The museum’s web site also has a record of the correspondence between Hope Miller Matthews and Captain John M. Le Cato. Mr. Le Cato was editor of the museum’s newsletter, “The Best Friend”, for 25 years and was something of a railroad historian. Ms. Matthews corresponded with Mr. Le Cato as part of Ms. Matthews research efforts. The letters are particularly interesting because of the information they contain about Ezra Miller’s descendants. The following is what can be read from the museum’s web site. The interesting parts that pertain to Ezra Miller’s descendants are highlighted in blue. Some italicized comments have been added as well that are in red.
September 18, 1981
Mrs. W. Carey Matthews
Dear Mr. Le Cato,
Thank you for answering my letter regarding Ezra Miller. Many never answer. I realize what research means and the time it takes. At this moment I have 11 people seeking help on various ancestors.
I am enclosing a few pages on Ezra which are now
part of our Miller-Alden-Clark-Cosbun genealogy. Many people have helped and gone out of their
way to secure information. One example pertains to Ezra's only son,
Philip (Charles Philip was his full name).
When I discovered that Ezra's grandson had gone to Harvard, I wrote to
the Archives at Harvard for all they had on Philip Lee Miller but the Secretary
added a note that Philips parents died the same day. I then wrote to the library at
Some of the enclosed records will be retyped. Please excuse errors and correct if you notice any. Do not return unless corrected.
Two of Ezra's great grandsons, James Nathan Miller and Charles Philip Miller are writers. I correspond with Charles and he did not know he had Ezra for a great grandfather until I gave him proof. He went to see his Aunt, Mary Brittan Miller (granddaughter of Ezra) but she was failing mentally and could not remember that Ezra was her grandfather. Ezra was at least 51 when he married and was dead long before his grandchildren were born. However, the NY Times had a long "Obit" for Mary Brittan Miller who became a writer when she was 60. I own 2 of her books and they are extremely interesting. She wrote under the name of Isabel Botton.
Ms. Matthews refers to two great grandsons of Ezra Miller, James Nathan Miller and Charles Phillip Miller. Who were their parents? Ezra Miller’s only surviving child, Charles Phillip Miller had 5 children with Grace Rumrill. In birth order they were Phillip Lee Miller, Rebecca Miller, James Rumrill Miller and Grace Miller and, Mary Brittan Miller (twins). (Actually dates for the birth of Charles Phillip and Rebecca are not currently known. So their birth order is somewhat speculative.) Grace died when she was 14 in a drowning accident. Mary, Grace’s twin sister, never married. And we know the descendants of James. So that suggests that the two great grandsons were the offspring of Phillip or Rebecca.
Evidently the creative talent in Ezra was passed on to descendants.
Mrs. Beulah Glover of Walterboro sent me xerox records from her book showing Ezra and his activities
before coming to
I saw the "Charleston Mercury" from 1-1-47 thru 6-30-47 and hope to view the balance on microfilm soon.
Hope I have not bored you too much.
Sincerely,
Hope M. Matthews
P. S. Please send 4 references to Ezra in Samuel Derrick's "Centennial etc." and description of the E. L. Miller. I'll mail a check.
Additions and Corrections to E. H. T. Miller's
records (sent Sept. 1983 to Ann Potter by Charles Wesley Pflaum
of
Mary Brittan, wife of Ezra Miller, born
My family records say Ezra had 5 children (only 1 lived to maturity and left descendants) Charles Philip born 15 Nov, 1845
Charles and wife, Rebecca (Rumrill)
dies same day, Aug. 19, 1887 per NY Times and
Ms. Matthews appears to have made a
mistake here. She refers to Charles
Phillip Miller’s wife as Rebecca. But it
should be Grace. She appears to correct
herself in the next paragraph.
Charles died A. M. and Grace at 2:30 P. M. Their sons: Charles Philip and James Nathan, both writers, 1983 for various magazines including Reader's Digest.
Apparently
another mistake. Charles Phillip and James Nathan were
grandsons of Charles and Grace and great grandsons of Ezra Miller.
Records of E.H.T. Miller gives
to Chas. W. Pflaum, Prof. at Uni
of Rochester, in 1962 to edit and publish and it has never been done. A nephew of E. H. T. Miller (E.H.T. Carver of
P.S. Have just read Douglas Waitley's new book "Age of the Mad Dragons" giving a history of the steam locomotives. Ezra Miller or "The Best Friend" are not mentioned and he claims the Tom Thumb which ran in Sept. 18, 1830 on the B&O from Baltimore to Ellicott's Mills (13 miles) was the nation's first American made locomotive. If he is right then the records I have collected are wrong. Hope you can solve this.
