Tobias Miller

Tobias was the first born in his family. His father (as a young man) was in the Revolutionary War. Tobias grew up on the northwestern frontier in Hamilton County, Ohio. The family lived on a portion of General Harrison's 2000 acre estate, which is now in Cincinnati and Chevoit, Ohio. His parents are buried here in their family cemetery. During Tobias' childhood, General William Harrison, a signer of the Declaration of Independence noted for his military victory at Tippecanoe Battlefield, Indiana was Governor of Indiana Territory, Senator and Representative; a member of the Wig party he was elected to be the 9th president of the United States in 1841. In 1830 Tobias married Lydia Ann Edwards in Cincinnati and made their home on part of the Harrison estate in Cheviot and Cincinnati where most of their children were born before they moved west across the Mississippi River to Davenport, Scott County, Iowa in 1856 where their youngest daughters were born. While making their home around Newton, Jasper County, Iowa Tobias wrote in a letter dated Dec 20th 1865 to his son, Ben Miller & family who were in Oregon, that they left the hotel business last spring and are now living on their farm and have planted apples 2 years now in Jasper County, Iowa near Newton. He mentions peaches and grape vines don't do as well as in Ohio and that if the railroad was done across the plains they would sell and come to Oregon or California. He said that only Curtis, Edwin, Eva, myself and your mother is all that is living at home now. At the time of writing Curtis has gone to visit G W Hiatts and Edwin has gone to Church. G W Hiatt lives 7 miles from here and J H Hopkins lives 3 miles from here. They eventually came to Oregon in 1874, homesteading on Sardine Creek just outside of Gold Hill, Jackson County, Oregon. He brought with him in his wagon the first Persian Lilac to Oregon. Their oldest son, Benjamin Franklin, had crossed the plains and mountains to Oregon Territory with the Sutton wagon train in 1854. The Oregon Miller family including the Newtons posed for a photo in front of their home celebrating Tobias' 80th birthday. Tobias is buried in the family plot at Rock Point Cemetery, Gold Hill, Oregon. Son Benjamin is buried in the Sams Valley Cemetery on Ramsey Canyon Rd, Jackson County, Oregon.