Samuel II was born on the old homestead of Henry Miller, Sr., his grandfathr.  Samuel and his wife Janetta Wilson were schoolmates.  Her fathr bought a farm adjoining the Miller farm in Rockbridge County, Virginia, when she was three years of age.  Samuel was of an active, hopeful, confident and temperament.  His maxim through life was "think you conquer and you conquer."  In the cause of temperance, when a young man, he with five others signed a total abstinence pledge and stayed by it although there were six distilleries in operation within two and one-half miles of his home.  From his mother, who sang well, he inherited a talent for music; and when a small boy, was generally well supplied with small coins, which had been tossed to him, to hear him sing.  When some of the family needed change, they always felt sure that "Sam" had it.  His opportunities, early in the last century, to acquire an education from books, was limited and confined to reading, writing, arithmetic and some geography.  He qualified himself by instruction in music for one term, under Mr. Chapin, a vocal teacher of note, who taught music in the Valley; and taught the winter singing schools, in different parts of the Country.  For a number of years, he was entrusted with the funds for the schooling of children of parents, too poor to pay tuition.  When he became of age, to be enrolled in the militia, as he was a good horseman, he joined the cavalry.  One day, during the company drill on College Hill, one half mile from Lexington, two men rode on the grounds, trespassing, were rebuked and ordered off; repeating the offence, they were ordered to put under guard, but were escaping when Samuel Miller and a comrade, were ordered to take them, "dear or alive."  Samuel Miller, riding his spirited horse "Jim" drew his sword dashed after them, came up with them, captured them, and they were conducted to the guard house.  He served seven years as a trooper of the militia and received an honorable discharge, with considerable knowledge of military tactics.  About the time of his marriage, his three brothers had settled in Indiana, where he also had purchased land intending to make that his home.  But his sisters, all married but one, wished him to remain and care for their parents, now quite old; which he did, buying out the other heirs to the farm and greatly improving it.  Samuel Miller took the greatest interest in the history of the family and it is said it was doubtful if any of the family knew more of the family history; it being talked over by his parents, during their last years, in his home, with the relatives who visited them and with himself.  Many records of the family were made by him and handed down to his son J.W. Miller, who inherited, in an unusual degree, this love of genealogical research and interest in the lives and history of his ancestors and kindred.  Samuel Miller bought up land warrants, from old soldiers, enough to enter, from the U.S. Government, 1,000 acres of land in Missouri, in 1852 and 320 acres in Iowa in 1854.  He entered on no project in which he could not ask God's blessing.  His father died in 1848 and his Mother n 1854.  He was now free to carry out his long-cherished plans of making his future home in the rapidly developing great West; where he had already invested in improved land.  In 1855, he sold the old homestead and in September with two well-fitted, two horse vehicles, with wife, five sons and three daughters and three other families, he started on the journey, of about one thousand miles.  Traveling on the stage road from the Valley, across the Allegheny Mountains by way of Lewisburg to the Kanawha Valley, they passed through the lands one owned by General George Washington, and crossed the Ohio River at Point Pleasant.  Here the great battle was fought between the Virginians from the Valley, from Augusta and the adjoining counties under command of General Andrew Lewis and the Indians from the Scioto Valley, Ohio under the noted Chief Cornstalk on October 10, 1774.  In SE Ohio they saw the first railroad locomotive and train.  From near Jamestown, Green County, Ohio they traveled on the National road to Richmond, Indiana.  Here they parted with the other three families and proceeded to Wabash County, Indiana to the land received from James Lackey, in part payment for the old homestead.  They arrived there October 10, 1855 having traveled about 500 miles.  Samuel Miller, arranging matters for the winter, made his third trip to Missouri to have a house built for occupancy in the spring.  His oldest son,  20 years of age, taught the public school for the winter.  At times the thermometer stood at 28 degrees below zero.  In 1856, they drove to Clinto County, visiting a brother, Henry Miller and family and families of his broters, John and William Miller.  Crossing western Indiana and the state of Illinois by way of Lafayette, Oxford, Lesington and Peroria to the Mississippi River at Burlington, Iowa, which was crossed on the ice, it being three feet thick, they traveled over a deep snow, through an open country, for 20 miles without seeing a house.  The horses floundered sometimes, in snow drifts, when the women would have to get out, to lighten the load so that the horses could pull through.  The next day, they again saw rail-road and train, the first on that trip.  From Burlington, they passed through eastern Iowa, to Memphis, Missouri arriving there March 20, 1856, with horses jaded but with the Millers, parents, buoyant, cheerful, thankful to God, for the safe journed of one thousand miles.  What about the eight children?  Oh, they enjoyed it all the way; and could look back and remember all the places where they stopped nights from Virginia to Missouri.  On account of the rigorous winter, the parties who had engaged to build a house had done nothing.  So a house was rented and Mr. Miller, with his usual enegry, began to gather matrial, the most of it brought ten miles.  By May 01, he had comfortable frame house, 65 acres of prairie broken, fenced and in crop, that spring and fall; and in four years, six 80 acre tracts fenced and the most of it in cultivation.  There was then no barbed wire, but fencing was made from timber, brought from six to ten miles.  Before Mr. Miller left Virginia he was called by some of the ultra-slavery men an abolitionist.  He reused to accept a Negro boy which his father-in-law wished to leave him as a legacy.  He was progressive.  On account of his ability and success with a limited education in books and his sterling qualities, he was called "one of nature's noblemen."  On a former trip from Virginia, to Iowa, to enter Government land, he stopped at his broter in Indiana, went by steamboat, by way of Cairo, Illinnois, to Burlington, Iowa; and by hack, to Morning Sun, Louisa County, 23 miles distant to the home of his cousin from Rockbridge, Heny Miller Ochiltree, son of Captan Thomas and Jean (Miller) Ochiltree, arriving aftr dark.  Sam, you can't fool me; I know your voice."  They had not met for 15 years.  In 1833, during a protracted meeting held in Rockbridge by Rev. John Mark Fulton, of the Presbyterian Church, Samuel Miller was converted and united with High Bridge Prebysterian Church.  Aftr his marriage he began having family workship, with singing a hymn or psalm, reading the scripture and prayer.  This he continued throughout his married life, until old age and the death of his wife and the breaking up of his home.  In 1835, he was elected ruling Elder, in High Bridge Church, serving in that capaciaty for 20 years, until his removal to Memphis, where he served the reamainder of his life.  His six sons, likewise, were elders.