Greene-Washington County IN Archives Biographies.....Miller, Samuel 1811 - 
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Joy Fisher sdgenweb@yahoo.com May 11, 2006, 5:43 pm

Author: Goodspeed (1884)

   SAMUEL MILLER was born in Surry County, N. C, March 15, 1811. His father,
Frederick Miller, was born in Pennsylvania February 26, 1783, of German parents.
His mother was Welsh, but whether born in this country is not known. His father,
while a young man, went to North Carolina, married, and settled in Surry County,
where he engaged in farming until he moved with his family to Indiana in 1830,
stopping first at Salem, Washington County. The subject of this sketch procured
work in the cotton factory at that place, where he worked until the following
spring, when he moved with his parents to this county, settling in Eel River
Township on the farm known as the Alex Watson farm. For a few years he worked as
a farm hand and day laborer, receiving wages $5 to $8 per month, until he had
accumulated sufficient money to enter his first land, which he did by walking to
Vincennes in 1837, and entering the northwest forty acres of Section 10.
Received his patent under the seal and signature of President Van Buren. Soon
after this, he built a log house on the same and moved his father's family to
it. Some two years later, he made a second trip to Vincennes, and entered the
southwest forty acres of Section 3. In 1835, he built his first flat-boat, and
sold it to two brothers, Joe and Jerry Raridon, from whom it is said he never
received a cent. For a number of years, fiat-boating was his principal business
during the spring, oftentimes going as far as New Orleans. His last trip was
made in 1847. In 1843, the Allisons having bought a set of wool carding
machinery, he learned the business of carding wool, and ran the machinery for
them two seasons. The next season he bought them out and continued the business
himself. In 1845 or 1846, the grist and saw mill was built on Eel River by
Daniel G. Ingersol and James Jessup, and in 1848 he procured water-power of them
to run his carding machinery. In the early spring of that year, he put up a
building adjoining the mill, and moved his machinery to it. This business he
carried on until 1851. In 1855, he added to his business on the same premises
the machinery necessary to manufacture wool into cloth, which was successfully
carried on until the close of the late war in 1865. In 1858, he bought the
school lands adjoining the mill seat— Lots 3 and 4, Section 16. Improved and
farmed them until 1864, when he built a large, comfortable dwelling on the south
lice of said lands, near the mills, his home during life, and now the homestead
of his widow and youngest son and family. In April, 1888, he married Sarah
Newsom, daughter of James B. Newsom, a soldier of the war of 18.12, who came to
this settlement the same year he did. Of this union were born five children,
three boys and two girls. Only two of the children are now living—James E., born
May 3, 1841, and Frederick N.. born October 20, 1850. He died June 19, 1873;
sixty-two years of age. Politically, a Republican; previously Whig and strong
Union. Religious faith, Methodist.



Additional Comments:
Jefferson Township Biographies

Extracted from:

HISTORY OF GREENE AND SULLIVAN COUNTIES,
STATE OF INDIANA,
FROM THE EARLIEST TIME TO THE PRESENT; TOGETHER WITH INTERESTING BIOGRAPHICAL
SKETCHES, REMINISCENCES, NOTES, ETC.

ILLUSTRATED.

CHICAGO: GOODSPEED BROS. & CO., PUBLISHERS.
1884.

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