USA > Ohio > Fulton County > The County of Fulton: A History of Fulton County, Ohio, from the Earliest Days, with Special Chapters on Various Subjects, Including Each of the Different Townships; Also a Biographical Department. > Part 54
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who is the wife of Martin Kanauer, of Gorham township; and Carl K., who is associated with his father in the work of the home farm.
DANIEL T. MILLER is a representative of one of the pioneer families of Fulton county, which has been his home from the time of his birth, and it was his to represent the county as one of the valiant soldiers of the Union during the War of the Rebellion. He is one of the well-known and highly-esteemed farmers of Pike town- ship, where he has a fine farm of eighty acres. Mr. Miller was born in Pike township, on the 27th of August, 1844, and is a son of Reuben and Elizabeth (Toms) Miller, the former of whom was born in Mary- 'and and the latter in Pennsylvania, and they took up their residence in Fulton county in 1843. The father was a cabinet-maker by trade, but after coming to Ohio gave his attention principally to farming. He died in 1847 and his widow later became the wife of John Han- cock, her death occurring in 1855. The only child of her second mar- riage was Martha, but of the first union were born -eight children: Jeremiah, Mary J., Rachel A., Sarah, Catherine, James, Daniel T., and Alexander. Of the number two are living. Daniel T. Miller was reared on the home farm and has been identified with agricul- tural pursuits throughout his entire active career. In September, 1862, at the age of eighteen years, he enlisted in Company I, Thirty- eighth Ohio volunteer infantry, with which he served until the close of the war, having been mustered out in July, 1865. He took part in the battles of Stone River, Missionary Ridge, Wildcat and other important engagements, besides many skirmishes. He is an appre- ciative member of the Grand Army of the Republic, and is a Repub'- lican in his political faith. In 1871 Mr. Miller was united in mar- riage to Miss Susan Cowan, who was born in Erie county, Ohio, January 12, 1842, and they have two children,-Sarah E., wife of Elmer J. Murray, of Toledo, O .; and Emmett V., who is engaged in farming in Pike township.
JAMES W. MILLER is a successful farmer and dairyman of York township and holds prestige as one of the representative citizens of this section of the county. He was born in Pike township, a short distance from his present homestead farm, on the 18th of August, 1859, being a son of Jeremiah and Nancy (McQuillin) Miller. His father was born in the State of Pennsylvania, and as a young man came to what is now Fulton county, being numbered among the very early settlers of Pike township, where he reclaimed a farm from the virgin forest. He passed the closing years of his life in the village of Delta, having retired from active labor, and there he died at the age of sixty-eight years. His widow still resides in that village, being a representative of one of the old and honored families of the county, her father, David McQuillin, having settled here in the early pioneer epoch. Jeremiah and Nancy (McQuillin) Miller became the parents of two sons and six daughters: Lydia J. is the wife of Ezra Mc- Quillin, of Delta; Mary is the wife of Hugh Casler, of Bucyrus, Ohio; James W. is the immediate subject of this sketch; Cora remains with
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her widowed mother; Hattie is the wife of Dewitt C. Cleghorn, a farmer near Lyons, this county; Morris is a successful farmer of Pike township; and Minnie is the wife of Charles Rollo, of Dune Park, Porter county, Indiana. James W. Miller was afforded the advantages of the excellent public schools of Fulton county, and he has been continuously concerned in agricultural pursuits from his- youth to the present. He was married in 1884 and thereafter lived on a farm in Pike township until 1895, when he and his wife came into possession of the old Thompson homestead, that of Mrs. Mil- ler's parents, and the place of her birth. The farm is one of the best in York township,. being eligibly located near the village of Delta, comprised of one hundred and forty acres of most productive land, and the improvements are of a high type, including one of the hand- somest country residences to be found within the limits of Fulton county. This residence was built by Mrs. Miller's father and is mod- ern and model in all its equipments and appointments. Mr. Miller devotes his attention largely to the dairying department of his farm- ing enterprise, selling the product to the Helvetia milk-condensing plant, in Delta. He also carries on successful operations in general farming and stock-raising. In politics he is a stalwart Republican, appreciative of the principles and policies which have conserved the success of the party, but never having been a seeker of office of any description. He is affiliated with Fulton Lodge, No. 248, Free and Accepted Masons, at Delta, and both he and his wife are members of the adjunct organization, the Order of the Eastern Star. April 24, 1884, Mr. Miller was united in marriage to Miss Cara D. Thompson, daughter of Abraham B. and Susan Thompson, concerning whom due mention is made in a detailed way on other pages of this work, under the titles of Abraham B. and Ira Thompson. Mr. and Mrs. Miller have four children, all of whom remain at the parental home, namely: Walter. E., Clarence, Ethel, and Louise.
