Wyandotte County Biographies
"Wyandotte County and Kansas City, Kansas--Historical and Biographical"
Goodspeed Publishing Co., Chicago, 1890
Alexander E. Miller, farmer and fruit grower, Pomeroy, Kas. This
esteemed and very industrious citizen is a native of the Keystone State,
his birth occurring in York County, on October 12, 1810, and is a son
of David and Elizabeth (Ewing) Miller, the father a native of Germany, and the mother of Pennsylvania. Both were of Scotch descent.
Their children, ten in number, of whom our subject was the third, are
named as follows: Jane (married Joseph Feltenburger, of York
County, Penn.), John, Eve (became the wife of Thomas Nessworthy),
David, Samuel, Elizabeth A., William, Mary Ann (wife of Henry Chapman), and Phoebe C. (wife of George Chapman). Mr. Miller was married in 1841, to Miss Elizabeth Richard, daughter of Benjamin and
Catherine (Huston) Richard, and his union was blessed by the birth of
nine children, six of whom are still living: William R. (resides in
Cambridge, Ohio), Margaret J. (wife of Reuben W. Fishburn, of
Kansas City, Kas. ), Franklin P. (a resident of this county), James H.
(a resident of the county), Andrew C. (also a resident of Kansas City,
Kas.), and Florence (wife of Burt Beedle, and a resident of Rosedale,
Kas). Mr. Miller came to Wyandotte County in 1809, and located on
his present property, consisting of ninety-seven acres six miles northwest of Kansas City, where he has resided ever since. He has one of
the best improved farms in the county, and has excellent buildings,
good barns, etc. Everything indicates to the beholder that the owner
is progressive and thoroughgoing. He raises various kinds of fruits,
and on his farm are splendid springs of clear, cold water Mr. Miller
was reared a stone-mason, and followed that trade most all the time
until coming to Kansas. He believes in liberal education, and is an
active supporter of various enterprises. He has at all times supported the Republican party, and is a strict partisan. He and Mrs.
Miller are members of the Methodist Episcopal Church.
G. A. Miller, ex superintendent of the Blind Asylum of Wyandotte
County, Kas., has been a resident of this State since 1805, but was
born in Wayne County, N. Y., in 1835, and from the time he was
three years of age he was reared in the State of Michigan. Besides
attending the common schools, he received a good academic education,
and upon attaining a suitable age he opened a mercantile establishment in Adrian, Mich., which he conducted in a highly satisfactory
manner for ten years. He was married in this State, in 1858, to Miss
Julia A. Stowers, a native of Jefferson County, N. Y., and to them a
family of two children have been born : Fred W. (aged seventeen years),
and Clara L. (aged sixteen). On coming to this State Mr. Miller
first settled in Leavenworth, and during a residence of ten years there,
was employed in heating buildings by steam, but was then appointed
to the position of superintendent of the Blind Asylum of Wyandotte
County, he being the third man to hold that responsible position. He
was fourteen years in office, was under three different boards of trustees, and during all this time his management was never found fault
with or criticised. He did all his own work and then resigned the
position because the salary had been reduced. He has been quite
an extensive dealer of real estate since he located here, and is the
owner of a large ranch near the city. He platted the first addition
to Kansas City in the eighties, was J. O. Stout & Co.'s first, second
and third additions, and is interested in other property. Kansas
City was a small town when he came here, and at that time there
was not a railroad in operation in the State, but he began to purchase
land, and is now the owner of between 4,000 and 5,000 acres, on which
he is extensively engaged in raising horses, cattle and hogs. His
residence in the town is handsome and commodious, admirably fitted
up with all modern conveniences and heated by steam. He and wife
are members of the Methodist Episcopal Church, and are highly
honored residents of Kansas City. Mr. Miller inherits German blood
of his father, who was a native of Canada, born in 1803. The latter
removed to the States in his young days and settled in the State of
New York, about 1810 or 1812, and was there married to Miss Lydia
Dorsey, who was born near Baltimore, Md., in 1797, her father, who
was of Irish descent, being an extensive slave holder. The mother
died in 1886, lacking a few days of being ninety years of age. She
was vigorous mentally and physically until a short time before her death,
and of a family of sixteen children of which she was a member, none
died prior to seventy years of age. The Second and Fifth Methodist
Episcopal Conferences in Wayne County, N. Y., were held in Daniel
Dorsey" s (the grandfather's) granary, by Bishop Asbury, and the
family have in their possession a tablecloth on which the communion
was given, and also a watch given Mr. Miller's mother by that eminent divine.
