Home > United States of America > Iowa > Jasper County > Newton > Sugar Grove Cemetery > Marjery “Maria” DeGraff Miller

Marjery “Maria” DeGraff Miller

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Birth	:	12 Feb 1792 Saratoga County, New York, USA
Death	:	1 Feb 1872
Burial	:	Sugar Grove Cemetery, Newton, Jasper County, USA
Coordinate	:	41.6775017, -93.1406021
Description	:	"Sources for Marjery can be found at her WikiTree page: https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/DeGraff-208" Contributor: SJ Baty (49559216) - - - Cemetery Walk in 2005. This is the script written for Maria My name is Maria DeGraff Miller. I was born February 12, 1792 in Saratoga County, New York to Abraham and Hannah Tompkins DeGraff. My 3rd great grandfather was a nobleman in France in the mid-1600s. Due to his following the protestant religious beliefs of John Calvin, he and thousands of other French Huguenots were forced to flee into other countries or be slaughtered. Canterbury Cathedral in Canterbury, England was... Read More	"Sources for Marjery can be found at her WikiTree page: https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/DeGraff-208" Contributor: SJ Baty (49559216) - - - Cemetery Walk in 2005. This is the script written for Maria My name is Maria DeGraff Miller. I was born February 12, 1792 in Saratoga County, New York to Abraham and Hannah Tompkins DeGraff. My 3rd great grandfather was a nobleman in France in the mid-1600s. Due to his following the protestant religious beliefs of John Calvin, he and thousands of other French Huguenots were forced to flee into other countries or be slaughtered. Canterbury Cathedral in Canterbury, England was one of the sanctuaries for the French Huguenots and that's where he and his family fled before coming to New York City where he died in 1675. Wars, I do hate them so. When I was 13 years old, I wove this coverlet. In those days most of our furnishings and clothing were made by the women in the family. I had done some smaller weaving projects before I tried this coverlet but I was a little scared to try something this big. My mother helped me dye the wool this nice dark blue and we bought the linen fiber from the general store. She helped me set up the loom and got me started on the weaving. This weaving technique is called "overshot" weaving and we used it because it has such a tight weave. I had to take out rows of weaving from time to time, but finally finished the coverlet about 200 years ago to this very day. See what a nice job I did. (Show coverlet to visitors) I used it for many years then gave it to my oldest daughter Nancy Miller Hitchler, who gave it to her daughter Elnora Hitchler Price. Both Nancy and Nora are buried in this cemetery. Speaking of my family, they are all around me here on this hill in Jasper County, Iowa. But I do miss having my dear husband John Miller laying here beside me. You see he died back in Illinois along with two of my dear sons. John! He was such a handsome man when we met and fell in love back in New York State; and his father had been such a brave man when he took up his gun against the British and fought in the Battle of Saratoga. And no wonder he went to fight because that big hill was just a few miles from where they lived in 1777. As it turns out that battle was the turning point in the colonies' war for independence from England. I was so proud to join John's family. I married John in 1815 when I was 23 years old. After our 14 children were born - and we were so lucky to have lost just one little daughter - we packed up our household and journeyed by canal, lake boat, and immigrant wagon to Kendall County, Illinois. My sons and husband farmed there for about ten years. After my husband died, we heard about this rich land in Iowa; my son, George Washington Miller and my son-in-law George Hitchler came ahead and purchased land in Jasper County, Iowa. So once again I packed up my household and moved west. Some of my children came with us, some stayed behind either in graves or married to spouses who decided to stay put. Others of my children moved other places in Iowa, but most of my children stayed here in Jasper County and married into other pioneer families. My son George Washington Miller first built a log cabin and later built a large house and barn not too far from here. I've heard that the barn is still standing but has been transformed into a house. I can't imagine making a barn into a house - where do people take care of their cows and horses? George married Emily Helphrey in 1859 and was the first couple married in the newly built courthouse. They had nine children. Their children married into the Baker, Brock, Dammeier, Emmack, Hardenbrook and Johnson families. All are buried on this hillside with me. My daughter Nancy married George Hitchler and they lived near us in Illinois. When we moved here I lived with them for many years. George also owned a lot of land around here and he was a prosperous farmer. They had nine children; most are buried alongside them just up the row a bit. George was an interesting man as he had been born in Germany and came to America as a young man. He platted the village of Metz and the railroads used to stop there to pick up produce and passengers. My son John Miller married Lucretia Cannon and my daughter Sarah married Lucretia's brother, George Cannon. John was a prosperous farmer and cattleman. He won many prizes on his cattle and was known thorough out the Midwest for the quality of his livestock. The Cannon's had moved to Jasper County before us and George and Sarah lived the rest of his life just over the hill to the south of here. George was a generous, prosperous and religious man. When we came to this land it was swarming in tall prairie grasses and trees lined the creeks and rivers. From these gifts of nature we built our first houses. I loved to stand on the prairie and look into the red and gold sunsets, listen to the birds and smell the richness of the earth and the prairie flowers. But that smelly old Skunk River was something else. Whew! But the rich soil surrounding the river made it possible for us to produce the finest of grains - wheat was my favorite to watch ripen as it waved in the golden sun. We also grew potatoes and apples that we sold to the cities. I had a long life; there were times when I thought I could not bear up under the sadness of death, the hardships of travel and the long hours of work. But at the end of the day there was peace and I moved on. Now I'm here with my Lord, with my family all around me and we watch our many great-grandchildren as they seek to find their way in the wilderness just as we did. ~ Written by Barbara Lane Hug. Contributor: Barbara Lane Hug (46982342) • [email protected]

