I would love it if all my ancestors had unique names that stood out in census lists or that a search engine could really sink its teeth into, but...I don't. Case in particular - the Miller's. Do you have any idea how many Millers there must be out there?
I knew about Charles Miller, my great-great grandfather from my father. He remembered visiting with him so he was able to give me some approximate dates and the names of his children. Then Charles's granddaughter, Elzeta Mitchell Pfeffer, gave me more exact dates to go on, but no one seemed to be able to recall Charles's parents. They only knew that they had lived in West Virginia. Well, West Virginia is a big place with many Miller possibilities so I put Charles back in my file drawer where he stayed for a long time!
I brought Charles's file out the other day. Since I no longer work, I have decided that it would be a good thing if I tried to organize all my family files into binders. The Miller file was one of the first to be organized probably because it is so thin and the "overwhelm-factor" was low. I guess Charles was tired of being cooped up in the drawer because, boy, has he led me down a fast road of discovery!
Using the
West Virginia Vital Records Project, which wasn't available the last time I researched this family, I found Charles Wesley Miller's birth record listed in the Mason County records! Right there on the line next to his birth date of 1 December 1867 were his parent's names, William A. Miller and Lizzie Miller. You will not guess what else was on that line! Almost as a reward for my patience, the person listed as reporting the birth was Wm. Miller, grandfather! Father, mother, grandfather, all in one minute of reading! Then to top things off, as I looked further on the page, I noticed the same parents listed again! Sure enough, there was Charles's brother, Richard A. Miller who was born two years later on July 23, 1869. That explained who the Richard Miller was who lived next door to Charles and his wife in Dover, Kentucky in 1920!
Needless to say, I have taken my new found knowledge and added many names to my family tree which I'll give you the details of in future postings. In the meantime, take a lesson from me, sometimes that brick wall just needs to be put in a dark file drawer to rest while the Internet resources take time to grow!