George Miller, one of the representative citizens of Kansas City,
Kas , and the owner of considerable real estate, is of foreign birth,
having been born in Hanover, Germany, November 10, 1822. His
parents, Frederick W. and Catherine Augusta Miller, were natives also
of the same country. The father followed the butcher's trade until
his death, which occurred in 1836. In 1844 our subject came to the
United States, landed in New Orleans, and from there went to St.
Louis, Mo., where he resided for ten years, following the butcher's
trade, which he had learned from his father. From there he went to
Peoria, HI., continued his former business, and made his home there
for eighteen years. During this time he entered the United States Navy,
enlisting at Chicago, April 15, 1865, serving on the "La Fayette," which
floated on the Mississippi River between St. Louis and Memphis. He
was shipped as a seaman, and served during the last few months of the
war, after which he was forced into the regular service, where he served
out his regular time of three years. He was under Capt. Foster, and
was mustered out in Maryland, in 1868. After the war he wont home,
and in 1870 moved to Kansas City, Mo., where he conducted the
butcher's business, until 1880. Mr. Miller was married November 7,
1851, to Miss Amelia Gabbles, a native of Hanover, Germany, born
January 22, 1832, and the daughter of Matthias and Sophia Gabbles,
natives of Germany also. To Mr. and Mrs. Miller ten children have
been born, six living: Lewis, Katie, George, Joseph, Constantino and
Amanda. Mr. Miller and his family are members of the Catholic
Church, and are liberal in their support of all laudable public enterprises. In politics he is a stanch Democrat. He has been a resident
of Kansas City, Kas., since 1884, and although he has retired from the
butcher's business, he has invested largely in real estate, and is the
owner of considerable rental property.
Thomas H. Miller is foreman of the packing department of Armour's Packing House at Kansas City, and has been in the employ of
the same since 1873, with the exception of three years spent in Kansas City, during Garfield's and Arthur's administration, when he was
m the United States Revenue Department. At the end of that time
he gave up his position, and returned to his former employment with
Armour, and has proved a valuable man to his employer, ably discharging his duties. He was born in Perthshire, Scotland, in 1839, and at
the age of seventeen years came to America, and located in Cincinnati,
Ohio, and at the time of the opening of the late war he was clerking
in that city. He continued his duties until 1862, when he joined the
Ohio State Militia, and was in active service during the Kirby Smith
and Morgan raids. While under Col. Roberts they captured Morgan
and his men on the Ohio River in Ohio, after which they were disbanded for the time being. Mr. Miller was afterward mustered into
service once more, and went to Fort McHenry, Baltimore, Md., and was
with Gen. Grant during the last campaign, but was stationed at Fort
McHenrj' a portion of the time, to guard prisoners. He was mustered
out of service in Ohio in 1864, after which he returned to his former
employment of clerking, and remained thus occupied until 1868 at
which time he went to New York City, where he fortunately secured
employment and made his home four years. In 1872 he came west to
Kansas City, Kas., and has held his present position as above stated.
He was married to Miss Agnes Anderson, and by her is the father of
one child, Clifford H. He and his wife are members of the Presbyterian Church, and he is a warm supporter of Republican principles.
His father, George Miller, was a worthy and honest tiller of the soil in
Scotland.
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