Most
people pass through life and leave little written record of what they have
done. Only if they are “famous” and someone has written a book about them do we
know many of the details. But occasionally this is not the case.
Such
was the situation with Charles Somers Miller (known as “Uncle Charley” by many).
He was born on September 27, 1858 and died at the age of 94 on March 14, 1943
and is my great-great-uncle. But the reason that we know so much about what he
did is that he kept a journal (*1). The first entry is dated Saturday, 1/1/1876
when he was only 17 and the last entry was on Saturday, March 13, 1943 –
written the evening before his death. Sometimes there are gaps of several weeks
and the entries are only a few words, but other times there is a several paragraphs
for one day. The journals for some of the early years are missing. With over
six decades of material, I could probably write a full-length novel about his
life, but in the limited space of this blog, I’ll only touch on a few of the
highlights.
Travels
In
the days before the availability of automobiles, most people stayed within a
few miles of home. But Charley got around more than most. Sometimes it was a short
ride to another town and one of his first recorded trips was to Litchfield, CT,
a distance of about 20 miles. But even this short trip meant leaving on one day
(generally Saturday), and not returning until the following day. Since 1876 was
the first centennial of the US, the first centennial exposition was held in
Philadelphia from May through November (*2). That was of great interest to Charley.
He noted in his journal that on the first day that there were 130,000 people in
attendance. In September he went himself, leaving on Monday, September 18, and
returning that weekend on Saturday, September 23. What a great experience for
someone just approaching his 18th birthday!
In
the fall of 1890, Charley took several weeks for a “pleasure” trip that took
him north through Massachusetts, into Vermont and New Hampshire, and back home.
He left on Saturday, September 20, going nearly 50 miles the first day, but
generally traveling 30-40 miles each day. He did not get back home until
Wednesday, October 18. Quite a trip for being on horseback!
Family
Charley
was very family oriented and he often recorded things about them. In 1877 both
of his grandmothers passed away – his grandmother Miller in April and his grandmother
Somers in October. He took the opportunity to document his siblings and their
ages – Frank (21), himself (almost 19), Mary (15), Carrie (14), Fred (13), and
Ivan (3). In 1890 when his uncle Levinus Warner passed away he recorded the
names of the pallbearers as Austin B. Pierpont, Chas [Charles] J. Pierpont,
Elmer E. Pierpont, Wilson L. Pierpont, Chas Branuis (?) and himself. (Levinus
was the brother of Mary Ann [Warner] Pierpont. Austin, Charles, Elmer and
Wilson were her children and Charley was her son-in-law).
Sometimes
these entries are a mix of what you think would be very important together with
the mundane. For example, the entry for February 13, 1891 reads, “An
appointment at the dentist. My wife had a baby girl this morning at 6:30 o’clock
had Barber for doctor and Miss Maddy (Ruth Brundage) for nurse. I got my emery
grinder shaft from the Waterbury Machine Co. this morning. Gave Porter S. Woods
some bills to collect.” The birth of a daughter was not allowed to interrupt
his activities of the day.
My
grandfather’s birth was recorded on March 4, 1898 in the following manner: “When
my wife got home from the Grange, she was greatly excited because her brother
Wilson L. Pierpont (who is Master of the Grange) and his wife Annie (who is
Secretary of the Grange) were in their respective places when she go there,
after a time recess was declared and she did not see Wilson or Annie again, but
just before the Grange closed a note was received by the acting Secretary which
stated that the Master and Secretary had a new ten pound son.” (My grandfather was
given the middle name Granger because of the circumstances of his birth.) But it
was in a more somber tone that he recorded Annie’s death just 13 days later,
noting that “She was 39 years old, the same age of myself. She leaves an infant
child and six children.” There were over 400 people at her funeral the
following Sunday.
In
1898 on September 22 he recorded, “Today is Mary’s birthday, she is 38 years
old. To me she seems as young as she did when I married her when she was 23
although we have now a family if six children.”
Fife
and Drum Corps
Charley
was very involved in the Mattatuck Fife and Drum Corps (*3, *4) for many, many
years and is credited with keeping it going when it went through a period of
low enrollment. He joined the band in 1877 (*5), but his first record of
involvement in his journals was in 1878 when he purchased some fife and drum
equipment. The following year he recorded several instances when he drummed at
various fairs – Wolcottville (Torrington) Soldiers Monument Dedication (*6),
Hartford, Harwinton, and Wolcott. In 1881, Charley was elected the leader of
this group, a position he held for the next 50 years (*5). Without his
leadership, the band would likely not have survived, as there were as few as 5
men still active in the years following the Civil War.
