John Smith banished

/ Kirstin Miller

John Smith 11th great grandfather on RootsMagic tree.

John Smith, the Miller, of Providence Rhode Island, some of his descendants by Charles Farnham page 114, image 11 of 19

Ordered, that John Smyth shalbe sent within theis 6 weekes out of this jurisdiccon, for dyvers dangerous opinions, wch hee holdeth, & hath dyvulged, if in the meane tyme he removes not himselfe out of this plantacon Jn Smith banish’t

Records of the Governor and company of the Massachusetts Bay
Volume 1 page 159

https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=uma.ark:/13960/t0gt5x713;view=1up;seq=183

john smith

Roger Williams b. 1602

/ Kirstin Miller

Roger Williams 10th great grandfather on RootsMagic tree

Williams, Roger A Key_ Of the WordsRoger Williams was born in 1602 in London and is known for a lot: he founded Rhode Island, he wrote many books including A key into the Language of America: A help to the Language of the Natives in that part of America called New England, he founded the still standing First Baptist Church and so much more.

Direct descendancy from Roger Williams is pretty well proven through Dexter Angell (VII 1.) who mentions daughter Delia in his will. Delia is the bonafide mom of Matilda Flood who married Richard Mockford and they are parents of Philippa Flood Mockford Speedy, aka great grandma Speedy. Roger Williams of Province, RI by Anthony, Bertha Williams at HathiTrust this same book is used by the Roger William Family Association as a source.

Roger Williams Park and Betsy's houseIn 1871 Roger Williams’s 3rd great granddaughter Betsy Williams donated 100+ acres of land to the state of Rhode Island with the condition that it be used as a public space for everyone and have a statue of Roger Williams. There is actually a book saved about this whole event, Ceremonies at the unveiling of the monument to Roger Williams at HathiTrust

And the People’s Park

Henry Miller b. 1789

/ Kirstin Miller

Henry Miller b. 1789 4th great grandfather Henry Miller in RootsMagic tree

Henry was born in 1789 in Pennsylvania and is newly added as the father of Peter Miller b. 1827. Researching Peter in Waverly newspapers, he visited Canton, Stark County, Ohio a lot and in June of 1898 he visited with daughter in law Fiana Druckenbrod Miller, both were attending family reunions. It turned out the Stark, Ohio newspaper actually recorded Peter Miller’s visit and featured a full page article about the famous Miller family reunion with perhaps 500+ Millers attending.Miller family reunion 1898

The article is in the Stark County (Ohio) Democrat newspaper of 1898 June 30, provided by Stark Library. https://starklibrary.org/home/genealogy/digital-archives/

Henry Miller was born about 1782 in Pennsylvania, probably Berks County and probably descended from parents or grandparents who arrived from Germany.  He married Elizabeth Fryberger, they moved to Ohio around 1810 and were pioneers in the area. Henry was a widow around 1834 and married again, he may have had 12 children total. An 1830 census shows him and his family in Stark, Ohio. Before 1850 only the heads of homes names were recorded so the 1830 census has Henry Miller and 9 other people identified by tick marks in an age and gender category. Henry is second from bottom on this list. There also an Ohio marriage record for Henry and Julia Essig Troxel, both widowed, they married October 4, 1835 in Stark, Ohio.

Peter Miller b. 1827

/ Kirstin Miller

Peter Miller, 3rd great grandfather on RootsMagic tree

Update: In June 1898, Peter and daughter in law Fiana Druckenbrod Miller traveled to family reunions in Stark County, Ohio. Fiana attended the Bair reunion, Fiana’s mom was Elizabeth Bair. Peter attended the Miller reunion, which was in the newspaper and gives details on Peter’s father and siblings. Peter’s family left Pennsylvania for Ohio, and migrated from Germany. Peter’s mom’s, possibly his dad’s family have a lot of history.

Miller family reunion 1898

Peter Miller was born Feb 2, 1827 in Stark County, Ohio, and lived in Canton. He grew up on a farm. On June 3, 1949 Peter married Esther Young. Around 1867 at the age of 40, Peter, Esther, and their 9 children moved to a farm near Waverly, in La Fayette Township, Bremer County, Iowa. Peter died on August 25, 1912 in Amery, Wisconsin. He was living with son William, and family. Peter is buried in Andrews Cemetery outside Waverly, Iowa. Some of Peter’s life is documented in the Waverly, Iowa  newspapers of the time.

