Alonzo E. Miller

Alonzo E. Miller, deceased, was a representative citizen of Manly, an honored veteran of the Civil war and one who in every relation of life commanded the confidence and respect of those with whom he came in contact. He was born in New Brunswick, June 24, 1840, and was a son of George and Mary (Estey) Miller, who in 1844 removed westward with their family and settled in Walworth county, Wisconsin. There they remained until 1848, when they established their home in Winnebago county, Wisconsin, and it was in that locality that Alonzo E. Miller largely acquired his education and was reared to manhood. He continued there until, in response to the country's call for military aid, he joined the Union army, enlisting as a member of the Fourteenth Wisconsin Volunteer Infantry in September, 1861. He served with that command for three years, or until 1864. He was wounded at Pittsburg Landing and at Corinth and he met all of the hardships of war. He was promoted from sergeant to the rank of first lieuteant of his company, which constituted a part of the army under General Grant. He took part in several hard fought battles. After the war. Mr. Miller returned to Winnebago county, Wisconsin, where he took up farming and was there thus engaged for a number of years. About 1874 he removed to Mitchell county, Iowa, establishing his home in Rock Creek township, where he purchased two hundred acres of land. This he owned and cultivated for five years, at the end of which time he disposed of the property and bought a farm in Lincoln township, Worth county, comprising eighty acres, which he continued to develop and improve until 1893. He then removed to Manly and retired from active business life, spending his remaining days in the enjoyment of a well earned rest. He had been a most alert, energetic and progressive agriculturist, the neat and thrifty appearance of his farm at all times indicating his practical methods and his progressive spirit.

On the 9th of September, 1861, Mr. Miller was united in marriage to Miss Cornelia Holden, a daughter of Hannibal and Hulda (Bailey) Holden and a native of Crown Point, New York. Her father was born in Vermont, while her mother was a native of the Empire state. They were married, however, in New York, where they followed farming until 1847, when they removed westward and settled at Rosendale, Fond du Lac county, Wisconsin, where the father purchased government land. The tract was entirely wild and unimproved, just as it came from the hand of nature. Upon that claim he built a log house and with characteristic energy began to develop and improve the property, experiencing the usual hardships and privations incident to life on the frontier. He remained on that farm until 1855, when he went to Utica, Wisconsin, making an overland trip. There he purchased another tract of land of eighty acres, which he continued to cultivate until his death. He passed away at the age of eighty-eight, while his wife was sixty-eight years of age at the time of her demise. To Mr. and Mrs. Miller were born three children: Lester H., who died May 4, 1900; Hattie O., the wife of Frank W. Jewett, of Lincoln township; and Kate M., who died in 1898.

The death of the husband and father occurred in 1917, when he had reached the advanced age of seventy-seven years. He was a republican who long supported the principles of the party because of a firm belief in their efficacy as factors in good government. He was a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and he maintained the most pleasant relations with his old military comrades through his membership in the Grand Army of the Republic. His acquaintance was very wide and all who knew him were proud to number him as a friend by reason of his genuine personal worth, the uprightness of his character and the kindliness of his spirit.

SOURCE: HISTORY OF MITCHELL AND WORTH COUNTIES, IOWA, 1918, VOL. II; PAGES 417 & 418

Transcription by Gordon Felland, 10/5/2006