H. M. Matthews
20 October, 1981
Dear Mrs. Matthews:
Between keeping up a personal life, doing research for various people and dealing with railway historical affairs, I have not been able to pursue the references to Mr. Miller as completely as I would have wished. I am enclosing some excerpts from Professor Derrick's book which I hope will be useful.
I received your letter and the various enclosures. Mr. White of the Smithsonian is certainly one of the most knowledgeable men in the field of railroad history and I am glad to see that you have established a relationship with him.
Actually, you have contributed more to our museum than we have been able to give you and I am setting up a file on Mr.. Miller which should benefit future researchers.
The first patent issued in the
The "Catalogue of the Centennial Exhibition
of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad" (1927) lists, under Railroad
Development Pictures, 1831-1927 "105, E. L. Miller The second locomotive built by M. W.
Baldwin. Built for
I attended this exhibition when I was a small boy, which partially accounts for my long fascination with railroads.
I will continue my research here as time permits and hope to hear that you efforts will be rewarded with a complete biography of this notable man.
Yours as always.
John Le Cato
December 30, 1981
Dear Captain Jim,
I followed your suggestion and wrote top have an inquiry regarding the place and death data of Ezra L (probably stands for Lee) Miller in 1847 or possibly 1848, inserted in the magazine, "Trains." I offered to pay in advance as soon as I knew the amount to send. No answer and I wrote Nov 9th.
I, also, wrote to Mr. Al Langley N. Augusta, SC same day and enclosed a stamped self-addressed envelope. No answer.
Had a wonderful letter from John H. White Jr.
answering my letter regarding a new book by Douglas Waitley
who claims the Tom Thumb was the 1st Steam Locomotive built in the
I am stuck and do not know where to search for
Ezra's death. The
I love the picture you sent showing the "Best Friend" taking the stockholders for a ride. Would it be possible to secure a good copy of this picture? I would be happy to pay you. I would love to frame it.
Thanks for all your interest. Happy New Year.
Sincerely,
Hope M. Matthews
January 4, 1982
Dear Mrs. Matthews:
Sorry to hear that your research into the exact time and place of Mr. Miller's death is running into so many snags. I am still trying to stir up something here, but most historians only refer me to "The Centennial History" which I have already covered. Well, I will keep trying.
You mentioned wanting a large copy of the picture of the "Best Friend" with the stockholders. I am not quite sure just what I sent, was it the black and white photo reproduction from "Centennial History" or something else? In any case, let me know for sure and also what size you want. Of course, the price increases rapidly for larger prints, so it might be well to check with a local shop to get a general idea what a print of the size you want would cost.
I don't believe I ever sent you a print of the
painting I made for a
All best wishes for the New Year and I hope that it will bring a successful end to your long search.
Very sincerely yours.
John Le Cato
February 10, 1982
Dear Captain,
Guess I never thanked you for your painting of "The Best Friend." I have been swamped with inquiries about many of my ancestors and I cannot turn them down.
Please send me a larger size of your painting and I'll mail a check. I;ll leave it to you but possibly one about 6 1/2 X 8" would show your train better. The shop here which does fine work is miles away and with our present weather I am still staying home.
The other picture of Bets Friend was from Wm H.
Brown's First Locomotives in
Thank you for all your interest. I have sent for the list of all newspapers
being published in 1846 to 1848 in the
Sincerely,
Hope Miller Matthews
P. S. The first article in Reader's Digest for January 1982 is by James Nathan Miller, great grandson of Ezra. Charles R. Miller brother of James also writes for the Digest, and Ezra's great granddaughter, Mary Brittan Miller became a novelist at age 63. NY Times had a long "Obit" for her on Apr. 4, 1975. I own 2 of her novels and they are fascinating. She also wrote poetry under a nom de plume, Isabel Botton.
March 20, 1982
Dear Mr. Le Cato-
The lovely picture you painted of The Best Friend
came today and very soon it will be framed.
Also the interesting pictures from The Southern's Picture Album. These will help to overcome the
disappointment I received last week when I received a copy of
"Transportation and the Early Nation" containing the papers presented
at an Indiana American Revolution Bicentennial Symposium held Apr. 24-26, 1981
at the Allen Co.-Ft. Wayne Historical Society Museum at Ft. Wayne. If you have it then on pp. 135-156 John F.
