****************************************************************************
File contributed to the Fulton County ILGenWeb Project
Copyright 2008, all rights reserved.

These electronic pages cannot be reproduced in any format 
without the written consent of the author at http://fulton.ilgenweb.net.

****************************************************************************

Source: The Historical Encyclopedia of Illinois and History of Fulton County
Munsell Publishing Co., Chicago, 1908

****************************************************************************

The Biography of George W. MILLER 

Transcribed exactly according to the original complete text by Alice Stipak. 

[Surnames: ANDERSON, BALDOCK, DARE, HAMILTON, MILLER, WAFTEL, WILSON] 

[starting on page 995] 

    
MILLER, George W.--The men who came to Fulton County in 1836 were of necessity patient plodders, content to await the rewards of a slowly developing civilization. There were no short cuts to fortune such as fired the zeal of the argonauts of '49, but there existed sane ad practical opportunities for the man to whom labor was a beneficent and necessary feature of his existence. To such a class belonged Marcus Miller, father of George Miller, the latter one of the best known farmers of Bernadotte Township, and a native of Fulton County, where he was born in Cass Township, October 14, 1839. 
    
Marcus Miller was born in New York and his equipment for Illinois pioneering included a mastery of the cooper trade and a practical knowledge of farming. Soon after his arrival here in the fall of 1836 he settled on land in Cass Township, and married Susannah Waftel, a native of Ohio. His early sojourn here had all the accompaniments of the early days, including hunting, intensely cold winters, absorbing occupation and few comforts. In addition to tilling his land, from which he first removed the timber, he followed his trade of cooper, principally when the work of the day was completed, and when sufficient barrels were finished to warrant so long a journey he loaded them onto a wagon or sledge, according to the season, and marketed them in Canton. He accumulated a fair competence, but the arrival of nine children in his family left little to hoard and necessitated the strictest economy. Besides George W., the oldest of his children, there were: Oliver, living in Bernadotte Township; Cal, deceased; Mary A., wife of John Hamilton, of Bernadotte Township; Sarah, wife of Joseph Hupman, of Putman Township. 
    
When George W. Miller was a small lad one of his first tasks of importance was assisting his father in barrel-making. He was entrusted with making the staves, and when old enough used to drive the supply of barrels to Canton. He used to work in the fields from early morn until sunset, and in the evening work at barrel-making. Few farmer boys at the present time lead so strenuous a life as did this embryo farmer and cooper of early days. The days and years succeeded themselves uneventfully until the breaking out of the Civil War, when a new duty and perspective appeared to the youth of [page 996] the land. In 1862 he enlisted in Company J, One Hundred and Third Illinois Volunteer Infantry, and served until mustered out at Louisville, Ky., at the close of the war. He carried his musket and vigorous soldiership into many of the principal battles of the Rebellion, and when his original regiment went out of service was transferred to the Fortieth Illinois Volunteer Infantry. His recollections of the war are many and interesting. He was at Raleigh, Smith County, Miss., when General Lee surrendered to General Grant, and on the following morning, April 14, 1865, he saw the flag run down in half-mast upon the announcement of the assassination of President Lincoln. This calamity produced a profound impression among the soldiery, and is recalled by Mr. Miller as one of the saddest experiences of his life. 
    
Returning to the old home in Cass Township, Mr. Miller sought to drown out the horrors of war in the peace of a pastoral existence. He soon after married Rachel Baldock, a native of Kentucky, and a daughter of John R. Baldock, a very early settler of Fulton County. Mr. and Mrs. Miller have had the following children: John, a carpenter by trade; Martha, wife of James Dare, a farmer of Bernadotte Township; Hansel, a farmer of Cass Township, who married Minnie Wilson; Titchie, also a farmer, who married Ola Anderson; Susie, deceased; Alta, living at home, and Lina, also on the old homestead. 
    
The greatest trials in the life of Mr. Miller came with his settling on forty-two acres of land in Bernadotte Township in 1875. This region was particularly wild, and his land was covered with a heavy growth of walnut timber, which he first felled and then extracted the stumps. His first home was a small log cabin, but this was succeeded by a frame structure when prosperity began to come his way, and this, in turn, gave way in 1900 to the present large and modern home of the family. That a lover of nature has planned and executed the surroundings is apparent to all who tarry within its gates. A garden furnishing tempting products supplies a table in bounteous variety, and one may rest from the summer sun under fruit, shade or ornamental trees. Flowers abound also and those numerous little incidentals which speak of long and intimate association with a given locality. Mr. Miller is a Republican in politics and a public-spirited, highly respected citizen.