Elder Jacob Miller, minister of the Brethren Church or "Dunkards"

concerns

not the same as ‘Lutheran’ Jacob Miller

not the husband of ‘Lutheran’ Mary Miller

This Jacob resembles Jacob Miller. Are they supposed to be the same person? Further research is warranted.

brief biography and family

Biography in Otho Winger, History of the Church of the Brethren in Indiana, 378-381:

"Elder Jacob Miller, a minister of the Brethren Church or "Dunkards", was born in the western part of Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, which later became Franklin County, in 1735, son of a Swiss-German family, who had immigrated to America in 1730. He and his wife, Mary?, had twelve children, born ca. 1764-1788, in Pennsylvania and Virginia. The family migrated to Bedford (later Franklin) County, Virginia, ca. 1775. He married 2) Barbary Lybrook in Franklin County in 1801. The family migrated to Ohio, near Dayton, in 1801. He died at his farm near Dayton in 1815. Descendants listed lived in Ohio, Indiana, and elsewhere."

https://familysearch.org/eng/library/fhlcatalog/supermainframeset.asp?display=titledetails&titleno=96662&disp=Elder+Jacob+Miller+(1735-1815)

Extracted from History of the Church of the Brethren in Indiana Otho Winger Brethren Publishing House, 1917 - Church buildings - pages 378-382

JACOB MILLER The first minister of the Church of the Brethren to preach in Indiana was Elder Jacob Miller More remarkable than this is the fact that he was also the first minister of the Brethren in Virginia and among the first in Ohio His descendants have been many and among them some very able ministers of the church The account of his life should be read with more than ordinary interest.

Elder Jacob Miller, minister of the Brethren Church or "Dunkards" was born in Franklin County, Pennsylvania in 1735. His parents were natives of Germany. He united with the Church of the Brethren early in life and soon afterwards was called to the ministry.

He married while yet young and moved to Franklin County, Virginia in 1765. Here he raised a family of nine sons and three daughters.

It is agreed that Jacob Miller was the first minister of the church in Southern Virginia. Elder D. H. Zigler, in his History of the Brethren in Virginia, says that perhaps John Garber was the first minister. He says, however, that Elder Garber moved into Northern Virginia in 1775 but it is quite certain that Elder Miller moved into Southern Virginia ten years earlier.

Soon after Elder Miller moved to Southern Virginia, he became acquainted with William Smith, an Englishman. Having learned of the doctrine of the Brethren, Smith requested baptism. He was later elected to the ministry. He lived in Floyd County while Elder Miller lived in Franklin. With staff in hand, they would walk ten or twelve miles to the place of meeting. Previous to the regular service, they would read a scripture and give explanation. Elder Miller would speak in the German, and Elder Smith would speak in the English.

Through their ministry, largely the foundation for a number of large and flourishing organizations in the First District of Virginia was laid (D H Zigler).

After serving the church in Virginia for a generation, venerable pioneer moved to Southern Ohio in 1800 and settled near Dayton on the west side of the Miami River. The land was a dense forest inhabited by many Indians. Miller visited these children of the forest and sang and for them. He gained not only their reverence and respect, but their promises of protection under all circumstances. They called him the Good Man, the Great Spirit sent from East.

Though advanced in years, his missionary activity and zeal were none the less. He was the first preacher of the Brethren in Montgomery, Darke, and Preble Counties, where now the Brethren Churches are so prosperous. His work extended into other Ohio counties. Having heard that a few brethren had settled in Indiana on Four Mile Creek, he came and preached for them occasionally. In 1809 he and Elder John Hart organized the first church in Indiana on Four Mile Creek.

After a faithful service in the ministry of over fifty years, this great ambassador for Christ died at his Ohio home in 1816. He was buried in a cemetery near the Lower Miami Church. For half a century, this cemetery was neglected and for twenty years it was cultivated. On July 5 1916, one century after the death of Elder Jacob Miller, his grave was rediscovered and marked by Elders John Calvin Bright and Jesse O. Garst.

It would take a volume to give the history of Elder Jacob Miller and the descendants of his twelve children. This account will be limited to those who became leaders in the Church of the Brethren, particularly in Indiana.

