Jean Carhart's Web Site
Jean Carhart's Web Site
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Miller FamilyChalmers Alvara Miller is my great-great-grandfather on my father's side of the family. He was born in Carroll County, Ohio and as a young child, traveled with his family by horse and wagon from Ohio to Iowa. They settled in Jasper County, Iowa in 1854, but the same year his father, John A. Miller died. The following spring, his mother took the family to Story County, Iowa. There were nine children in the family: Ephraim, Albert, Solomon, Joseph, Eliza, Hanna, Chalmers A., John J., and Ruth M. Later in the decade, Chalmers came with his brother-in-law, F. F. Roe, to Monona County, where Roe had bought government land for a farm. After breaking some prairie sod on the farm the two returned to Story County where Chalmers remained until May 16, 1863, when he enlisted in Company G, Seventh Iowa Cavalry, and served three years. He was mustered out at Leavenworth, Kan., and honorably discharged at Davenport, Iowa, May 17, 1866. He returned to his mother's farm in Story County. On February 28, 1867 he married Jane Kirkendall, a native of Ohio, born December 9, 1843, the daughter of James and Rebecca Kirkendall. After the birth of two of their children, Harvey Oscar and John Chalmers, he and his wife took their children and joined his sister, Eliza and her husband, the Roes, in Monona County. At the urgent request of the Roe family they visited awhile at the Roe home and then located on their farm, Section 17, Center Township. In 1873, Chalmers and Jane moved to a large farm in Section 3. Besides the three boys, the other children were: Olive A., Lena E., M. Ethel, Effie, Ruth, Richard G., Ruey, and Robert. Mr. and Mrs. Miller and family moved from their farm into Mapleton in the early 1890s, where Mr. Miller was associated with Mr. Frank McVicker in the grocery business. Afterward he and Mr. O'Dell handled farm implements together. Later, Mr. Miller operated a flour and feed stone alone, but closed it due to his wife's failing health. She died Feb. 14th, 1922 at their home in Mapleton. He died 4 years later, Feb 22nd, 1926 at the home of his daughter, Mrs. Lena Maggard, at Onawa, Iowa. He is buried in Mount Hope Cemetery in Monona County. Chalmers always took an interest in civic matters, and served for one term as Mayor of Mapleton. We know a great deal about his early life as Chalmers wrote an article for the Sioux City Journal that was published January 8, 1922. We have all heard of stories of Prairie fires, but rarely do we have record of how our own ancestors lived through these horrible events. Read this true story that was published in the "Recollections of Monona County Pioneers". A Prairie Fire on The Frontier Another story published in the same book, told by Chalmers' daughter Ollie tells us more about his character.
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