Peter Miller
History of Montana, Sanders, 1913

Peter Miller was born on the twenty-second day of December 
1860 at Oberamerstadt, a suburb of Darmstadt, Germany.  
Johannes Conrad Miller, his father was a German farmer, 
himself born nin Oberamerstadt.  He was an enthusiastic 
member of the Liberal party in the Fatherland and fought 
under Hecker and Struve in the unfortunate revolution of 
'48; fought for a German parliament, freedom of press, 
trial by jury and the formation of a popular militia.  
Government and historians of Germany have tried to draw a 
veil across this chapter of life of the nation.  Possibly 
the bloodshed might have been averted, but the fact 
remains that such men as Conrad Miller risked their lives 
for the principles that have since triumphed in their land 
and the struggle forms a landmark, a dividing point between 
the ancient and the modern political life of Germany.

After the adjustment following the war, Mr. Miller settled 
down to till the soil of his beloved province.  He won for 
his helpmate Christina Geijer, a native of Murdrick, 
Germany.  She passed away in Darmstadt, in July of 
1911 at the home of her oldest son, Johannes, in her 
seventy-eighth year.  Mr. and Mrs. Miller were the
 parents of four children, one daughter, Margaret, 
a son, Johannes, named for his father, Peter, the 
subject of this sketch and Phillip who still resides 
in his boyhood home.

Peter Miller received his early education in the schools 
of Germany under teachers who make the imparting of 
knowledge their real life work.  At nineteen he 
immigrated to the United States with an education 
that most of our college men might well envy.  He was 
thoroughly grounded in the common branches, spoke 
fluently several languages and was a specialist in 
botany and horticulture.  This latter line of study 
he had diligently pursued during his vacations from 
general schoolwork.  In the spring of 1880 he landed 
in New York, his expert knowledge of plant life making 
his services valuable in any land.  After one year on 
that city he moved to Pittsburgh, where for three years 
he devoted himself to the floral business.  Having 
heard much of the great opportunities of the west and 
knowing that the vast extent of tillable land would be 
more to his own liking, he left Pittsburgh for North 
Dakota.  In 1886, after only a few months, he pushed 
on to Helena where he accepted employment in the firm 
of Miller and Rondy, florists.  For only a year was 
he employed in this capacity before he began purchasing 
the business for himself.  The property was run down 
and the hot houses neglected and in general need of 
repair.  Not a day during his stay but that he saw 
where there was a leakage of time of money.  Almost 
from the time of his purchase, his labor began to 
bring him a small return--small at first but rapidly 
increasing until now the old hot houses have been 
replaced with six splendid new ones of the largest 
size; the grounds are in perfect condition and the 
equipment of the most modern.  Mr. Miller now has 
the distinction of being the oldest established and 
one of the best known florists in Montana.

Four years after becoming his own master, Mr. Miller 
won for his wife Miss Emeline Drake, a young woman who 
was born in the Adirondacks of New York State.  They 
were married on the twenty-fifth of June 1891, but 
only for twelve short years was she permitted to be 
the mother of the home.  In the summer of 1903 she 
was attacked by a fatal illness, her life passing 
out with the summer.  She left six little children, 
the oldest of whom, a son, Arthur was not yet five 
years of age.  Bessie, the third daughter and Sarah, 
the baby have followed their mother.   Arthur is now 
in his young manhood while Ruth and Hattie have 
completed public school education and Henry is 
attending the schools of Helena.

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