COLUMBIA COUNTY OHIO - MORRIS/MILLER History Chapter 4 (published 1873)
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"HISTORY OF THE MORRIS AND MILLER FAMILIES" By Morris Miller  1873
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		        Chapter 4

	Marriage of Levi and Deborah, With Other Incidents

	Having in the preceding pages given a short outline of 
the families, I shall now devote a few pages to show the 
connection that came between them by marriage.

	Levi Miller, as before observed, was the youngest son 
of the Miller family, whose history I had not carried out. 
While he lived with his brother-in-law, Nathan Walton, he 
made acquaintance with Deborah Morris, the oldest child of 
Isaac Morris, which resulted in marriage early in the 
autumn of 1798. Their first residence for the pending 
winter was in a small house on the land of Nathan Walton. 
The next spring they rented and moved on a farm in Fayette 
County in sight of her father’s on opposite sides of the 
Monongahela River. They lived there about six years and had 
four children born to them: Morris, the oldest, was born 
the 27th of the 7th month, 1799. The others have not got 
their exact ages. Their names were, respectively, Robert, 
Isaac and Nathan.

	Having brought the history of my parents to the time of 
my birth, I shall henceforth in speaking of them call them 
father and mother, and Isaac Morris, grandfather, which I 
have omitted heretofore, not out of disrespect but 
partially for brevity of writing. I shall note more 
particularly the various circumstances of my grandfather’s 
and father’s families in order in which they occurred, as 
my memory enables me to state them with more accuracy than 
the events before.

	My mother being the oldest and first to marry, took 
with her to live the youngest sister Phebe, she being about 
nine years old. She lived with them about ten years before 
her marriage. Mary, the third sister, as I said before, was 
living with her grandmother at my earliest recollection.

	Sarah, the second sister, remained single for some nine 
years after her oldest sister married. She made her home 
mostly with her father and stepmother; occasionally with 
her sister in time of need, as a nurse. It may be proper 
here to remark that a good understanding generally existed 
between the older children and the stepmother. I being the 
oldest grandchild, yet recollect with vivid memory the 
pleasure I enjoyed when a visit was anticipated to 
Grandfather’s. We children were as cordially received and 
as kindly treated as if we were all her own. That friendly 
disposition continued with her through life, as the writer 
had frequent occasion to witness. The two sons of the first 
wife - David and Jonathan - remained at home until they 
became of age. Their father’s farm consisted of about 300 
acres of land, situated on a bend of the Monongahela River, 
much in shape of a crescent, subdivided by two deep 
ravines. The "up river" portion contained 90 acres; the 
middle portion 160; the other 50. The middle portion had 
but little broken land and lay in good shape for farming; 
the other, although very good land, was more broken and 
difficult to access, but offered very pleasant sites of 
habitation.

	The middle portion had a public road running through 
it, which was a good advantage. The buildings were about 
ordinary for the times. When Grandfather came to it the 
house was a structure of hewed logs, a story and a half 
high, affording three rooms below and the same above. The 
front door was entered from a platform about seven feet 
square, with comfortable seats on each side of the passage. 
The seats being strongly backed, afforded a pleasant place 
to sit and converse. From the ascent of the ground on which 
the home stood, it required some half a dozen steps to 
reach it. From the platform three-fourths of the farm could 
be seen. Near three miles off the fair river like a silver 
sheet was in prospect, the spectator being over four 
hundred feet above it, while on either side near a half a 
township of farms and beautiful woodland, with the little 
village of Fredericktown (three miles off) were in full 
view. That place has always been the scene of dearest 
associations to me, it being the place where my parents 
associated in marriage, and many other like associations 
that have occurred since. It was from this point that my 
young, or I may almost say my infant, mind acquired its 
first impulse for general observation, which has never 
failed to attend me through a long life. As I have so far 
digressed, I must say a little more about the features of 
the farm. Immediately north of the road (which ran east and 
west) rose an elongated conical shaped elevation of ground 
containing about eight acres. This was denoted an orchard, 
and was partially planted at an early period with the 
(then) choicest of fruit, as flour and apples in those days 
were the staple articles of the farm. Grandfather being 
very economical, improved this orchard to its full 
capacity, and as a favorite for a variety of fruit, he gave 
the cherry tree particular attention. Apart from having an 
ample number of trees of different varieties near and 
convenient to this house for family purposes, he resolved 
to plant a row of Morello trees east of his house on the 
roadside - a tree in each corner of the fence. The planting 
of this row was in progress for several years, as his 
little nursery failed to produce trees sufficient to plant 
it in one year. When they had grown to an age for bearing 
they presented a beautiful appearance, and were so widely 
famed that the next map of Pennsylvania recognized and 
marked the place as Cherry Lane. The row was about a half a 
mile in length.

	I should have mentioned above that the completion of a 
new barn was accomplished in 1804, several years before 
planting the cherry row. When he came on the farm the barn 
was a poor concern. It was made of round logs, cabin roof 
and no cellar, as it was then termed. Feeling in 
circumstances a need to build for the encouragement of his 
boys, who were then rising to be of considerable help, he 
resolved on putting up a good building of hewed logs, as 
frame had not then come much in fashion. It was 60 feet 
long, 26 feet wide and (had) and overshot of eight feet set 
on a stone cellar for stabling under the whole building, 
and covered with shingles. The erection of a new barn added 
much to the comforts and appearance of the farm, as it was 
then considered one of the best improved and regulated in 
point of industry and economy of any farm in the 
neighborhood.

	I will now leave my grandfather and his family and 
speak of my father and mother in the following chapter.