so tonight I am going to blog about Miller's Church and Miller's Cemetery......
copy of the painting of Miller's Church from mid 1800's
here I am on the front steps of Miller Church...the only thing left of the church..it was dismantled in 1942 and the lumber used to make chicken coops.
several of my ancestors are buried in the Miller's Cemetery...
my 4 times Great Uncle Michael Valentine Miller is thought to be the founder of Miller's Church...it is also thought that the property that the church and cemetery resided/reside on was a part of the Miller Homestead and his land originally.
Michael was born on February 6, 1782 and died November 8, 1869....his wife Susanna Phillips Miller (I could not find a picture) was born January 23, 1787 and died August 2, 1858...they had no children.
My 2 times Great Grandpa Theodore G. Miller was a Lay Leader in the Miller's church after Michael passed in 1869.....Theo and His wife are buried in the Miller Cemetery as well....
Theodore G Miller was born December 31, 1842 and died March 1913
Elizabeth Bachman Miller was born on March 16, 1848 and died on September 8, 1931
This is the bigger stone that sits behind Theo and Elizabeth's little stones
the date that Miller's church was created is still not known....approx 1850's is the best guess...my 2 times great grandpa Theo ( in his 1869 diary) said of Michael Miller (his great uncle) that "he was a man of great spirit and wisdom" and "he was a guiding force in our lives" what a wonderful legacy Michael Valentine Miller left behind....the other incredible link to this is that these same words were used to describe my brother Michael Patrick Miller who passed November 26, 2011 at age 49.
my late Uncle Dave wrote these words about the church.... "Although Miller's began as a cemetery without a church, and ended as a cemetery without a church, it survives to this day as a symbol of faith and determination."
my late Uncle Dave wrote these words about the church.... "Although Miller's began as a cemetery without a church, and ended as a cemetery without a church, it survives to this day as a symbol of faith and determination."
It was amazing to stand on this piece of land and look out at the incredible view of mountains and hilly farmland and know that this is where I came from.
A couple more days of history / pictures from our trip....then back to LIVING OFF THE LAND
Pleasant Dreams!!!
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