Meeting Molly - born in Unterdorf!

One of the exciting prospects for learning more about our Miller family migration from Germany to Russia – then to North America – came last summer, when we had a chance to meet Molly Miller Both. It was during a trip to Washington state to visit family in the Metaline Falls and Seattle areas.

One of the few remaining “Miller” family descendants to be born in the Volga-Russian village of Unterdorf, Molly now lives in Marysville, just north of Seattle. While Molly and I had corresponded a few times over the past decade, we were unable to establish a firm link between our families.

However, with fewer than 100 families living in Unterdorf at the beginning of the 1900s, and with both families named Miller, it seems likely that there is a connection. While there’s still no documentation that confirms such a linkage, some aggressive sleuthing in the weeks and months ahead may well uncover something. At least, that’s our belief, and we’re proceeding optimistically.

Molly Miller was born in January of 1926 in Unterdorf, Russia, her family having survived the political upheavals and famine that cursed the Volga region in the early 20th century. That's Molly on the right, when she was about four years old. Our patriarch of the Miller line in western Nebraska, Peter Miller, was born in Unterdorf in 1886 – some 40 years earlier. By the time Molly was born in 1926, Peter and Dora (Eckerdt) Miller were in the North Platte River valley region of the Nebraska panhandle. Chances are, they were making plans or were already on their way to a new home in Whitney. Molly’s family would migrate to Canada, where she grew up, later meeting and marrying Nick Both.

Molly is convinced that our Miller families are related, and I agree. But we’re still searching for the proof.

Until we discover that elusive document, we delight in discovering a new “cousin.” Our visit with Molly and Nick Both at their home in Marysville was a joy, and it was a bonus to meet a few other other members of their family. Much to our delight, Molly also agreed to a short video interview, which we did on the spot!

One of the rewards of genealogy is bringing together long lost relatives. Even if those elusive documents confirming such a kinship are never uncovered, we’re so pleased to meet one of the few remaining “Unterdorfers” -- a lady we’d be proud to call “family.”

Surviving the Titanic

More than 10 years before the White Star Steamship Line launched the SS Titanic in 1912 for its destiny with an iceberg in the North Pacific, White Star built another vessel that was the biggest steamship at the time.

Like the Titanic, the SS Celtic was built in the Harland & Wolf shipyards in Belfast. With twin screws, it was twice as long as a football field and her displacement was more than 20,900 tons – more than any other steamship. Celtic was launched in 1901 and would provide long and significant service to her owners.

Our interest in knowing more about the SS Celtic emerged some years ago when I learned that my grandfather, Peter Miller, voyaged to the new world aboard the Celtic – likely in steerage, but aboard her, nonethess.

The year was 1906, and Pete Miller was traveling with his older sister, Eva Behm, and her family from Liverpool to New York City. They’d likely already endured a long train ride from Saratov, Russia to a port on the Baltic – then probably gaining passage on a ship to England. They all had made the collective decision to leave their homes in Unterdorf, Russia, not far from the Volga River, to find new lives in America.

They arrived at Ellis Island on September 30, 1906 and would make their way to Longmont, Colorado. Eventually, the Behms would settle in Scottsbluff, Nebraska. Pete Miller met Dora Eckerdt in Longmont, where they were wed in 1909, later moving to Chicago, then Watertown, South Dakota, before settling in the Nebraska panhandle, where they raised their family and spent the rest of their lives.

As for the SS Celtic: she survived well beyond the Titanic disaster. The Celtic was particularly noted for her steadiness in rough weather. In 1928 she was converted to a cabin class liner; shortly thereafter, she ran aground in the fog near the entrance to Queensland Harbor in Australia, ending her seagoing days. She was converted to scrap in 1933.

Millers find a home in the Pend Oreille

Pete and Dora (Eckerdt) Miller came to the United States from Russia and were married in Longmont, Colorado in 1909. They ultimately chose Whitney, Nebraska, as their home, but their children would make their homes in other locales -- ranging from Wyoming and Arizona to Washington and Texas.

We've visited most of these places and must confess that we've become especially smitten with one of them.

The beautiful Pend Oreille River Valley north of Spokane, Washington, is home to many of Pete and Dora's descendants.

In the photograph above is their grandson, "Pete" Miller and his wife, Judy, who guided us up to this overlook above Metaline Falls, Washington, which they've called home most of their lives -- and the place they chose to raise their family. Pete's brothers, Wayne and Charlie, aren't far away, and their sister Jean and family live just to the south in Spokane. Their mother, Charlotte Miller, still lives in the family home nestled on a hill above the river. Pete's cousin Albert "Mike" Miller and his wife, Cheryl, live in nearby Ione.