JAY H. MILLER, M.D., a prominent physician and surgeon of Wauseon, was born in Bucyrus, O., on October 16, 1862. On his father's side he-traces his genealogy to German ancestors, who estab- lished themselves in Pennsylvania prior to the Revolutionary war, and the McBrides, as represented by his mother, are of Irish ante- cedents, three generations removed. The McBride family located in New York, whence the parents of the mother's family removed to Crawford county in pioneer days. Here Isaac and Elizabeth (Mc- Bride) Miller, the parents of Dr. Jay H. Miller, were born and reared. Isaac Miller, who was born in 1834, has devoted all of his productive days to successful agricultural pursuits. His wife died in 1900, aged sixty years. There were born to these parents two children. They are: Mrs. Isadora Watson of Hillsdale county, Mich., whose hus- band, Philip D. Watson, is engaged in farming and stock-raising; and Jay H., the subject of this sketch. Jay H. Miller, from childhood until he attained man's estate, was a resident of Defiance, O. His literary education began in the Defiance city schools and was supple- mented by a teacher's course in the Ohio Normal University at Ada.
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At the age of sixteen he taught his first term of school and continued in that profession for thirteen years, teaching in Ohio and Kentucky. At the age of twenty-three he began his preparatory work in medi- cine under the tutorship of Dr. S. T. Botts of Glasgow, Ky. His preparation for teaching and his successful experience in that pro- fession had familiarized him with some of the elementary work in medicine, particularly along the lines of Anatomy, Physiology and Chemistry. In 1886 he entered upon a professional course in the Hospital Medical college of Louisville, Ky., and was graduated from that institution in 1888. After graduating he engaged in the prac- tice of his profession at Lucas, Ky., where he remained one year, when he concluded to go farther south. For the next eleven years he was located at Denton, Texas, where he conducted a very suc- cessful practice. While his sojourn in the South was eminently satis- factory to Dr. Miller, both in a professional and social sense, yet it did not seem entirely like "home," and he decided to return to the North. Coming to Wauseon in October, 1900, he soon after formed a partnership with Dr. Charles E. Bennett, whose personal sketch appears under proper title in this volume. Drs. Bennett & Miller have the best equipped medical office in Fulton county and enjoy an extensive and lucrative practice, both in medicine and surgery. They have the only "X-Ray" machine in the county, an instrument that constitutes an important adjunct to their professional work. The Doctor is still a member of the North Texas Medical Association, with which he identified himself while in the South. Since locating at Wauseon he has become a member of the Fulton County Medical Society and the Ohio State Medical Association. In the discharge of his professional duties, Dr. Miller is careful and methodical, a close student of professional literature, and fully abreast of the onward march of medical and surgical science. He is a member of various social and beneficial societies, prominent among which is the time- honored Masonic fraternity. The Doctor is also affiliated with the In- dependent Order of Odd Fellows, the Knights of Pythias, the Knights of the Modern Maccabees and the Modern Woodmen of the World: In 1886 Dr. Miller was united in marriage to Miss Lillie B. Adams, then a student of Liberty Female college at Glasgow, Ky., her native place. She is the daughter of W. T. and Amanda B. (Carpenter) Adams, both natives of Kentucky. Her paternal family traces their genealogy in direct line to the famous Adams family of Massachusetts, while the maternal ancestors, the Carpenters, were also identified with the American Revolution. Mrs. Miller is a lady of high literary ac- complishments, and possesses the maternal characteristics which render her a model wife and mother. This happy union has been blessed with the advent of four children, whose presence gladden the hearts of loving and indulgent parents. Their names are: Mina C., Carl A., W. Paulena and Bessie Ruth. Dr. Miller and wife are members of the Christian church, both taking an active interest in religious work. The family sustains high social relations in the community with which their lot has been: cast. The Doctor is a sociable, pleasant gentle-
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man, whose cheery presence in the sick-room does much to alleviate the sufferings of the sick and despondent. He possesses a command- ing presence and a distinguished personality.
