George W. Miller Biography


	This biography appears on pages 1588-1589 in "History of South 
	Dakota" by Doane Robinson, Vol. II (1904) and was scanned, 
	OCRed and edited by Maurice Krueger, mkrueger@iw.net.

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	GEORGE W. MILLER, formerly representative of the thirty-third 
district in the state senate, and one of the honored pioneers and 
influential citizens of Brown county, is a native of the Wolverine 
state, having been born on a farm in Montcalm county, Michigan, on the 
10th of February, 1852, and being a son of Lester R. and Louisa (Kent) 
Miller, both of whom were born in the state of New York, while both were 
scions of staunch old colonial stock, the Millers tracing back to 
William Miller, who settled at Northampton, Massachusetts, in 1654. 
Isaac D. Miller, the grandfather of the subject, was one of the pioneers 
of Michigan, having there taken up his residence when it was still a 
territory. In 1836 he removed with his family from New York to Michigan 
and took up his residence in the city of Detroit. Five years later he 
removed to Oakland county, there giving his attention principally to 
farming, and having reclaimed his land from the virgin forests. He sold 
out in 1853 and moved to Montcalm county, where he lived until his 
death. The father of the subject was born on the 27th of August, 1827, 
and was thus a mere child at the time of the family removal to Michigan, 
where he was reared to maturity, being one of ten children. At the age 
of twenty years he inaugurated his independent career, and in 1850 
located in Montcalm county, where he passed the residue of his life, 
having been one of the prominent farmers and influential citizens of 
that section of the Peninsular state and having ever held the implicit 
confidence and esteem of all who knew him until death, which occurred 
June 10, 1901. His devoted wife also died in that county in October, 
1857. By this union there were two children, George W. and Della. Mr. 
Miller was again married to Sarah L. Cole, to whom three children were 
given, John C., Agnes S. and Mabel, who died in infancy.

	George W. Miller was reared to the sturdy and invigorating 
discipline of the farm upon which he was born, and completed his 
specific educational training in the excellent public schools of the 
city of Greenville, of his native county. He continued to assist in the 
management of the home farm until 1873, when he engaged in the same line 
of enterprise on his own responsibility, continuing his residence in 
Montcalm county until August, 1882, when he came to South Dakota and 
took up homestead, preemption and tree claims in Claremont township, 
Brown county, a portion of the village of Claremont being located on his 
pre-emption. He still retains this valuable property, to which he has 
added from time to time, and, as before stated, he is now the owner of a 
finely improved farm of seven hundred and twenty acres. He gives his 
attention to diversified agriculture and to the raising of live stock, 
making a specialty of sheep growing, usually having an average of eight 
hundred head, while he also raises high-grade cattle and horses, and has 
for some time conducted a profitable dairying business. In politics Mr. 
Miller gives his allegiance to the Republican party, and he has served 
in various offices of local trust, while in 1889 he was elected to 
represent his district in the state senate, in which body he made an 
excellent record, doing all in his power to promote wise and effective 
legislation and to stand sponsor for his constituency. 

	On the 21st of December, 1875, Mr. Miller was united in marriage 
to Miss Jennie Barnes, who was born in Short Tract, New York, being a 
daughter of Charles and Dr. Cordelia (Dibben) Barnes, both of whom were 
born in Dorsetshire, England. At the age of fifteen Mr. Barnes 
determined to seek his fortune in America, and took passage in a sailing 
vessel, and was three months in crossing the Atlantic. He resided in the 
state of New York until 1856 and then removed to Montcalm county, 
Michigan, where he died in November, 1892. Mrs. Barnes was born December 
12, 1831, in Deanlane, Dorsetshire, and was the youngest of ten 
children. She came to America when but fifteen years of age to visit a 
sister and eventually took up the study of medicine and was admitted to 
practice, being one of the pioneer women physicians of the Union and 
thus encountering the opposition and criticism which marked the advent 
of her sex into the new domain, but she was a woman of superior ability, 
courage and determination, and eventually won high recognition, having 
been successfully engaged in the practice of her profession in Montcalm 
county for thirty years. Mr. and Mrs. Miller have one son, M. Hugh, who 
was born on the 27th of September, 1880, in Montcalm county, Michigan, 
and who is now engaged in farming in Brown county. He completed his 
education in the State Agricultural College, at Brookings, and is one of 
the popular young men of Brown county. November 25, 1903, he was united 
in marriage to Miss Maud J. Weaver, who was born in Michigan, and came 
to South Dakota in 1885, where she has since lived, being a daughter of 
John R. Weaver, one of the prominent farmers and merchants of Brown 
county.