EPHRIAM P. MILNER

    Ephriam P. Milner was born Aug. 14, 1838 in Highland County, Ohio.  He was a graduate of Leesburg College. He came West, by train, to St. Joseph, Missouri, in 1865 where he purchased a saddle horse and rode to Iowa, arriving at Clarinda on the day President Lincoln was assassinated.

    He was a Civil War veteran and a member of Company B, 131 - Ohio National Guards.

    He came to Old Frankfort and visited a short time with the Virgil Horton family. He acquired 240 acres, five miles south of Elliott, in Sherman Township.  Mr. Milner was a pioneer school master of Montgomery County.

    Records read that Mr. Milner gave an interesting account of the winter of 1866-67, was coldest he ever experienced. Early in the season, he killed a lot of hogs, and accompanied by his brother, Aaron, hauled the 8,800 pounds of fresh pork to Denver. They were 56 days making the round trip. They encountered a blizzard and took shelter in a sodhouse. In the fireplace, which the house afforded, they kept a good fire all night and slept in front of it wrapped in their blankets. In the morning, the ice was two inches thick in a water bucket that stood not more than three feet from the fire.

    On the return trip when they were back in Montgomery County, they came to a hill leading down to Walnut Creek that was very steep and a glare of ice. The mules had worn out their shoes, so it was impossible to get the wagons down with the mules hitched to them. So, they took the mules down one at a time and the wagons down by hitching a chain to them, but the wagon that was loaded with provisions and effects went down so rapidly that when it struck the bridge, it upset and fell bottom side up in the river. Mr. Milner jumped into the icy water, which was waist deep, and saved most of the stuff. He had no chance to put on dry clothing or to get warm, but kept moving and never felt any bad effects from the cold bath.

    Ephriam married Agnes Dujardin, Dec. 15, 1867, who came to Iowa from Lyle, France, at the age of four years.  They were married at the old Rock School House, north of Stennett, Iowa. Their family consisted of five sons and one adopted daughter. Arthur was born Oct. 25, 1875. died June 30, 1964; Elmer Claude was born Sept. 17, 1872 and died July 17, 1919; Frank S. was born Dec. 3, 1880 and died July 24, 1963 at Council Bluffs, Iowa. Two sons died in infancy. The adopted daughter's name was Emma.

    Mr. Milner was always active in public life. He was Montgomery County. Surveyor four years, a member of the school board in his own district for 17 years and a road supervisor for 15 years. He was the instigator of the first corn school and stock show held at Red Oak, Jan. 16, 1905, serving as it's first Secretary. For years, he acted as superintendent of a Sunday School held in the Milner School house which was later moved to Stennett with the erection of the Union Church building. Mr. Milner was a member of the Red Oak Presbyterian Church at the time of his death.

    Mr. and Mrs. E. P. Milner observed their 62 wedding anniversary, Dec. 15, 1929, by holding an open house at their home, five miles south of Elliott.

    Mr. Milner died at his home Jan. 9, 1934 and Mrs. Milner died in Feb. 1934. Both are buried at Hillside Cemetery, Elliott.