JOHN D. MILLER is one of the progressive farmers and prom- inent citizens of Pike township, where he has maintained his home since 1877. He was born in Reed township, Seneca county, Ohio, on the 13th of November, 1850, and is a son of Daniel and Maria (Lemmon) Miller, the former of whom was born in Seneca county, Ohio, on the 15th of June, 1824, and the latter was born in Seneca county, New York, on the 20th of May, 1827. Their marriage was solemnized in Seneca county, Ohio, on the 20th of May, 1847, and they reared a family of seven children, namely: Hannah J., John D., Jeanette L., Charles R., Francis, Cassius C., and Lemmon S. The father was engaged in agricultural pursuits during his active career and was one of the honored citizens of Seneca and Crawford counties, and a prominent member of the Grange. He died on the 8th of January, 1892, and his loved wife passed away on the 5th of July, 1898. She was a sister of Judge Reuben C. Lemmon (deceased), of Toledo, Ohio, who was formerly a resident of Fulton county, and also of Mrs. Henry S. Isbell, who now resides in Delta, this county. John D. Miller secured his early educational training in the schools of his native county. He continued to be associated with his father in farming operations until he had attained the age of twenty-four years, when he purchased a half interest in a harness and saddlery business of Bucyrus, Crawford county, continuing to be identified with this enterprise for two years, when impaired health caused him to dispose of his interests in the business. In the spring of 1877 he came to Fulton county and purchased his present farm, which com- prises eighty acres and upon which he has made excellent improve- ments, developing the place into one of the fine farms of the county. Mr. Miller has not hedged himself in with the affairs of a personal import, but has shown himself loyal to the interests of the commu- nity and has taken an active interest in public affairs. He is a stanch adherent of the Republican party, and he has served as road super- visor, as a member of the school board and as township trustee, hav-' ing been elected to the last mentioned office in 1902, serving one term. He is a deacon in the Christian church and an active worker in the same, as is also Mrs. Miller, and he is a member of Aetna Grange, No. 310. In Crawford county, Ohio, on the 14th of March, 1877, Mr. Miller was united in marriage to Miss Clemma .L. Beard, who was born in Seneca county, this State, on the 20th of Septem- ber, 1858, being a daughter of Philip A. and Lucy (Richard) Beard. Mr. and Mrs. Miller have four children, whose names, with respec- tive dates of birth, are as follows: Roy D., born April 26, 1879; Reuben C., born April 29, 1880; Archie F., born January 8, 1882; and Zelma Joyce, born January 24, 1897.
JOSEPH PETER MILLER, the leading confectioner of Swan- ton, is a native of Richland county, O., born June 29, 1841. His
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parents, Peter and Catherine (Greninald) Miller, were natives of Penn- sylvania and of German ancestry. Early in 1843 Peter Miller re- moved to Fulton county and located on a tract of heavily-timbered land lying one-half mile north of the present site of Swanton, then without existence. Here Joseph Peter Miller grew to manhood amid the environments of pioneer life. He assisted in clearing the parental farm and attended the country schools about three months out of each year. The farm embraced one hundred and twenty acres, and a vast amount of labor was required to prepare it for cultivation. His father died at the age of seventy-four years and his mother at the age of seventy-two. The subject of this sketch is the only child born to their marriage. While working for his parents, Mr. Miller
acquired a tract of unimproved land. Early in 1861, in response to his country's call for defenders, he enlisted in the Union army for a period of three months, but the term of enlistment expired without his command reaching the scene of conflict. On August 6, 1862, he re-enlisted, joining Company H of the One Hundredth Ohio vol- unteer infantry, and was sent to Covington, Ky., where General Buell's army was confronting that of his brother-in-law, General Bragg. After his baptism of fire at Fort Mitchell, near Covington, a part of his regiment was stationed at Richmond, Ky., to guard the loyal Tennesseeans while joining the Federal army. This de- tachment was driven away from that post by a superior force of Confederates. Rejoining his regiment at Lexington, Ky., he was assigned to duty with the Twenty-third army corps, first under General Buell ana later under General Burnside. While under the command of the latter his regiment participated in the battles of Strawberry Plains and the battle and siege of Knoxville, where forty thousand Confederates were defeated by twelve thousand Fed- erals protected by fortifications. At the battle of Strawberry Plains, five companies of the One Hundredth Ohio were captured by the Confederates and confined for eleven months in military prisons, when those who survived the hardships of prison life were exchanged and returned to their commands. Mr. Miller and six companions of Company H escaped capture because they had been previously. de- tailed for train-guard duty. The organization of the companies cap- tured was maintained by securing a number of recruits. Unfitted for active duty by chronic diarrhoea and heart disease, Mr. Miller was placed on detailed service at Knoxville, where he remained until July, 1865, the date of his discharge from military service. On re- turning home he was convalescent for some months, but the tender ministrations of a loving mother and a more healthful diet enabled him to receive a fair degree of health during his young manhood days. With advancing years, however, his infirmities have been augmented, compelling him to seek the lightest labor possible as a means of live- lihood. In politics he has been a life-long Republican, and as such has held various offices in the town and township. He is actively identified with Quiggle Post, No. 289, Grand Army of the Republic, of which organization he was post commander for seven years, and his wife held membership in the Women's Relief Corps until it dis-
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banded. In religious matters he and wife are affiliated with the Methodist-Episcopal church. On July 12, 1866, he was wedded to Miss Sarah Temperance Farnsworth, a native of Lucas county and the daughter of J. P. and Louisa (Miller) Farnsworth, pioneers of that county, the former now living at Waterville, O., and the latter having died in young womanhood. Three sons were born to this union, two of whom are yet living. Their names follow: Willis, who died at the age of three years; John W., and Ernest Edson of Toledo.
