Individual Details

1850 Census. Dist 7, Boone Co IN, Hh 1478
John Miller, age 33, b. IN. MaryAnn age 28, b. IN
James W. 10. Israel H. 8. Amanda J. 7. William T. age 5.
Nelson Harmon, age 16, laborer [Nelson was the younger orphaned brother of John's sister Elizabeth's husband William Harmon.]

Wrong John Miller:
I did find a marriage in Putnam Co IN for a John Miller to Mary Ann Miller, 31 Aug 1837 - this would be about the right time since the son James was 10 in 1850. However, Mary Ann's surname was Julian according to the pension application when John applied for pension based on his son Israel's service ....and they married in 1839 in Marion Co, so the marriage in Putnam County is for someone else.

1860 Census, Zionsville, Eagle Twp, Boone, IN, Hh 991, marked as "Hotel"
John Miller, age 44, Hotel keeper, b. IN
Mary A., age 40
James W. 20. Israel H. 18. Amanda J. 16, John F. 5.
Joseph Richardson, 35, Miller, b. New York
James Hancock, 30, day laborer, b. VA

1870 Census. Eagle Twp, Royalton P.O., Boone Co IN, Hh 488
John Miller, 54, farmer, value of real estate $4200, person property $800
Mary A., 49
John F. 15
Vincent, age 9

1880 Census. Cherokee Twp, Montgomery Co, Kansas, Hh 61
John Miller, age 54, farmer, b. IN, father b. NC, mother b. SC
Mary A., 58, wife, b. IN, father b. TN, mother b. OH
John F. 23, son, b. IN
Miller, age 18, son, b. IN,

1900 Census. Eagle Twp, Zionsville Town, Boone Co, IN, Hh 170
John Miller, b. Mar 1816, age 84, married 8 years, b. IN, father b. SC, mother b. NC
Elizabeth, wife, b. Jan 1824, age 76, had 8 children - 2 are living, b. Ohio, father b. PA, mother b. Ohio
There is a marriage record for John Miller to Elizabeth Reade, 5 Jun 1891, Marion Co, IN - that could be the second wife...

Indiana Death Certificate #238.
John Miller died 21 Mar 1906 of senility and exhaustion. He lived at 402 W. 16th, Indianapolis, Center Twp, Marion Co. Born 2 Mar 1816 in Indiana and widowed. His father was Wm Miller, b. Tenn; his mother Nancy Meek, birthplace unknonw. John F. Miller of 402 W. 16th St. was the informant. He ws buried Zionsville, on March 22nd.

John's son Israel appears to be buried at Eagle Village Cemetery along with his grandparents. He apparently served in the Civil War. The marker reads:
Lieut. I. H. Miller
Co. F
10th Ind. Inf.

Ancestry has that Israel H. Miller enlisted as a private in the 10th Indiana Infantry Regiment, Company I for three months in 1861. He is also listed as a 2nd Lieutenant in Company F of the same Regiment.
His mother and father applied for his pension & the card said rank was "P". No date of enlistment or discharge was stated.
2 May 1884
Mother, 315.289
Father, 357.489, Certificate 264.175

I did obtain the pension papers.
Mary A. Miller of Monon, White Co, IN, first applied 14 Apr 1884, from Boone Co. She claimed her husband was an invalid at the time her son Israel went into the service and there were two siblings under sixteen in 1861 - John Miller, b. 15 Dec 1854, and Vincent, b. 3 Jul 1861. Israel had enlisted at Zionsville on 2 Sep 1861, Co. F, 10th Ind Inf Vols. and he died with his Regiment not far from Nashville, TN on 7 Mar 1862. Mary appointed J. O. Pedigo of Monon, her attorney. One of the witnesses was Thomas Julian of Lebanon [later testimony by Thomas revealed he was Mary's brother]. On 24 Feb 1887, Mary appointed R. S. & A. P. Lacey of Washington DC, attorneys to prosecute her claim. Mary died on 8 Jun 1887 before her application process was completed.

John Miller took up the cause and applied for a father's pension on 30 Jun 1887. Son Israel had been a 2nd Lieut and left neither widow nor child. John appointed John A. Pack of Zionsville attorney [a roster of Company F reveals that John served with Israel]. It was noted that Israel was a minor at the time of his death [he was about six months short of being 21]. John notes he married the mother of Israel on 11 Apr 1839, by Squire Bell [a Justice of the Peace]. The pension began at the rate of $15 per month as of 6 Jul 1887 - the date the application was stamped in the Pension Office. Approved for Admission: dependence, soldier died in service - but not until 18 Jan 1890.

Affidavit was made by Thomas Julian, age 70, of Jolliettville, Hamilton Co on 21 Jul 1887, that John Miller was about 71 and not able to make a living and destitute - he states John's wife was his sister and he had been acquainted with John for about 49 years.
William W. Miller, age 76, of Zionsville, and brother of John made affidavit on the next day - 22 Jul 1887. He testified that Israel had worked for him before the war and he had paid Israel's wages to his father, John.

