The son of Conrad and Frederica Miller, "Hen" was born in a log cabin near Tipton, Cedar County, Iowa shortly after the beginning of the American Civil War. His father was a farmer, and Hen lived with his parents, siblings and paternal grandmother, Kesina (or Nancy) Miller.
Hen became an expert at shoeing horses as a young man. At the age of 20, he earned $50 his first year working for a wagon maker in Cedar Bluff named S. H. Kauffman. His pay did not include boarding or laundry, so he later recounted the story that he had to haul all his dirty clothes back to the log house where his parents lived to have them washed every week.
While he averaged around 40 shoes per day, he often nailed on more than 90 shoes in a single day, with his record being 96. He reported later that it was the regret of his life that he never succeeded in hitting the even 100 mark.
Hen’s speed at shoeing horses led to improved wages. By his second year, his annual salary increased to $150. The following year, in 1883, he bought the Kauffman wagon making and smithing business, borrowing $800 to pay for it.
Hen married Mary Ann Wagaman on 29 Dec 1887. They lived in Cedar Bluff, Iowa and were the parents of 5 children. His wife helped work at the shop on occasions to help pay off the original $800 business loan. It was said that Hen bragged that Mary Ann could "set a wagon tire as well as any man."*
Hen spent all but a small part of his life in the Cedar Bluff area. At one point, he made a claim on some land in Dakota and operated a blacksmith shop 10 miles away from the Millers’ Iowa home. During what lasted for 16 months, his wife Mary Ann managed to maintain their Iowa homestead.
The first thing people often noticed about Hen was his unique mustache. It was said that he let it grow for 50 years without ever cutting or trimming it. The mustache measured 29 inches, apparently from the area above his mouth to the tip on each side. He usually tied it back with string while working at his shop, but sometimes was known to drape it around his neck like a necktie. He was also known to wear it in decorative braids that hung from each side of his face.
In 1893, Hen visited the World’s Fair in Chicago, Illinois. Reportedly, large numbers of curious on-lookers followed him through the midway, unsure as to whether he was a visitor to the fair or part of some exotic show, thanks to his eye-catching mustache.
He was an avid collector of pictures of all styles and sizes. The artwork he displayed in his shop to make his horseshoeing hours more pleasant included "soft-toned oil paintings in heavy gilt frames, gaudy little calendar illustrations, photographs, quaint old world scenes of German beer taverns, [and] still life studies of colorful flower baskets."* Included in Hen’s collection of pictures was a large portrait of himself that was painted by a traveling artist who visited Cedar Bluff.
"Sparks from his forge would spatter against the picture frames lined along the shop walls, and die away leaving them black-flecked with soot."*
His other hobbies included raising porcupines that he kept penned in a small room next to his shop. He collected rattlesnake hides, which he cleaned, dried and hung from the ceiling of his business. He also kept 2 stuffed coyotes on display that were souvenirs of his brief attempt to stake a claim in South Dakota.
By the time he retired after 47 years as a blacksmith, Hen estimated that he had driven approximately 1,600,000 nails during his career. He said that he had made close to 140,000 horse shoes during his most active years, and concluded that he had probably shod a grand total of 200,000 hooves. All this, despite a number of minor work-related injuries over the years, including the time when the bones in his right hand were broken by a mule.
Hen’s death came 12 days before what would have been his 71st birthday. He was survived by his wife, Mary Ann; 1 son, Fred Miller; 2 daughters, Cora Fankhauser and Iva Kroger; 4 grandsons; and 1 brother, Charles W. Miller.
It was reported that most of his collections were in poor condition by the time he died. Many of his pictures, "faded and soiled," were dumped down the cistern at the blacksmith shop, along with his snake skins, porcupine hides and other treasures.
Hen's anvil was moved to his gravesite where it was erected as part of his memorial and a lasting tribute to the years he had spent working beside it.
His wife, Mary Ann, passed away in 1940 and was buried next to him.
Children: 1 son, 4 daughters.