ROBERT D. MILLER is numbered among the prosperous and enterprising farmers of Pike township. He was born in Richland county, Ohio, on the 25th of December, 1867, and is a son of An- thony Wayne Miller and Electa (Wilson) Miller, both of whom were born and reared in the old Buckeye State. Anthony W. Miller was born in Richland county, on the 10th of August, 1834, and his wife was born in Ashland county, their marriage having been solemnized in 1865, after the father had rendered gallant service as a Union sol- dier in the War of the Rebellion. He enlisted on the 11th of August, 1862, and he continued in service until the close of the war, having been mustered out at Camp Chase, Columbus, Ohio, in July, 1865, and having duly received his honorable discharge. He took part in the engagements of Arkansas Post, Milliken's Bend, the sieges of Vicksburg and Jackson, Mississippi, and in many other en- gagements of minor importance. In June, 1864, while with his com- mand on the Red river, he was captured by the Confederate forces, and was held prisoner until the close of the war. At the time of his capture he weighed one hundred and eighty-five pounds, and when released his weight was but ninety pounds,-this fact indicating the hardships and privations which he endured in the interim. In 1881 Anthony W. Miller removed with his family from Richland county to Fulton county, locating on the farm where his son, Robert D., now resides. The parents now reside on a homestead in Dover town- ship. Robert D. Miller received his educational discipline in the pub- lic schools of Richland and Fulton counties, and as a youth he learned the carpenter trade, becoming a skilled workman and continuing to follow his trade as a vocation for ten years, after which. he again turned his attention to farming and stock-growing, in which lines of enterprise he has met with gratifying success, being progressive in his attitude and availing himself of those facilities and methods which foster the maximum returns from the efforts put forth. His farm comprises eighty acres of most productive land and the place is equipped with excellent buildings and other substantial improve- ments. In his political adherency Mr. Miller is aligned with the Re- publican party, and while he takes a loyal interest in local affairs of a public nature he has never been an aspirant for office. He was a member of the Ohio National Guard for a period of five years, has served as captain. in his camp of the Sons of Veterans, and is affili- ated with the Ancient Order of Gleaners and the Patrons of Industry: On the 31st of May, 1903, Mr. Miller was united in marriage to Miss Ella Guilford, who was born in Fulton county on the 17th of Novem-
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ber, 1880, being a daughter of Lucien and Harriet (Graves) Guilford, the former of whom was born in the State of New York, in October, 1846, and the latter of whom was born in Mercer county, Ohio, on the 26th of November, 1844. Mr. and Mrs. Miller have one son, Wayne G., who was born on the 2d of September, 1905.
