Henry Alexander Miller 1876-1948

Henry Miller

Henry Alexander Miller is my father's grandfather. His obituary calls him Harry but since every other record refers to him as Henry that’s what I’ll call him. He was born to Thomas and Catherine Miller (nee Young) on April 9, 1876 in Kinloss, Bruce County, Ontario. Henry was the 10th of 12 children. One wonders if his mother had much energy left to raise him after having so many children. In fact Thomas and Catherine were so busy with their farm and kids that they sent a neighbour to register Henry’s birth. He registered the name incorrectly, telling the registrar the baby’s name was Alexander instead of Henry Alexander. He got the parents' names right so I was able to identify him.

By the time Henry was born Bruce County, Ontario was settled and had many amenities like a grist mill and store to make life easier. As a child Henry would have had many farm chores to do so working hard was instilled in him at an early age.

 When he was ready to move out he chose to come the Rainy River District where, through the "Rainy River Free Grants and Homesteads Act", he was given 160 acres of land as long as he developed it. In an attempt to settle the area, the Ontario Government offered homesteads and hired an American preacher, Rufus A. Burris (does the last name seem familiar), to encourage Americans to come to "New Ontario". Mr. Burris based himself in Thunder Bay and traveled through the American mid-west to promote settlement in the district. At the same time the New Ontario Colonization Association was distributing pamphlets to encourage settlement in the area. It’s possible that Henry heard of the Rainy River District because of these promotions or perhaps people he knew were already there and sent back positive reports. We do know that his aunt, Prudence Perdue (his mother’s sister), came to the area with her husband John sometime between 1901 and 1909 suggesting that friends and neighbours did settle there.

He would have taken the train to Dryden and then a steamship to LaVallee or as one history states he walked overland. Henry Miller was working as a railway labourer in McIrvine in 1901. A railway was being built from Winnipeg through the Rainy River District to take grain and iron ore to Thunder Bay. It wasn't unusual for men to work on the railway as they built up their farms.

One record states Henry 

"worked hard clearing and building his farm as did most pioneers. He soon started a small logging operation. One of the biggest jobs was to help clear the right of way of virgin timber from LaVallee towards Fort Frances. Henry cleared other pioneers' homesteads in exchange for the timber. To get more wood for his business, her purchased (2 more sections of land) in the Devlin Township. The wood was transported on horse drawn sleighs to the Murdoch Saunders Mill in LaVallee where it was sawn into lumber."

Harry Miller is the 4th from the left

As well as railway work and logging, Harry eventually set up a dairy farm. He was so successful that his wife bragged he "was the model farmer" and their "home was one of the show places of LaVallee."

Harry Miller died April 14, 1948 at the age of 72. He and his wife are buried in the Devlin/LaVallee Cemetery.

I'll tell you about his wife and family in my next post.

Henry Miller in his later years

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