Served in WWI:
Name: Otto J. Miller
Serial Number: 2423693
Race: W
Residence: R. F. D. 1, Caldwell, O.
Enlistment Division: National Army
Enlistment Location: Caldwell, O.
Enlistment Date: 02 Apr 1918
Birth Place: Caldwell, O.
Birth Date / Age: 26 5/12 Years
Assigns Comment: 158 Depot Brigade to 22 Apr 1918; Co L 332 Infantry to Discharge Private Defensive Sector. American Expeditionary Forces 8 June 1918 to 18 Apr 1919. Honorable discharge 5 May 1919.From the "Letters From The Boys" column in the 15 Jan 1919 issue of the Caldwell Republican Journal:
Finme in Austria Dec. 7, 1918 Miss Sylvina Schoeppner Caldwell, Ohio, Rt 4. My Dear Cousin
-- I will answer your most kind and welcome letter which I received a few days ago. Many thanks for the pictures, you look natural in it. I wish I could be with you once in a while. The American Marines left this morning. I don't know where they went to. This is a seaport town. We had rifle inspection this morning. That's all we do on Saturday. Oh, say, I had some beer this morning, it tasted pretty good for a change. Dear cousin, they have swell looking girls in this town. They dress neatly, just like in the U.S. The only thing I don't like about it here is everything is to high priced. Bread sells at 55 cents a loaf and $1 for a pie. What do you think about that kind of prices? I bought a piece of toilet soap, they only soaked me 65 cents for one piece. I hope we will get back home before long. I have got all kinds of money now. French, Italian, British and Austrian. The paper money is rotten, it tears too easy. I got the Republican and I read some of my letters, also Beda, Ernest and Henry Rupple. I am always glad to see it come. We are still having warm weather out here. I think we will have a pretty rough sea to cross going home. I am about 8000 miles away from home. Some distance don't you think? I think this letter will go out tomorrow morning. It's Sunday tomorrow and no place to go. I will tell you where we stopped at since we came to Italy. Villifranco was the first place, Villeggio, Custosa, Trevisco and Courmon, then we came down here to Finme. We are getting some tobacca issued to us today. Well two of the boys died that were in my squad. That's the way it goes.Bradford Miller is nere now, he is my stand by. He is a pretty good fellow. We generally drink beer together. We will drink cider when we get back home. John Morris, Bradford and Joe Crum are going to set a day to meet. Then we will have us one h--- of a time. But I don't know when that day will be. Bradford lives at East Union, and John MORRIS, at Harrietsville. So we only live about eight miles from each other. Yes, Sylvina, the slackers better not say too much when the soldier boys get back or else there will be h---- up in the kitchen, ha ha. I done a little detail work yesterday afternoon. I am getting lazier every day. I'm not quite as heavy now as I was before we went to the front. Some hard days we put in at the front. We hiked 31 miles in one stretch. Left Valcasona at 3:30 p.m. and arrived at the stopping place at 4:30 a.m., walked all night. Our packs weight about 86 pounds. So you might know we were pretty tired. I guess or hardest days are over now, and I surely am glad of it. Tomorrow it will be six months since we left the states. We were six weeks in France, then we came to Itay. I have done more writing in the last few days than in a month before. That's about the only pastime we got. Some of the boys have got their Christmas packages. I don't think we will have as good a time this year as we did last year. I was glad to hear that you had a good time at Nau's. Yes, I remember the time we had at Weber's last year. I wouldn't hardly know what a sausage tasted like. I might have seen the King of Italy's son the time we had the review at Villtfrance. He had all of the big men with him. I got fifteen letters the other day. We get up at 6:30 and go to bed at 9 o'clock. We have a kind of a hard bed, it's on the floor. We are staying in a school house. We have a stove and lights. We didn't need any fire the last few days, it's just like summer. I am glad to hear that your mother is well again. Marie said her mother was sick. You surely have a lot of sickness out there. There isn't very much sickness here. We had a few cases of flu in our company while we were at Cormons. I surely would like to help husk corn when you, Milda and Ida helped. I bet you made the ears fly. So you were quarantined for while. Well, I know what it's like to be penned up. At Treviso we couldn't get out at all. They had a stone wall around the camp. We had an air raid there one night. Old Cherry came over four times. I was on guard that night. They had three thousand big machine guns on the front when they started the drive. Our old barrack was shaking that night. It was just one steady roar. I will tell you more about it when I see you, it's too much to write.Well, dear cousin, I guess you are getting tired of reading my scribbling, so I will close with love and best wishes, to you all. As ever your cousin, Pvt. Otto J. Miller Co. L, 332 Inft, A.P.O. 901C Via New YorkIn 1920, 28 year old Otto Miller lived with his wife Marie (19) in Enoch Twp., Noble Co., Ohio. Otto and Marie were both born in Ohio as were their parents. Otto worked as an oil well pumper. Listed immediately before Otto on the census are his parents John and Catharina Miller and otto siblings. (It is unclear from the census if Otto and Marie lived with John and catharina or simply lived nearby.)