Father of:
Fred Conrad Miller
Cora Mae Miller Fankhauser
Dessie Jane Miller
Iva Sarah Miller Kroger
Infant Daughter Miller
Hen’s siblings:
Charles W. Miller
Mary A. Miller
----------
Obituary:
H. C. Miller
Henry C. Miller was born in a log cabin four miles northwest of Tipton, July 27, 1861, and passed away at his home in Cedar Bluff, July 15, 1932, at the age of 70 years, 11 months and 18 days. With the exception of 16 months in South Dakota he has spent his whole life in this vicinity.
He was united in marriage to Mary A. Wagaman on December 29, 1887. To this union were born five children, one boy and four girls.
Mr. Miller leaves his wife and three of five children, Fred C. Miller of Charleston, S. Car.; Mrs. Thurman Fankhauser of Bennett, and Mrs. Chris Kroeger, of Tipton; also four grandsons survive him. Besides these he leaves one brother, C. W. Miller, of Cedar Rapids.
Funeral services were held in the Christian church in Cedar Bluff, Sunday afternoon at 1:30. The Rev. H. N. Poston of Tipton officiated. Burial was at the Sandhill cemetery.
(The Tipton Conservative and Advertiser; Tipton, Iowa; 21 Jul 1932)
----------
*Quotes in the bio were taken from "Memories of Hen Miller, Cedar Bluff Blacksmith” by Virginia Maxson; published in The Tipton Conservative and Advertiser; 20 Jul 1933.
Hen became an expert at shoeing horses as a young man. At the age of 20, he earned $50 his first year working for a wagon maker in Cedar Bluff named S. H. Kauffman. His pay did not include boarding or laundry, so he later recounted the story that he had to haul all his dirty clothes back to the log house where his parents lived to have them washed every week.
While he averaged around 40 shoes per day, he often nailed on more than 90 shoes in a single day, with his record being 96. He reported later that it was the regret of his life that he never succeeded in hitting the even 100 mark.
Hen’s speed at shoeing horses led to improved wages. By his second year, his annual salary increased to $150. The following year, in 1883, he bought the Kauffman wagon making and smithing business, borrowing $800 to pay for it.
Hen married Mary Ann Wagaman on 29 Dec 1887. They lived in Cedar Bluff, Iowa and were the parents of 5 children. His wife helped work at the shop on occasions to help pay off the original $800 business loan. It was said that Hen bragged that Mary Ann could "set a wagon tire as well as any man."*
Hen spent all but a small part of his life in the Cedar Bluff area. At one point, he made a claim on some land in Dakota and operated a blacksmith shop 10 miles away from the Millers’ Iowa home. During what lasted for 16 months, his wife Mary Ann managed to maintain their Iowa homestead.
The first thing people often noticed about Hen was his unique mustache. It was said that he let it grow for 50 years without ever cutting or trimming it. The mustache measured 29 inches, apparently from the area above his mouth to the tip on each side. He usually tied it back with string while working at his shop, but sometimes was known to drape it around his neck like a necktie. He was also known to wear it in decorative braids that hung from each side of his face.
In 1893, Hen visited the World’s Fair in Chicago, Illinois. Reportedly, large numbers of curious on-lookers followed him through the midway, unsure as to whether he was a visitor to the fair or part of some exotic show, thanks to his eye-catching mustache.
He was an avid collector of pictures of all styles and sizes. The artwork he displayed in his shop to make his horseshoeing hours more pleasant included "soft-toned oil paintings in heavy gilt frames, gaudy little calendar illustrations, photographs, quaint old world scenes of German beer taverns, [and] still life studies of colorful flower baskets."* Included in Hen’s collection of pictures was a large portrait of himself that was painted by a traveling artist who visited Cedar Bluff.
"Sparks from his forge would spatter against the picture frames lined along the shop walls, and die away leaving them black-flecked with soot."*
His other hobbies included raising porcupines that he kept penned in a small room next to his shop. He collected rattlesnake hides, which he cleaned, dried and hung from the ceiling of his business. He also kept 2 stuffed coyotes on display that were souvenirs of his brief attempt to stake a claim in South Dakota.
By the time he retired after 47 years as a blacksmith, Hen estimated that he had driven approximately 1,600,000 nails during his career. He said that he had made close to 140,000 horse shoes during his most active years, and concluded that he had probably shod a grand total of 200,000 hooves. All this, despite a number of minor work-related injuries over the years, including the time when the bones in his right hand were broken by a mule.
