The Hyphen Family Lineage

Note: Milton Isaac Miller

Of the three children of Frederick and Caroline Miller, Isaac is the one about whom there seems to be the least information available, either through my records searches or in the notes and files of Jane Anne Thomas. He is not listed on the short Forst-Miller family tree compiled by Mary Alice (Bayha) Thomas (possibly with the help of her mother), but I've noted that most of the people named on that document are those who remained in the immediate area of Huntington Cty and Wells Cty, Indiana, and many of those who'd moved away (and the subsequent generations) may not have been known to Mary Alice.

The earlier records I can find for Milton are the 1880 and 1900 US Census records for his father's household (first in Clear Creek Twp, then in Huntington, both in Huntington Cty). This is followed by a marriage record from 19 Jun 1909 to Mary S. Stemen in Franklin Cty, Ohio. Mary's birthplace is given as Elida, Allen Cty, Ohio, with her father apparently named Simon J. Stemen and her mother having the maiden name Martin. Further attempts to find records for Mary or her parents prior to this marriage record have not led to anything conclusive; the handwriting on the original marriage record does lead to some guesswork necessary in determining her parents' names (notably her father's first name and her mother's maiden name - Stemen seems to be clearly written), so this might be in error. (It should be noted that there was a Mary Stemen of the same age born to a Samuel and Sarah Stemen in Sugar Creek Twp, Allen Cty, Ohio, but this Mary seems to be a different woman, as she can be more definitely found in later records in that same township and vicinity.)

The next confirmed records I can find for Milton are his WWI and WWII draft registration cards, from 1918 and 1942, respectively. On both he gives his residence as Indianapolis, Marion Cty, Indiana.

Attempts to trace Milton's places of residence after 1900 has proven somewhat challenging, as well. His 1909 marriage record gives his residence as Newark, Licking Cty, Ohio, while the next confirmed record (his WWI draft card) lists him living in Indianapolis in 1918. While I haven't found any census listings for 1910 or 1920 that I believe to apply to Milton, there are 1930 and 1940 US Census records for a Milton I. Miller of the appropriate age and with wife Mary, also of the appropriate age, in Indianapolis. The 1930 record gives his parents' birthplaces as Germany and Pennsylvania for his father and mother, respectively; this suggests to me that the records in question do apply to Milton's household.

Mary's birthdate poses a minor question, possibly being off by one year. Her marriage record gives that she would have been thirty years of age on 2 Oct 1909, which would make her year of birth 1879. In the 1930 and 1940 US Census records, though, her ages are reported as forty-nine and fifty-nine, respectively. This suggests she was born in 1880, and not 1879.

I have not found confirmed death dates or burial locations for Milton or Mary, but I have found listings on the FindaGrave.com website for Milton I. Miller and Mary S. Miller in Crown Hill Cemetery in Indianapolis. Neither listing includes a photo of the burial site, nor is there any birthdate information given, but the listings do include a year of death and a burial date. Milton's listing gives a death date of 1944, while Mary's gives her death date as 1958. The location for each burial is given as section 62, lot 431. It would seem very possible, then, that this pair of burials pertains to the Milton and Mary from the 1930 and 1940 US Census records from Indianapolis, and thus quite possibly to the Milton and Mary in our family tree.

I have found no indication that Milton and Mary had any children, as their names do not appear as parents of bride or groom in any marriage records searchesI've performed so far. The gap of time between their marriage record of 1909 and the first potential census listing in 1930 - twenty-one years - is sufficient for a child or even two to have been born and left home, but this seems unlikely to me at this point.