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EARLY SETTLERS OF SANGAMON COUNTY - 1876
By John Carroll Power

These biographies were submitted by a researcher and evidently abstracted from the 1876 History of Sangamon County, IL. Errors could occur, so one should always verify the correctness by obtaining copies of vitals and performing all necessary research to document what is contained herein.




MILLER, CHRISTIAN, was born Jan. 12, 1771, in Loudon county, Va. Sarah Neer was born June 28, 1786, in the same county, and they were there married in 1807. They had eight children in that county. The whole family left Loudon county Sept. 4, 1833, traveling in wagons; they reached Champaign county, Ohio, and stopped with a brother. Mr. Miller and his eldest son, David, set out on horseback for Illinois, via Indianapolis, Crawfordsville, Vermilion Sait Works, thence through Illinois to Pekin, Lewiston and Canton, and returning, crossed the Illinois river at Fort Ross--now Havana--thence to Springfield, Paris, Terre Haute, Ind., and back to Ohio. He purchased a farm in Miami county, Ohio, and commenced moving to it on the morning after the great meteoric shower, Nov. 13, 1833. One year later he sold out in Ohio, and started, Nov. 17, 1834, with his family; passing through Springfield they reached Alton in December. From there they moved back to Sangamon county, arriving in Springfield, Jan. 20, 1835. Mr. Miller entered two thousand one hundred acres of land in the vicinity of the mouth of Buckhart creek, in what is now Cooper and Rochester townships. On the 19th of March, 1835, the family moved to what is now Cooper township. All the Miller family except David and John C., moved, in Nov., 1838, to Coles county, six miles from Jefferson City, Mo., and all returned to Sangamon county in Dec., 1841. Of the eight children of Christian Miller--

DAVID, born April 18, 1809, in Loudon county, Va., came to Sangamon county in 1835, married April 26, 1838, to Eliza D. Jackson, who was born July 10, 1808, in Shelby county, Ky. She died without children, in Sangamon county, Oct. 10, 1871. David Miller was married Feb. 1, 1872, in Sangamon county, to Fannie Jackson, who was born Oct. 28, 1841, in Nelson county, Ky., and raised in Missouri. They had two children. FANNIE E. died in infancy. David Miller died Jan. 23, 1875. His son, DAVID EDWIN, born August 31, 1875, seven months and eight days after the death of his father. The widow and infant son of David Miller reside at Sangamon Station, five miles east of Springfield, Ill.

ANN, born Nov. 11, 1810, in Virginia, resides with her brother, Jacob C. She never married, has been an invalid for fifteen years, and has been blind since Nov. 30, 1868.

JOHN C., born Oct. 19, 1812, in Loudon county, Va., came to Sangamon county in 1835, married at Rochester, Feb. 5, 1837, to Melvina Sattley. They, had six children in Sangamon county, namely: GEORGE H., born March 19, 1838, married March 13, 1863, to Louisana Archer. They had one child, JOHN E., and Mrs. Miller died Jan. 1, 1874. Mr. Miller and his son reside at the family homestead, three miles east of Rochester. HARRIET V., born Oct. 13, 1840, married Feb. 9, 1862, to Daniel Waters, who was born Sept. 14, 1830, in Loudon county, Va., and came to Sangamon county in 1852. They had five children, two of whom died, GEORGE E. in his third year, and LULA in infancy. The other three, ANNIE A., CHARLES M. and LILLA M., a twin to Lula, reside with their parents, five miles east of Rochester. EDMOND, born Feb. 1, 1843, married Oct. 13, 1870, to Louisana Whitesides. She died Nov. 23, 1871, and he resides three miles east of Rochester, where his parents settled in 1837, and where he was born. SARAH ANN, born Sept. 20, 1845, married August, 1866, to George Lucas, have two children, JOHN H. and MARY E., and live five miles west of Mechanicsburg. ELIZA E., born Feb. 23, 1848, married Dec. 27, 1870, to John Archer, have one child, LOUETTA, and live three miles north of Edinburg, Ill. MARY ALICE, born March 2, 1851, lives with her mother. John C. Miller died Jan. 13, 1853, and his widow resides three miles east of Rochester, Ill., where she and her husband settled in 1837.

SAMUEL, born Aug. 27, 1815, in Loudon county, Va., married in Sangamon county, June 30, 1841, to Eliza Jones. They had four children. ANDREW died August 20, 1845, in his fourth year. EVELINE, born May 28, 1846, married Sept. 26, 1866, to George H. Waters. Mrs. Waters died, Dec. 18, 1870, leaving a son, ORVAL E., who lives with his father, near Sangamon Station. SARAH ELEANOR, born Nov. 6, 1850, married Jan. 10, 1871, to William H. Crowl. See his name. They have two children, LAURETTA and SAMUEL, and reside near Taylorville, Ill. MARY, born Sept. 19, 1855, lives with her parents, one and a quarter miles west of Rochester, Illinois.

NATHAN, born March 24, 1822, in Virginia, died in Sangamon county, June 9, 1848.

JACOB C., born April 9, 1824, in Loudon county, Va., married in Sangamon county, June 10, 1869, to Charlotte Prather. She was born Jan. 4, 1843, in Washington county, Md. They have two children, SAMUEL J. and DON WILLIAM, and live in Sand Prairie, five miles east of Rochester, Illinois.

JOSEPH, born August 18, 1826, in Loudon county. Va., married in Sangamon county, Oct. 4, 1849, to Louisiana Branch. They have ten children, SAMUEL J., DAVID F., WILLIAM E., GEORGE W., ALBERT J., IDA E., DELLA ANN, REBECCA, JOSEPH, Jun., and MIRTIE, and reside in Cooper township, four miles east of Rochester, Sangamon county, Illinois.

ELIZABETH, born Nov. 3, 1829, in Virginia, married in Sangamon county to Samuel Neer. She died April 2, 1854, leaving one son, NATHAN JESSE NEER, born March 7, 1854, in Sangamon county, raised and educated by his aunt, Ann Miller. He is telegraph operator and station agent at Rochester, Illinois.

Christian Miller died Sept. 14, 1842, and Mrs. Sarah Miller died August 20, 1864, both in Sangamon county.




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