The eldest daughter Mary Derst married Samuel Darst of Southern Ohio Two of their sons Isaac and John were Brethren ministers The latter was active making tours into Indiana He was among the first to preach in the Mississinewa congregation He died in 1875 having served in the ministry over fifty years The second daughter Eve (Eva Kingery) married a Moss and after his death she married Joseph Kingery The youngest daughter (Anna Lybrook) married a Lybrook

Moss Kingery and Lybrook are familiar names in Union County but we do not have the family relationship traced

Of the sons of Elder Jacob Miller but three of them Abraham Aaron and David will receive attention here

Abraham Miller was born April 1 1775 in Franklin County Virginia and died at the age of 76 He was married to Nancy Huston who bore him fifteen children Nine of these raised large families The eldest two sons were Jacob and James both of them worthy ministers in Northern Indiana On account of his ability and his large service for the church a special biography of Jacob Miller Jr will be given His brother James Miller was his associate who outlived Jacob many years and died in 1893 at an advanced age He is said to have baptized over 2,000 persons and to have officiated at many weddings

Aaron Miller, Sr. was born in 1785 in Franklin County Virginia and moved with his parents to Ohio in 1800 His wife was Elizabeth Hardman They raised a family of eleven children In 1818 they moved to Wayne County Indiana being among the first members of the Nettle Creek congregation He was called to the ministry about this time In 1829 he moved near South Bend Indiana His son David Miller, Jr.? Jr was called to the ministry in the Portage church and became an able preacher and church worker He is sometimes mistaken for his uncle David Miller Sr

Rev. David Miller, Sr. Sr was born in Virginia and grew to manhood in Ohio where he was also elected to the ministry About 1817 he settled near Hagerstown where he became the first minister and presiding elder of the Nettle Creek church In 1830 he moved to St Joseph County and became the first elder of the Portage Prairie congregation He was a man universally loved because of his piety and generosity He died at the age of 52 His son Aaron Miller Jr followed him in the ministry and died at the age of 80 Thurston Miller (Rev John Thurston Miller) for years a minister at Laporte Indiana was a son of Aaron Miller Jr

Elder Isaac Miller (Elder Isaac Miller) the blind preacher of Laporte was a son of Tobias Miller another son of Jacob Miller Sr

This brief sketch is inadequate to give an idea of the influence of this man of God who planted the banner of the cross in three States His descendants have been many He was the father of twelve children and the grandfather of nearly 100 The records show that nearly all of these grew to maturity and raised large families Those of the sixth generation are now men and women and number thousands Among these are many faithful children of God The family has been characterized by sturdy natures indomitable courage and persevering labors Wherever they may be who read this sketch may they revere the name and exemplify the religious life of their worthy ancestor - -

Family

Extracted from http://www.frontierfamilies.net/family/Miller/C10JM.htm and then edited 16 August 2022.

C10 Jacob Miller, born 1735 [NO - 1738], Franklin County, Pennsylvania. Died 1815 Migrated first to Virginia, then to Ohio. He became an Elder. All his children were of the Brethren Church. His five sons were ministers. The descendence of Elder Jacob Miller, number in the thousands. Married (first wife) Mary Goodwin [NO - UNKNOWN] died 1801. Married (second wife) Barbara Brower Lybrook, widow. He was ordained by William Stover, in the Anteitam congregation in 1762. About 1765 he moved his family to Bedford County, Viginia. In 1800 he moved his family to the Miami Valley, Ohio.

Twelve children:

D1 Mary Miller, born 1764. Married Samuel Darst, born 1754, died 1791. Moved to Montgomery County, Ohio.

D2 Anna Miller, born 1765, died 1833. Married Phillip Lybrook.

D3 Eva Miller, born 1767, died 1843. Married (first husband) John Ritter, born 1793. Married (second husband) Joseph Kingery. Married (third husband) John Moss. Moved to Preble County, Ohio, in 1803.

D4 John Miller, born 1769, died 1854. Minister. Married Pheobe McClure and moved to Ohio in 1802. Moved to Union Township, Franklin County, Indiana, 1805. He was a potter.

D5 Jacob Miller, Jr., born 1770, died 1801-2. Married Sara Chapman, remained in Virginia.

D6 Tobias Miller, born 1773, died 1856. Married Sarah Henderson. Moved to Union County, Indiana, in 1810 and on to LaPorte County, Indiana, in 1831. They had a blind son who was a minister.

D7 Abraham Miller, born 1775, died 1841. Married Nancy Huston. Settled in Preble County, Ohio in 1805. Then moved to Franklin County, Indiana. Fifteen children.

D8 Daniel Miller, born 1780, died 1858. Married Elizabeth Shideler. Moved first to Montgoimery County, Ohio, then on to Indiana.

D9 Isaac Miller, born 1781, died 1813, in War of 1812, in Virginia or Ohio. Married Hannah (?). Migrated to Green County, Ohio, in 1803 and was killed in the War of 1812.

D10 Samuel Miller, born 1783, died 1808, in Virginia.