JOHN MOFFITT, a successful photographer of Delta, is a na- tive of Milan, Mich., having been born there July 11, 1877. He is a son of Horace and Ella (Sundburg) Moffitt, both natives of Michi- gan, where the former now resides, the latter having died there, De- cember 24, 1886. They were the parents of one son, John, the subject of this sketch. John Moffitt grew to manhood in his native town and enjoyed excellent educational advantages. Having learned the harness-makers' trade, he plied that avocation with marked suc- cess for three years. Then he decided to learn the photographers' art, which he has so successfully conducted for the past nine years. On April 10, 1898, he removed to Delta and purchased the business of O. H. Bauch, established there, and he now owns the only art- gallery in the place. It is needless to state that he is an accom- plished artist, for the excellent character of the work turned out by him and his unusually extensive patronage speak louder than words. His gallery is equipped throughout with the most modern instru- ments, and no pains is spared to make the work first-class in every particular, notwithstanding the fact that there is no competition in Delta in his line. His patronage is not confined to Delta, but extends to all parts of the county, successfully competing with all sim- ilar institutions in Fulton county. He makes a specialty of chil- dren's work, of which many fine specimens may be seen in his art- gallery. In politics Mr. Moffitt is identified with the Republican party. He also holds membership in Fulton Lodge, No. 248, Free and Accepted Masons. On June 9, 1904, at Delta, he was married to Miss Freda E. Bradley, a daughter of E. A. and Martha (Hauble) Bradley, the former deceased and the latter a resident of Delta. E. A. Bradley and wife are the parents of four children, three daugh- ters and one son. They are: Ella, Freda E., Rachel and Joseph, all married except Joseph, and all residents of Delta, except Ella, who resides in Toledo, O.
ALEXANDER Y. MONTGOMERY, agent of the United States Express Company at Delta, was born in Belmont county, Ohio, De- cember 9, 1835. He is the' son of James and Mary (Young) Mont- gomery, both natives of Pennsylvania. James Montgomery grew to manhood on his father's farm and after his marriage to Miss Mary Young removed to Belmont county, O., in 1833. Here he and his wife lived on a farm to a ripe old age, he dying quite suddenly when in apparently perfect health. They were the parents of four chil- dren, three boys and one girl. Their names follow: Alexander Y., Ruth Ellen, Leroy and Ross. Leroy is living in Kansas and two of the others died in mature life. Alexander Y. Montgomery attended the district school four months of each year after he was nine years
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old, but his education was acquired more by contact with business men and by reading good books than by attendance at school. Growing to manhood on the home farm he followed farming until June 16, 1861, when he enlisted in the Union army. The company to which he belonged enlisted at first for only three months, but was one of the first to respond to the three years' call. He enlisted in Company E of the Second West Virginia infantry. This arrange- ment was in keeping with the understanding that Pennsylvania and Ohio, even before the establishment of a State government, would assist the embryo State of West Virginia to remain in the Union. His regiment served under Generals Siegel, Milroy, Fremont and Pope throughout West Virginia and the Shenandoah Valley, par- ticipating in the battles of that valley and the Rappahannock River. After the second battle of Bull Run the regiment was sent up the Kanawha to the salt works at Charleston, where it routed the Con- federates while engaged in making salt. Returning to the valley they wintered at Martinsburg. In 1863 the regiment was mounted and sent on scouting duty to West Virginia and Virginia, in which capacity it continued until mustered out of service, June 22, 1864. After a brief visit at home Alexander went to Pittsburg, where for about eight months he was employed in the Beaver Creek oil field. In the spring of 1866 he came to Delta, where he still resides. For about sixteen years he was engaged in the grocery business. "Then he was appointed postmaster of Delta under President Hayes, serv- ing eight years, when by virtue of a change of administration he was superseded by a man of different political faith. Before he quit the postoffice he accepted the agency of the United States Express com- pany at Delta, and for fully twenty years he has successfully con- ducted the company's business at that point. In connection with the express business he also operates a stationery and book store. Being interested in the success of the public schools, he has served as a member of the school board. Mr. Montgomery is a member of the Fulton Lodge, No. 248, Free and Accepted Masons, of Octavius Waters Chapter, No. 154, Royal Arch Masons, of Delta Lodge No. 460, Independent Order of Odd Fellows, and Fulton Encampment, No. 197, and of McQuillin Post, No. 171, Grand Army of the Re- public, being past post commander of the last-named organization. He has passed the principal chairs of all of the above mentioned associations. In politics he is an active Republican and his wife is a member of the Methodist Episcopal church. He was married in Trumbull county, O., to Miss Mary McCorkle, a native of that county. Two daughters have been born to this union, Mrs. Lena Z. R. Koos, of Delta, and Mrs. Harry H. Ham, of Wauseon. The business career of Mr. Montgomery has been an unusually success- ful one and as a result he has accumulated considerable property. Among his properties are two fine business houses and a handsome residence. By dint of hard, earnest effort and good judgment he has earned well-merited success.
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