Lake County Ohio GenWeb
From "Sketches of the Pioneers -- No. 2.", Painesville (Ohio) Ohio Telegraph, 1 December 1859, p. 2, col. 3.
Transcribed by Cynthia Turk, 2019.
The subject of the following sketch, Mr. John Miller, was born in Lancaster, Pa., but in what year there is now no means at hand of determining. The remoteness of the day on which that event took place, coupled with the fact that in that very early day in the history of the settlement of this Western world, this subject removed his family twice in search of a home, at that time when journeying was attend-ed with but few facilities, and the difficulties of car-rying and preserving records was very great; and therefore, the record of the event itself is only among the things that were. A half century even, in the affairs of men is an age, and its effect in oblit-erating the traces of their transactions, and the events connected with their lives, as individuals only, is marvelous indeed.
John Miller first moved his family from Lancaster to Cayuga Lake, in the State of New York, but at what time is not now known. In 1800 he removed his family to Ohio, and settled in Painesville--he and his family constituting a part of the sixty-six who accompanied Gen. Paine. In 1802 or 1803 he moved from the present limits of Painesville to what was then called the "Marsh Settlement." Here he re-mained but a short period; but in that family, whilst remaining at this settlement, an event occurred which, considering all things, the time, and its cir-cumstances was a very important one. Then and there, in his family, was born the first child in Lake County. Samuel Miller, that first-born, is now living in Willoughby, with the prospect of many years before him--linking the events of that early day in the history of this country with the present.
Whilst at the Marsh settlement, our subject made selection of a piece of land which he designed as the future permanent home of himself and family, which he purchased and moved on to. This piece of land is now known to everybody in the vicinity of Wil-oughby as the "Worden Farm," situated about 1 1/2 miles below Willoughby on the river bottoms.
One of the incidents connected with his life that has come down to the present time, is related below: and it is only one among the thousand startling inci-dents that occur in the life of the pioneer. Miller was something of a Hunter, as most of those early inhabitants were--for, in fact, their main reliance for meat oftentimes was upon the wild game of the woods. He was especially a great hunter of Coon, for the skin was an article of home consumption as well as of trade--it would make a good warm cap for winter, and in case of a short supply of meat, the carcass might satiate the "craving demands of appetite."Well, upon one moonlight night, his faithful dog by his barking showed that he had game, and it was in the skirts of the curious swamp west of Willoughby. Miller repaired thither and found a coon treed. He commenced climbing the tree and had got up near the branches of the tree, when a neighbor, Jas. Lewis, who lived on the flats near the bridge, on what has been known as the "Lewis Farm," came up attracted by the same sound, with his rifle. He saw Miller through the branches climbing the tree, and suppos-ing he was a Bear that the dog had treed, brought his gun to his face. It was an important moment; the fate of a man, neighbor and friend, hung upon it; but neither of the parties knew it. But 'tis strange how, at times, an unseen providence "Doeth all things well." Just as the bead of the rifle was glim-mering upon Miller, he, observing some person come up in the woods, spake "Lewis, is that you?" It was in time. The rifle fell--a man was saved from eternity. But the effect upon Lewis was astonishing. A word from the unseen world--"palsied be thy arms"--could hardly have been more effectual. The thought that in a moment more a human being--nay, more--a neighbor and friend would have been sent by his own act unwelcomed to the bar of God was overpowering, and he wilted as if breathed upon by divine vengeance. Lewis was so overcome that he could scarcely speak or stand alone, and he was some time in recovering from this strange circumstance so that he could make his way home.
But John Miller, although he escaped the rifle of James Lewis, was not long for this world's cares and disquietudes. In attending a raising of a log house on the farm of Peter French, in Mentor, now owned and occupied by Robt. Murray, 2d, he was killed. He was carrying up one of the corners, and as the log for each round is forced up the skids, before it can be placed on top it must usually be lifted out so as to clear the end of the tier below: in doing this, in carrying out the log, Miller was precipitated from his position, and fell across a stump -- his back was broken. He lingered along a few days and died. This was in 1809. He left a wife and five children the first, his wife, still survives in the town of Wil-loughby and is 100 years of age.
Samuel Miller, son of John died 6 September 1867 at age 65. Thought to be the first child born in Lake County, and one of the oldest residents of the county at the time. (Painesville (Ohio) Telegraph, Thursday 17 September 1867, p. 3.)
There was a D. Miller on the northwest corner of Maple Grove and River Road. (Robert Pearsal Smith, Map of Lake and Geauga Counties, Ohio [Philadelphia: S.H. Mathews, ca 1857])
A similar tale can be found under Pioneer Women of Willoughby. It tells of John's wife Catherine marrying a Mr. Goodspeed.
Catharine Miller married Mr. Nathaniel Goodspede 20 July 1820. (Cuyahoga County, Ohio, vol. 1, np, Marriage Record Goodspede/Miller 1820; image 72, reel 1 at Ancestry [https://www.ancestry.com/? : accessed 24 May 2019].)
The 1850 census shows the following:
Samuel Miller age 44, Farmer born Ohio
Maria Miller age 42 born N.Y.
Catharine Goodspeed age 88 born Pa.
John Wright 21 Farmer born Eng
John R Miller age 5 born Eng with parenthetical note: Rescued from the Steamer "Griffith."
(1850 U.S. Census, Mentor Dist No. 171, Lake County, Ohio, folio 278, dwelling 281, family 286, Samuel Miller; image at Ancestry [https://www.ancestry.com/? : accessed 24 May 2019]).
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