Stover, Emeritus History Professor at Purdue Uni gave
a talk on Iron Roads in the Old NW:The
Railroads and the Growing Nation. When
he said the regular rail service was introduced by the B&O and started on
July 4, 1828 and thus predated by 6 mo the first service of the Best Friend of
Charleston on Christmas Day, 1830 and by more than a year the first steam train
in NY State, pulled by the DeWitt Clinton, I was disappointed to say the
least. I had received a letter from Dr.
Stover regarding the first railroad in
I'm enclosing a check for $5.00 which may not be enough to cover postage and cost of picture. Please let me know and I will send the additional.
Thank you so much,
Sincerely
Hope Miller Matthews
P.S. The new FTC head is James Miller III and I feel sure he is a great grandson of Ezra Miller. If you ever hear the name of his wife then I'll know for sure. She would be Anne Tudor Gilbert. He and Ann had a son, James III who graduated 1962 from Harvard Graduate School of Business and a Dr's Degree from MIT in 1965 or 66. Its been interesting to follow Ezra's descendants as many have shown creative abilities. A granddaughter, Mary Brittan or Britton Miller, a poet became a novelist when age 60 and her "Obit" in NY Times, Apr. 4, 1975 (91 yrs old) was a long one. 2 great grandsons, Charles Phillip and James Nathan often have articles in various magazines, including Reader's Digest. Historians used to laugh at Genealogists but no more as Genealogy is a History of people and Historians, Sociologists, etc. learn a lot-why people moved, their occupations, religions, etc. etc. Guess you are dizzy by now.
Jerry, here is Ms. Miller’s first
reference to you. She seems to be
confused on two points. First she thinks
that you were the head of the FTC. In
fact, the head of the FTC from 1981 to 1984 was James C. Miller III. I think Ms. Miller’s confusion stems from the
fact that you were a professor at Stanford and James C. Miller III was a senior
fellow at the
March 26, 1982
Dear Captain-
Our letters crossed and I see I owe you $1.00 for postage on your "Best Friend" painting. Enclosed is $1.00 and thank you.
Long ago I asked Congress to send a xerox of "BF" shown in Brown's "History of the First Locomotive" opposite p 146 as what you sent was not a good xerox. Yesterday an answer came. The book is in the Rare Book Collection and the picture is oversize (whatever that means) a photo copy has to be made thru their Duplication Service. An estimate was enclosed which seems awfully high; 24.00 for an 8x10 inch or $14.50 for large photo direct print. Both included postage.
When you have a free minute let me know if your copy of BF in Brown's book is clear enough to have a copy made and what the charge would be . I cannot afford the charges of Congress and if your place charges about the same I'll have to forget it.
Our Newberry Library opens in May and I hope to spend a day there to look at Brooklyn Newspapers 1846-48, hoping an "Obit" is given for Ezra Miller.
Even if he died elsewhere his wife lived there or NYC until she died Jan 27, 1872 so I would assume Ezra's death would have been mentioned in those papers.
Sincerely,
Hope Miller Matthews
P.S. David P. Morgan, Editor of "Trains" wrote in January that he was placing a small excerpt from my letter (re Ezra Miller) to be placed in "Railroad Post Office" letters column and pass on to me any information elicited. Evidently nothing was received. If the Newspapers give nothing, I'm thru hunting for Ezra's death.
James Miller III, now Chairman Federal Trade Commission, I am sure is a great grandson of Ezra. Ezra had 1 son, Charles Philip, who had 2 sons, Philip Lee and James Rumrill Miller b. 13 Mar.1880 NYC;m. 9 Oct.1907 Springfield, Mass. Marjorie Helen Coats & their only child, James Rumrill Miller b. 10 Apr. 1909, Princeton Graduate 1959 and Harvard Graduate School of Business Administration 1962, Doctor's Degree Mass. I.T. 1965, probably married Ann Tudor Gilbert as their engagement was announced 22 Jan. 1965. If you ever see the name of James III's wife as "Ann" we'll be sure James Miller III is Ezra's great grandson. Ezra's IQ was passed on evidently as 2 great grandsons today are writers and a great granddaughter, Mary Britton Miller, a poet and novelist, died in NYC in 1978.
Here again Ms. Matthews has Jerry
confused with Diddy despite the fact that James Rumrill Miller, born in 1909 appears to have graduated from
Princeton in 1959 at the age of 50.