Hen’s death came 12 days before what would have been his 71st birthday. He was survived by his wife, Mary Ann; 1 son, Fred Miller; 2 daughters, Cora Fankhauser and Iva Kroger; 4 grandsons; and 1 brother, Charles W. Miller.
It was reported that most of his collections were in poor condition by the time he died. Many of his pictures, "faded and soiled," were dumped down the cistern at the blacksmith shop, along with his snake skins, porcupine hides and other treasures.
Hen's anvil was moved to his gravesite where it was erected as part of his memorial and a lasting tribute to the years he had spent working beside it.
His wife, Mary Ann, passed away in 1940 and was buried next to him.
Children: 1 son, 4 daughters.
Father of:
Fred Conrad Miller
Cora Mae Miller Fankhauser
Dessie Jane Miller
Iva Sarah Miller Kroger
Infant Daughter Miller
Hen’s siblings:
Charles W. Miller
Mary A. Miller
----------
Obituary:
H. C. Miller
Henry C. Miller was born in a log cabin four miles northwest of Tipton, July 27, 1861, and passed away at his home in Cedar Bluff, July 15, 1932, at the age of 70 years, 11 months and 18 days. With the exception of 16 months in South Dakota he has spent his whole life in this vicinity.
He was united in marriage to Mary A. Wagaman on December 29, 1887. To this union were born five children, one boy and four girls.
Mr. Miller leaves his wife and three of five children, Fred C. Miller of Charleston, S. Car.; Mrs. Thurman Fankhauser of Bennett, and Mrs. Chris Kroeger, of Tipton; also four grandsons survive him. Besides these he leaves one brother, C. W. Miller, of Cedar Rapids.
Funeral services were held in the Christian church in Cedar Bluff, Sunday afternoon at 1:30. The Rev. H. N. Poston of Tipton officiated. Burial was at the Sandhill cemetery.
(The Tipton Conservative and Advertiser; Tipton, Iowa; 21 Jul 1932)
----------
*Quotes in the bio were taken from "Memories of Hen Miller, Cedar Bluff Blacksmith” by Virginia Maxson; published in The Tipton Conservative and Advertiser; 20 Jul 1933.
The son of Conrad and Frederica Miller, "Hen" was born in a log cabin near Tipton, Cedar County, Iowa shortly after the beginning of the American Civil War. His father was a farmer, and Hen lived with his parents, siblings and paternal grandmother, Kesina (or Nancy) Miller.
Hen became an expert at shoeing horses as a young man. At the age of 20, he earned $50 his first year working for a wagon maker in Cedar Bluff named S. H. Kauffman. His pay did not include boarding or laundry, so he later recounted the story that he had to haul all his dirty clothes back to the log house where his parents lived to have them washed every week.
While he averaged around 40 shoes per day, he often nailed on more than 90 shoes in a single day, with his record being 96. He reported later that it was the regret of his life that he never succeeded in hitting the even 100 mark.
Hen’s speed at shoeing horses led to improved wages. By his second year, his annual salary increased to $150. The following year, in 1883, he bought the Kauffman wagon making and smithing business, borrowing $800 to pay for it.
Hen married Mary Ann Wagaman on 29 Dec 1887. They lived in Cedar Bluff, Iowa and were the parents of 5 children. His wife helped work at the shop on occasions to help pay off the original $800 business loan. It was said that Hen bragged that Mary Ann could "set a wagon tire as well as any man."*
Hen spent all but a small part of his life in the Cedar Bluff area. At one point, he made a claim on some land in Dakota and operated a blacksmith shop 10 miles away from the Millers’ Iowa home. During what lasted for 16 months, his wife Mary Ann managed to maintain their Iowa homestead.
The first thing people often noticed about Hen was his unique mustache. It was said that he let it grow for 50 years without ever cutting or trimming it. The mustache measured 29 inches, apparently from the area above his mouth to the tip on each side. He usually tied it back with string while working at his shop, but sometimes was known to drape it around his neck like a necktie. He was also known to wear it in decorative braids that hung from each side of his face.
In 1893, Hen visited the World’s Fair in Chicago, Illinois. Reportedly, large numbers of curious on-lookers followed him through the midway, unsure as to whether he was a visitor to the fair or part of some exotic show, thanks to his eye-catching mustache.
