August Galen Miller

As printed in 1912

AUGUST GALEN MILLER.

We are glad to note in this series of biographical articles that so many of the progressive citizens of Jasper county have been born and reared here, for this is an indication of at least two things, namely, that they are men of keen discernment, being able to see and appreciate present conditions as they are, and that the county is indeed one of the favored sections of the great Hawkeye state, else these people would have sought opportunities elsewhere. As it is they did not need to heed the call of the wanderlust that is heard at some stage or other in the lives of all young men. It very frequently leads them to forsake the "land of milk and honey" and go in search of a never-to-be-attained oasis of a mirage, ultimately finding instead the barren, sandswept waste of a Sahara, often, too, after it is too late to return and establish themselves in their own native heath. The subject of this sketch is one of a large number of Jasper county boys who have had the good judgment to remain right at home and devote their energies to the things with which they are most familiar, hence they have had a better chance of ultimately attaining the ever-sought-for guerdon: success.

August Galen Miller, farmer of Mariposa township, Jasper county, was born here on December 25, 1871. He is the son of August, Sr., and Emma (Buchann) Miller, the former born in Prussia in 1825 and the latter in Germany in 1844. The father grew up in his native land, received his education there and learned the carpenter's trade, which he followed with success. In 1858 he and his parents emigrated to St. Louis, Missouri, in which city he remained, engaged at his trade, for several years, during which time he did a great deal of work in railroad construction. After the Civil war he went to Scott county, Iowa, and engaged in farming on rented land. In 1869 the father of the subject came to Mariposa township, Jasper county, and bought eighty acres in section 24, and in 1870 he moved on his farm here, building the house that is still standing here. The farm was all raw prairie and a great deal of hard work was required to reclaim it from the wild and place it under profitable cultivation, but he was a man injured to hard work and in overcoming all manner of obstacles, so he set to work with a will and eventually had a good farm and a comfortable home.

August Miller, Sr., was a Republican in politics and he was baptized and reared in the Lutheran church, to which faith he ever adhered tenaciously. His family consisted of three sons and four daughters, named in order of birth as follows: Mrs. Amelia Miller, Mrs. Lillie Catron, Mrs. Minnie Infield, Daisy (died when thirteen years of age). Will (living at Deadwood, South Dakota), John (living at Hamilton, Missouri), Louis (deceased), August Galen, of this review, who is the fifth child of this family.

The subject grew up on the farm and when but a boy he was put to work in the fields, finding time, however, to attend school in the Barrett district. When twenty-one years of age he started to work out by the month, following this course for three years until he got a start, then, in 1894, he purchased forty acres in section zt,, Mariposa township, and in 1897 he purchased the home place of eighty acres. He has met with encouraging success all the while as a general farmer and stock raiser, and he has become widely known as a raiser of registered shorthorn cattle and Poland China hogs. Owing to the recognized superiority of his fine stock they are greatly admired by all who see them and they find a very ready market at fancy prices when offered for sale. It would be hard to find a better judge of live stock than Mr. Miller, and he understands all the modern ways of properly caring for his herds so as to get the best results through the minimum amount of labor and cost. He has a comfortable, substantial home and convenient outbuildings and his place is kept well improved.

A Democrat in politics, Mr. Miller has ably served his community as. township trustee and road supervisor.

On November 10, 1903, occurred the marriage of August G. ]Miller and Laura Belle Speas. The latter was born in Marshall county. Iowa. September 20, 1877, and there she was reared and educated in the common schools. She is the daughter of Nathaniel and Mary (Hilsebeck) Speas. early settlers of Marshall county and well known citizens there, in fact, the Speas and Hilsebeck families have been prominent in Marshall county for several generations. Elias Hilseleck. the maternal grandfather of Mrs. Miller, settled in that county as early as 1848.

The death of August Miller, Sr., father of the subject, occurred on April 16, 1880, after a successful and busy life. His widow, a woman of strong characteristics, is still living, making her home in Kellogg township, this county. She is now ach'ance in years, having survived her husband nearly thirty-two years.

Six children have Ijeen born to August G. Miller and wife, named in order of birth as follows: Floyd, born August lo. 1904, survived only ten days, dying on August 20th of the same 'year; Morris was born on August 20, 1905; [name withheld], born February 3, 1906, died August 20th of the same year; Florence, born April 2t, 1907, died March 24, 1908;.August Virgil, born May 13, 1908; Oliver Vernon, born June 13, 1910.

Mr. Miller is known to be a careful business man, broad-minded, genial and a man who appreciates a good joke. He is a man of positive ideas and advocates cleanliness in both public and social life.

As printed in Past and present of Jasper County, Iowa (1912). See the original pages. Wording is the original; obvious scanning errors have been corrected, and a few may remain.