JACOB F. MILLER.
Jacob F. Miller one of the most extensive farmers in Viola township, this county, has lived in Audubon county for thirty-five years, or ever since he was twenty years old. Since coming to Iowa, he has applied himself industriously to farming and, as a consequence of his years of struggle and good management, he has accumulated a snug fortune which is invested in Audubon county real estate. The Miller family is one of the best known families in that section of Audubon county. Of German descent, Jacob F. Miller seems to have inherited all of the worthy traits of his German ancestors.
Jacob F. Miller was born on November 11, 1860, at Moline, Illinois, the son of George H. and Margaret (Aster) Miller, both of whom were natives of Germany and the former of whom was only twelve years old when he came to America. The Miller family may be said, therefore, to be thoroughly domiciled in this country. George H. Miller came to America with his parents and located at Moline, Illinois, and there the Miller family was established for many years. George H. Miller was one of the first men who hauled logs to John Deere, out of which to make beams and handles for the John Deere plows which have become so well known throughout the country. He farmed five miles east of Moline until his death, at which time he had accumulated about two hundred and forty acres of land. Of the ten children born to George H. and Margaret (Aster) Miller, only seven are now living, but Jacob F. and John, who reside in Dickinson county, are the only ones living in the state of Iowa. The other children are George W., William, Mrs. Cornelia Duncan, Mrs. Elizabeth Odenhall and Henry.
After receiving a good education in the public schools of Illinois, Jacob F. Miller took up farming and was engaged in that occupation with his father until he was about nineteen years old, at which time he began hauling coal for the Moline Plow Company and his earnings from this work assisted him in paying for the farm machinery which he purchased after coming to Audubon county in 1880. Mr. Miller located in Viola township, on eighty acres of land which his father had given him, and it is there that he now lives, but since that time he has increased his holdings in farm properties to six hundred acres. He broke the sod for the first time on the original eighty acres and has one of the most modern homes as well as one of the best-kept farms in Audubon county. The dwelling is strictly modern in every respect. Mr. Miller has invested upwards of seventy-five hundred dollars in various kinds of improvements and annually feeds about ten carloads of cattle and three carloads of hogs. He annually raises seventy acres of corn and thirty acres of small grain on the home farm, which comprises a fine tract of two hundred and forty acres.
In 1887 Jacob F. Miller was married to Sallie E. Smith, the daughter of Richard and Christena (Head) Smith, to which union eight children have been born, Roscoe, Vida, Hazel, Dalton, Versa Margaret, Jakey, Barbethe and Caldona. Vida married Edgar Carpenter and has one child, Raymond. Mr. Miller's daughters are all accomplished young women, all of them having received an excellent education and are well known and popular throughout Audubon county. Their mother having died on September 24, 1903. Mr. Miller's daughters have had charge of the household since her death and all are extremely skillful and efficient in household management. Mrs. Miller was born in Poweshiek county, Iowa, on June 23, 1867. Her parents came from Ohio and settled in Poweshiek county, this state, where they reared a family of ten children, six of whom are now living. Richard Smith now lives in Indianola. His wife has been dead for some years.
Mr. Miller and his sons and daughters are members of the Methodist Episcopal church. For years Mr. Miller has been prominent in the local congregation of that church and has served as trustee and as steward. Politically, he is identified with the Republican party.
Jacob F. Miller deserves to rank among the most high-minded and honorable citizens of Audubon county. A man who has always taken a commendable interest in matters of public concern, he has added very much to the community spirit by his wise counsel and careful guidance. He well deserves the confidence and high regard of his neighbors and fellow citizens, for he has justly earned this confidence and regard by long and meritorious service.
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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. 583-585.
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