Peter Miller's Life Story
This is my life story as I remember it at age 72 on April 18, 1960.
I was born on October 24, 1887, in Norka, Saratov Province, Russia, a member of a family of 10 children, three of whom died in infancy. Seven of us came to this country. Our parents, Adam and Christina Müller (Miller) lived in abject poverty in Russia. My mother's maiden name was Sauer, and her mother's family name was Hohnstein.
My grandfather, Johannes Miller, died when my father was 15 years old. He was raised to maturity by his Uncle. He had a brother, Peter, my godfather whom I never knew, and three sisters. One of the sisters died, and the other two married men named Brill and Schlitt.
My mother had only one half-brother, Heinrich Sauer. I recall they lived with an old widower named Sauer in an old house I knew. That place was only three houses from the one we lived in when we departed from Norka.
I started school at age seven. We attended half-days for the first year at the school, which was located at the lower end of the village (Unterdorf). Norka had three schools: the upper village (Oberdorf), middle village (Mitteldorf), and lower village (Unterdorf). John Hill was the teacher, and John Krieger was an assistant teacher. The school was about a half-mile or more walk from my home. Often, the temperature was 10 to 20 degrees below zero, and with scant clothing, it was not very pleasant. I went to the Unterdorf school for about three years, and then at 10 years of age, I started attending the Mitteldorf school. John Rudolph was the Schoolmaster. Krieger and Suppes were assistants. Classes began at 8:00 a.m. and ended at Noon. Class time was divided between two Russian teachers and two German (religious) teachers. The school year ran from October through April or early May. Our German courses mainly studied the three R's and religion. We learned arithmetic and economics with the Russian teachers. These were compulsory courses, so my last three and one-half years were mainly in Russian. On May 13, 1902, I graduated as a top-notch scholar and still have my diploma.
Preceding my school graduation was my religious confirmation during the Easter season. I was 15 years old.
In prior times, my parents and older siblings had to work for other people to earn enough to buy bread and tea (mostly sage tea) to live. In winter, we had two weaving looms operating in our home. My job was to spin the yarn from skeins to spools for the shuttles. Then, in about 1897, a relative of my father gave him a team of horses and a wagon on time payment so he could begin farming. By this time, my older brother and sister had gone to America. The rest of us farmed in summer and kept weaving in the winter. Grain crops were good in 1902 and required a lot of hard work as all had to be done by manual labor. During that summer, my parent decided to go to America. After harvest, father disposed of his livestock and what little else he had and applied for a passport to leave the country. In the meantime, my brother George married a girl named Schlitt (Catharina) around the end of the year.
So, after all was said and done, we left Norka on February 4, 1903. We arrived in Denver, Colorado, on April 4, 1903 (here, we must note that Russia was 12 days behind the United States because of their use of the old Julian calendar). It was a long and tiresome journey. Sometimes, it was unpleasant and mixed with agony. In fact, we had to leave father in Bremen, Germany, due to an eye disease (probably trachoma), they claimed. He was detained there for about 40 days.
In Denver, Henry and George Krieger met us at the train depot. There was only one way to get to Globeville, and we walked across the 23rd viaduct, across the fields, and finally to Henry Seder's place, a two-room shack, which is now 4658 Lincoln Street. It was a walk of about 3 miles.
Neighbors and friends helped to take care of us until May 4th, when we left for the beet fields 4.5 miles east of Windsor, Colorado. That was our livelihood for the next 7 years. In 1904, we worked 2 miles west of Johnston, Colorado. In 1905, we worked 1 mile west of Johnston. In 1906, we worked 4.5 miles east of Berthoud, Colorado. In 1907, we labored 1 mile east of Loveland, Colorado. Then, one evening in May 1906, I met a little farmer girl named Lizzie Wolf. We kept our acquaintanceship until February 4, 1908, when we were married.
I was born on October 24, 1887, in Norka, Saratov Province, Russia, a member of a family of 10 children, three of whom died in infancy. Seven of us came to this country. Our parents, Adam and Christina Müller (Miller) lived in abject poverty in Russia. My mother's maiden name was Sauer, and her mother's family name was Hohnstein.
