MyIndianaHome.net

Abraham Miller with his family (John S. (m. Catherine Gullion), William M. (m. Betsy Remley-Truitt-Smith-Dillman), David (m. Polly Gullion), Sarah (m. John Roberts) and Elizabeth (m. Thomas Rayl)) migrated from Kentucky to Switzerland County before 1812; William received Bounty Land Grants for his service in the Indiana Rangers (both Abraham and his son William served together) during the hostilities of circa 1812 with the indigenous Indian tribes. The family resided in Jefferson and York Townships until approximately 1832 (son William married Betsy Dillman in 1832) when they migrated to Knox and Shelby Counties in Missouri.
The exceptions to the migration being John S. Miller who moved to Jasper County Illinois and David Miller who stayed in Switzerland County where he and his wife are both interred at the Bethel Ridge Cemetery. The families kept close ties with Switzerland County with some of the grandchildren of Abraham going back to be married in Switzerland County. During their sojourn in Switzerland County, Abraham decided to throw his hat into Switzerland County Politics.

Excerpt from the History of Switzerland County, Indiana; Weakly, Harraman &
Co., Publishers 1885.
Page 1097

“At another election for representative Mr. Merrill was a candidate and he appeared to be very acceptable to a majority of the voters, and it was thought he would have no opposition. However some persons for sport a few days before the election prevailed upon one Abraham Miller to become a candidate, and about ten days before the election he was thus announced as a candidate:

To the Voters of Switzerland County:
Having at the solicitations of my friends and neighbors consented to become a candidate for representative in the Legislature of Indiana. I pledge myself, if elected, to use the utmost of my abilities to support, such measures only as will be beneficial to the county I represent and the State at large.
Respectfully, his
ABRAHAM [X] MILLER.
Mark.

Mr. Miller was an honest old farmer, but as was the case with many who were raised in the Western wilds, was an uneducated man, and in this consenting to be a candidate no doubt was like his friends and neighbors, anticipating some rare sport during the remainder of the canvass, and on election day. The day of election came, and as Mr. Miller was a voter of Jefferson Township. He came to Vevay on the morning of that day full of fun and frolic, electioneering to secure votes, which he did with a great deal of success at the polls of Jefferson Township. During the day his friends and himself appeared to be confident of his election, for he went to some of the prominent men about Vevay and assured them he did not wish to be elected, that he and some of his neighbors seeing there was no opposition to Samuel Merrill, had determined to have a candidate and some sport out of his candidacy. He appeared fearful he might be elected, and stated to some of his friends that “ if he was elected he did not know what in the devil he would do, for he was not able to fill the place as he ought to fill it” and such other expressions. He received a very fair proportion of the votes cast, but was defeated by about fifty or seventy-five votes.”

According to the Indiana Election Returns 1816-1851, Compiled by Dorothy Riker and Gayle Thornbrough, Indiana Historical Bureau 1960; pages 183-188 (part of the Digital Collections of IUPUI University Library)

There are only two years where this could have take place 1819 or 1820. Mr. Merrill ran and was elected as the only representative for Switzerland County. In 1821 Mr. Merrill and a William B Chamberlain were both elected to represent Switzerland County and in 1822 Mr. Merrill was appointed as treasurer of the State, which office he held for some time.

Abraham Miller b. 1760 d. 1855 was my great-great-great-great-great grandfather (Abraham-William-Joel-Humphrey-Thomas-Oliver); although elusive in the published records, there are some family stories that bear fruit. The above story is one of them.

Mary Jane Miller-Borowski