He was an avid collector of pictures of all styles and sizes. The artwork he displayed in his shop to make his horseshoeing hours more pleasant included "soft-toned oil paintings in heavy gilt frames, gaudy little calendar illustrations, photographs, quaint old world scenes of German beer taverns, [and] still life studies of colorful flower baskets."* Included in Hen’s collection of pictures was a large portrait of himself that was painted by a traveling artist who visited Cedar Bluff.
"Sparks from his forge would spatter against the picture frames lined along the shop walls, and die away leaving them black-flecked with soot."*
His other hobbies included raising porcupines that he kept penned in a small room next to his shop. He collected rattlesnake hides, which he cleaned, dried and hung from the ceiling of his business. He also kept 2 stuffed coyotes on display that were souvenirs of his brief attempt to stake a claim in South Dakota.
By the time he retired after 47 years as a blacksmith, Hen estimated that he had driven approximately 1,600,000 nails during his career. He said that he had made close to 140,000 horse shoes during his most active years, and concluded that he had probably shod a grand total of 200,000 hooves. All this, despite a number of minor work-related injuries over the years, including the time when the bones in his right hand were broken by a mule.
Hen’s death came 12 days before what would have been his 71st birthday. He was survived by his wife, Mary Ann; 1 son, Fred Miller; 2 daughters, Cora Fankhauser and Iva Kroger; 4 grandsons; and 1 brother, Charles W. Miller.
It was reported that most of his collections were in poor condition by the time he died. Many of his pictures, "faded and soiled," were dumped down the cistern at the blacksmith shop, along with his snake skins, porcupine hides and other treasures.
Hen's anvil was moved to his gravesite where it was erected as part of his memorial and a lasting tribute to the years he had spent working beside it.
His wife, Mary Ann, passed away in 1940 and was buried next to him.
Children: 1 son, 4 daughters.
Father of:
Fred Conrad Miller
Cora Mae Miller Fankhauser
Dessie Jane Miller
Iva Sarah Miller Kroger
Infant Daughter Miller
Hen’s siblings:
Charles W. Miller
Mary A. Miller
----------
Obituary:
H. C. Miller
Henry C. Miller was born in a log cabin four miles northwest of Tipton, July 27, 1861, and passed away at his home in Cedar Bluff, July 15, 1932, at the age of 70 years, 11 months and 18 days. With the exception of 16 months in South Dakota he has spent his whole life in this vicinity.
He was united in marriage to Mary A. Wagaman on December 29, 1887. To this union were born five children, one boy and four girls.
Mr. Miller leaves his wife and three of five children, Fred C. Miller of Charleston, S. Car.; Mrs. Thurman Fankhauser of Bennett, and Mrs. Chris Kroeger, of Tipton; also four grandsons survive him. Besides these he leaves one brother, C. W. Miller, of Cedar Rapids.
Funeral services were held in the Christian church in Cedar Bluff, Sunday afternoon at 1:30. The Rev. H. N. Poston of Tipton officiated. Burial was at the Sandhill cemetery.
(The Tipton Conservative and Advertiser; Tipton, Iowa; 21 Jul 1932)
----------
*Quotes in the bio were taken from "Memories of Hen Miller, Cedar Bluff Blacksmith” by Virginia Maxson; published in The Tipton Conservative and Advertiser; 20 Jul 1933.
Hen became an expert at shoeing horses as a young man. At the age of 20, he earned $50 his first year working for a wagon maker in Cedar Bluff named S. H. Kauffman. His pay did not include boarding or laundry, so he later recounted the story that he had to haul all his dirty clothes back to the log house where his parents lived to have them washed every week.
While he averaged around 40 shoes per day, he often nailed on more than 90 shoes in a single day, with his record being 96. He reported later that it was the regret of his life that he never succeeded in hitting the even 100 mark.
Hen’s speed at shoeing horses led to improved wages. By his second year, his annual salary increased to $150. The following year, in 1883, he bought the Kauffman wagon making and smithing business, borrowing $800 to pay for it.
