Charles E. Miller was born on August 9, 1828, in Pennsylvania to David Robert Miller and Mary Campbell. His father was a blacksmith who owned $200 of real estate in 1850. He moved to Williamsport, Pennsylvania, around 1848, and he worked as a carriage smith and clerk. He married Margaret Pepperman in the early 1850s, and they had at least four children: Allen, born around 1852; Agnes, born around 1855; Charles, born around 1858; and Rebecca, born around 1863. The family remained in Williamsport, and by 1860, he owned $1,500 of real estate and $200 of personal property.

 

He enlisted in the Union army on August 12, 1862, and mustered in as a corporal in Company I of the 131^st Pennsylvania Infantry later that day. The regiment took part in the Battle of Fredericksburg and the Battle of Chancellorsville. He mustered out in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, on May 23, 1863.

 

He returned to Williamsport after leaving the army, and by 1870, he was working as a grocer. By then, he owned $4,000 of real estate and $2,000 of personal property. His wife Margaret died sometime in the late 1800s. By 1900, he was earning a living by operating a boarding house. He supported the Republican Party. He died of a cerebral hemorrhage in Williamsport on November 26, 1909.

SOURCES