My grandfather, Johannes Miller, died when my father was 15 years old. He was raised to maturity by his Uncle. He had a brother, Peter, my godfather whom I never knew, and three sisters. One of the sisters died, and the other two married men named Brill and Schlitt.
My mother had only one half-brother, Heinrich Sauer. I recall they lived with an old widower named Sauer in an old house I knew. That place was only three houses from the one we lived in when we departed from Norka.
I started school at age seven. We attended half-days for the first year at the school, which was located at the lower end of the village (Unterdorf). Norka had three schools: the upper village (Oberdorf), middle village (Mitteldorf), and lower village (Unterdorf). John Hill was the teacher, and John Krieger was an assistant teacher. The school was about a half-mile or more walk from my home. Often, the temperature was 10 to 20 degrees below zero, and with scant clothing, it was not very pleasant. I went to the Unterdorf school for about three years, and then at 10 years of age, I started attending the Mitteldorf school. John Rudolph was the Schoolmaster. Krieger and Suppes were assistants. Classes began at 8:00 a.m. and ended at Noon. Class time was divided between two Russian teachers and two German (religious) teachers. The school year ran from October through April or early May. Our German courses mainly studied the three R's and religion. We learned arithmetic and economics with the Russian teachers. These were compulsory courses, so my last three and one-half years were mainly in Russian. On May 13, 1902, I graduated as a top-notch scholar and still have my diploma.
Preceding my school graduation was my religious confirmation during the Easter season. I was 15 years old.
In prior times, my parents and older siblings had to work for other people to earn enough to buy bread and tea (mostly sage tea) to live. In winter, we had two weaving looms operating in our home. My job was to spin the yarn from skeins to spools for the shuttles. Then, in about 1897, a relative of my father gave him a team of horses and a wagon on time payment so he could begin farming. By this time, my older brother and sister had gone to America. The rest of us farmed in summer and kept weaving in the winter. Grain crops were good in 1902 and required a lot of hard work as all had to be done by manual labor. During that summer, my parent decided to go to America. After harvest, father disposed of his livestock and what little else he had and applied for a passport to leave the country. In the meantime, my brother George married a girl named Schlitt (Catharina) around the end of the year.
So, after all was said and done, we left Norka on February 4, 1903. We arrived in Denver, Colorado, on April 4, 1903 (here, we must note that Russia was 12 days behind the United States because of their use of the old Julian calendar). It was a long and tiresome journey. Sometimes, it was unpleasant and mixed with agony. In fact, we had to leave father in Bremen, Germany, due to an eye disease (probably trachoma), they claimed. He was detained there for about 40 days.
In Denver, Henry and George Krieger met us at the train depot. There was only one way to get to Globeville, and we walked across the 23rd viaduct, across the fields, and finally to Henry Seder's place, a two-room shack, which is now 4658 Lincoln Street. It was a walk of about 3 miles.
Neighbors and friends helped to take care of us until May 4th, when we left for the beet fields 4.5 miles east of Windsor, Colorado. That was our livelihood for the next 7 years. In 1904, we worked 2 miles west of Johnston, Colorado. In 1905, we worked 1 mile west of Johnston. In 1906, we worked 4.5 miles east of Berthoud, Colorado. In 1907, we labored 1 mile east of Loveland, Colorado. Then, one evening in May 1906, I met a little farmer girl named Lizzie Wolf. We kept our acquaintanceship until February 4, 1908, when we were married.
Source
This autobiographical story was written by Peter Miller on April 18, 1960, at the age of 72. Peter's daughter, Emma Murdock (née Miller), shared this story with Terrie Conyers. The text and drawings are used with Terrie Conyers' permission. The original text has been edited for clarity.
Related reading: Peter Miller - Norka and the Journey to America
Related reading: Peter Miller - Norka and the Journey to America
Notes
Peter Miller was born Georg Peter Müller on October 24, 1887, in Norka, Russia. He was the son of Adam Müller (1853-1931) and Christina Sauer (1857-1925). Peter married Anna Elisabeth Wolf on February 4, 1908, in Berthoud, Colorado. They had 13 children. Peter died in Portland, Oregon, on May 9, 1973.
Last updated January 16. 2024