14 April 1982
Dear Mrs. Miller:
I have just about decided that a good
reproduction of the picture of the Best Friend and the stockholders requires
much more elaborate equipment than I possess.
Unfortunately, I am starting with a not too clear reproduction of the
picture that originally appeared in the Brown book. I have only seen one copy of the Brown book
for sale and that one had the picture missing.
The dealer was asking seventy-five dollars until I pointed out to him
that the book was not complete. Anyway,
here is my best effort, so far, along with a 35 mm. slide which you may have
someone in
It is too bad that our correspondence has been so unrewarding for you, as I have learned a great deal from it. I am still working on a project for Mr. White of the Smithsonian and you may be sure that anything of interest to you will be carefully noted and passed along. I wrote a greatly condensed account of Ezra Miller's work for our local railroad club publication which is, incidentally called, "The Best Friend." I am enclosing a copy. Our little paper goes to railroad historians all over the country, so we may yet turn up something.
I received the extra payment for postage, for which I thank you. Please let me know if your research bears further fruit.
Sincerely,
John M. Le Cato
April 17, 1982
Dear Mr. Le Cato,
Thank you for the news on Ezra but in your article you are wrong about Ezra's death in 1845. If I ever gave you that date I was asleep. The Brooklyn NY Directories give the following:
1840 -
1 Ezra l.
Miller,
1841 -
2 Ezra L.
Miller,
1842 -
7 Ezra Miller,
1847 -
8 Ezra L.
Miller,
1847 - 8 Ezra Miller was
alive as the Directories were distributed in June and probably printed in April
or May and the information secured
before then. The last letter I have from
Ezra to my great grandfather, Horace Allen Miller is dated
The 1850 Census for Brooklyn shows Mary B.
(Brittan or Britton) Miller, age 40, head of her household, b. NJ with Mary 11,
and Charles, 5 (both children b. NY).
Mary, widow of Ezra d. Jan 27, 1872 buried Jan. 30, 1872 near
I am sending to NY for a Court Search to see if Ezra left a Will or died Interstate. It will cost $15.00 but worth it if it ends my search for Ezra's death. Possibly early Brooklyn Newspapers (Brooklyn Intelligenser) for 1847 and 1848 might give Ezra's "Obit". He is not buried in the Green-wood Cem (438 Acres) as the Superintendent searched for me. I think he died away from home possibly in a railroad accident.
If you ever find when and where RR accidents occurred ca 1847-48 let me know and I'll give you any new information I find.
Sincerely,
Hope Miller Matthews (I'm not Mrs. Miller but Matthews)
P.S. Is the picture in Brown's book in color or black and white? I assume it is black and white.
April 27, 1982
Dear Mr. Le Cato
Have had much to do regarding my husband's estate that there has been no time for hunting Ezra L. Miller's death date and place. The article you had published is wrong regarding his death as being 1845. His last invention was patent dated July 7, 1846 and our family records give 1847 for death.
I only noticed yesterday your note on the reverse
side that I could get a copy of the
My last attempt to find Ezra's place and date of
death will be to locate newspapers published 1847 - 48 in
It appears that Ezra Miller began
to speculate in the
Thank you so much for all your help and interest.
Sincerely,
Hope Miller Matthews
P.S. Enclosing check for $2.00. If not enough, let me know. Would you like copies of some of Ezra's papers?
Sept 15, 1982
Dear Mr. Le Cato –
If you'll call me Hope. I'll call you John. It would be so much simpler. Sorry you searched for Ezra's death in Scientific American as the Lib of Congress said it had checked and also at Uni. of Chicago Law Library. A cousin of mine checked from Jan 1, 1847 thru Sept. (next Vol. was missing) but did not find an "Obit" for Ezra. Of course it could easily have been missed.
My last attempt to find where, when and how he
died, is to locate the 2
If you have access or know someone in NY City who would go to the NY Hist. Lib. and check the 1847 (include Jan. 1848 and eliminate Jan. 1847) I will be happy to pay if I know the fees and can afford them. If you are a member, so much the better as the NY H Soc. would lean over backwards to help you.
I enjoyed the Langley's book but could have told more which they probably did not know, that Ezra was elected a Director of the SC Canal and RR Co; that Ezra and Horatio Allen 1828 went to Eng. (Ezra was there at the opening of the Manchester RR) that Ezra engaged Detmold yo design his steam locomotive, etc. I could go on and on. No book ever includes everything.
