John W. Miller ^{1 2}

  General Notes:

John W. JMiller was the brother who arrived in Indiana in 1828,
about a year later than James T., and while in the early days he did
more or less trading with the Indians, his principal sphere of endeav-
or in the pioneer wilds was in the developing of land and reclaiming
the same to cultivation, so that he became one of the earliest representa-
tives of the agricultural industry in Miami county. In the western
part of what is now Peru township he settled on a tract of heavily
timbered land, to which he later entered formal claim through gov-
ernment entry, after the surveys had been made. He endured to the
full the arduous toils, the hardships and the vicissitudes which fell to
the lot of the average pioneer under similar conditions and he proved
well his usefulness as one of the world's noble workers as well as a
founder and builder of the county which now wears the gracious
crown of opulent prosperity and industrial and civic precedence.

In Ohio was solemnized the marriage of John W. Miller to Miss
Julia Ann Lease, and when he came to Indiana he was accompanied
by his wife and their infant daughter. The tangible property of the
pioneer family was represented in a somewhat dilapidated wagon, a
yoke of steers, a blind horse and a meager supply of household goods.
The long and tedious journey from Ohio was made with this primitive
outfit and Mr. Miller drove the ox team, which slowly plodded its
way and pulled the wagon in which were placed the little stock of
household necessities, Mrs. Miller having made the trip in stately dig-
nity on the back of the blind horse and with her babe in her arms.
Often en route was it necessar' for Mr. ^Miller to interrupt the progress
of the journey to make vnth. his ax a clearing through which the team
and wagon might pass, and on other occasions he found it necessary
to fill in marshy places with sticks and logs, to afford a roadway.

After arriving at their destiiiation the family utilized the wagon as
a domicile until the husband and father had made a clearing in the
forest and there erected his pioneer log cabin, ten by twelve feet in
dimensions. This primitive structure was finished without the utiliza-
tion of nails, which were at that time an unknown quantity in this
section, and the building was equipped with a roof of shakes, hewn
out by hand, as was also the puncheon floor. Stone was gathered for
the construction of the huge fireplace that was to furnish heat and
cooking facilities, and the original chimney was made of sticks and
mud, this primitive cement serving in place of plaster. Later a log
stable was built for the protection of the young live stock, which other-
vnse would have suffered from the depredations of wolves and other
wild animals. Other natural obstacles confronted the sturdy pioneer,
and it was found difficult even to raise a crop of grain, as the squirrels
and various varieties of birds manifested altogether too great an ap-
proval of the growing crop, which they appropriated to their own
use. The sheltered inmates of the rude forest lodge found the howling
wolves an ungrateful slumber sound by night, and the voracious animals ⁵

John married Julia Ann Leas, daughter of George Leas and Mary "Polly" Weems, on 20 Mar 1828 in Preble County, Ohio, USA.¹ (Julia Ann Leas was born on 25 Apr 1810 in Preble County, Ohio, USA,³ died on 6 Sep 1863 in Peru, Miami County, Indiana, USA ⁴ and was buried in Mount Hope Cemetery, Peru, Miami County, Indiana, USA.)