Hen married Mary Ann Wagaman on 29 Dec 1887. They lived in Cedar Bluff, Iowa and were the parents of 5 children. His wife helped work at the shop on occasions to help pay off the original $800 business loan. It was said that Hen bragged that Mary Ann could "set a wagon tire as well as any man."*
Hen spent all but a small part of his life in the Cedar Bluff area. At one point, he made a claim on some land in Dakota and operated a blacksmith shop 10 miles away from the Millers’ Iowa home. During what lasted for 16 months, his wife Mary Ann managed to maintain their Iowa homestead.
The first thing people often noticed about Hen was his unique mustache. It was said that he let it grow for 50 years without ever cutting or trimming it. The mustache measured 29 inches, apparently from the area above his mouth to the tip on each side. He usually tied it back with string while working at his shop, but sometimes was known to drape it around his neck like a necktie. He was also known to wear it in decorative braids that hung from each side of his face.
In 1893, Hen visited the World’s Fair in Chicago, Illinois. Reportedly, large numbers of curious on-lookers followed him through the midway, unsure as to whether he was a visitor to the fair or part of some exotic show, thanks to his eye-catching mustache.
He was an avid collector of pictures of all styles and sizes. The artwork he displayed in his shop to make his horseshoeing hours more pleasant included "soft-toned oil paintings in heavy gilt frames, gaudy little calendar illustrations, photographs, quaint old world scenes of German beer taverns, [and] still life studies of colorful flower baskets."* Included in Hen’s collection of pictures was a large portrait of himself that was painted by a traveling artist who visited Cedar Bluff.
"Sparks from his forge would spatter against the picture frames lined along the shop walls, and die away leaving them black-flecked with soot."*
His other hobbies included raising porcupines that he kept penned in a small room next to his shop. He collected rattlesnake hides, which he cleaned, dried and hung from the ceiling of his business. He also kept 2 stuffed coyotes on display that were souvenirs of his brief attempt to stake a claim in South Dakota.
By the time he retired after 47 years as a blacksmith, Hen estimated that he had driven approximately 1,600,000 nails during his career. He said that he had made close to 140,000 horse shoes during his most active years, and concluded that he had probably shod a grand total of 200,000 hooves. All this, despite a number of minor work-related injuries over the years, including the time when the bones in his right hand were broken by a mule.
Hen’s death came 12 days before what would have been his 71st birthday. He was survived by his wife, Mary Ann; 1 son, Fred Miller; 2 daughters, Cora Fankhauser and Iva Kroger; 4 grandsons; and 1 brother, Charles W. Miller.
It was reported that most of his collections were in poor condition by the time he died. Many of his pictures, "faded and soiled," were dumped down the cistern at the blacksmith shop, along with his snake skins, porcupine hides and other treasures.
Hen's anvil was moved to his gravesite where it was erected as part of his memorial and a lasting tribute to the years he had spent working beside it.
His wife, Mary Ann, passed away in 1940 and was buried next to him.
Children: 1 son, 4 daughters.
Father of:
Fred Conrad Miller
Cora Mae Miller Fankhauser
Dessie Jane Miller
Iva Sarah Miller Kroger
Infant Daughter Miller
Hen’s siblings:
Charles W. Miller
Mary A. Miller
----------
Obituary:
H. C. Miller
Henry C. Miller was born in a log cabin four miles northwest of Tipton, July 27, 1861, and passed away at his home in Cedar Bluff, July 15, 1932, at the age of 70 years, 11 months and 18 days. With the exception of 16 months in South Dakota he has spent his whole life in this vicinity.
He was united in marriage to Mary A. Wagaman on December 29, 1887. To this union were born five children, one boy and four girls.
Mr. Miller leaves his wife and three of five children, Fred C. Miller of Charleston, S. Car.; Mrs. Thurman Fankhauser of Bennett, and Mrs. Chris Kroeger, of Tipton; also four grandsons survive him. Besides these he leaves one brother, C. W. Miller, of Cedar Rapids.
Funeral services were held in the Christian church in Cedar Bluff, Sunday afternoon at 1:30. The Rev. H. N. Poston of Tipton officiated. Burial was at the Sandhill cemetery.
(The Tipton Conservative and Advertiser; Tipton, Iowa; 21 Jul 1932)
----------
*Quotes in the bio were taken from "Memories of Hen Miller, Cedar Bluff Blacksmith” by Virginia Maxson; published in The Tipton Conservative and Advertiser; 20 Jul 1933.
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