D11 Aaron Miller, born 1785, died 1839. Married Elizabeth Hardman. Helped organize Brethern Congregation in Nettle Creek, Indiana. Then moved to St. Joseph County, Indiana. Eleven children.

D12 David Miller, Sr., born 1788, died 1849. Married Sarah Hardman. Helped organize the Brethren congregation at Nettle Creek, Indiana. Then moved to St. Joseph County, Indiana. Thirteen children.

https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Miller-16691

"Elder Jacob Miller is called the first Dunker Elder in Virginia, in Ohio and Indiana. There has been considerable effort made to determine who he was, but little proven information has been found, probably one reason is due to the popularity of his name."[1] It is unknown whether Jacob's family was one of the original German Baptists, or Dunkers, who migrated from Schwarzenau, Germany. In church histories it is said that he preached in German. His German last name was likely Mueller and changed to Miller once they settled in America. According to Church of the Brethren historians, his parents names are unknown.

Jacob was born in 1735 in either Pennsylvania or Maryland. "As an elderly man in 1850, he was living with his son, William, in South Bend, IN., when the census taker came by. He told the Census that he was born in Pennsylvania. He was with a daughter, Martha Farrand, when the census taker came to LaPorte, IN. He told that Census that he was born in Maryland. Jacob's son, John, was born in 1769 in Maryland."[1] "A statement by Peter D. Ridenour, 1907, was that Jacob Miller (his great-grand father) was born in Franklin County, Pennsylvania, in 1735. At that time Lancaster County was much larger than now, extending clear to Bedford County in the mountains, which included Franklin. It is not proven that he was born there, there was no Franklin County then. Since his brother married at Coventry, wife Barbara Brower, their parents may have lived there, there were Millers at Coventry. This would put his origins much farther east. Coventry was in Chester County, on the Schuylkill River, not far outside of Philadelphia. There was an early migration from Coventry to the Monocacy in Maryland, and adjacent areas of Pennsylvania. Elder Jacob may have lived in the western Lancaster area, now Franklin Co., or in Maryland below Waynesboro, before his travels began... His parents had moved from Coventry to near Elder Daniel Leatherman, either east on the Monocacy, or west, to the Conococheague or the Antietam Congregation near Hagarstown MD."[1]

Family

https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Miller-16691

MARY GOODWIN COULD NOT HAVE BEEN JACOB'S WIFE OR HE WOULD HAVE BEEN EXCOMMUNICATED.

"Elder Jacob's wife's name, the mother of his children is not known. A DAR applicant says that she was Mary Goodwin, that they were married Dec. 30, 1763, in the St. Paul's Lutheran Church in Philadelphia. This can only be based on the similarity of names and that one of his daughters, probably his eldest, is named Mary. This does not hold true to custom: the Dunkers were strong on marriage within the faith and this would violate even early concepts of this tradition..."[1]
]

BARBARA BROUWER - IS SHE THE POSSIBLE MOTHER OF HIS CHILDREN? This researcher saw a theory online (now lost) which said that Jacob Miller possibly married Barbara Miller, the widow of his brother Tobias. If any researchers find evidence for this theory, please add it here. Barbara's parents were Christian Brouwer and Eva Christina Bauman (Eva died in childbirth when Barbara was born. If Jacob did marry Tobias' widow, and if this Barbara was the mother of his children, it could explain why this researcher's mother (direct descendant of Elder Jacob) has so many DNA matches with people who have so Brouwer, Brenneman, and Bowmans in their family tree.

2ND WIFE WAS BARBARA LYBROOK.

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https://familysearch.org/photos/stories/8145105

Jacob MILLER was born in 1735, in Lancaster Colony in Lancaster/Franklin County, Pennsylvania.

He may have first married Barbara BOWER in 1761.

On December 30, 1763 he married Mary Elizabeth GOODWIN [NO - UNKNOWN] of the Lancaster/Franklin County area. They had as many as 12 children.

Mary died in 1801 and Jacob remarried to Barbara LYBROOK the same year.

• 11MA. Mary MILLER 28 Mar 1764 7 Apr 1848 (84)
• 11MB. Anna MILLER 28 Sep 1765 14 Sep 1843 (77)
• 11MC. Eva MILLER 1767 5 May 1843 (76)
• 11MD. John "Potter John" MILLER 6 Apr 1769 9 Nov 1851 (82)
• 11ME. Jacob MILLER (Jr.) (1770) 1801 (31)
• 11MF. Tobias MILLER 17 Mar 1773 9 Mar 1856 (82)
• 11MG. Abraham MILLER 1 Apr 1775 4 Jan 1841 (65)
• 11MH. Samuel MILLER 1776 1801 (25)
• 11MI. Daniel MILLER 6 Sep 1780 15 Nov 1858 (78)
• 11MJ. Isaac MILLER 1781 1813 (32)
• 11MK. Aaron MILLER 8 Apr 1785 12 Apr 1839 (54)
• 11ML. David MILLER 10 Feb 1788 1849 (61)

The MILLER family started out in Washington County, Pennsylvania and then headed south into Virginia, settling in the part of Bedford County now known as Franklin county by 1765 through at least the 1780s. Mary died in 1801 at about the age of 64.

