Christopher Adam (Müller) Miller

1836 or 1838 – 1913

This photo of my great grandfather, Christopher Adam Miller
was taken shortly before his death in 1913.

My mother always spoke about her grandfather with great respect and love. He died in 1913 shortly before she turned five, so her memory must have been a combination of recollection and stories she later heard about him.

My great grandfather was born in Wurtemburg, Germany in 1836 or 1838. Both dates are cited from different sources. A family pedigree chart created by Aunt Eileen shows the former date, and great grandfather’s headstone shows the latter date. Wurtemburg was a grand duchy, one of the German states that later became part of the unified nation of Germany. It’s located in the Black Forest area in the south-western part of the country.

He immigrated to this country with his parents in 1847 when he was nine years old. We are told that his parents died shortly after arrival, and there is no information concerning his childhood other than one story told by my mother, Eileen, and Irene. According to the story great grandfather spelled his name the German way, Müller. One of his elementary school teachers told him that, “You are an American, now. Spell your name as ‘Miller’.” And so he did, and this branch of our family became Anglicized as did so many surnames coming from elsewhere.

I don’t know where he and his parents settled. According to notes from Aunt Cora, he had at least two brothers, George and Christian. It isn’t known whether or not he had other siblings.

We do know that he was a Private in Company G of the 20th Wisconsin Volunteer Division during the Civil War. Consequently, my best guess is that he settled in Wisconsin as did many other Germans.

It’s also interesting to note the Regiment had a number of members named Miller or Muller. (See Appendix.) Could it have been possible that my great grandfather and his family came to Wisconsin with other family members? Possibly, but Miller, Muller, and Müller were common German names, as well.

(There is a 2nd Lieutenant George W. Miller listed in Company G with great grandfather. This could possibly be great grandfather’s brother. See Appendix.)

The 20th Wisconsin Volunteer Infantry (1862 - 1865) in the American War of the Rebellion

Christopher A. Miller and Mary Axinger Miller with
their son (my grandfather) Wesley, circa 1886

This is verified by two sources: First, from the handwritten biography on the photo, above, and second, from his gravestone in the Mountain View Cemetery in Oakland, CA. (See the appendix on the 20th Wisconsin Volunteer Infantry.)

A note on the back of the above picture appears to be in either my Aunt Eileen’s hand. She refers to, “Dad’s mother, Dad, and Dad’s father.”

She goes on to say that her grandfather enlisted in the Wisconsin Volunteer Infantry Regiment, and served from 1862 to 1865. Another source, a family group record, indicates that he enlisted on August 18th, 1862, and was discharged on August 5th, 1865 due to wounds received at or after the Battle of Mobile.

Eileen’s note says that he was at the Battle of Mobile, and later lost his leg by stepping on a buried torpedo (land mine).

It’s interesting to note that our son, Andrew, has been living in the Mobile Bay area, and we have toured Fort Monroe and other locations involved in the Battle of Mobile Bay. We didn’t know at the time that great grandfather had trod on these grounds.

My mother used to say that her grandfather used to make a big deal about his wooden leg with the children. Mother says that they never tired of asking him to take it off and show it to them.

Eileen goes on to say that after the War he studied telegraphy, which was in its infancy, then, and later became an expert watchmaker and jeweler. This is also confirmed by Aunt Cora’s account. It is likely that both sources come from Aunt Cora.

Photo of great grandfather Christopher Miller’s headstone in the Mountain
View Cemetery in Oakland, CA, documenting his Civil War service.

Other sources, including information from the 1910 census indicate that great grandfather was also a “shopkeeper” at the U.S. Mint in San Francisco during the last twenty years of his life. My mother also said that he was a guard. Were these references to his work at the Mint one and the same jobs or two jobs? There is also the question concerning why would a successful watchmaker and jeweler take a job as a shopkeeper or guard?

The grave site is also interesting. Great grandfather is buried in the Civil War veteran’s area of the Mountain View Cemetery in Oakland. Lincoln Post No. 1 of the G.A.R. submitted an affidavit on his war service record so that he could be buried in the G.A.R. (Grand Army of the Republic) section (Soldier’s Plot #45, Grave # 106.

Eileen also goes on to say that he “was quite prominent in San Francisco politics.” My mother provided a similar description, and said that he advised people on how to vote in local San Francisco elections.

In all, he must have been an interesting man. I think of him as my favorite ancestor, and when I look at him with his stubby legs, I’m reminded of my own, and I’d like to think that I inherited some of his genes.

It seems that great grandfather was married twice; to my great grandmother, Mary Axinger (for whom my mother was given her middle name), and then to a widow named Adelheid, also originally from Germany. The 1910 census shows that she and my great grandfather had been married three years at that time.

Cousin Irene has also said that my great grandfather had remarried “a woman who had some wealth, including a house in Oakland.” I believe that this was the house on San Pablo Avenue in Oakland that my mother was born at in 1908.