Yuma County, Colorado
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Yuma County Pioneers -

Aaron and Nancy (Blunk) Miller


In 1850 Kosciusko County, Indiana, Aaron Miller is 22, with Samuel 57, Elizabeth 49, Susannah 23, Samuel 17, David 9, Margaret 6.

Aaron Miller married Rebecca Miller in Kosciusko County June 13, 1850.

Aaron might have had Mary Jane in 1852-1853 - and she could be the Mary Jane Miller 7, with Christian and Rosanna Miller in Adams COunty, Indiana in 1860. On the same page is an Elizabeth Miler , 63.

Aaron Miller married Mary Blickenstaff on March 22, 1855 in Wabash County, Indiana.


Mary 1835-1916 is buried in Manchester "Miller, Sister Mary, daughter of John and Hannah Blickenstaff, born in Miami County, Ohio, Jan. 5, 1835, died at the home of her sister, Mrs. M. V. Brookins, in North Manchester, Indiana - Oct. 26, 1916 aged 81 years, 9 months and 21 days. She came to Indiana with her parents in 1853. In early life she united with the Church of the Brethren and lived a quiet, simple, godly life. In 1855 she was married to Aaron Miller. To this union five children were born,, three dying in infancy. She lived in the home of her sister for more than 25 years and will be greatly missed by this family. She leaves two children, three sisters and four brothers. Services at the West Manchester church by Eld. John Wright, assisted by Eld. J C Murray. Interment in the cemetery by the church. "

In 1870 Kosciusko County, Aaron is farming, 41. Mary J. 17, Malissa A. 14, Hannah E. 12, Ezra 5, and Susan 53 are with him. Susan, per her brother David's deeath certificate, was the daughter of Samule Miller an Elizabeth Studebaker, both of Pennsylvania.


Next household is Jacob Ulery 27 and Elizabeth 24.

In 1880 Koscuisko County, Indiana, Aaron Miller is 52, divorced, working at a saw mill. He's living with daughter Alice Ulrey 24 and her husband Aaran A. 29, who also works at a saw mill. Ezra Miller is 15.

Nancy is in Dorchester, Nebraska in 1885, 57, married to Aron Miller, 56. Her mother Martha McFeron 768 is with them.
In 1900 Wray precinct, Aaron is farming, born Sept 1828 in Ohio, married 18 years to Nancy Nov 1827 Indiana. Five of her kids are still living.

December 1900 "Mrs. Mary Ulery who has been visiting for the past week with her father, Aaron Miller, returned to her home in Pratt, Kas., last Saturday night."
June 6, 1902 "Uncle Aaron Miller of south Wray, who has been down with the rheumatism for long time, is reported as being very low."

