Sarah (Chandler) Miller (1835-1931)

CHANDLER, MILLER, DICKEY, NASH

Posted By: Dorian Myhre (email)
Date: 9/9/2021 at 20:57:47

From Nevada Evening Journal March 9, 1931 (page 1 continued to page 7)

PIONEER WOMAN AGE 95, DIED AT HOME OF DAUGHTER

MRS. SARAH MILLER PASSES ON AFTER A LONG AND USEFUL LIFE

Mrs. Sarah Miller, 95, pioneer Story county woman, died at the home of her daughter, Mrs. B. S. Dickey, 627 Seventh street, Saturday afternoon at 3:30, death being due to complications incident to old age.

The services were held at the Bishop funeral home, Fifth and Lincoln avenue.

She had been poorly during December but rallied and the final illness was of but a few days duration.

Her daughter, Mrs. Dickey and sons Edward and William were with her at the end, as well as other relatives.

The funeral services were conducted by her pastor, Rev. Geo. A. Lawton, today at 2:30 p. m., after which the funeral party accompanied the body to the Ames cemetery, where interment was by the side of her deceased husband, who had died, April 3, 1895.

Mrs. Miller was one of the real pioneers of Story county, being one of the ten children of Mr. and Mrs. Sylvanus Chandler, who came to Cambridge in the autumn of 1855.

She was born Sarah Chandler, seventh of the ten children of Mr. and Mrs. Sylvanus Chandler, at Foxcroft, in the state of Maine, December 22, 1835.

She came from real American stock, her grandfather and her great grandfather having fought in the Revolutionary war, her grandfather enlisting when 16 years of age. Her maternal ancestor, Richard Warren, was one of those coming over in the Mayflower and was signer of the famous Mayflower compact.

She attended the public schools of the village and at the age of 13 years was converted and aligned herself actively on the side of religious work. For the next two years she attended a nearby academy and later taught school in the neighborhood.

Speaking of her long and busy life, at the time of ninety-fifth anniversary, on December 22 last, she recalled her experiences:

"In the spring, after I was 15 in December, through a friend I engaged a school in settlement 25 miles down the river. Between the two settlements it was an unbroken wilderness. A neighbor carried the mail between the two settlements and I went with him to my first school in March 1850. I had six scholars and th school lasted six weeks, and they paid me $1.00 a week and my board. The was all the money they had. The week following the closing of this school, I commenced a school in the district joining, here I had about 20 pupils, taught nine weeks at $1.50 per week and board.

"In the fall of 1855 I came with my parents, three sisters and two brothers to Iowa. From Foxtrot to Bangor, Maine we traveled by stage. From Bangor to Boston by boat, 24 hours on water. From Boston to Davenport by rail. As this was the end of railroad my father secured a man with a covered wagon to bring us on to Cambridge, Iowa, where we landed, October 9, 1855, after a two weeks trip on our way from Maine. Two brothers were already here and several cousins were settled at Cambridge.

"I taught my first school at Bloomington in the spring of 1856. When this school closed I commenced summer school at Ballard Grove. In the fall I taught another term at Bloomington, then a winter term and Worrall Grove, a spring term at Ballard Grove.

"August 20, 1857 I was married to James H. Miller, who came from Bloomington, Ill., in the spring of 1855.

"We established out first home at the saw mill which he had built. It later became known as 'Hannum's Mill.'

"After three years at the mill we moved to Bloomington and later we moved back to the mill.

"On account of the Civil war we could not get sufficient help to operate the mill, so moved back to Bloomington where I taught school during the summer and in the fall moved to Nevada.

"Mr. Miller bought an interest in a drug store with Alderman and Kindlespire, which he was in for short time and then we moved to Ames where he built and operated a general store.

"Our next move was to Ontario where we were in the grain business for three years. We traded the elevator for a half interest in a flour mill at Sheldahl, then traded that for a farm near Grinnell and bought a hardware store in Sheldahl in 1879.

"Thinking the climate in Dakota might be beneficial to Mr. Miller's health, we sold our interest in the hardware store and in Marsh 1884 we moved 11 miles north of Miller, in Hand county, South Dakota, where we took a homestead, 160 acres, also a tree claim of 160 acres. Mr. Miller's health was no better here so in the fall of 1885 we moved to Maxwell.

"In November 1887, we moved to Slater and engaged in the grain business, later we bought an interest in a hardware store with our son Ed. We built a good 7-room house here and were very comfortably situated. We were not privileged to enjoy our new home many years as Mr. Miller was taken with severe case of la grippe and in two weeks passed into the Great Beyond, April 3, 1895."

Mr. Miller was a brother of Civil war veteran T. J. Miller, long time resident of Ames who is in his 89th year. He is the last one surviving a large family.

Mrs. Miller has one sister, Mrs. Rose Nash of Story City, whom with herself have survived the family of ten children. She has but one daughter, Mrs. Dickey of this city and two sons, Ed. F. Miller and Wm. Miller of Perry.

Since the death of the husband Mrs. Miller had made her home much of the time with her children and for the past several years has lived with her only daughter, where she passed her declining years in comfort and ease, surrounded by those who loved her and were honored to assist in her care.

During her residence in Nevada she formed many warm acquaintances who loved and respected her for her many sterling qualities and lovable traits.