Charles Stewart MILLER

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      Historical detail in NOTES


Some family trees claim that he was born at Craighall, Inverness, Scotland (in the Highlands of Scotland), or Craighall, Perth, Scotland, or other locations, but these are incorrect. His LDS church membership records say that he was born at Craighall (village), Inveresk (parish), Midlothian (shire), Scotland (near Edinburgh, in the Lowlands). This location is undoubtedly correct, as his parents and all his relatives lived in Midlothian and Lanarkshire, and were Lowlanders. Charles' christening record has not been located, but the christenings of his younger siblings were recorded at Craighall, Inveresk parish, Midlothianshire, so he was undoubtedly christened there as well.Charles and his family joined the LDS Church in 1846 in Scotland. They sailed to America in 1848 on the "Carnatic", sailing from Liverpool 20 Feb 1848, arriving in New Orleans 20 Apr 1848, under the leadership of Elder Franklin D. Richards (when emigration to "Zion" was re-instated following Joseph Smith's martyrdom, this was the first ship of LDS converts from Scotland to sail). This was before the Perpetual Emigration Fund, so they had to pay their own way. After landing in America, most LDS emigrants of the time found work in the East or Midwest for a year or more, in order to fund the remainder of their journey. Unfortunately, Charles, 44, his wife Mary, 46, and their sons William, 17, and Archibald, 15, died in a cholera epidemic in the St. Louis, Missouri, area in the summer of 1849. When the epidemic struck, the Millers lived in Gravois (a suburb of St. Louis).....sometimes mistakenly called "Grovie".The book JAMES MILLER FAMILY HISTORY (1967), compiled and edited by Nell Creer Frame, says that Charles Stewart Miller was born at INVERESK, Midlothianshire, Scotland, and says in the biography of his son James:"James Miller the third child born to Charles Stewart Miller and Mary McGowan was born 28 Nov 1829 at Rutherglen, Lanarkshire, Scotland....James was one of eleven children, six daughters and five sons, born to Charles Stewart Miller and Mary McGowan Miller. They were: Mary Miller, David Miller, James Miller, William Miller, Archibald Miller, Margaret Miller, Agness Miller, Jane McGill Miller, Elizabeth Ferguson Miller, Helen McCulloch Miller, John Miller."At seven years of age James went to work in the nearby coal mines. At Hamilton, outside Glasgow one can still see large hills of coal slack, still standing. He worked first as a door keeper but advanced to various other positions as he grew older."Not very old, just sixteen when he met up with Mormon missionaries and was converted and joined the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. One year later he was baptized 11 Feb. 1846 by Andrew Ferguson and was confirmed 28 Feb. 1846 by William Gibson. He spent the next two years in converting his parents and they accepted the gospel and started for Zion (America) leaving Scotland in 1848.** They were six weeks crossing the ocean and landed at New Orleans......."James Miller his Father and Mother and his eleven brothers and sisters sailed up the Mississippi River and landed in St. Louis, a family of thirteen. Shortly after landing in St. Louis his Father, Mother and his brothers William and Archibald contracted Cholera and died within ten days of each other. They had settled at Gravois, an area about ten miles out of St. Louis. We searched for their graves at all cemeteries there and at an old cemetery away out that some of our church people had told us was called the "Cholera Cemetery," but all headstones were weather worn and had crumbled to just tiny pieces of stones lying buried in weeds and sand. We then tried to find cemetery lists -- but still no trace of their graves -- so we gave up believing they were buried quickly after death in a common grave, because of cholera being so contagious.***"James the next to the oldest son took over as head of the family of nine children -- and they all lived together and worked in coal mines and knitting mills and saved and in two years were able to come in the Joseph F. Sharp Company across the plai
ns, it took four months. There were James, two brothers and six sisters. James Miller drove an ox team across the plains for Charles Richards and brought his family safely to Utah arriving Sept. 1851**** where they all married, raised lovely families and lived in Utah their entire lives."**The Charles Stewart Miller family crossed the ocean in the ship "Carnatic" of Boston, John Devereux, master, sailing from Liverpool 20 Feb 1848, arriving in New Orleans 20 Apr 1848, under the leadership of Elder Franklin D. Richards. They are listed on the ship's passenger list as C. Miller, age 43, Mary Miller, age 44, David Miller, age 20, Mary Miller, age 22, James Miller, age 18, William Miller, age 16, Archibold Miller, age 14, Margaret Miller, Agnes Miller, Jane Miller, Elizabeth Miller, Ellen Miller, John Miller (ages of the 6 youngest children not given). This was the first ship of LDS converts to leave Scotland when immigration was re-instated (it was halted for several years following the assassination of Joseph Smith).***They were probably buried in what was then called the "Holy Ghost Evangelical & Reformed cemetery" on Gravois Road; where many victims of the 1849 cholera epidemic in Gravois were buried. It is now within the St. Louis City limits, but in 1849 was outside the city. It became known as "Old Picker's" Cemetery -- named for the minister who founded it in 1845. The last burial was in 1901, but in 1862 "New Picker" cemetery (formally called The Independent Evangelical Protestant Cemetery but always more familiarly known by its nickname) was opened nearby, and many of the bodies were moved there (the last in 1916). The "New Picker" became the present "Old Picker" when still another cemetery was opened on Graviois, across the road.From Greg Myers: "OLD" Picker Cemetery also called Picott Cemetery is long gone (operated from 1845 to 1898), it used to be where Roosevelt High School now is (Gravois & Compton & Wyoming up to about Arsenal & Compton over to Louisiana & Arsenal and down to Louisiana and Wyoming). Some bodies were moved to " NEW" Picker, others to other places, and some were left in place. (he says: I went to Roosevelt High School and once in awhile a human bone would surface in the football field over the years and also in some of the backyards of houses along Arsenal, I guess from the pressure of the activity and games above the remains, which worked them upward over the years). Most headstones were destroyed and used for the foundation, etc." Very sad that the graves were desecrated.****The James Miller book is mistaken in saying they crossed the plains in 1851.....it is almost certain that they actually arrived in the Salt Lake Valley in the fall of 1850. A Joseph Sharp (from Scotland) came across the plains in an independent company in 1850 according to LDS histories. Gibsons, Sharps, Condies, and Millers (all from Scotland) intermarried and probably crossed the plains together. James Miller and his siblings are listed in the 1850 census in Salt Lake City (which was taken in the spring of 1851).