Jacob remarried that same year to Barbara LYBROOK and the following year moved west to Ohio, settling in Montgomery County by 1802.

Jacob MILLER died on May 28, 1815 in Dayton, Montgomery County, Ohio. He was about 80 years old.

Entries from "The Brethren Encyclopedia:"

1. "MILLER, Jacob, 1735?-1815, minister. Born of unknown Swiss-German parents in what became Franklin Co., PA, MILLER may have been ordained by William STOVER in the Antietam congregation in 1762. He is said to have lived in the Stony Creek congregation, Somerset Co., PA, and in the Pipe Creek, MD, congregation. The mother of some of MILLER's twleve children may have been named Mary. At his death, MILLER was married to a Barbara B. MILLER."

"Sometime before 1775, he moved to Bedford (later Franklin Co.) Co., VA, to the Blackwater River German settlement, where he established the Franklin County congregation. Pleasant Valley, Topeco, Beaver Creek, and Burk's Ford congregations in Floyd Co., VA are outgrowths of his preaching and organizing. William SMITH, an English pacifist baptized by MILLER, traveled and preached in English alongside the German-speaking MILLER. They were instrumental in building such a following that the 1797 Annual Meeting was held in Franklin Co., VA. At this meeting, Brethren were forbidden to own slaves."

"Due to the slavery about him or the lure of rich "Congress lands" in Ohio, MILLER moved his family to the Miami Valley ca. 1800. He left behind in Giles Co., VA, one son, who was the progenitor of the Virginia branch of the family. Jacob MILLER settled near Dayton, OH, where he organized the MILLER-BOWMAN congregations of southern Ohio: Lower Miami, Lower Stillwater, Bear Creek, and Wolf Creek. he also founded the Four Mile Run, IN, congregation. Buried near the future site of the Lower Miami meetinghouse, he is remembered as the first Brethren minister in the Miami Valley and Indiana and one of the first in Ohio and in southern Virginia."

2. "Jacob MILLER (1735-1815) was born in Franklin Co., PA; he migrated first to Virginia, then on to Ohio. His twelve children were all active Brethren with five of his sons serving as ministers. Anna (b. 176) married Philip LYBROOK and moved to Indiana. Mary (b. 1766) married Samuel DARST and moved to Montgomery Co., OH, in 1803. John (b. 1769) married Pheobe MCCLURE and settled in Franklin Co., IN, in 1805. Jacob (m. Sarah CHAPMAN) remained in Virginia. Tobias (b. 1773) married Sarah HENDERSON, moved to Union Co., IN, in 1810 and on to LaPorte Co., IN, in 1831. Abraham (b. 1775) and his wife, Nancy HUSTON, settled in Preble Co., OH, in 1805, then moved to Franklin Co., IN. Samuel died young in Virginia. Daniel (m. Elizabeth SHIDELER) moved first to Montgomery Co., OH, then on to Indiana. Isaac (m. Hannah WEBB) migrated to Greene Co., OH, in 1803 and was killed in the War of 1812. Aaron (b. 1785) and David, both ministers, married sisters Elizabeth and Sarah HARDMAN. They organized the Nettle Creek, IN, congregation and later moved to St. Joseph Co., IN. The descendants of Elder Jacob MILLER number in the thousands and their service to the Brethren churches is inestimable."

http://books.brethrenarchives.com/index.php/home/research-blog/89-r... states:

Jacob Miller ca 1738-1815) of Franklin county, Virginia, and later of Montgomery county, Ohio,...
First, to correct some fallacies.  Elder Jacob Miller was not born in Franklin county, Pennsylvania.  Being on the west side of the Susquehanna River, this land was not open to settlers, officially, until the 1750’s.  However, he was a settler, or at least he appears to have been, a resident of that locale in the early 1760’s...
Secondly, Elder Jacob did not die in 1816; he died in 1815 as evidence by an estate filed in that year in Montgomery county, Ohio. 

