Yellow Springs Historical Society

[Part 1 can be seen here.]

Although the picture mentioned in the post is missing, this shows a typical suit of the kind J. Peery Miller would have worn as a child.

Mother made frequent visits to uncle Samuel’s to help in caring for her father in his declining years. Being less trouble to care for if taken along than if left at home, I frequently shared these trips with her, and many were the good times I had in this house playing with the numerous children of uncle Samuel’s family a list of whom I will give later on.

Memory does not very accurately recall events of our childhood of a period earlier than four or five years of age, yet impressions remain of how I toddled around the house and yard, innocently amusing myself as children do at that age. A particular style of dress of boys of an early age I distinctly remember. I wish I could fittingly describe it. It consisted of a waist and pants combined with buttons in the back, made of some homespun material – woolen for winter wear and linen or cotton for summer. Not style but comfort was the thought of our mothers sixty years ago. In my youth the spinning wheel and loom as a family industry had been discarded, but the fruits of this primitive machinery were still apparent. Pieces of flannel previously woven from the wool of the sheep raised on the farm, or linen made from flax of our own raising, had been stored away for future use. Some of this cloth, perhaps, had already seen service as blankets or garments, and now as thoroughly renovated second-hand material, not badly worn, under mother’s skillful hands was made into clothing for the later born. This was all right. All good mothers did this. All the country boys of our neighborhood were treated alike in this respect. I do not remember of ever uttering a protest against wearing clothes made from cloth of garments previously worn by other members of the family. The suits were new to me, and as mother had made them, of course, they were all right.

Later in the 50’s woolen cloth was purchased direct from the Springfield woolen mill, generally in exchange for the annual wool-clip of our own sheep. Now we boys were sure of having our suits made from brand new cloth, but the tailoring was still done by mother, or by her direction.

In father’s account book for the year 1861 is this item:

                            -Mr. Stephen Phillips- Dr.

                            1861

                            Jan. 3 To 12 bushels of corn at 25 cts per bu. ……… $3.00

                           June 5, Mr. Stephen Phillips Cr.

                           By one coat for Peery J. ………………………….$3.00

This was my first store-made coat. Twelve bushels of corn paid for it.

The child picture of myself is a photograph of a daguerreotype taken when I was either six or seven years old. My brother Milton was attending school at Antioch college during this period. On one of his vacation or week-end visits, he decided that I ought to have my picture taken. Whether this decision was prompted by a worthy desire to possess the likeness of his little brother or for the purpose of testing the artist’s ability to indelibly stamp my expressions of pride in my personal attire is still an unanswered question. This much I do know – the facts having been substantially authenticated by statements of interested parties later in life: – That little coat with seven buttons, six of which shine out so prominently in the picture, was once the property of my beloved cousin, N. Delmont McReynolds. Cousin Delmont had outgrown this beautiful blue velvet garment, and his mother, my aunt Mary, like all good aunt Marys, kindly handed it over to her sister, my mother, for further service in the family. Delmont’s loss was my gain.

A little retouching by mother’s skillful hands and the addition of a nice white frill around the collar made the old look new – a perfect fit for me. With clean face and hands (!) and richly adorned with this new outfit I was ready to go with brother Milton to the daguerreotype office. A trip to town was much enjoyed as it gave opportunity to see city sights of great interest to a country boy. This particular trip was especially noteworthy because I was to have my picture taken by that wonderful process of Daguerre at the most impressionable age. The artist was J. Coss, East Main street, Springfield, O. the price of the picture and case was one-dollar, which amount Milton paid with a single one-dollar silver piece.

The case containing the original daguerreotype I gave to my daughter Elsie Palmer. The photographs of this original were taken by Baumgardner, S.Fountain Ave., Springfield, O., in the year 1914. (See p. )

Beginning in the fall of last year this blog shared “Memories of a Yellow Springs Family” (an index to the blog posts can be found under the “Blog Multi-Part Series” tab above) by Della Miller, inspired by the writing of her father, John Peery Miller, teacher in the Yellow Springs schools and later professor of history at Antioch College.

This post begins J. Peery Miller’s own memories. Sadly, the PDF of the hand-typed document from which this is transcribed did not include the illustrations mentioned, but it is hoped that Miller’s descriptions will be adequate to give a mental image of a life that moved through farm life,  the Civil War, and academia.