Thanks again for all your interest and help.
Sincerely,
Hope Miller Matthews
The Charleston Courier May 13 - 14, 1828
"One Director, E> L. Miller, visited
I will xerox one of
Ezra's letters dated Brooklyn NY 28 May 1838 showing Ezra was still employed by
All for now,
HMM
Wonder if John White Jr. has access to NY Hist Soc newspapers for 1847. Will you ask him?
May order another
Dec. 6, 1982
Dear Mr. Le Cato,
I am still trying to find Ezra L. Miller's place
and date of death and if you can tell me the address of any
If I find Ezra's church membership in
We had hoped that a
Expect many of my family to arrive December 23rd
so I've called a halt to genealogy until mid-January unless I receive a Church
address from you soon. Maybe you would
be willing to phone the
Sincerely,
Hope Miller Matthews
January 24, 1983
Dear John -
Hope you do not object. All my pen friends call me Hope and I trust you'll do the same.
Let me first thank you for helping to locate Ezra L. Miller's last days and place.
John H. White Jr. is borrowing from the Library of Congress "Journal pf Commerce" in which Ezra wrote that several of his Articles on the "Manufacturing of Beet Sugar" appeared would have been before 18 when he said that in a letter to Horace, his brother.
Then my cousin, Rev. Stanford Strosahl,
Executive Director of the Wisconsin United Methodist Foundation gave me the
places where the Church
Archives are kept for Southern New England (NY in it) and
Also have a professional researcher in NYC who
should make a report soon. Asked her to
hunt for records of Methodist and
I frankly think he died in a railroad accident while away from home but even then, being a very religious man, certainly his home Church would record it.
Will let you know when I receive any information. I will drop notes to the 2 Methodist Churches you mentioned and hope it helps. Between all of us, we ought to succeed.
When Ezra in the fall of 1838 visited Horace and
his family in
I had a wonderful visit from my family (8 of
them) and they all pitched in and helped or never could have stood it. Had to have help to
lift the 22 lb. turkey out of the oven.
One grandson (he teaches at Uni. of Ga.) found one of my floor lamps had
a frayed cord so he bought a cord and rewired it in a few minutes. He must inherit his ability to fix things
from his Dad who was an Engineering Officer in 2nd World War and taught
Engineering at Uni. of Wis., then at Leland Stanford and
If you think your museum would ever find use for Ezra's letters let me know and I'll xerox them when weather is better and send them to you.
Besides the Methodist Churches did the
Congregational Church exist before 1835 in
Enough for this time. And thanks a lot for your interest.
Sincerely
Hope
P.S. We had an interesting program at our Retirement Home
(Presbyterian but open to all Christians) last Nov. The Director of the
February 13, 1983
Dear John -
Thank you again for all your work. Have had no word from my searcher in
Long ago, 1975 I had a nice letter from the Secretary of the Church (First Presby. Scott's) and will enclose it. Never heard any more so nothing was found there regarding Ezra but I'm sorry I did not secure the baptisms of some of the Miller children 1815 - 1834. Might be children of a relative of Ezra's. No need to return the letter.
Will enclose copies of my records used in our
Miller-Clark-Alden-Coshun Genealogy pertaining to
Ezra (his parents, wife, children, grandchildren, grgrandchildren)
also articles about his niece who spent several months in his home in
I doubt if Miss Beulah Glover of Walterboro is still living. Wish I had bought several of her books, but she xeroxed her pages on Ezra Miller. Did you ever meet her? One of her books is on the Methodist Church of Colleton County. Wonder if Ezra when his parents took him to Stockbridge, Mass, (1793 - 4) became a Unitarian and not a Methodist like his parents and most of his sisters and brothers.
I thought I sent you the page of Ezra's birth, baptism, marriage, etc. but will enclose another in case I did not send. I am not sending the pictures and descriptions of Patents for Seed or Corn Planter; No. 2047; Steam Heater, No. 4625, or Patent issued June 19, 1834 to Ezra showing a drawing of the "Best Friend". When I secured the last from the patent office, no specifications were available but in 1975 they were. If you do not have these let me know.
If you do not have the article from Scientific American for oct.3, 1846 giving Ezra's Patent for Heating buildings, with a Hot Water apparatus, dated 7 Jule, 1846 let me know if you want it.
