The Passing of George H Miller

George H Miller (1819-1895) was Zella Miller's grandfather. Here is the text of three documents concerning the end of George's life.

Will of George H Miller - Cumberland County Register of Wills, Will Book U, page 331
Last Will and Testament of George H. Miller decd.
I George H Miller of Mechanicsburg County of Cumberland and State of Pennsylvania do make and publish this my last will and testament in manner and form following.
First It is my will that all my just debts and funeral expenses and suitable tombstones to mark my grave be got and paid out of my Estate as soon after my decease as possible by my executor hereinafter named.
Item I give and bequeath all my property real personal and mixed to my daughter Susanetta Gross wife of Henry M. Gross of Mechanicsburg.
Lastly, I nominate, constitute, and appoint my daughter Susanetta Gross my executor of this my last will and testament hereby revoking all former wills by me heretofore made: but declaring this to be my last.
In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand and seal this 16th day of November AD 1894
                                                 George H. Miller

Obituary, Mechanicsburg Free Press, Saturday, January 26, 1895, page 3
Death of George R Miller
George R Miller, aged 75 years, 6 months, and 2 days, died at the home of his daughter, Mrs. H.M. Gross, North Arch Street, on Thursday at 6 am. The deceased was a native of Upper Allen Township and has resided in town for several years. He was a member of Eureka Lodge, F. and A.M. and will be buried with Masonic honors at Cocklin's graveyard. Funeral at 1 o'clock today; services by Rev. J.M. Runkle.

Death Record, Cumberland County Death Records
922
Name,                       George H. Miller
Male of Female,         Male
Color,                        White
Age,                           75 years
Married or Single,       Married
Place of Birth,            Upper Allen Twp. Cumb. Co.
Occupation,               Gentleman
Date of Death,           January 23 1895
Place of Death,          Mechanicsburg
Street and No. where Death
Occurred,                  North Arch St.
Cause of Death,        Paraletic Stroke
Duration of last illness,  3 months
Place of Interment,      Cocklin Graveyard
Date of Interment,      January 25 1895
When Recorded,       May 25 1895

From the Miller Family Bible

This is an image from the bible of George H Miller (1819-1895). The drawing memorializes his first wife, Susanna Urich (1822-1849).

The writing within the drawing reads:
Susanna Miller
Wife of G H Miller
Departed this life
Oct 26th 1849
Aged 27 Years 6 M 5 D

Cocklin's Cemetery

The Final Resting Place of the Millers and Beelmans of Shepherdstown

Cocklin's Cemetery is easy to miss. The small graveyard on Lisburn Road is tucked in between a cornfield and Ashcombe Farms, a community of townhouses and single-family homes. One could drive by it hundreds of times and never see it.

This sign marks the entrance to the cemetery.

This tiny cemetery has among its inhabitants eight of our ancestors from the Miller family tree. Seven of these graves are still clearly marked.

Adam Miller (1795-1879) was Zella Miller's great-grandfather.

Sophia Hahn (1798-1876), Adam's wife was Zella's great-grandmother.

George H Miller (1819-1895), Zella's grandfather, rests in Cocklin's Cemetery, but he does not have a headstone. It is possible that he is buried here, next to his first wife, Susanna, and the monument he had erected for her. J Zeamer did not list George among the headstone inscriptions that he transcribed in 1904. This must mean that George never had his own headstone. 

Sarah Beelman (1830-1890) was George's second wife and Zella's grandmother. She was buried among the Beelman plots.

George Beelman (1786-1866), was Sarah Ann's father and Zella's great-grandfather.

 Eve Brandt (1794-1884) was George Beelman's wife, Sarah Ann's mother, and Zella's great-grandmother.

Christian Beelman (1751-1804) was George Beelman's father and Zella's great-great-grandfather. 

Christina Brenneison (1760-1820), Christian's wife, was Zella's great-great-grandmother.

John Andrew Irvin (1822-1893)

There are many stories concerning the early arrival of Irvins to south central Pennsylvania. Certainly, there were Irvins among the earliest settlers to cross the Susquehanna and to colonize the Cumberland Valley. There were some who rose to prominence, accumulating wealth and prestige prior to the American Revolution. 