Yes, a purported photograph exists showing Elders Jesse O. Garst and John C. Bright holding a tombstone etched, and highlighted with chalk, with the date of 1816 on it.  It is now known that this photograph is a falsehood; even to the point of where it was. 
From various records it can be established that Elder Jacob died in present day Miami township, Montgomery county, some four or five miles from where convention held that he was buried. 
Unfortunately someone in the past removed all of the contents of Elder Miller’s estate packet contents, preventing a careful study of his last days. 

Lastly, hopefully the reader was paying attention when I stated that Elder Jacob Miller was born in about 1738, not in 1735 as has long been held as being the truth.  It is now known when and in about what year he was born as evidenced by estate papers held elsewhere.  ...

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Biography in Otho Winger, History of the Church of the Brethren in Indiana, 378-381.

"Elder Jacob Miller, a minister of the Brethren Church or "Dunkards", was born in the western part of Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, which later became Franklin County, in 1735, son of a Swiss-German family, who had immigrated to America in 1730. He and his wife, Mary?, had twelve children, born ca. 1764-1788, in Pennsylvania and Virginia. The family migrated to Bedford (later Franklin) County, Virginia, ca. 1775. He married 2) Barbary Lybrook in Franklin County in 1801. The family migrated to Ohio, near Dayton, in 1801. He died at his farm near Dayton in 1815. Descendants listed lived in Ohio, Indiana, and elsewhere."
https://familysearch.org/eng/library/fhlcatalog/supermainframeset.asp?display=titledetails&titleno=96662&disp=Elder+Jacob+Miller+(1735-1815)

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Update June 2018

From https://www.ancestry.com/family-tree/person/tree/6675397/person/253...

Two oldest children were

• Catharina Elizabeth b 20 Nov 1764 • New Hanover Township,Montgomery Township,Pennsylvania to Franklin County,Virginia Baptized 25 Dec 1764 • New Hanover Evangelical Lutheran Church, New Hanover, Montgomery, Pennsylvania, USA
• Mary b 28 Mar 1765 • Christening Little Tulpech Church,Peters Township,Washington County,Pennsylvania

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References

1. Marguerite Lucile Miller 1898-Gretchen Beatrice. A history of Elder Jacob Miller and some of his descendants. Authors:. eBook[1958][La Porte, Ind.?] https://brethrenhistlibraryandarch.on.worldcat.org/oclc/1157114523

• Reference: MyHeritage Family Trees - SmartCopy: Mar 4 2018, 2:13:25 UTC

1. Find A Grave Memorial #44747264 -- she is referenced in her, Anna Lybrook, page
2. "III. The Virginia Families" within The Virginia Settlement or The Four Mile Church of the Brethren by Rev. Merle C. Rummel, on Union County, Indiana GenWeb
3. https://www.genealogy.com/forum/surnames/topics/miller/22338/ “ Jacob Miller (1735-1815) had twelve known children: Mary (c.1764); Anna (1765); Eve/Eva (1767); John (1769); Jacob (c. 1770); Tobias (1773); Abraham (1775); Samuel (c. 1776); Daniel (1780); Isaac (c. 1781); Aaron (1785); David (1788).” Cites:
4. Johnson, Patricia Givens. "Elder Jacob Miller (1735-1815): A Founder of the Brethren Churches and Dunkard Settlements in Franklin County, Virginia (1775), Ohio (1800), and Indiana (1810) and Some of His Descendants" PS Enterprises, Inc., Silver Hill, MD 20023, 1977. This small book was originally available from the author but can now be found in the Library of Congress and some major genealogical libraries. It traces many of the descendants of Elder Jacob Miller. Also see publications by the South Bend, IN Genealogical Society in St. Joseph County, IN and an approximately 40-page manuscript by Marguerite Miller and Gretchen Tyler of LaPorte, IN in the Indiana State Library at Indianapolis.
5. The Miller Family Tree is a collection of information gathered over the past 50+ years by: & Tom Miller of Morrisville Pennsylvania, and Gale Honeyman of the Brethren Heritage Center. This html version was created & is currently maintained by Eric Davis. http://www.frontierfamilies.net/family/Miller/C10JM.htm
6. Tree Outline of Miller Generations http://www.frontierfamilies.net/family/Miller/tree.htm
7. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schwarzenau_Brethren “ The Schwarzenau Brethren, the German Baptist Brethren, Dunkers, Dunkards, Tunkers,[1] or sometimes simply called the German Baptists, are an Anabaptist group that dissented from Roman Catholic, Lutheran and Reformed European state churches during the 17th and 18th centuries. German Baptist Brethren emerged in some German-speaking states in western and southwestern parts of the Holy Roman Empire as a result of the Radical Pietist revival movement of the late 17th and early 18th centuries.”