Catherine Miles

Catherine Wister fell in love with a young soldier of Welsh origin named Samuel Miles, who had seen active service in the French and Indian war and had successfully raised himself from a private to the rank of captain in His Majesty's Service. However John Wister, father of Catherine, considered the young man unsuitable to ask for the hand of his daughter as the Captain did not measure up to the necessary financial and social standards, and, he was not of the Quaker faith. Marriages were definitly not to be defined by love! Samuel Miles had returned to Philadelphia a war hero beaming with pride and resplendent in full regalia and red and gold uniform – Catherine showed her willful determination and strength even at this young age and determined, the young couple were married in February 1761 without parental blessing. Not an auspicious beginning, but eventually Mr. Wister forgave his daughter and backed his son-in-law in the wine and rum trade.

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Daughter of John Wister and Catherine Rubenkam, and sister of Daniel, and William Wister, in 1761, Catherine married Samuel Miles (French & Indian War colonial officer, Revolutionary War officer, and prisoner of war; later, merchant and civic activist in Philadelphia). Catherine gave birth to 15 children. Her one surviving letter to David Rittenhouse (asking his assistance in preserving the Miles' house then occupied by the British during the Revolution) is preserved in the Philadelphia's American Philosophical Society. She was stricken with yellow fever in October, 1797. She died and was buried in the 1st Baptist Church graveyard. Her remains were later reinterred with her husband at the Mt. Moriah Cemetery.* Reference: Find A Grave Memorial - SmartCopy: Jan 4 2022, 17:21:40 UTC