It's easy to see why two of Pete and Dora's sons -- Fred and Albert -- chose to settle in this region after they left military service following World War II. There's nowhere in the country any more beautiful, and it's hard to imagine a better place to raise kids.

I suspect that if Pete and Dora Miller were to peek down from above today, they'd find great joy in seeing the wonderful lives many of their descendants have found in this part of the country. It's a far cry from the wind-swept plains along the Volga River where they grew up. I think they'd be very pleased.

A family death....a family gathering

One of our favorite photographs, this shot was taken in Whitney, Nebraska, probably in February of 1963 upon the death of Dora Miller. After Pete Miller died in June of 1957, Dora moved from their "ditch house" residence near the railroad depot in Whitney to a small house next to the Whitney Post Office, which is just to the right and out of view in this photograph.

While the photo could have been taken when Pete Miller died, I don't believe the Millers had yet moved to the little house near the intersection of Division and Missouri Streets.

In this photograph are three of Pete and Dora's sons; left-to-right are: Alex Miller of Lusk, Wyoming; John Miller of Chadron, Nebraska; Louis Bird of Houston, Texas; and Fred Miller of Metaline Falls, Washington. Louis Bird was married to Pete and Dora's fourth daughter, Bertha.

In the background on the left, the tops of both the old lumber yard and Baldwin building are visible.

A place named Unterdorf

Early in my genealogical research, I was confronted with the sad fact that our family surname, Miller, is about as generic a name as you'll find within the German language. Many folks have speculated that our name was originally Muller (probably with an umlaut), and that's likely accurate, although there's no verification one way or the other. Miller, Muller, and Mueller are all surname candidates!

My grandfather, Peter Miller, was born in Unterdorf, Russia in 1886. When I was able to verify that information, I was ecstatic. When I learned that Katie Behm, the wife of my grandfather's nephew, Alex Behm, had created a map of Unterdorf, I was excited at the prospect of learning exactly where my grandfather had lived in the "old country."

Alas, while I guess I had known it, I conveniently overlooked the reality that every family seemed to name their boys the same: Pete, Alex, John, Henry, Fred, etc. There was not a lot of variety. Thus, with so many Miller families in Unterdorf, I haven't been able to pin down exactly where my grandfather lived before migrating to the United States with his older sister, Eva (Miller) Behm, and her family in 1906.

While I've not been able to update it much over the past year or so, I have expectations of significantly enhancing my Unterdorf website in coming months. Of course, that's done largely through the benevolence of people like you -- folks who may have new information about this small village not far from the Volga in Russia and the families that lived there.

Shown above is a contemporary aerial photo of the Unterdorf region. For the many years that I've been tracking the Peter Miller and Dora (Eckerdt) Miller families, I've had hopes of one day setting foot on the same soil that Grandpa Miller walked. With each passing year, that becomes less likely, but I've not given up hope. And perhaps by the time I make the trek, I'll know more about this little village and the circumstances that drove its citizenry to seek opportunities in the "new world."

The Millers in the Windy City

From about 1910 until about 1918, Peter and Dora Miller and their young children lived on the near north side of Chicago, Illinois.

In 1978, while attending a meeting in Chicago, I hired a cab to take me to 4504 N. Kasson Avenue, where -- according to Marie -- the family had lived. Since the Miller's were not wealthy, I fully expected to find a run down neighborhood -- or perhaps a parking lot or new building.

Much to my surprise, this was the home that I found at that address. It was an older but very nice neighborhood, and I took several pictures. Still thinking that I might have written down the wrong address, I was eager to see what aunt Marie said. It was quite a delight to see her face light up when she saw the photographs. She acknowledged that there had been modification to the structure, but there was no doubt in her mind that this was the place!

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Four of the Miller children were born in Chicago: Alex, Henry, Caroline and John. I was delighted to add this to my sparse collection of Miller ancestor photographs.

She does it again!

Not realizing that he might be entering a world surrounded by art, John Miller kneels down on his San Diego, California, patio to show off a beautiful painting created by sister Linetha Davis of Madill, Oklahoma.

It was a surprise gift for John’s 70th birthday, but wife Cheryl has already laid claim to at least partial ownership of the piece, since she first saw a photograph of the scene on the web many months ago. It's a South Dakota barn on the north edge of Spearfish.

They’ll just have to share!

The oil painting is the latest out of Davis Gallery in Madill, where Linetha lives with her rancher husband, Bruce. She took up painting seriously in just the last year or two, and she’s been doing a remarkable job – winning awards and selling her work. You can see some of her many other offerings at the Davis Gallery website.

Thanks, Sis!

