ACCUSTOMED, CEREMONIOUS
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| Henry Wise Miller (May 27, 1834 ~ October 29, 1915) & Elizabeth Birkinbine Miller (February 28, 1838 ~ March 28, 1925) |
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| ~ 17 Oak Street ~ Emporia, Kansas ~ I wish the photo was labeled to indicate who is standing in front of the house. My guess is Elizabeth to the left, and her grand-daughter Rovilla (my grandmother) to the right. |
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| ~ Henry Miller's tailor shop in Emporia, Kansas ~ He shared the space with his son - in - law, Nathaniel Reider, who ran a shoe shop at the corner of 4th Avenue & Commercial Street. |
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| Public notice for visible display, indicating that the owner -- Henry Wise Miller -- had purchased a legal license from the U.S. government to manufacture and sell cigars! |
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U. S. INTERNAL REVENUE
COLLECTOR'S CERTIFICATE TO MANUFACTURER OF TOBACCO OR CIGARS
(To be issued upon the approval of the Manufacturer's Bond and posted in a conspicuous place in the Manufactory. Failure to obtain the Certificate or to keep it posted renders the Manufacturer liable to a fine of not less than one hundred dollars. Sections 63 and 82, Act of July 20, 1868.)
I hereby certify That "Henry W. Miller"
Manufacturer of "Cigars" at "Kleinfeltersville,
Lebanon County [Pennsylvania]" (Being Manufactory No. 188) has given bond
to the United States in the sum of "One thousand"
dollars, which includes . . .
The sum of one hundred dollars each for "Five" persons
employed in making cigars ____________$ "500"
In witness whereof, I have here unto affixed my hand and seal
at Pottsville [Pennsylvania], this 7th day of May 1873
10th District of PA [Pennsylvania]
W. E. Davis
[plus some additional official initials -- not clear]
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I have known all my life about the Birkinbine Millers moving to Emporia in 1880 and the tailor shop, although the above storefront photograph was new to me. But never had I heard or seen any reference to the tobacco business until I came across this discolored IRS document, in my 2020 sorting project of family ephemera.
Looking over these various artifacts from Great - Great - Grandfather Miller's life, I can't help thinking of this haunting passage from William Soutar (1898 - 1943) and wondering if it goes both ways -- not only why do we wish to be remembered, but why do we wish to remember these dear old folks who have never looked, can never look, upon our face?
Is it their love or approval that we seek? Or perhaps the opportunitity to say, "Look at us; we are your great - great - grands! It was all worth it! We're going to the future and taking you with us!" Whatever our motiviation, we sense their unseen presence, whenever we look at the old photos, visit the cemetery, or honor the ancestors, on Memorial Day or Dia de los Muertos:
"Why do we wish to be remembered, even when none remain who looked upon our face? Surely, though it must retain an element of self- consideration, it is a last acknowledgment that we need to be loved; and, having gone from all touch, we trust that memory may, as it were, keep our unseen presence within the borders of day."
Scottish poet & diarist
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Remembering Henry Wise Miller
on the 105th anniversary of his death
Henry's daughter Anna Mary wrote a letter at the time of his death, sent from the family home on Oak Street (pictured above) to her daughter Rovilla (my grandmother) in another small Kansas town, a hundred miles away. Anna includes news of the family both local and extended, describes what further tasks she hopes to complete for her newly widowed mother, and gives details of the funeral, which was conducted in German. Henry died on October 29th, and the funeral was the 31st. All Hallow's Eve fell on a Sunday that year. The letter begins:
Emporia 10 / 31 - 1915
Dear Papa [her husband William Michael Heidemann] & Rovilla,
This is Sunday evening: Jake and Alice [two of her siblings] are with us this evening. Well we have buried our Grandpa. It was a very pretty day. We had short services at the house at 2 o'clock, a hymn & read a chapter of the Bible & then we took him to the church where we had first a song by the choir ["Wo findet die Seele, die Heimat die Ruh" / "O where is the home of the soul to be found?"], then Rev. John Naninnga read I Corinthians 2: 1 - 10, then a hymn by the choir ["Hier auf Erden bin ich ein Pilger" / "I'm a Pilgrim, and I'm a stranger" ], then Rev. Josef Brandt preached from Job 19: 25 - 27. He surely preached a good sermon in German, after which Rev. Steinmetz spoke a few words from Chapter 1 of Job, than another hymn ("Abide With Me").
He also spoke so good; I wish that all English people could have understood it. The church was full. It seems so lonesome this evening. Grandpa's coffin was covered with the prettiest flowers, white and purple & tied with pretty purple chiffon ribbons. Nathaniel [Henry's son - in - law mentioned above; married to Alice] took a picture of the casket & flowers, so you can see later on how it looked. I was sure looking for Harry but he sent a telegram that he could not come. . . . I have seen many of the old acquaintances since Father has been sick. I am surely anxious to come home. But first we have to do all the washing. Then I intend to clean up all the house & get the boys more comfortable [not sure who she means, as there were no youngsters or young men remaining at home]. We were upside down more or less all the time. It is a wonder Fred did not get homesick; maybe he did but he would not let on.
This is Monday: Received your letter, sure glad to hear from all. Alice is trimming Grandma's bonnet over this morning. They intend to go home this evening at five. This afternoon Alice Reider & I are going out to the cemetery to fix Uncle Will's grave [Anna's older brother / Henry & Elizabeth's eldest son, who had died of cancer in 1893, at age 28] & to put flowers on. Then tomorrow, I will commence to do the washing. I cannot set a day yet to come home, unless Mother would rather do part of the work herself. The house is very dirty, needs carpets taken up.... I got one night's rest, but sleep is gone away from us, but we will come to it again. Well I must close and hope your are both well, that is my prayer.
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Anna Mary Miller Heidemann
December 29, 1862 ~ January 3, 1923
Some of Anna's ornate calling cards
from before her marriage:
William Birkinbine Miller
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