frequently asked questions (FAQ):

Where is Marjery “Maria” DeGraff Miller's memorial?
Marjery “Maria” DeGraff Miller's memorial is located at: Sugar Grove Cemetery, Newton, Jasper County, USA.
When did Marjery “Maria” DeGraff Miller death?
Marjery “Maria” DeGraff Miller death on 1 Feb 1872 in
Where are the coordinates of the Marjery “Maria” DeGraff Miller's memorial?
Latitude: 41.6775017
Longitude: -93.1406021

Family Members:

Parent

Siblings

Children

James Miller

(1816 - 1860)

J. E. Miller

(1827 - 1901)

Nancy Miller Hitchler

(1829 - 1921)

John Miller

(1833 - 1895)

George Washington Miller

(1834 - 1917)

Sarah M. Miller Cannon

(1837 - 1916)

Flowers:

Nearby Cemetories:

1. Sugar Grove Cemetery
Newton, Jasper County, USA
Coordinate: 41.6775017, -93.1406021

2. Rorabaugh Cemetery
Jasper County, USA
Coordinate: 41.6666985, -93.1836014

3. Sacred Heart Cemetery
Newton, Jasper County, USA
Coordinate: 41.6879920, -93.0893000

4. Moffitt Family Cemetery
Newton, Jasper County, USA
Coordinate: 41.7163789, -93.1001995

5. Slaughter Cemetery
Colfax, Jasper County, USA
Coordinate: 41.6869011, -93.2091980

6. Mound Prairie Pioneer Cemetery
Newton, Jasper County, USA
Coordinate: 41.6222000, -93.1546000

7. Newton Union Cemetery
Newton, Jasper County, USA
Coordinate: 41.7158012, -93.0598984

8. Thomas Arthur Gravesite
Newton, Jasper County, USA
Coordinate: 41.7069770, -93.0502100

9. Colfax Cemetery
Colfax, Jasper County, USA
Coordinate: 41.6705704, -93.2432480

10. Newton Graveyard (Defunct)
Newton, Jasper County, USA
Coordinate: 41.7011330, -93.0380290

11. Palo Alto Cemetery
Newton, Jasper County, USA
Coordinate: 41.6500702, -93.0385742

12. Bridges Cemetery
Jasper County, USA
Coordinate: 41.7571983, -93.0963974

13. Linder Cemetery
Jasper County, USA
Coordinate: 41.7576760, -93.0966490

14. McKeever Cemetery
Colfax, Jasper County, USA
Coordinate: 41.7192001, -93.2517014

15. Newton Memorial Park
Newton, Jasper County, USA
Coordinate: 41.7005000, -93.0201000

16. Shipp Cemetery
Oswalt, Jasper County, USA
Coordinate: 41.6972108, -93.2668723

17. Waveland Cemetery
Prairie City, Jasper County, USA
Coordinate: 41.6048000, -93.2338000

18. Fisher Cemetery
Jasper County, USA
Coordinate: 41.7392006, -93.2508011

19. Jasper County Burying Ground
Newton, Jasper County, USA
Coordinate: 41.6775600, -92.9996110

20. Westview Cemetery
Prairie City, Jasper County, USA
Coordinate: 41.6000000, -93.2422000

21. Adamson Grove Pioneer Cemetery
Jasper County, USA
Coordinate: 41.6586000, -92.9933000

22. Wittemberg Cemetery
Newton, Jasper County, USA
Coordinate: 41.7627983, -93.0428009

23. Greencastle Cemetery
Green Castle, Jasper County, USA
Coordinate: 41.7431000, -93.2654000

24. Pleasant Chapel Cemetery
Newton, Jasper County, USA
Coordinate: 41.7493790, -93.0192180