I have pages 15, 16, 21 from History of the Baldwin Locomotive Works. (I'm sure you have these but will enclose notes left by my Uncle Grant Clark Miller, adding his own information to "Hist. of Baldwin Locomotive Works".
We now know that in Stockbridge,
The only references I have to
In Eliza Miller's diary (enclosed) she only says
"the Patent sold to
Letter No. 3 shows that Ezra went to the states
as far So. as NC; the Eastern States and the Great West (
Genealogy has become a very expensive and
exhausting hobby. I think this will have
to be my last year as I get tired too easily.
it would be thrilling to find how, when and
where Ezra died. The finest genealogists
for NY (
If you have any suggestions, people or churches to write to, let me know. i think it's very discourteous for anyone to not answer when a Stamped Self Addressed Envelope is enclosed. At least one should answer if only to say, "I know nothing." I have signed the Genealogists Code of Ethics "promising to answer inquiries if a SASE is sent."
All for now.
Sincerely,
Hope Miller Matthews
P. S. Trains Magazine ran an inquiry "Where, When and How," per the editor. No results.
March 7, 1983
Dear John-
I cannot tell you how much I appreciate the interest and time you've taken in hunting our elusive Ezra. It's negative research but sometimes it helps.
I have written a letter to Miss Glover but since
I feel that she is no longer living I enclosed it in a letter to the Walterboro
Library asking to have it forwarded if she is living. Also, asked if copies of her books are in
their library, especially the one on the Churches. Offered to pay someone to
check for Ezra's connection with the
Forgot to
write down if I told you that in Brooklyn, NY in 1848, Mary Miller, widow (no
doubt Ezra's) contributed $1.00 to a fund to rebuild the Sands St. Methodist
Church which had burned down (think in 1844).
Also, Charles Miller in 1872 joined the Sands St. Church. Certainly he would be Ezra and Mary's only
son, born 15 Nov. 1845
Since Miss Glover sent me Xerox copies of one of her books showing it was publ. by the Glover Printing Co. of Brunswick, GA I wrote and had an amazing answer from the head who said he is Chairman of his County's Celebration for Ga's 250th birthday this coming Aug. and a replica of the Best Friend will come to Brunswick on Aug. 5th. He (Mr. Curt Nellop or Nellof) and his wife invited me to be their guests for the Celebration but it's out of the question. He said the replica is owned by the Norfolk Southern Railway. Said his Co-Chairman, Sam Flint, is steeped in Railroad tradition and his father for 39 yrs. was employed by the Southern and Sam serves now on the Conrail Board. Since I cannot decipher the spelling of Curt's last name I don't know how to address him.
The Commission on Archives of the
Have 9 other letters to answer (none on my Millers but on my husband's Matthews and my mother's Carpenters. Evidently John H. White never found Ezra's articles in the Journal and Commerce or he would have sent them as he promised.
All for now.
Sincerely
Hope
Apr. 19, 1983
Dear John,
I wrote to the SC Hist.
Society for 2 things and by paying $12.00 it will try to find them but I cannot
spend money like that when its needed elsewhere. I support a sick daughter and help a grandson
who served in
I asked for a search of Ezra L. Miller in the Charleston City Directories for years 1825 thru 1835 which should give his address. Sometime when you are at the Hist Soc. please check.
I, also, found a note that Mathias Baldwin taught a Sunday School class for 35 years (Church not given), but wonder if the Church was one Ezra attended.
I'm waiting, hopefully, for an answer to my
letter to the Sands St. Methodist Church in
Someday when our Search is ended I'll send you the complete record for Ezra (his life). You have most of it.
I leave May 5th to visit a daughter in
I found out that Journal of Commerce for years 1837 + on is at the Lib. of Congress but of course, they will not search 1838 or 9 for Ezra's articles on "Beet Sugar" and evidently John H. White Jr. who said he'd get the magazine from the lib. did not find the right issues or I'd received copies.
Thanks for all your interest and help.
Sincerely
Hope M. Matthews
May 21, 1983
Dear John -
Reached home at midnight last night from a 15 day visit to my daughter-in-law and 3 of their sons. Everyday was filled and I loved it but now I am tired so will not finish this tonight. I stayed up last night to read the very interesting life of Horatio Allen with references to Ezra L. Miller.1
I had hoped my cousin,Rev. Stanford Strosahl of
Prairie View Wisc.. who
helped compile our Miller-Alden-Clarke-Cosbun family
records had answered my letter. I asked
him to write the Sands St (also called First ) Methodist Church, located at
Sands near Fulton, Brooklyn, to check their membership, marriage and baptism
records for Ezra; wife, Mary, Britton or Brittan; and baptism of their 5
children. The commission on Archives and
History of the NY Conference of the
Here Ms. Matthews has James R.