It is unclear how, if at all, our John Andrew Irvin might have been related to these successful pioneers. Very little is known of his early life and, at this time, we still do not know the names of his parents and his siblings. We know only that he was born in Keefer’s Store, a PO formerly located in Letterkenny Township, Franklin County.[1]

As a young man, John Irvin lived for a time in the McConnelsburg area. He found work as a day laborer and he lived as a tenant on the property Christopher Marks, a landowner and farmer.[2] On November 25th, 1847, Thanksgiving Day, he married a German immigrant named Margaret Karn in the McConnelsburg Luthern Church.[3]

John and Margaret soon left McConnelsburg. John returned with his young wife to the Cumberland Vally, taking up residence in Hamilton Township, very near to the place of his birth. There he acquired, most likely as an inheritance, a farm valued at $1,800. He went about farming his land and raising his young family.[4]

Hard times may have fallen on the family during the 1850’s. They left the farm and the Cumberland Valley, settled now near Fannettsburg, across Blue Mountain in the secluded Path Valley. Though the family had grown to seven, the personal wealth of the family had dwindled considerably. No longer a land owner, John possessed just $100 of personal estate and found work as a day laborer on nearby farms. [5]

In 1861, war erupted among the states. The following year, John, aged 40, volunteered. He joined the PA 158th Infantry and entered service on Nov 4th. Ten days later, he was discharged by surgeon’s note. This did not deter John. In 1864, he again volunteered and with other men from Franklin County, he was assigned to PA 209th Infantry Company D for nine months of service.[6] On September 6th, just days after entering service, John purchased a six acre tract in Willow Hill, north of Fannettsburg,  for $480.[7]

John joined his company and traveled to Camp Curtain in Harrisburg where the 209th was organized. The regiment was promptly deployed. By the end of November, the 209th joined the encampment at Meade Station and assisted in the months-long Seige of Petersburg. Here, the opposing armies defended their positions in a network of trenches, neither side making meaningful gains for weeks on end. On March 25th of 1865, the 209th rushed from the encampment at Meade Station to the defense of nearby Fort Steadmen. The men of the 209th engaged in an uphill charge under heavy fire to successfully retake the fort. On April 2, the regiment participated in the capture of Petersburg, finally ending the siege. The 209th marched in the Grand Review in Washington DC one week before disbanding.[8] On the 31st of May, John mustered out with the company and returned to his family in Willow Hill.

Soon after the war, John developed crippling rheumatism. He believed that the rheumatism was contracted early in the second month of his service. He also attributed a hernia on his left side to his wartime activity. The heart disease that he later developed, he reasoned, was caused by the rheumatism. For nearly 30 years, John struggled with his disability. A day-laborer unable to work a full day, John relied on the patience of kind-hearted employers. In 1890, congress passed the Dependent Pension Act under which veterans who became disabled after being honorably discharged now qualified to receive a pension. John promptly applied, citing the rheumatism, the hernia, and the heart disease as disabilities that limited his ability to work. Several neighbors and former employers submitted affidavits describing the nature and extent of John’s disability. The pension was granted at a rate of $12 per month.[9]

On December 2, 1893, John succumbed to consumption. He was buried in the Fannettsburg Presbyterian Church Cemetery.[10] Margaret survived him by nearly three months. She died of “heart trouble and grippe” on February 24, 1894, just one day after her application for a widow’s pension was approved.[11] She was buried next to her husband. Their graves are no longer marked. Of John’s eight known children, only four survived him. His youngest son, William, settled his estate and handled the sale of the property.[12]

Above: The signature of John Andrew Irvin on his Declaration for an Invalid Pension dated 1889.

The Children Of John and Margaret

1. George Alvin (b. 1849 d. 1924) - George was a school teacher. His wife was named Elizabeth and they had four children, Annie, Franklin, Nora, and Bruce.
2. Mary Elizabeth (b. 1850 d. before 1894) - Married Andrew Metzgar and had two children, Rosy May and Mary.
3. Sarah Fredericke (b. 1852 d. 1866)
4. John (b. 1855 d. before 1894)
5. C. F. (b. 1858 d. before 1894)
6. James Henry Luther (b. 1863 d. 1941) Married Ida Bock and had many children, among them Wilmer. James was John Richard’s grandfather.
7. Laura Bell (b. 1866 d. 1928) married John Diehl. They had four known children: Carrie, Irvin, Charles, & Mary. Charles died in France in the First World War.
8. William Gordon (b. 1869 d. 1939) Married Annie Shearer. Annie died in only their third year of marriage.