The family of Millers, of which the subject is an honorable representative, was known many years ago in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, and the Warners, from whom he is descended maternally, were early settlers of Huntington County, that state. Samuel Miller, father of David, was born in the former county and in young manhood went to Montgomery County, Ohio, where he met and married, about the year 1815, Elizabeth Warner, who with her parents migrated thither from the Keystone state. When Samuel Miller arrived in Ohio he was a well-nigh penniless young man, but, endowed with a generous supply of what the world calls pluck, he was not long in getting a good start, going in debt for a small piece of land which he improved and in due time disposed of at a liberal figure. With the proceeds he purchased a farm of one hundred and sixty acres, partly improved, and continued to reside upon the same until 1848, the land meanwhile increasing greatly in value with the growth and development of the country. Imbued with the belief that northern Indiana offered better opportunities for agriculture than his adopted state, and learning that land in any of a half-dozen counties could be obtained at reasonable prices. Mr. Miller, in the spring of 1848, disposed of his farm in Ohio, and, moving to the county of Kosciusko, Indiana, purchased two hundred and forty acres in Jackson Township, the greater part of the place being as nature had made it. This land he cleared and improved and later bought a three-hundred-and-twenty-acre tract, having realized sufficient money from the sale of his Ohio farm to pay cash for every foot of land thus far purchased in Kosciusko County, with a goodly balance left. He was a man of great energy and industry and in time became one of the most prosperous farmers of Jackson Township, also one of its most enterprising and highly respected citizens. With his own hands he cleared and fitted for cultivation seventy-five acres of land, besides making many valuable improvements on his place in the way of building fences, bringing the farm to a state of tillage unsurpassed by that of any other place in the township of Jackson. He was one of the original members of the German Baptist Church in the township and remained faithful to its teachings until summoned from the church militant to the church triumphant. His was a useful life, fraught with great good to humanity, and his death, which occurred in the year 1855, was greatly deplored in the community. His wife, also an earnest and pious communicant of the same religious body to which he belonged, and a woman of sterling worth, survived until 1882, when she too was called to the other life.
Of the twelve children born to Samuel and Elizabeth Miller, but three are living at the present time, namely: Aaron, David and Margaret. Aaron married Rebekah Miller and is now a retired farmer, living in Colorado: Margaret, the wife of Henry Colpetzer, lives in this township, where her husband is engaged in agricultural pursuits. The following are the name of the deceased members of the family: John, Susan, Henrv, Marv, Catherine, Sarah, Elizabeth, Anna and Samuel.
David Miller, born May 27, 1841, in Montgomery County, Ohio, was seven years old when his parents moved to the new home in Indiana. Reared on the home farm, where since 1848 his life has been spent, his early experiences, like those of the majority of country lads, were a round of honest toil, devoid of any striking incident. With strong arms and ready will, he bore his part in clearing the place and of winter seasons attended the district school not far from his home, obtaining by close application, the best education which the means at hand afforded. After his father's death he continued to live at home and when twenty-one years of age took charge of the farm, to which he brought a bride in 1866 in the person of Miss Rebekah Frantz, daughter of Christian E. and Mary (Heckman) Frantz. His marriage, which was solemnized February 8, of the above year, has been blessed with five children, the following of whom are living: Ellis, born June 2, 1868, married Anna Metzger and lives in Wabash County, this state: Minerva, who was born July 13, 1873, is the wife of Perry Heeter, of Jackson Township; Mary E., born August 14, 1879, lives at home, as does Laura, who first saw the light of day on the 17th day of June, 1882.
As already stated, Mr. Miller took charge of the homestead on attaining his majority and since that time the place has come into his possession. As a farmer he has few equals and no superiors, and his home is conceded to be one of the best and most desirable in a township where beautiful and attractive places are the rule. In 1887 the substantial hewed-log building which his father had erected and which served the family for so many years as a dwelling was replaced by the present handsome and commodious two-story brick edifice, twenty-eight by thirty-six feet in area, containing eleven rooms, erected at a cost of over twenty-five hundred dollars. In the year 1877 he built a large barn, which with its contents was destroyed in 1883, entailing considerable loss. Later he put up the splendid barn which now graces the farm, a building seventy-six by forty feet in size, with basement stables and all necessary conveniences, being one of the largest and most valuable structures of the kind in the township of Jackson.
For a number of years past, in addition to general farming, Mr. Miller has given considerable attention to live stock, in the j raising and handling of which his success has been most encouraging.  When a young man, scarcely twenty-one years old, he bought and sold horses, making considerable money, and today it is doubtful if there is a better judge of horseflesh or a more judicious buyer in this part of Indiana. While dealing quite extensively in horses, he also I devotes considerable attention to cattle, hogs and sheep, making a specialty of the finer breeds, from the sale of which he realizes  every year a large part of his income. In the management of his farm Mr. Miller exercises great care and believing that agriculture, when compared with other vocations, is one of the truly dignified as well as useful callings, takes great pride in his work and spares no pains to make his place attractive to the eye.   By reason of a serious illness in 1895, which left his bodily powers considerably weakened, he now does little beside managing his affairs, renting the larger portion of his land and confining his attention to his stock interests and the general oversight of the farm.
Politically Mr. Miller votes the Republican ticket, but does not take a very active interest in the questions upon which the two great parties are divided. Since his thirty-first year, he has been connected with the German Baptist Church and at the present time is a trustee of the organization worshiping in Jackson Township: the other members of the family also belong to this church and are considered among its most earnest and pious communicants.
Too much cannot be said of Mr. Miller  as a neighbor and citizen.   None stand  higher than he in public esteem: all who I know him respect him for his enterprise and honesty of purpose and, as far as known, his integrity has been maintained inviolate and no one has ever called in question his good name. A good man, always striving by word and deed to make the world better, and by his wholesome moral influences exerting a silent but potent power in the community such has been and is the reputation of David Miller.

