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. Miller probably grew up in Lycoming County, Pennsylvania. 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 lived in Williamsport, Pennsylvania. By 1860, Miller was working as a clerk, and 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 131st Pennsylvania Infantry later that day. He mustered out in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, on May 23, 1863. By 1870, he was working as a grocer, and 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 died of a cerebral hemorrhage in Lycoming County on November 26, 1909.