INTRODUCTORY

Our Bible record, written by my father in bold, print-like characters gives my birthday as May 7, 1847. This was 70 years ago. As I look back over this period of three score and ten years — a period of great length when considered by youthful minds, but very short as I look at it now — I feel inclined to jot down some of the events of my life which might be of interest to my children and grandchildren, especially the latter who are just now very alert and inquisitive. In doing this I shall write in the simplest manner possible with slight regard for literary style or finish.

As we become older we are inclined to look backward and to call to mind the happenings of our childhood. Then we wonder how it was with our parents in youth; where did they live? what amusements did they have? what work did they do as helpers in the family?” where did they go to school? advantage and disadvantages of schooling at that particular period? Sunday school and church? neighbors and neighborhood amusements? — in fact, everything that went to make up the every day experience of boys and girls in early life.

Each individual knows his own history but not enough care is taken to give his descendants the benefit of it. How much I would appreciate a knowledge of just a few facts relating to the family home-life of my father during his childhood in Botertourt county, Virginia. No doubt he freely talked to the older members of our family when home topics of early life were fresh in mind, but nothing was recorded and memory is treacherous.

The busy life of our parents, their interest in new and, at the time, more important events, crowded out of mind thoughts of the old. The questioner and informer alike are silent until death deprives us of the sources of much valuable personal history.

J. P. M.

EARLY HISTORY

The early history of my father’s family has been briefly mentioned in the genealogy of the Millers published in the year 1913. This was necessarily brief as the work was chiefly genealogical, not biographical.

My grandparents on my father’ s side died before I was born, and as photography was not yet discovered and portrait painting seldom resorted to by those who gained a lively hood by the sweat of the brow, I am deprived of the pleasure of knowing them by their pictures. My maternal grandmother, Elizabeth (McCleave) Smith, died Nov. 13, 1849, leaving no photograph of herself. My impressions of her are such as a child would receive from the few incidental remarks of my mother in reference to incidents of her early life. For many reasons, not easily explained, I imagine she looked and acted like my mother, being physically vigorous and active and possessed a mild and winning disposition. I was only two and one-half years old at the time of grandmother Smith’s death, therefore too young to retain personal impressions of this sad event, though I have been told that it was my mother’s custom to take me with her on horse-back when she made her frequent visits to her old home in the interest of her parents.

I remember grandfather Smith quite well as his death did not occur until Aug. 12, 1856. I was then nine years old. I am glad to present a photograph of this grand old man, which was taken from an original daguerreotype, a process of picture-taking just coming into general use. I should judge that the original daguerreotype picture was taken about the year 1854.

The pathway for footmen or horsemen from our home to grandfather Smith’s followed Donnel creek south. A glance at the map of Bethel School District, Clark Co., O., herein attached (pg. ), shows the course of this creek as it winds its way through our farm (John Miller’s), crossing the Springfield and New Carlisle pike near the Bethel cemetery, then south-west through the woods on the Wallace farm, thence across a corner of uncle David Miller’s farm, thence across Uncle Henry Miller’s to Samuel Smith’s place of 209 acres. This last was my grandfather’s home where my mother, Joanna Smith, was born, December 27, 1806. (For a brief account of the early life and migrations of my mother’s grandparents, Rev. Peter Smith and his wife, see “Early Settlers and Early Times on Donnels Creek and Vicinity”, written by my brother, Samuel S. Miller, and published in the year 1887; also General J. Warren Keifer’s ancestral in appendix to his 2^nd volume of “Slavery and Four Years of War”, G. P. Putnam’s Sons, 1900). Brother Samuel mentioned the fact that grandfather built a new hewed log house on this place in the year 1811, hence I infer that my mother was born in a primitive cabin located near by. At five years of age she could have witnessed the building of the new “commodious story and a half log” structure which accommodated this branch of the Smith family until prosperity enabled them to build an up-to-date brick residence twenty-two years later (1833). In a dilapidated condition the brick building is still standing (1916), though for many years unoccupied as a residence. (See kodak snapshots, p. ). Here is wher I used to see grandfather Smith in the days of his old age and decrepitude. After his wife’s death in the year 1849 grandfather lived with my mother’s brother Samuel, who occupied the house and farmed the home place