William Dye, age 69, of Zionsville, made affidavit on 6 Jan 1888. He had known John Miller since about 1832 - Dye's wife was his sister, but she was dead. He knew John had married Mary, the mother of Israel and that Israel was never married nor had children.

On the same day - 6 Jan 1888 - Benjamin M. Gregory, who had been Captain of Co. F, made affidavit that Israel was taken sick about the 1st of March in 1862 and died in the Captain's tent on the 7th of March from what he understood to be conjection of the bowels.

On 10 Jan 1888, John Miller offered further testimony. In 1862 he lived in Zionsville where he remained until 1879, when he moved to Montgomery Co, Kansas. In 1881, he moved to Chicago and lived there about a year. In 1882, he moved to White County, IN where his post office address was Monon. In May 1887, he again moved to Zionsville. He gave the name, relationship, and births of his family in 1861 - which included the births of his wife Mary A. Miller, sons James, Israel, John, and Vincent, and daughter Amanda [as given in this database]. He swore no one had been legally bound for his support since the death of his son.

In the file is a long letter written by Israel to his father on 20 Jan 1862, the day after the Battle of Mill Springs [on the Cumberland River in Kentucky] or Logan's Crossroads. I feel sure the letter was submitted to prove that Israel supported his family because in the letter he states that he has not yet been paid but will send it home as soon as he is. Israel mentions a wound in his arm, and the death of Perry [apparently Thomas P. Larimore - his first cousin who is known to have died in that battle on the 19th] and states that his Uncle Will Harmon has come to take the dead home and will give them the latest news when he returns.

Jacob Dye, age 73 of Zionsville, gave affidavit on 30 Apr 1888. He had know John Miller over 50 years and knew him to be destitute. He also mentions that both sons, Israel and James were in the service. [Jacob was a brother to William Dye]
John Miller signed Power of Attorney, giving his address in White Co to R. S. & A. P. Lacey of Washington DC - the date on the front has been marked over several times but the notary, O. McConahay, signed it 13 Feb 1889.

The Pensions Bureau sent a standardized form dated 25 Jun 1889, to several of the deponents requesting more information about the income and property of John in 1862 and since, directing answers to be written on the back and returned:
...W. W. Miller described how John had been ruptured and could not do hard labor - Israel had done the cultivating for his father before he went into the service. John then had to rent out his tillable land. He thought John's income probably did not exceed $200 in 1862 and he had a mortgage.
...N. Miller didn't remember much but knew John was not good health; had been a man of good habits but not destitute. Dated 9 Jul 1989
...Thos. Julian said John's income was small; he was broken down in health and in great measure had been dependent on his son Israel for his support. Dated 11 Jul 1989.

The Pension Bureau also contacted the War Dept to see whether or not Capt. Benjmain M. Gregory was with Company F from March 1 - 7th. Muster rolls showed that he was and was at his station near Nashville on 1 Mar 1862.

Allen W. Larimore, age 72, resident of Zionsville [brother-in-law of John Miller - married to his sister Rachel] and Jacob Dye, age 75, of Zionsville, testified together on 10 Dec 1889. They covered all of the above but also revealed that about 1871, John's wife Mary had been stricken with partial paralysis and had great medical expenses until her death in 1887. John had been compelled to sell his land and the last ten years dependent on hi children and friends.

The Jacket cover reveals that the pension died begin on 6 Jul 1887 at the rate of $15 per month, Certificate 264.175, dated 1 Feb 1890.
It is also noted that the pension claim of Mary A. Miller was rejected on the grounds the claimant had died; dated 18 Jan 1890.
However, the relief John must have felt at finally getting the pension - he would have had the accumulated funds paid right away - didn't last long.

A man named Alexander C. McGuire filed a complaint with the Pension Bureau that both John Miller and Rachel Larimore who were receiving dependent pensions were neither one dependent. He included the tax assessment for John Miller in 1862 and said Rachel's husband was and had been able to support her. Dated 30 Jan 1891.

According to the "Received" Stamps of the Pension Bureau they actually received a letter from Rachel two days before McGuire's arrived, disputing McGuire's claim. She wrote on 4 February, that McGuire had made the complain because of bad whiskey and malice and that he had already left the area. He had sold his home and was squandering the money on drink and because Rachel and her husband did not uphold his treatment of his family, he had vowed to stop her pension. She stated her husband had had disease of the kidneys for over thirty years and they were 72 and 73 years of age. Her son was about 18 in 1861 when he went out for three months and then in enlisted in the 10th Ind Regt and was killed at Mills Springs on 19 Jan 1862. Her next son volunteered as soon as was 18 and served until the war was over. Her pension claim was 337.782.

There is a note to keep the claim of Rachel Larimore, mother of William P. Larimore with Millers since the allegations refer to both.