Pete and Dora Miller moved to the northwest Nebraska village of Whitney in 1927. For a half century, they lived there and raised their family there. Today, there are no Miller or Miller descendants in Whitney or Dawes County, but this little community still tugs at our heartstrings and conjures up lots of memories. In the last few years, I've started a web site, Whitney Reflections, that tries to tell the remarkable story about the people who started this community and helped it thrive for many years. And that's why I was truly touched when my sister, Linetha, presented me with a wonderful painting of the Whitney water tower for my birthday.

The tower still stands on the south edge of Whitney and remains something of a landmark for this little village that has a very interesting history. I can think of no birthday present I've ever had that has given me any more pleasure. Thanks, Linetha!

Unveiling the Mystery of 99 Years

SHE was born in 1892 in Schwed, Russia, in the "Wiesenseite (meadow side)" area of the Volga river valley. HE was born four years earlier -- in 1886 -- down river and on the other side of the Volga in the "Bergseite (hilly side)" village of Unterdorf.

Much of this lower Volga region was inhabited by Germans who'd been there since shortly after Catherine the Great became empress in 1762; in the following year she issued a manifesto inviting Germans and many other Europeans to help populate the outlying reaches of the empire.

Despite their close proximity in the old country, Dora Eckerdt and Peter Miller were not to meet until after the turn of the century, when they migrated with their families to the United States. Peter landed at Ellis Island with his older sister, Eva Behm, and her family. Dora came by way of Galveston with her father and stepmother.

They both ended up in Longmont, Colorado, where they met and then married in 1909. For more information about Pete and Dora Miller and their family, visit the Galey & Miller Family History site.

The photograph above is one of the few of Pete and Dora in their younger years. Taken on March 21, 1909, this wedding picture has been a fun topic of conversation for many years. Their daughter, Marie (Miller) Derrick, first told us the story that had been shared with her by her mother.

And what was that topic? The lovely veil worn by the bride -- before it adorned the young Mrs. Miller's bridal gown -- had been a window curtain!

A lovely veil, by any other name, is still a lovely veil. For a few other Miller family pictures, click here.

A Dakota Reunion

Reunions are always fun -- but this one was particularly special for the Savage family. Shawn Savage returned home to Rapid City on July 27, 2007. He was greeted by his wife, Dori and their two boys, Dylan (left) and Austin (right). Shawn had been deployed to Al Udeid, Qatar for six months -- part of the support team for B-1 bombers based at Ellsworth Air Force Base. Reflecting on this photograph, I can't help but think of how proud Dori's parents and grandparents Derrick would be of this fine looking family! Dori (Derrick) Savage is a granddaughter of Marie (Miller) and Bill Derrick.

Goodbye to a Favorite Aunt

In the early 1940s, a wide-eyed teenaged girl from western Nebraska set out on a journey south that would transform her life. And six decades later, we say good-bye to Pauline Murray, who passed away Friday, June 8, 2007, in Vidor, Texas. Slight of stature for as far back as I can remember, I am told she was unable to bounce back from an ear infection and a serious case of pneumonia. She was 79 years old.

I was a pre-schooler when Pauline Miller took off for Texas. She was the youngest surviving member of my dad's siblings -- all first generation Americans of German-Russian parents who came to this country shortly after the turn of the century. I don't remember Pauline from her Nebraska years -- only a few infrequent visits that she made back to Whitney, Nebraska to visit my grandparents while they were still alive. The photograph here was taken when Pauline was 16 years old.

It wasn't until the 1990s that I really got to know aunt Pauline. By that time, she had married, raised her family of four children, divorced, and re-married. Karen and I were living in Mississippi, but it wasn't far from the east Texas town of Vidor -- just outside Beaumont -- where Pauline lived most of her adult life. So we had an opportunity to stop and visit them a couple of times.

What a delight those visits were! Not only did I get to see Aunt Pauline, but I also was able to finally get better acquainted with most of my Texas cousins, whom I'd never really known. Paulette required special care outside the home, and I've not met her. However, I have gotten to know Mike, Sharon and Linda and several of their children.

Like most families, their lives have been challenging, rewarding, sorrowful and joyful. It was telling for me that after her divorce from Olen Pollock, aunt Pauline and Oren found a civility with one another that served the family well. Pauline later married Mitchell Murray -- a very good match!

I believe it was her strength of character and Christian faith that kept the family close. She told me after Mitch died, that she found great solace and joy in having her children near and so supportive of her and -- just as importantly -- one another. They have helped each other through good times and bad, and they were there for their mother as she ended her stay on earth.

Grandma Miller was surely looking down and saying, "Well done, my loving daughter."