Tombstone Tuesday-Hannah Miller

Hanna Miller, Zion Lutheran Cemetery, Van Wert County, Ohio. (2012 photo by Karen)

This is the tombstone of Hannah Miller, located in row 10 of Zion Lutheran Cemetery, Schumm, Van Wert County, Ohio. The marker is inscribed:

Hannah,
Wife of
George Miller
died Feb. 7
1849
aged 65 yrs

Hannah Miller’s sandstone tombstone is one of the oldest markers in Zion Schumm’s cemetery. Hannah’s death and burial are not recorded in Zion Schumm’s records. In fact, very few Millers are mentioned in their church records.

Hannah Miller died before the 1850 census and censuses before that time only recorded the head of household.

Her tombstone only tells us that she was 65 years old (born about 1784) and that her husband was George Miller. We don’t know if she was the widow of George or if he died after her death. If George is buried at Zion Schumm, there is no record of it in their records or in the cemetery.

There is a good deal of information about Hannah Miller and her family on Find a Grave.com, Memorial no. 34047119, Hannah Chilcote Miller. I will not recopy the information here because I did not research it, but if you are interested in Hannah and her family I would encourage you to take a look at the all the information there.

It appears Hannah’s family is spread across Ohio and Indiana but there also appears to be a couple connections to this area, a Chilcote and Tindall connection. That may explain how she came to be buried in Zion Schumm’s cemetery.

Were she and her family passing through this area in 1849 or did some stay? According to Find a Grave, some family members stayed. Her sons James Henry Miller (1820-1895) and John C Miller (1826-1882) are buried in this area. James Henry is buried in Willshire Cemetery and John C in Hileman/Smith Cemetery south of Schumm. A nephew, John Chilcote Tindall (1827-1885) is buried in Tricker Cemetery, Decatur, Adams County, Indiana. The nephew was the son of her sister, Nancy (Chilcote) Tindall, according to Find a Grave. There may be others.

Hannah Miller likely lived near Schumm because she is buried there and because of the Chilcote and Tindall names, which were local back then. Perhaps she attended Zion Schumm, but never joined the church.

For now, we can simply enjoy the beauty and carving of this old tombstone that has weathered many seasons.

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