1892 Aug 25 page 5 of the Waverly Republican –https://is.gd/TofPAp.
Peter Miller is painting his house and barn on his farm in La Fayette and fixing up generally

1887 Mar 11 page 5 of the Waverly Democrat –https://is.gd/Y5sXr4.
Peter Miller living in LaFayette has a cow that is worth bragging about, It is twenty one years old and during her lifetime has given birth tp 19 splendid calves the last two being a pair of twins. And what is more she is still a good milker and promises yet to live many years.

1898 September 15 page 4 of Bremer County Independent –https://is.gd/phWT6v.
Peter Miller was appointed as judge for the upcoming General Election in Lafayette township.

1901 August 22 page 5 of the Waverly Democrat –https://is.gd/JodKen
Peter Miller will leave Monday for a visit to his old home at Canton, Ohio. He will be gone about 6 weeks.

Peter visited Canton, Ohio often, so did his wife Esther and their daughter in law Fiana Druckenbrod. Peter happened to be in Canton for the funeral of President William McKinley 

1901 October 3 page 5 of the Waverly Democrat –https://is.gd/ADVOwn.
Peter Miller returned Thursday morning from his visit at Canton, Ohio, the home of the late President. Mr Miller was present at his burial services, which he describes as being “grand beyond description”.

Canton, Ohio public square

Public Square in Canton, Ohio c. 1907-1915, US historical postcard snapshot

Ethel Speedy b. 1880

/ Kirstin Miller

Ethel Speedy, 2nd great aunt  on RootsMagic tree.

Ethel was born 8 July 1880 in Butler County, Iowa. On the 1895 Iowa census Ethel age 17, her dad Manford 55, mom Elizabeth Stewart Speedy 43, siblings Eva 20, Harve 11 and Ernest 6 years old live in the Jackson Township of Butler County. And under one roof they respect 3 religions: Manford is Baptist, Elizabeth is Methodist, Eva and Ethel are Congregationalist.

3 religions

“Iowa State Census, 1895,” database with images, FamilySearch

Also on the census Ethel is a teacher, she Ethel taught at Walnut Grove in 1904 and at Belle Plaine in 1908.  November 25, 1909 Ethel married LeRoy Mead. Herman Wild, husband to Ethel’s sister Eva is witness to the marriage. The Meads stayed in Allison, Iowa for a while then moved to Marengo, Iowa. Roy Mead was a clothing clerk then an insurance salesman. From Ethels’s obituary, before her death she was at the University of Iowa hospitals. Her sister Eva and husband Herman Wild and her brother Harve and wife Philippa Mockford ‘had been with her much of the time since then.’ Ethel died on May 30, 1939. Ethel and Roy Mead are buried at Allison Cemetery.

screenshot

Thursday, June 4th, 1908

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Thursday, February 4th, 1904

Newspaper snapshots from the Clarksville (Iowa) Star, Digital Archives of the Clarksville Public Library.

Page 11 Family Pride 1930

/ Kirstin Miller

Stand on the busiest corner of New York City and detain the first 500 people who pass either on foot or in any variety of vehicle. Line them up and look them over. Say that they roughly correspond, person for person, with each of our first American ancestors, and we shall not be far wrong. There will be, most likely, a very few of exceptional ability, and a very few scoundrels, the great majority will be passably good citizens, mediocre and commonplace. If it be objected that many of those hypothetically drawn into our net on the metropolitan corner may be foreigners, the obvious reply is, that every single one of our first colonial ancestors was a foreigner.

Page 11 Family Pride
Jacobus, Donald. Genealogy As Pastime And Profession. New Haven, Conn., The Tuttle, Morehouse and Taylor company, 1930

Fronica Meinzer b. 1763

/ Kirstin Miller

Fronica Meinzer, my 5th great grandmother on RootsMagic tree.

Fronica -her name could have been Verona, Veronica or Fronica, all appear on records- was born about 1763 to Conrad and Elizabeth Hibshman Meinzer. The Meinzer family lived in Pennsylvania, in the Lancaster area, on a farm, part of the Pennsylvania Dutch or Deutsch community. Fronica’s dad Conrad died in 1781 and mentions his children in his will “All my lands shall be divided into six plots the share that I live on at present shall be appointed to my son John and the other five shares to Catharina, Anna Maria, Verona, Frederick and Conrad until all of my heirs are made equal.”

Fronica and Mathias marriage

General Washington in New York

Fronica married Mathias Druckenbrod on November 25, 1783. They married on the exact day the British troops left New York, called Evacuation Day, there were parades, monuments and more. Part of the 1783 celebration was General Washington arriving in New York then during the next weeks riding on through New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and then Maryland where he met with the Confederation Congress and formally retired as Commander in Chief and finally returned to his home.

News traveled very slowly in 1783 so Mathias and Fronica may not have known what was happening 160 miles to the east as they exchanged wedding vows.

Sources