CONRAD MILLER.
Holding high prestige among the successful farmers of his generation in this county, Conrad Miller had much to do in advancing the material interests of Viola township. He had much to do with making it one of the commercial and agricultural centers of the state. The study of such a life cannot fail to interest those young men of the present generation whose careers are yet in the process of formation. He was singularly a representative farmer and contributed in no small measure to the prosperity of Viola township, which was his home and the field of his endeavors for so many years. During his life he established a lasting reputation for honor and integrity and his memory is revered today not only by his family but by all the people who knew him.
The late Conrad Miller was born in Germany on September 7, 1865, the son of Henry Miller, and died at his home in this county on September 1, 1914. He came to this country at the age of fifteen and settled in Illinois, where he remained for eight years. He then came to Audubon county and settled near Hamlin, where he remained for four years. Later he located in Douglas township and remained there for four years, after which he moved to Leroy township, where he lived for four years, at the end of which time he finally settled in Viola township, where he spent the rest of his life, owning at the time of his death two hundred and forty acres of land in that township.
On March 14, 1889, Conrad Miller was married to Bertha Dittman, who was born in Iowa on April 25, 1875, daughter of William and Minnie (Crockom) Dittman, both natives of Germany, where they were married. In 1873 William Dittman and wife came to America and settled in Atlantic, Iowa, where he began working on the railroad as a section hand. He and his wife were the parents of ten children, William, Henry (deceased), August (deceased), Albert, Herman (deceased), Augusta, Bertha, Lena, Anna and Lottie. William Dittman is still living and is now making his home with his daughter, Mrs. Miller.
To Conrad and Bertha (Dittman) Miller were born ten children, William, Henry, Lenny, Harvey, Mabel, Walter, Marie, Bertha, Leone and one who died in infancy.
Politically, Mr. Miller was identified with the Democratic party. He was a member of the Lutheran church. Fraternally, he was a member of the Modern Woodmen of America and also of the Yeomen of America. The late Conrad Miller is remembered as a useful citizen, one who gave his strength and energy and the best years of his life toward building up a happy and prosperous life in the neighborhood in which he lived.
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Transcribed from History of Audubon County, Iowa Its People, Industries and Institutions With Biographical Sketches of Representative Citizens and Genealogical Records of Many of the Old Families, by H. F. Andrews, editor, Indianapolis: B. F. Bowen & Company, 1915, pp. 577-578.
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