On Jul 12, 1925, Ott Miller attended a triple birthday party at the home of Frank Smoth to honor Mrs. Alex (Tillie) Gerst, Frank Smith, and Fred Fox. See notes of Fred Fuchs (Fox) for text of the article from the Zanesville Times Recorder.
In 1930, 38 year old Otto J. Miller lived with his wife Maria (30) in a home they owned (value $800) in enoch Twp., Noble co., Ohio. Living with them were their children Jerome (9), Cletus (4 yrs 10 mos), and Ardella (3). All members of the household as well as Otto and Maria's parents were born in Ohio. Jerome attended school. Cletus is listed as a girl on the census. Otto worked as a house carpenter. Listed immediately before Otto on the census are Maria's parents, John and Rosa Weber, The Miller family did not own a radio.
The following appeared in The Zanesville (OH) Signal newspaper on June 17, 1952: FULDA MAN INJURED IN AUTO ACCIDENT CALDWELL -- Otto Miller of Fulda sustained a compound
fracture of his left arm Friday when he lost control of his auto-
mobile and it crashed into a sign post and knocked over
several fence posts two miles east of here. He was treated at the office of Dr. C. F. Thompson here
and later was removed to Good Samaritan hospital, Zanesville.
In the 1900 census, the daughter of John and Rosa Weaver is named Rachel. Church records refer to her as Maria In the Social Security Death Index, her name is Marie. Church records state that she was adopted.
According to the Ohio online death certificate index, Jerome Miller was a divorced resident of Noble County at the time of his death. He was a veteran of the US Army.
Cletus J. Miller age 89, of Fulda, OH formerly of Dayton, OH passed away Saturday August 9, 2014 at Summit Acres Skilled Nursing and Rehab in Caldwell, OH. He was born May 8, 1925 in Fulda, a son of the late Otto and Marie Weber Miller.
Cletus graduated from Caldwell High School in 1943 and served during WWII in the US Navy for 35 months. He graduated from the University of Dayton in 1952 with a B.S. Degree in Business Administration. He retired from the Wright Patterson Air Force Base as a GS-14 Supervising Contract Specialist Chairman of the contract Committee in Research and Development. He received numerous achievement awards. After retirement, he was a recipient of the Air Force’s Meritorious Achievement Award, the highest award earned by a Civilian Employee.
He enjoyed traveling and his travels included 49 states (he missed Hawaii) and seventeen countries. His hobby was water color painting, having had several of his works displayed in numerous juried shows. Cletus had a strong faith and was a faithful member of St. Mary of the Immaculate Conception Catholic Church in Fulda.
In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by 2 brothers Jerome and Marvin Miller; 2 sisters Ardella Miller and Cleota Michel, and his best friend and partner in life for 18 years Dorothy Van De Grift formerly of Dayton.
Those left to cherish his memory are several nieces, nephews and friends.
Friends will be received Monday August 11, 2014 from 4:00 to 8:00 PM, with a Rosary service at 7:30 PM at the Chandler Funeral Home, 609 West Street, Caldwell, OH 43724. A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 10:30 AM Tuesday, August 12, 2014 at St. Mary of the Immaculate Conception Catholic Church in Fulda, with Rev. Father Chester Pabin serving as Celebrant. Burial will follow in the St. Mary Catholic Cemetery, with military graveside services conducted by the Noble County Veteran Service Organizations.
Cletus Miller lived in Dayton, OH in 2006.
The following article appeared on page 4 of the Zanesville Times Recorder on 4 Jul 1940:
STITCH--IN--TIME 4--H CLUB
Thursday afternoon the Stitch-in-Time 4-H club met
at Fulda School at 1 o’clock. Nineteen members were present,
and the advisor, Marcella Fox. Several of the girls had completed
their projects.
