole Duran, and Aidan Duran; in front are Justen & Ryan Gobbi, baby Zoe Duran, & John Duran.

Deb's parents, Dick and Kathy Derrick, lived in Alaska for many years before returning to the states.  Deb and her family remain in Alaska, as does her brother Rik.  Sister Dori and family -- from Rapid City -- were able to participate in the reunion.  Perhaps next gathering, we'll have them all!

Deb was also kind enough to send along information about Rik, who returned to Alaska in 2004 after living in Colorado area for several years.  She says he's "loving every minute of it!"  Working as a night manager for a local Safeway store allows him to enjoy his days in the outdoors -- especially hiking and rock climbing.

Rik's in the process of writing short stories, detailing his many climbing and guiding adventures.  He is the dad of Kirsten and Christopher, who live in Cheyenne, Wyoming.

During the reunion, we were tickled pink that so many cousins came from so far away to join us -- but there were others just simply unable to make the trip.  So Deb's sharing of photographs of her family is extra special.

Perhaps it will spur other cousins who were unable to attend to share recent family photographs with us.  We'll be more than happy to include them on the Miller Archives web site.

Not only our Alaska cousins, but more from Washington, California, and Texas couldn't make it.   Some of them have new grandchildren, spouses, etc., and it would be fun to catch up with them and their activities!

So let us hear from you.  E-mail your photos and information to galeymedia@gmail.com.  Thanks!

 

Three sisters...three sad stories

Over these past many weeks, we’ve been trying to provide a thumbnail sketch of the Miller family.  That effort has come in the form of a series of short narratives – accompanied by a few pictures – of each child of Peter and Dora Miller, our German-Russian ancestors who came to the new world in search of a better life.

By all accounts, they found it, although it was not always a bed of roses.

The Miller children (L-R):  Marie, Caroline,
Alex and Hank.  (1916 - Chicago, Illinois)

And this final installment is a composite summary of three Miller children we’ve not yet  discussed at any length:  Caroline, Fannie, and Evelyn.  In fact, we have very little information about them, but will share here a bit of what we know.

First, an acknowledgement of Pete and Dora’s second daughter, Caroline.

Of the 11 Miller children, the least is known about this little girl – the fourth child – born when the family lived in Chicago.  Caroline was not yet five when the family moved to a farm just outside of Watertown, South Dakota.  Two of her younger sisters were born in South Dakota:  Fannie in April of 1919, and Bertha in April 1921.

In about 1922, the family moved from Watertown to Bayard, Nebraska.  Caroline died just a couple of weeks before Christmas, on December 12, 1922, and we believe the family was already living in Scotts Bluff County by that time.  While details of her death are not known, she is buried in Fairview Cemetery in Scottsbluff.

The picture above is the only known photograph of Caroline.

Fannie at about age 8, holding little sister Pauline.

Fannie Miller was born April 22, 1919 at Watertown, South Dakota.   She started school near Bayard, Nebraska, and would have continued her schooling in Whitney after Pete and Dora moved there in 1927.  As we’ve sifted through the many class pictures in our photo gallery for Whitney School, we’ve not yet been able to find a photo that identifies Fannie – nor have we identified her in any of the unlabeled school photos. 

Nonetheless, we are optimistic that we’ll yet find a photo of Fannie in a class picture, perhaps in one we’ve yet to obtain.  We added several to our collection as a result of the June 2011 Whitney School Open House, and we hope to further expand our collection in the coming months.

Fannie was nearly 10 years younger than sister, Marie, and she surely looked up to her older sister over the years of her short life.  As Fannie grew into her teenage years, she was – like her brothers and sisters – somewhat confined to the “small town” environment of Whitney.  But that would not stop Fannie – and the others – from frequent trips to nearby Crawford or Chadron, where there were more stores, more people, and more activities that would be inviting to young people.

Fannie and Lettie

By all accounts, Fannie was a bright and vibrant young lady.  She made friends fast, and became good friends with Lettie Maiden, who would one day marry her brother, John, and become her sister-in-law.

In January of 1936, when she was 17 years old, Fannie gave birth to a baby boy, Jan Richard, in Milford, Nebraska.  Tragically, while Jan was still an infant, Fannie was involved in a serious automobile accident that left her paralyzed.

While a passenger in a car on U.S. 20 headed from Crawford to Whitney, the vehicle went out of control on a curve and crashed into a ditch.  Fannie’s neck was fractured in three places.  Initially treated in the Bootjer hospital in Crawford, she was transferred to Sister’s Hospital in Hot Springs, South Dakota a few days later.

Bedridden, Fannie was soon beset with many complications.  Despite considerable medical attention to a broken vertebrae, Fannie succumbed to those complications and went to an early death in March of 1939.  She was just a few weeks from her 20^th birthday.

Jan was raised by his grandparents Pete and Dora Miller.  Two of his aunts, Evalyn and Pauline, were just six and nine years older than Jan, so he was very much like a younger brother to all of Pete and Dora’s kids.  In fact, we recall Jan frequently calling grandma Dora, “mom.”  Our story about cousin Jan is recounted in an earlier narrative.

Evalyn Miller - undated

And finally, a brief recounting about the youngest child of Pete and Dora Miller – Evelyn Ruth.

Born in Whitney on June 8, 1930, most of Evelyn’s siblings were already teenagers.  Her oldest sister, Marie, was 20 years and was married within just a few months of Evelyn’s birth.

As was the case with her sister, Fannie, we’ve been unable to locate a school photo that identifies Evelyn.  Part of that problem can be attributed to a short education.  Evelyn dropped out of school – probably around the 8th grade.

For a time in her teen years, she stayed with her brother John and family in Chadron, where she also took in ironing and probably had a job or two around Chadron. 

We know virtually nothing else about Evelyn during this time period. 

But by early 1951, she had met a young Airman stationed at Ellsworth Air Force Base near Rapid City.  His name was John Snyder, who was originally from Minnesota.  They were married on August 26th in Rapid City, South Dakota.  Both were 21 years old and – according to their marriage registration – both had been divorced. 

When “Johnny” Snyder’s military service ended with a disability of some sort, the couple settled in St. Paul, Minnesota. 

Twin daughters were born to Evelyn and Johnny in the 1950’s.  Marlene and Darlene Snyder were among the few twins we know of born in to the Miller family.

The Snyder twins - Marlene and Darlene

Johnny’s disability prevented him from ever really working full time, and the trail of the Snyders through the rest of the 1950’s and 1960’s is largely unknown.  His health deteriorated and Johnny Snyder died in February 1969 before his daughters were fully grown.

Evelyn later married a man named Ivan Wilson.  By most accounts, it was not a happy marriage.  Ivan and Evelyn lived in Arizona, where Evelyn died on February 8, 1984 at Camp Verde.  She was just 53 years old.

Virtually nothing is known about Evelyn’s daughters, Marlene and Darlene.  Some of the Miller family in Texas recall Marlene living in the Houston area for a while – married and with two children.  That was many years ago, and we’ve been unable to locate them regarding the Miller Family Reunion, which is now just days away.

A reminder that the Miller Gallery contains a wide variety of historical and contemporary photographs of Pete and Dora Miller – and many of their children and later generations.

As you happen across any errors of fact in the photo captions – or in the narratives contained in Miller Archives – we hope you’ll e-mail us corrections and additional information.  And, of course, we’d welcome any interesting photographs that you’d like to share with us.

We anticipate that we’ll have a barrage of new photos to post following the 2011 Miller reunion in Nebraska, so come back and visit this site in coming days.  You may find someone you know!