Sources:

1. Franklin County Death Records 1893-1906

2. Bedford County Tax Records 1772-1850

3. Widow’s Petition for Soldier’s Pension (NARA)

4. 1850 Federal Census

5. 1860 Federal Census

6. Bates, Samuel P. History of the Pennsylvania Volunteers 1861-1865.

7. Franklin County Deeds 1784-1883

8. Sauers, Richard A. Advance the Colors: Pennsylvania Civil War Battle Flags.

9. NARA Veteran’s Pension File
10. Fannettsburg Presbyterian Church Records

11. Franklin County Death Records 1893-1906

12. Franklin County Orphan’s Court Record

A Brief Overview of the Miller Lineage

We know of four generations of Millers. Adam Miller married Sophia Hann in 1817. We know of eight children from this marriage of nearly 60 years. They had only two sons. George H. Miller was one.
George H. Miller married twice. His first wife, Susannah Urich, had three children: two sons and one daughter. Susannah died at the young age of 27. It was George’s marriage to Sarah Ann Beelman that produced Elmer E Miller.
Elmer married Susan Ann Ellinger. They had eight children. Their youngest child was a daughter named Zella.
All four generations lived in Upper Allen Township. Adam, George, and Elmer all remained throughout their lives in the Shephardstown vicinity. Adam and Sophia are buried in Cocklin’s Cemetary on Lisburn Road. This cemetary also contains George, both of George’s wives and Sarah Ann Beelman’s parents (George and Eve) and grandparents (Christrian and Christina). Elmer and Susan Ann are buried in Chestnut Hill Cemetary north of Shepardstown.
We will take a more detailed look at these individuals in future posts.

The Miller Family Tree

A Five Generational Family Tree for Zella Clarine Miller

(Click on image to enlarge.)

Introduction

We were taught in grade-school that America is a melting pot of cultures and ethnicities. Perhaps the time has come to teach also that we all, every one of us, are also genetic melting pots. Most of our ancestors have slipped entirely into historic anonymity. Their names and their lives are forgotten. Their influence fades as we, their progeny, adapt to the ever-changing world. We can now only know little of their existence. We may spend countless hours fruitlessly seeking them out in the haystacks of historic record. We may drive hours to find their graves unmarked or their homesteads demolished. And we might conclude that their legacy has been lost. Such a conclusion would be disastrously wrong. We are their legacy. Record of their existence is embedded in each of us, written in our genes, defining the nature of our own human experience.

It is my hope that by sharing what very limited history I have had time to rediscover, others will be moved to help tell the story. To whatever degree possible, I want us to recover our ancestors from anonymity. I want us to imagine, as best we can, their experiences, their hardships, their joys, their sufferings, and their successes. We will seek to know as much as the tides of time will allow. Perhaps, by knowing them, we can better know ourselves. And perhaps, by knowing ourselves, we can better know them… be one with them, with our past, with our country, with our genes, and with our future.

As I acquire enough information on a person or family, I’ll publish it here. Feel free to comment on and/or contest any point of fact you find questionable. At times, evidence will likely be circumstantial at best. If I make any leaps that appear to you unlikely, call me on it.

I cannot guarantee frequent or even regular posts. This is likely a life-long project for anyone who attempts it. It is, in fact, already a multi-generational endeavor. My own jumping-off points were provided in the research my parents conducted off-and-on over the last three decades.

I invite all of you to contribute. While much of our family history may be lost, I suspect that a great deal yet waits for us in the libraries of historical societies, in archived historic newspapers, and in the rolls of microfilmed county records. And there may yet be, in the possession of a distant and unknown cousin, heirlooms such as photos or family bibles or personal letters. It is hard to know how much we might find. A great deal of our own family history is beyond recovery. Fortunately for future generations, the modern age of information will leave a much richer record. Our progeny will certainly know us better than we will ever know our ancestors. By publishing here, we contribute to the record. We provide something of ourselves for future generations to look back upon. We are the link between our ancestors and our progeny.