Miller III being the great grandson of Ezra Miller instead of the great great grandson. She
still seems to be confusing Diddy with Jerry. Also she has James Nathan Miller as being the
son of ‘Charles’ and grandson of Charles Phillip Miller. But Charles Phillip Miller did not have a son
names Charles—unless the first son, Phillip, had a full name of Charles Phillip
Lee Miller (which seems very plausible).
I have only one other idea regarding Ezra's death
date. There was an accident on the
The Lib. of Cong. does have Journal of Commerce
and John H White Jr said he would borrow 1839 1n3 40
(Should have also said 1838) issues to find Ezra's article on the
"manufacturing of Beet Sugar" and let me know if he found
anything. Evidently the articles were
not in the 1839 or 1840 issues. The
If my records are right the 1820 City Directory
of Charleston shows Ezra L. Miller at 265 King St. corner of Wentworth and the
Federal Census for 1820 Colleton Co. shows Ezra L. Miller, head of household
age 26 - 45, 1 M (16 - 18), 1 M (16 and under 26), 1 M Slave (14 and under 26),
1 F Slave 45 and upwards 1 Free colored M (26 and under 45). Looks like Ezra could have conducted a small
school with 2 students as boarders and 3 servants. Oh, I forgot Ezra was engaged in
commerce. What other town could he have
lived in besides Colleton's Walterboro and yet Miss
Beulah Glover of Walterboro has found no record that Ezra taught school
there? If you are near the Historical
Soc. check the 1820 Census to see if any location is given besides County. If they have the 1830 Census please check
Thanks so much for your interest and help. I'll let you know of any new information.
Sincerely
Hope Miller Matthews
P. S. I
have the Civil War Records from the Nat'l Archives for Ezra's son, Charles
Philip. Will have typed and send you a page.
Since Charles and wife, Grace Rumrill named
their first child, "Philip Lee Miller," I feel sure that Ezra's
middle name was Lee. I must take
time to find a Lee Genealogy as early settlers of Simsburg
or
Sept. 20, 1983
Dear John -
Only a
line, found Ezra L. Miller dies Mar. 6, 1847 in
This summer I wrote to the Scottsville MY Lib. and the head of the Cox Room (Hist. and Genealogy) Alene Potter, had been wonderful. She visited Mr. Pflaum in Dale, NY who still has the records and promised to give them to the Rochester Library but he told Miss Potter he would check the records and write to her and answer her 3 questions: 1) When did Ezra die?; 2) Where? Where is he buried? The 1st two are above. The 3rd is unknown.
He quoted a lot and you'll get a copy when I can get someone to type it. There are only 1 or 2 differences from my records (dates - could be typing errors).
In the Hist. of Cohoes, NY by A M Masten 1877 p 59 there is an article on Ezra of Charleston, SC who came there in 1832, built a mill for cotton Manufacture and a large residence but he fell ill and removed to NY selling the property. The residence is now the "City Hotel" (1877).
I was so stunned when I received the news that I could not believe it and re-read it over and over.
Our search is ended just in time as my eyesight is failing and I'll have to give up genealogy.
Sincerely
Hope Miller Matthews
P. S. I've told John H. White Jr.
Oct. 3, 1983
Dear John -
Since I now have no one to type for me I'll send an exact copy of E. H. T. Miller's records on Ezra L. Miller. Almost every dates agrees with mine but I'm enclosing a list of our disagreements. It's so easy to copy incorrectly or maybe E. H. T. Miller was given the wrong dates.
If you type and decide to type the 2 pages please send me a copy.
My
Will write to Miss Beulah Glover in Walterboro who has helped in giving me Ezra's years in her town.
Sincerely
Hope Miller Matthews
Oct. 7, 1983
Dear John
When I received the enclosed letter (xerox) from the Newark Library I was stunned and
cried. Poor man and he had lost so much
(property in
I can see why Ezra's favorite niece (Nancy
Eliz. Niller Marsh) in her Diary preferred to only give 1847 as Ezra's death
date and no more information. She
spent the winter of 1839 - 1840 in Ezra's
I have had no time to have the 2 pages on Ezra
(sent by Chas. W. Pflaum) typed and probably it's
better for you to have an exact copy. E.
