William Miller

WILLIAM B. MILLER, farmer, P. O. Findlay, was born in Fairfield County, Ohio, February 11, 1825, son of Martin and Catharine (Baker) Miller, who resided in Fairfield County, Ohio, until their death, both living to the age of eighty years. Our subject was united in marriage with Miss Jane Martin, March 27, 1845, and they came to Marion Township, this county, February 8, 1847, where Mr. Miller owned eighty acres of land near the southwest corner of the township, and to this he has added 100 acres by purchase, and has sold twenty acres of it; heat present owns a fine farm of 160 acres of well improved land, on which he has erected excellent buildings and made othtnvaluable improvements. He also owns other lands in the neighborhood, amounting to 140 acres, aggregating in all 800 acres. To Mr. and Mrs. AMlliam B. Miller have been born thirteen child'en, four of whom died in infancy, and one, Mrs. Elizabeth J. Wisely, died at the age of twenty years, leaving two children: Orpha and Curtis M. The surviving chikiren of our subject and wife are Mrs. Rachel L. Wisely, Sherman M., Mrs. Laura A. Whetstone, Mrs. Mary C. Bennett, Mrs. Harriet A. Lee, Alice C, Flora E. and Henry G. The latter three are still living at home. Mr. Miller is a Republican in politics, and previous to the organization of that party was a Whig, and takes a deep interest in public affairs. He was also nominated liy the Republican convention of this county for representative to the State Legislature in the year 1879, and was beaten by Mr. William H. Wheeler 295 votes, while Gov. Foster was beaten 397 votes, and the rest of the State ticket. was beaten by over 400 votes. He served his township as trustee several terms, and as treasurer one term. He was elected justice of the peace in the spring of 1883, and discharged the dtities of that office faithfully and to the entire satisfaction of the people. He and his worthy wife and most of his family are members of the United Brethren Church. Mr. Miller is one of the leading farmers and representative citizens of Marion Township.

As printed in History of Hancock County, Ohio : containing a history of the county, its townships, towns ... portraits of early settlers and prominent men, biographies, history of the Northwest Territory, history o (1886). See the original pages. Wording is the original; obvious scanning errors have been corrected, and a few may remain.

WILLIAM B. MILLER.

Industry is a leading characteristic of the German people, and this fact probably accounts in a measure at least for the unrelenting activity that has marked the life of William B. Miller and those who went before him. Hard work and rigid economy made of the father a comparatively wealthy man, and despite the heavy expense of raising a large family, Martin Miller was able to give his son William eighty acres as a start in business.

Christopher Miller came to this country from Germany in 1805, settling in Lancaster county, Pennsylvania. Martin, the son, who was but eight years old when he landed, remained there until i8i6, when at the age of nineteen he moved to Fairfield county, this state. Here his son William was born, February 11, 1825, and here the family resided imtil the death of the parents, Martin dying in 1877, and his wife, who was Catherine Baker, in 1884. She was a native of Sunberry, Pennsylvania, and was seven years younger than her husband, having been born in 1804. They were members of the Reformed church and Mr. Miller was a Republican in poUtics. They had seventeen children; thirteen grew to maturity, seven are still living, and of this number two reside in this cotmty.

At the age of twenty-two, in 1847, William Miller removed to Hancock county, and three years later added by purchase one hundred acres to the eighty he had received as a gift from his father. Some of this land was not in the best state of cultivation and Mr. Miller set about at once to improve it. He subsequently sold twenty acres to a neighbor.

On March 24, 1845, he was united in marriage to Miss Jane, daughter of William and Susan S. Martin. She bore him thirteen children, of whom eight are living. She was a native of Ohio, born in Fairfield county June 18, 1823, and is now deceased. For his second wife he married Mrs. Helen E. Flack.

Air. Miller lives very near the sotitheastern limits of Findlay, on one hundred and sixty acres of valuable farming land, and is very intimately associated with the political and religious life of the town. He is one of the strong men in the Rq>publican party, has held the office of township treasurer and has also been one of the tmstees of Marion township. He was justice of the peace for some time and in 1879 was nominated by his party as member of the state legislature. It was in the same year that Governor Foster was defeated by a vote of three hundred and ninety-seven, and Mr. Miller was beaten by a majority of two hundred and ninety-five votes. A comparison of these numbers will indicate the degree of Mr. Miller's popularity. As superintendent of the Sunday-school and class leader of the United Brethren church, Mr. Miller has put a personality into his work, the influence of which is very wide-reaching in its effects. Mr. Miller and his family belong to this church and in Findlay he is counted as one of this county's most popular, progressive and representative men.

As printed in A Centennial biographical history of Hancock County, Ohio : embellished with portraits of many well known people of Hancock County, who have been or are prominent in its history and development (1903). See the original pages. Wording is the original; obvious scanning errors have been corrected, and a few may remain.