Significant
Events
Charley
didn’t document just the trivia of day-to-day living. He also noted other
significant events that happened that impacted him. In 1888 the railroad line
from Waterbury to Meriden, CT was completed. He noted that the stock holder’s
special train made the trip in just 45 minutes. The following year he noted
that the freight train was 25 cars long, “the longest train I ever saw on the
road and the longest I think that ever passed over it drawn by one engine.”
In
1898, Charley recorded the blowing up of the Battleship Maine in the harbor in
Havana, Cuba, as well as some of the discussions and actions of President
McKinley in the following months. Later that year he recorded all the details
of the surrender of the Spanish and the particulars of the treaty.
Honoring
Rochambeau
I
had written previously about General Rochambeau and his travel through CT on
his way to meet Gen. George Washington and assist him in what turned out to be
the ending battle of the Revolutionary War (*7). Charley was on the committee
that organized a monument to be placed where two of Rochambeau’s men were
buried when they fell ill on that trip across CT (*8), but interestingly he
does not mention that fact at all in his journal. But that he was selected for
the erection committee was not a surprise as he had been involved in placing
flags on the graves in that cemetery as early as 1891. He had taken an interest
in Rochambeau as evidenced by an entry in 1898: “This evening went to see the
Rev. Dr. Davenport at Major Tucker’s to give him information about the French
army which passed through here under Count Rachambeau[sp] in 1781. Dr.
Davenport is to write a paper to be read before the Order of Patriots and
Founders in Milford a week from next Saturday.”
Honesty
Charley
was unfailingly honest in his journals. One entry in 1891 reads, “Mr. C. S. Fairclough
is 63 years old today, he is an ugly man.” He also recorded a lot of seemingly
trivial information, such as an entry in 1898 which read, “lay down for a nap
but could not sleep as one fly would fly into my ear then into my nose and
pestered me other wise so that I was obliged to get up and fight him…”. In another entry he was at the waterfront in
New Haven and recorded, “There were many girls in bathing which I took much
pleasure in watching.”
Summary
Recounting
even a small portion of all the Charley wrote would take me several days just
to read through all of his journals. I’m sure that there are many more interesting
incidents that I have yet to discover. But even the short amount of time that I
have spent gives me a wonderful insight into the thoughts and activities of
this fascinating individual.
I
have attached to this blog just two pictures which were sent to me by my cousin
Bob Kraft (a great-grandson of Charley). One is a picture of him from 1942,
just a year before his passing, in his uniform from the Mattatuck Drum Corp.
Bob is standing next to his great-grandfather. The second is a bust of Charles
Somers Miller that was presented in 1942. In (*5) it is recorded as follows:
“On October 16, 1941, the Mattatuck Drum Band played at the
dedication of the Noah Webster Statue in West Hartford where the Band became
fast friends of the sculptor Korczak Ziolkowski (Kor-chok Jewel-CUFF-ski) and
his wife. The Band asked Mr. Ziolkowski to make a portrait bust of Charles S.
Miller, who had been their leader for 50 years and a member of the Band for 65
years. On February 15, 1942, this portrait bust was unveiled.
“Mr. Miller said during
the presentation of the bust, "This business from the beginning has been a
series of surprises. But the greatest surprise of all is that at this age, I
have so many friends. I have come down from a former generation. And I rejoice
and I thank God that I have lived to see this day. But my feeble tongue can
find no words that can express the joy, the gratitude, and appreciation that I feel
within. I know not whether my future coming days are to be many or few. It will
be as directed. But the memory of these faces all radiant with hope, with good
wishes and beauty, will remain with me to the final end."
“On March 16, 1943,
twenty-three members of the Band assembled in special meeting at the call of
the President at the Alderson Funeral Home to pay their respects to the late
Leader and member, Charles S. Miller, who died suddenly on March 14, 1943, at
the age of 84 years and 6 months. His memory and his spirit live on in the Band
even to this day.”
Notes:
Another point under "Family" would be the role of CSM and his wife Mary Ann Pierpont (Miller) in founding the Pierpont Family Association, with the first reunion in 1924.
ReplyDeleteGood work. Contact me about Miller genealogy, if interested - malden@islc.net Charles Somers Miller in SC
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