BIO: Nathan Miller, Jefferson County, PA Contributed for use in the USGenWeb Archives by Jean Wall Copyright 2008. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://usgwarchives.net/pa/jefferson/ http://usgwarchives.net/pa/jefferson/beers/beers-bios.htm _____________________________________________________________________ Commemorative Biographical Record of Central Pennsylvania, Including the Counties of Centre, Clearfield, Jefferson and Clarion, Containing Biographical Sketches of Prominent and Representative Citizens. Chicago, Ill.: J. H. Beers, 1898, pages 1087-1088. _____________________________________________________________________ NATHAN MILLER, an agriculturist of Gaskill township, was born in Armstrong county, Penn., November 10, 1817, a son of Henry and Mary (Smith) Miller. The father was born in Westmoreland county, and after his marriage removed to Jefferson county in 1849, locating in Gaskill township, where he purchased 175 acres of land, covered with pine and hard-wood timber. He built a round-log house and a log barn, engaged in lumbering and cleared about thirty acres of his place. His death occurred in 1870. The following is the record of his family: Jacob Miller, the eldest, born in Westmoreland county, December 8, 1813, married Annie Snyder, of Armstrong county, and removed to Gaskill township, Jefferson county, where he purchased a farm on which he lived until 1872. He then sold and removed to Parkersburg, W.Va., where he bought a farm, making it his home until his death in 1873. He left five children - Bardon, of West Virginia; Malinda, wife of William Beatty, of Indiana county; Isabel, wife of David Campbell, of Indiana county; Daniel, a soldier of the Union army, who died in Indiana while on his way home from the war; and Mary A., who became the wife of Thomas Logan, of Indiana county, and removed to the West, where Mr. Logan died some years ago, after which his widow returned to Gaskill township, Jefferson county, where she died, leaving a daughter, Annie E., now of Marion, Penn. (2) Henry, born October 21, 1815, in Armstrong county, married Jane Long, and located in Indiana county, where he died in 1895, while his wife died in 1897. They had one son, Benjamin F., who is married to Mary Coon, of Indiana county, and lives on the old homestead in that county, Laura became the wife of Wesley Roof, on I, and died some years ago, leaving a family. (3) Nathan is the third of the family. (4) James, born on November, 26, 1821, married Ruth Cochran, who died some years ago, and he now lives with his married daughter, Perline, in Indiana county. He had nine children - Washington married a Miss Peeler; Alexander married a Miss Cunkle; Jefferon married a Miss Walker; Perline (the eldest daughter) married a Mr. Carney, of Indiana county; Matronna married a Mr. Louman; Jane married a Mr. McGoughey; Nancy married a Mr. Hall; Clarra married a Mr. Flemming; and Addeth married a Mr. Thompson. (5) Lavinia, born in Armstrong county, May 12, 1824, makes her home with her brother Nathan. (6) Mary, born in Armstrong county, October 19, 1826, died on the old homestead in Jefferson county. She had two children - Susanna Elizabeth married Nelson Messie Best, of Indiana county, and Benjamin Franklin married Sarah Catharine Wineberg, of Indiana county. (7) Laah, born November 30, 1828, died on the old homestead. (8) John, born in Indiana county, November 27, 1830, married Annie E. Best, and resides in his native county. They have three children - Nelson; Mary S., wife of Franklin Craft, of Indiana county, Penn., and Emma M., wife of James Toy, of the same county. (9) Eli, born in White township, Indiana county, June 7, 1833, wedded Mary Vandivinder, and had the following children - Mary E., wife of Orin Coffman, of Iowa; Eli W., who married Laura King, and lives in Indiana county, William, who married Laura Best, and resides in Indiana county; Clorinda J. and Hanie, who died in childhood and Lavinia, who died in infancy. The father of these children for his second wife married Mrs. Amelia Smyers, and they now reside in Punxsutawney. By his second union he has three children - Clara, wife of Otto Sheiffer, of Ridgway; Mrs. Myrtle Read, of Punxsutawney; and Haseltine, wife of John Smouth, of Punxsutawney. (10) Reuben, born in Indiana county, August 14, 1836, died there at the age of fifty-nine years. He was the youngest of the family and never married. Nathan Miller, whose name opens this article, was born in Armstrong county, November 10, 1817, and came with his parents to Gaskill township, Jefferson county, where he aided in the arduous task of developing a new farm. As his father failed to pay for the land, he agreed with Mr. Davis, the land agent, to take the property, making payments thereon from time to time. He was married in 1851 to Annie E. Sheesley, a daughter of Ludwig and Sophia Sheesley, of Gaskill township, and after his marriage he removed to his present farm, whereon he has made his home continuously since. He at first built a substantial hewed-log house, which in 1885 was replaced by a large two- story frame residence, supplied with all modern improvements. In 1874 he built a large frame barn. His land is richly cultivated, and the improvements upon the place stand as monuments to his thrift and enterprise. To Mr. and Mrs. Miller have been born three children: (1) Labana, born June 23, 1853, was educated in the public schools, and has always resided upon the home farm. Mary and Sophia (Twins) were born October 1, 1855. The former is the wife of David Scheesley, a farmer of Gaskill township, by whom she has five children - Emmanuel, Andrew, Sophia, Annie and Ellen. Sophia Miller is the wife of Robert R. Long, whose farm adjoins the Miller homestead. They have ten children - James E., who married Dielie Bare, of Indiana county, and resides on his father's farm; W. L., Mary J., Annie E., Lavana A., Nathan R., Henry M., Gettie Ellen, Ettie May and William Riley, all at home. Nathan Miller is numbered among the pioneer settlers of the county, and he has been a prominent factor in the development of Gaskill township. He aided in the arduous task of developing new land and bringing about a civilization equal to that of the older districts of the State. In politics he is a Democrat, and he and his wife are members of the Lutheran Church, taking a very active part in its work.