[p. 811] whose well cultivated farm of 250 acres is situated in Pulaski Township, is a man of prominence in Lawrence County, which he served three years as sheriff, and he is also a veteran of the Civil War and still bears the honorable marks of his valiant service therein. Mr. Miller was born July 16, 1837, in North Beaver Township, Lawrence County, Pennsylvania, and is a son of William and Bathsheba (Fullerton) Miller.
The grandfather, William Miller, was born in 1769, in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, came to North Beaver Township, Lawrence County, prior to 1801, where he lived until his death in 1863. He acquired 640 acres of land, a whole section. For many years he served as a justice of the peace and few people in North Beaver Township at that time had not heard of 'Squire Billy Miller. Many had benefited through his advice, not a few through his charity, while he was one of the heartiest promoters of township improvements and a founder of both school and church in his neighborhood. For years he was a leading member and ruling elder of the United Presbyterian Church, which was then located near Mt. Jackson and was known as Reverend Neal's congregation, the latter being a pioneer preacher whose life was spent traveling through the forests from one lonely charge to the other. Justice Miller was a tower of strength to this organization and was connected with it until the end of his life. He engaged in farming and raised live stock and also operated a grist-mill, all of these industries serving to add both to his fortune and his prominence in the community.
William Miller (2), father of William B., was born in North Beaver Township in 1801, and was a life-long resident, dying there in 1872. In large measure he continued his father's activities. He married Bathsheba Fullerton, who died August 25, 1858. Three children survive them: William B.; Robert R., residing in Seattle, Wash., and Ann J., wife of Frank Lane, residing in Mahoning County, Ohio.
William B. Miller was reared to manhood in North Beaver Township and enjoyed excellent school advantages. In addition to receiving instruction in the public schools of the township and in select schools at various points, he had academic training at Canfield, Ohio. Following the completion of his education, he taught school for a number of terms before settling down to an agricultural life. In former years Mr. Miller was a very extensive dealer and shipper of cattle and sheep and yet is largely interested in stock raising. His farming operations are carried on after modern methods and his farm is one of the best equipped, in the matter of machinery, in Pulaski Township.
In August, 1862, Mr. Miller enlisted for service in the Civil War, becoming a member of Company I, One Hundred and Thirty-fourth Regiment, Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry, under Capt. John W. Hague. He served for nine months, being attached to the Fifth Corps, Army of the Potomac. He participated in a number of engagements, and in the terrible battle of Fredericksburg he was wounded in the right arm, an injury which confined him to two hospitals, for a period of four months, entailing great suffering. He was discharged from the Philadelphia Hospital, March 29, 1863, by reason of surgeon's certificate of disability.
On October 3, 1872, Mr. Miller was married to Catherine A. Swisher, who was born in Eastern Pennsylvania, and is a daughter of Jacob and Harriet (McGuire) Swisher, and to them were born nine children, as follows: Charles C., who is principal of the High School at Brighton, Ohio, is a graduate of the Normal College at Ada, Ohio; Mildred M., who is a popular teacher in Pulaski Township, is a graduate of Poland Seminary, at Poland, Ohio; Amy L., who is the wife of George M. Young, of Wilmington, Pa., is a graduate of Poland Seminary; Willis B. and Mabel G., both of Pulaski Township, the latter a teacher of music, and Mark B., Mary L., Bathsheba and Gladys E., all of Pulaski Township, residing at home.
Mr. Miller has been identified with the Republican party since he reached maturity. In 1876 he was elected sheriff of Lawrence County and assumed the duties of the office in the following year, serving through three years in that responsible position. He has filled numerous local offices both in North Beaver and in Pulaski Townships. In the former township, he took all the degrees in the order of the Patrons of Husbandry, and he belongs to Enon Lodge, No. 916, Odd Fellows. He is a member of Hopewell Presbyterian Church at New Bedford.
20th Century History of New Castle and Lawrence County Pennsylvania and Representative Citizens Hon. Aaron L. Hazen Richmond-Arnold Publishing Company, Chicago, Ill., 1908
Previous Biography | Table of Contents | Next Biography
Explanation/Caution | Lawrence Co. Maps | Lawrence Co. Histories
Updated: 4 Jan 2002