Special Investigation was ordered, July of 1862. E. E. Penley, Special Examiner, took testimony from John Miller, Jacob Dye, W. W. Miller, and John A Pack. He obtained a statement of the property assessment for John Miler beginning 1862 - he had not had enough property to declare for several years. Penley notes that Rachel Larimore died on 29 Feb 1892 and her case was being returned. His summation was that John Miller had probably been able to make a fair living up until about 1878. He had traded and speculated considerably over the years and had eventually had to make an assignment for the benefit of his creditors, Nov 7 1878 [I think about the equivalency of filing bankruptcy] and from then had been totally dependent on his pension. John probably was not dependent for the earlier years, but the claim was granted - he now qualifies with a clear title under the Act of Jun 2, 1890, but his payment will be $3 per month less. Since John is 76, Penley recommended no further action be taken. He notes Alexander C. McGuire had moved to Kokomo immediately after making the charge and the generally sentiment was that he had acted through spite.

A few new facts came to light in the testimony during the special examination. Israel had been part of the three months service in 1861 in Co. J and when he returned he aided in reorganizing the Regiment and was elected as a 2nd Lieutenant. John's son James had also enlisted and was still living - he had never helped support his father since he became of age. Israel had sent home $100 of his pay but John had no proof other than his word. In a detailed explanation of his finances we discover that John had once operated the hotel in Zionsville - but he traded the hotel for a saw & grist mill, which he sold before Israel entered the War. At one point in opened a shoe store, but he ran into debt and had to accept the assignment in 1878. His wife had title to 14 acres of their place which they sold for $700 and went to Kansas - bugs destroyed two crops and wiped them out. They were in Chicago about 7 months, then came back to Indiana and lived with family and friends until the first pension when he bought a house with two acres. He had married again about a year ago but his wife brought no property to the marriage. Alexander McGuire had sued Jacob Dye two years earlier for alienating his wife. John and A. W. Larimore had sided with Dye and McGuire lost his suit. McGuire then threatened to stop the pensions of John and Rachel Larimore. McGuire was a pensioner himself.

Jacob Dye and William Miller supported the above testimony, particularly regarding the motive of Alexander McGuire. John Pack testified he was a lawyer and had known John Miller all his life. Before he and Israel went into the service they worked at the carpenter trade for John Pack's brother and he had seen Israel hand his wages to his father. Israel went out on the three months service - Pack's brother owed him some balance of wages and John Pack had paid the amount to Israel's father. Pack had been a party to the assignment in 1878 and knew of the financial difficulties. McGuire had asked Pack to prepare an affidavit and Pack refused.

On 4 Aug 1892, the Pensions board advised the Auditor to drop the pensioner in 60 days, but it seems to have been 14 Nov 1892, before the order became final.

On the 9th of August 1892, John Miller wrote the Pension Board direct. He apparently did not receive his payment on the 4th. On the 15th of August, John deposed before a Notary Public, requesting he be placed on the pension rolls under the Act of June 27, 1890, and giving all the original necessary testimony about the service of Israel H. Miller.
Martin V. Rains, age 50, and James N. Harmon, 44, both of Zionsville, testified as to the relationship between Israel and John Miller, that Israel was never married, and that John Miller is basically destitute. On 14 Sep 1892, Benjamin M. Gregory testified to the facts of Israel's death as he had done previously.

As of 7 Nov 1892, the Board of Review was still recommending the pensioner be dropped from the rolls and their recommendation was accepted by the Commissioner of Pensions. On 26 Nov 1892, there was a report that John Miller was last paid $15 on 4 May 1892 and had been dropped because of non-dependence.

However, there was a Renewal under the Act of June 27, 1890. John Miller was to receive $12 per month beginning 18 Aug 1892; issued 16 Jan 1893. There was apparently no more difficulty and John continued to receive pension until his death.

Pensioner John Miller was last paid $12 to 4 Feb 1906. He died 20 Mar 1906. There is a request for reimbursement claim but doesn't say who made the claim - it was just the Auditor seeking more information for the Commissioner of Pensions.

Birth	20 Mar 1816	Indiana
Marriage	11 Apr 1839	Marion County, Indiana - Mary Ann Julian
Marriage	5 Jun 1891	Marion County, Indiana - Elizabeth Reade
Death	21 Mar 1906

Spouse	Mary Ann Julian (1821 - 1887)
Child	James W. Miller (1840 - )
Child	Israel H. Miller (1841 - 1862)
Child	Amanda J. Miller (1842 - )
Child	William T. Miller (1845 - 1860)
Child	John F. Miller (1854 - 1915)
Child	Vincent Miller (1861 - )

Spouse

Elizabeth Reade (1824 - )

Father	WILLIAM MILLER (1781 - 1844)
Mother	NANCY MEEK (1782 - 1848)
Sibling	Moses M. Miller (1809 - )
Sibling	William W. Miller (1811 - 1901)
Sibling	Thomas Putnam Miller (1812 - 1891)
Sibling	Margaret Miller (1817 - 1878)
Sibling	Rachel Miller (1819 - 1892)
Sibling	Alexander F. Miller (1821 - 1851)
Sibling	Silas Miller (1823 - 1850)
Sibling	EMMA ELIZABETH MILLER (1825 - 1871)
Sibling	James Miller (1830 - 1847)