Entry #43

My dad has never been able to tell me much about our ancestors. For the most part his knowledge was limited to the family that he knew growing up. Sometimes he will even tell me that he never knew that a cousin of his was a relative, so he certainly can’t tell me just how we are cousins.

Andrew Miller, his great grandfather, was one exception. He didn’t have a lot to say about him, but he was aware that he fought in the Civil War. As a boy, dad remembers playing with a coat from the barn that belonged to Andrew during the service, not his uniform, but an overcoat of sorts. The other thing that stuck with dad is a story that was passed down from Andrew Miller about his company marching and not having enough water. Out of desperation, the men in his company drank from water that had collected in hoof prints on the road. My dad still brings that up any time I ask him about Andrew. At 92, the story has stuck with my dad.

Andrew Miller was born Andreas Müller (Mueller) in Kleinniedesheim, Frankenthal, Rheinland-Pfalz on 19 November 1845, the son of Phillip Müller and Catharine Reich Müller. He was the youngest in the family with three sisters Maria (1835 – 1913), Eva (1840 – 1899), and Margaretha (1843 – ?) and one older brother, Phillip (1838 – 1862), that I have definitively identified. The family is found traveling to the USA and they arrived together on 9 Aug 1852 aboard the General Dunlop from Liverpool. There was also an August Müller traveling with the family. I have found no christening record for him, and I am not sure if he was Andrew’s brother or not. The Müller family settled in Pomeroy, Ohio. Eventually, over the course of 25 years, all of the family moved, in turn, to Cincinnati. Two of the girls married men named Hess, there, although I cannot prove that the spouses were related. Margaretha seemed to disappear; after arriving in New York, I have no further record of her.

Andrew’s brother Philipp was among the first to join the Union Army when war broke out. He enlisted with other Germans on 8 September 1861 in Mason City, Virginia. He served with the 1st Virginia (West Virginia) Cavalry until he was shot during action in 1862. His story is told in a previous blog post.

Andrew was not really of age to join the fight right after his brother died. Of course, that didn’t stop many young men. Finally, he enlisted in Company K, Ohio 187th Infantry Regiment on 2 March 1865. The war was winding down and he served under a year, mustering out on 20 January 1866 at Macon, Georgia. Andrew’s company did not see a lot of action. Most of the time, he was on provost duty in Macon.

Andrew married Kate Wippel in October of 1866. She was born in Pomeroy and I would say there was a good chance he knew her most of his life. Kate had been raised Catholic and Andrew Protestant, but they were joined in holy matrimony by a Lutheran minister, Lubert Theiss. No doubt this raised objections in staunchly Catholic Wippel family as Kate may have lied about her age on the marriage license. She claimed to be 18, but was probably one month shy of needing consent to marry.

Together Kate and Andrew had ten children, of whom eight survived into adulthood:

Andrew’s occupation was that of cooper. We had a few small barrels that he made in our attic when I was growing up. Unfortunately, My great, great grandfather suffered from dysentery and piles most of his adult life. He claimed that it limited his ability to work. This is recorded in his pension application, which he had trouble proving. Although his first requests were denied, after a long correspondence, he was approved. Despite the hassle in getting his pension, Andrew was proud of his military service.  He was a member of the G.A.R. the following photo came from a cousin, Ruth Kortgardner.  It was badly damaged and he digital image was restored to some degree.

Andrew Miller – Later, after the War

Andrew Müller (now Miller) also spent time being hospitalized in the National Home for Disabled Volunteer Soldiers in Dayton, Ohio. He died in Cincinnati on 22 October 1916, one day after Kate’s and his 50th wedding anniversary. He is buried in Dayton National Cemetery.