Samuel Miller, sixth son of Samuel Miller, Sen., and his wife, Margaret
(Lackey) Miller, was born Apr. 6, 1805, on the old homestead of Henry
Miller Sen., his grandfather. Janetta Wilson, third daughter of James
and Deborah (Patterson) Wilson, was born Oct. 25, 1810, in Augusta Co.
Her father bought a farm, adjoining the Miller farm, in Rockbridge Co.,
when she was three years of age; and Samuel Miller and Janetta Wilson,
were schoolmates. They were married Sept. 4, 1834. He was of an active,
hopeful, confident, temperament. His maxim thro' 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, altho' 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 op-
portunities, early m the last century, to acquire an education from books,
was limited, and confined to reading, writing, arithmetic, and some geog-
raphy. He qualified himself, by instruction in music for one term, un-
der Mr. Chapin, a vocal teacher of note, who taught music in the Valley;
and taught the winter singing schools, in different parts of the Co. 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 cav-
alry. 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 be put under
guard, but were escaping, when Samuel Miller, and a comrade, were or-
dered to take them, "dead, or alive." Samuel Miller, riding his spirited
horse "Jim," drew his sword dashed after them came up with them, cap-
tured them, and they were conducted to the guard house. He served
seven years as a trooper of the militia, and received 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 mar-
ried 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 im-
proving 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 him-
self. 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 ances-
tors and kindred. Samuel Miller bought up land warrents, from old
soldiers, enough to enter, from the U. S. Gov't., 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 in 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 Sept., with two well-fitted, two-horse vehicles, with his
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 Mts., by way of Lewisburg to the
Kanawha Valley, they passed thro' the lands once owned by Gen. 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 Gen. Andrew
Lewis, and the Indians from the Scioto Valley, Ohio, under the noted
Chief Cornstalk, on Oct. 10, 1774. In S. E. Ohio, they saw the first rail-
road locomotive and train. From near Jamestown, Green Co., Ohio, they
traveled on the National road to Richmond, Ind. Here they parted with
the other three families, and proceeded to Wabash Co., Ind., to the land
received from James Lackey, in part payment for the old homestead.
They arrived there Oct. 10, 1855, having traveled about 500 miles. Mr.
Miller, arranging matters for the winter, made his third trip to Mo., 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 thermom-
eter stood at 28 degrees below zero. In 1856, they drove to Chnton Co.,
visiting a brother, Henry Miller, and family, and families of his brothers,
John, and William Miller. Crossing western Ind., and the state of 111.,
by way of Lafayette, Oxford, Lexington, and Peoria, to the Mississippi
river, at Burlington, la., 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 a rail-road
and train, the first on that trip. From Burlington, they passed thro' east-
ern la., to Memphis, Mo., arriving there Mch. 20, 1856, \\'ith horses jaded,
but with the Millers — parents, bouyant, cheerful, thankful to God, lOr the
safe journey 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 en-
ergy, began to gather material, the most of it brought ten miles. By May
1, he had a 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. Be-
fore Mr. Miller left Virginia he was called by some of the ultra-slavery
men an abolitionist. He refused 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 ster-
ling qualities, he was called "one of nature's noblemen." On a former
trip from Virginia, to Iowa, to enter Gov't land, he stopped at his broth-
ers' in Indiana, went by steamboat, by way of Cairo, Illinois, to Burling-
ton, la.; and by hack, to Morning Sun, Louisa Co., 23 miles distant to the
home of his cousin from Rockbridge, Henry Miller Ochiltree, son of Capt.
Thomas and Jean (Miller) Ochiltree, arriving after dark, Mr. Ochiltree,
coming to the door, Mr. Miller asked if they would keep a stranger over
night, and received the reply: "Come in. Cousin 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
Pres. church, Mr. Miller was converted, and united with High Bridge Pres.
church. After his marriage he began having family worship, with sing-
ing a hymn or psalm, reading the scripture, and prayer. This he continu-
ed 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 capacity for 20 years, until his re-
moval to Memphis, where he served the remainder of his life. His six
sons, likewise, were elders. Mrs. Miller was a sincere, true, faithful.
Christian wife and mother. The heart of her husband safely trusted in
her; and he could say, "Many daughters have done virtuously, but thou
excellest them all." A few days before her death, she told her husband
that she was prepared to go, and was going to Jesus, her Savior. She was
called home, Aug.27, 1878; and Samuel Miller, Apr. 20, 1891.