September 19, 1902

December 6, 1902 "Aaron Miller was born near Dayton, Ohio, September 10th, 1828, and died at his residence in Wray, December 1st, 1902, being 74 years, 2 months and 21 days old.
In early manhood he moved to Indiana, settling near North Manchester. He was married three times. To the first union was born one daughter, Mary Jane, now Mrs. David Ulrey, of Pratt, Kansas, who visited with him during the earliest part of his sickness. To the second union was born five children, two of whom died in infancy; a daughter who died at the age of eighteen; a son, Ezra; and a daughter, Mrs. Aaron Ulrey, now living at North Manchester. The latter has been with him through most of his sickness which lasted nearly 10 months.
He leaves eight grand children, a brother and sister, Mr. David Miller and Mrs. Margaret Colpitzer both of Manchester, Indiana. He removed from Indiana, to Dorchester, Nebraska, in 1880, was married October 29, 1882, to Mrs. Nancy Myers, mother of H. P. Myers and and Mrs. Peter Cuney, both well known here who survive him.
They removed to Wray, Colorado, in March, 1893, the commencement of the severest drouth this country has ever known. But his faith in its future never wavered and although very considerate of others opinions he had little patience with those inclined to doubt its future.
Uncle Aaron as he was familiarly called, was inclined to look on the bright side of life and during his long sickness and intense suffering his many friends who called, were always met with the assurance that he was better.
He will be missed by his many friends and by none, more than by the little children of whom he was especially fond.
He was a life long member of the Dunkard church in whose plain, simple rites he was buried.
The funeral occurred at his late residence Dec. 3rd, conducted by Rev. D. C. Cowan. Interment in Wray cemetery."

(Margaret Colpetzer, widow of Henry Colpetzer, was born June 12, 1845 in Ohio to Samuel Miller and Elizaeth Horner. She died in 1923, buried in Kosciusko County # 48574706.)


January 16, 1903 "Mrs. Alice Ulrey, wbo has been here for some time, during the sickness of ber father, Uncle Aaron Miller, and at his death tbe first of December, left this week for her home at North Manchester, Indiana."

In 1903 Sam P. Harger was appointed executor of the estate of Aaron Miller.

In February 1906, Enos Vaughn was the administrator of the estate of Aaron Miller.

August 5, 1910 "Mrs. Peter Cuney and mother Mrs. Aaron Miller, left Friday for a visit to relatives at Columbia City, Indiana. They will stop at Chicago where they will visit a sister of Mrs. Cuney. Mrs. Miller is one of Yuma county's most aged citizens, being nearly 85."

Nancy Blunk Myers Miller died in Whitley County Indiana, June 8, 1912, to be buried in South Whitley cemetery. FindaGrave # 33350428 has her married to David Myers 1823-1880 # 134595155,


In 1880 Saline County, Nebraska, Mary J. Ulery is 28, with David 30, an engineer. Oprah 5, Alice 3, and David 1. They're in Pratt Kansas in 1910, and Mary is there in 1910, divorced.


Mary Jane Ulery 1852-1924 is buried in Grand Junction, Colorado # 74633250, wife of David P. Ulery
So is David P. Ulrey 1850-1922 # 74633589. He was in Monterey California in 1910 and 1920, remarried.

Ezra Miller 1864-1945 is buried in Wabash County # 46712210, with Mary Elizabeth (Bradenburg) Miller 1866-1941.
Logan Ulrey was the informant.



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