Plays were practiced, several songs were sung. Demon-
strations were given on sewing on snaps by Vera Crock; sewing
on buttons by Ardelia Miller; working blanket stitch by Rita
Smithberger; filled stitch by Gladys Crock; working button hole
by Elenora Roehirg. The roll call was answered by naming a fav-
orite tree. Refreshments were served by Eileen Weisent, Arline
Schoeppner, Gladys Crock, Alberta Arnold. The next meeting
will be on July 11 at 1 o’clock at Fulda school.Ardella's record in the Social Security Death Index is filed under her maiden name, Ardella M. Miller.
Roger Michel was a service station mechanic. He and Cleota had six children (names not known).
The following wedding announcement appeared in The Times Recorder (Zanesville, OH) newspaper on November 6, 1951: CLEOTA MILLER, ROGER MICHEL, EXCHANGE VOWS Miss Cleota Miller, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Otto Miller
of Caldwell, was married to Pvt. Roger Michel, son of Mr.
and Mrs. Harry Michel of Caldwell, route 4, Saturday, Oct-
ober 27, in St. Mary's church in Fulda. Rev. Francis Bruck-
man, assistant pastor, read the double ring ceremony. The
church choir sang with Sister Aloysius presiding at the
organ. The bride wore a gown of white satin with net yoke and
full skirt with train. Her fingertip veil was caught to a lace
headband trimmed with seed pearls. She wore a pearl
necklace and carried red roses. She was given in marriage
by her father. Miss Patricia Michel, sister of the bridegroom, was maid
of honor. She wore a gown of blue satin with blue and white
headdress and carried yellow roses/ Marvin Miller, brother of the bride, was best man for Pvt.
Michel. Dinner for 40 guests was served in the home of the bride's
parents and a reception and dance for 75 guests was held
during the afternoon and evening. The bride is a graduate of Caldwell high school and has
been employed in the Henry restaurant. Pvt. Michel attended
Fulda high school and before his induction was employed by
the Timken roller bearing company of Canton. He is stationed
at Fort Bliss, Texas
Cleota Miller Michel was living in in Caldwell, Noble Co., OH in May 2000. Her obituary appeared in the Marietta Times on 4 May 2006:
CALDWELL — Cleota E. Michel, 74, of Caldwell died
Wednesday evening (May 3, 2006) at Summit Acres
Nursing Home in Caldwell. Friends may call from 2 to 9 p.m. Friday at McVay-
Perkins Funeral Home in Caldwell. Funeral Liturgy
with Mass will be celebrated at 10 a.m. Saturday at
Corpus Christi Catholic Church in Belle Valley, Ohio.
Burial will follow at Mount Olivet Cemetery in Caldwell.A more extensive obituary appeared on the website of the McVay-Perkins Funeral Home:
Cleota E. Michel, age 74, of Caldwell, Ohio, died
Wednesday, May 3, 2006, at Summit Acres Nursing
Home, Caldwell. She was born April 9, 1932, in Fulda,
Noble County, Ohio, daughter of the late Otto and Marie
Weber Miller. Mrs. Michel had worked as a cook and
nurses aide at Summit Acres Nursing Home. She was
a member of St. Stephen Catholic Church in Caldwell
and its Catholic Women's Club. In addition to her parents, she is preceded in death
by her husband, Roger L. Michel, who died April 15,
1988; a sister, Ardella Miller, and a brother, Jerome
Miller. Surviving are two sons, Leo (LuAnn) Michel of Sarahs-
ville and Chris Michel of Quaker City; four daughters, Mrs.
John (Sandra) Archer of Sarahsville, Mrs. Daniel (Paula)
Niswonger of Caldwell, Mrs. Karl (Tammy) Seebach of
Caldwell and Mrs. Dave (Michelle ''Shelly'') Leasure of
Caldwell; two brothers, Cletus Miller of Dayton and Marvin
(Carol) Miller of Fulda; 14 grandchildren; 6 great-grand-
children; and numerous nieces and nephews. Friends may call Friday, May 5, 2006, from 2-9PM at
McVay-Perkins Funeral Home, Caldwell, where Christian
Scripture Services will be held at 8:30PM. Funeral Liturgy
with Mass will be celebrated on Saturday, May 6, 2006, at
10AM at Corpus Christi Catholic Church in Belle Valley,
Ohio, with Rev. Fr. Dale Tornes as celebrant. Burial will
follow at Mt. Olivet Cemetery in Caldwell. The family
requests memorial contributions be made to the Alz-
heimer's Foundation of America - 322 8th Ave. - 6th Floor,
New York, NY 10001.
Living in Fulda, Ohio in 2006.
Date of death in Social Security Death Index is incorrect (same as date of birth).
Living in Fulda, Ohio in 2006.