Benjamin L Miller

MILLER, MORRISON, COTTERELL, SAMER

Posted By: Connie Swearingen (email)
Date: 8/9/2007 at 23:11:35

Source: History of Monona County, Iowa
1890 Chicago National Pub.

Benjamin L Miller, a prominent and prosperous agriculturist of Grant Township, and one of its representative citizens, has his residence on section 26. He was born in Monmouth County, N.J., May 7, 1832, and is the son of Gilbert and Katurah (Morrison) Miller. His father, a native also of Monmouth County, born in 1792 was there reared to manhood, until attaining his twentieth year. During the last war with Great Britian in 1812-15, he served in the United States service, and, later on, left New Jersey and settled in Wayne County, Ind., about 1838, Six years he was engaged at farming there, but in the fall of 1844 came to Iowa and located in Linn County, where he carried on a farm for a number of years. From there he removed to Missouri and in four or five years back to Iowa, and made his home in Polk County till 1870, when he made his appearance in Monona County and took up some eighty acres of land.. He died at the residence of his son Benjamin in 1876. His wife died in Polk County, Iowa. They had a family of seven children, of whom our subject is the sixth.
Benjamin removed with his parents to Indiana in childhood, and was about ten years of age when he came to Iowa. At the age of twenty-two years, having received a fair common-school education, he started out in life for himself and on a rented farm in Linn County, engaged in tilling the soil. Two years later he removed to Nodaway County, Missouri and in that and Grundy County, carried on agricultural pursuits for about three years. The climate not agreeing with him he returned to Linn County, but three years later moved to Polk County, still following the same line of life, and lived in the latter section for four years, removing to Harlan, Shelby County, he there engaged in the grocery business, which he carried on for about two years. In rafting railroad ties for the Union Pacific railroad, on the Missouri River to Omaha, was his business for the next two years, he residing in Harrison County, but in the fall of 1869 he came to Monona County, and located on section 26, Grant Township, where he now owns eighty acres of land and upon which he makes his residence.
Mr. Miller was married December 24, 1854 in Linn County, Iowa to Miss Rebecca J Cotterell, a native of Ohio, who died in Monona County, August 13, 1877, having been the mother of eight children: Manfred, born in Linn County, Iowa September 3, 1859: Alvin, born in Nodaway County, Mo. June 16, 1862: Sarah M, Lydia L, Mary C., Gilbert A., Laura Belle, and one that died in infancy. Mr. Miller was again married at Sioux City, Iowa, to Miss Rebecca J. Samer, a native of Pennsylvania, who died leaving one child, Alice, born in Woodbury County.