H. T. Miller's records in Pflaum possession will be
given to the
Also, Ezra's wife, Mary Britton Miller was born
NYC Jan. 10. 1872 (not ca 1804) and died NYC Jan. 27, 1872, buried 30 Jan 1872,
Ms. Matthews has the date of Mary
Britton’s birth as 1872. That is clearly
wrong. It should be 1810.
Sorry we could not find Church records for Ezra
in
Did you receive any notice in Aug. about the
Sincerely
Hope Miller Matthews
Capt John M. Le Cato
15 February 1984
Mr. John H. White, Jr.
Dear Mr. White:
I want to thank you for your kindness in so carefully reviewing and correcting my paper on Ezra Miller. I am correcting and revising the copies I have given out locally. I may well have been carried away by some of Hope Matthews enthusiasm, but some of the old accounts leave a lot of room for conclusion as to just what Miller and others actually did. In any case, I should have drawn more on my years of writing government reports which I always sprinkled liberally with possibly, probably and one may assume.
As for the Tom Thumb vs. horse story, I grew up near the B&O and heard numerous versions of the story as a small boy. More serious documentation may be found in Botkin's "A Treasury of Railroad Folklore" which attributes the story to H. B. Latrobe who was on the train.
The relative roles of Miller and
My account of Miller's relationship with
Do you have a copy of "Man on an
Thanks once more for the advise.
Sincerely yours,
John Le Cato
Mar. 26, 1986
Dear John -
So glad you met my daughter and husband. They will come to visit me sometime in late Spring or early Summer. She has been a big help in typing many of our family records, since I foolishly never learned to type.
I'm wondering what records I have on Ezra L.
(Lee, no doubt) Miller and his family that you would like. It's very interesting to me to see how the
creative ability of Ezra has been inherited by his descendants. His granddaughter, Mary Britton Miller
became a poet and a novelist when she was 60 years old. I have her "Obit" from the NY
Times. She was a twin daughter of Ezra's only son, Charles Philip
Miller and Grace Rumrill. Her twin was drowned the summer after their
parents died (on the same day) t their summer cottage at
Ok, Ms. Miller now seems to have
the correct relationship between James Rumrill Miller
II and James Rumrill Miller III.
I write 2 great grandsons of Ezra (grandsons of
Charles Philip) who are both writers - Charles Philip and Jas. Nathan - both
Harvard Graduates. The son of Chas.
Philip and Grace Rumrill: Jas. Nathan m 1943, June
18, Nancy Cheney
and they live at Croton on the
I can easily Xerox 4 or 5 pages on Ezra and his descendants but I doubt if anyone coming to your Museum would be interested.
Wish courses in Genetics had been offered when I
was in College. Ezra's brother, Horace
Allen Miller (my great grandfather) had a grandson Horace Alden Miller, a
musician, Head of Music at
Guess you're bored enough. Spring weather became today and I can hardly wait until Sat. when a grandson (son of my older dau., Gloria) will come to help me clean up my small patio garden, put redwood stain on our picnic table and benches and do errands. This old lady gets tired very quickly and I hate to admit that its due to my age (90).
Thank you for being so nice to Mer. and
Buff. In
Sincerely
Hope
Dear John,
Just received an answer to my letter to St. Phillip's
Church in
I also wrote 2 weeks ago to St. Michaels as it
being the oldest Church in
If you know of anyone who would check St. Philips' records for Hannah's baptism and marriage of her parents, the Church is very willing to let me or someone for me. search their records. The marriage record is more important to me than Hannah's birth date. I will mail a check to you to pay someone (possible a member of the Church would like to earn a bit).
You did some
Expect to spend Dec. 23 to Jan. 2nd in
Hope you and your wife are with friends or relatives for Thanksgiving. My daughter Gloria, her son and wife will join me at the Roger Williams Family get-to-gather - about 20 of us. Rog is Buff's brother.
Sincerely
Hope Miller Matthews
P. S. Is is possible
that Mary (wife of Jonathan Badger)'s maiden name was Pearce, so notice any
Pearce or Pierce marriages. When
Jonathan died 1774, Mary, widow and Benoni's Pearce
were the Executors of his estate. I have
all of Benoni's children, wife was Mehitable Walker.
They married in
Enclosing one of the Records on
Jonathan Badger in the State Archives at