A SHORT HISTORY OF THE MILLERS OF SIDMAN, PA:
The following narrative of the family of Samuel J. Miller and
Sarah Ann Livingston was told by Silas Miller to his daughter Alda
in September 1939, and was revised by Ruth S. Miller, daughter of
Alfred Miller, in August 1955. This story was sent to me in 1980 by
the late Truth Miller Close of Altoona, Pa. I have not further revised
this account, except for correcting a few spelling and punctuation
errors. I have left the majority of the grammar and punctuation as it
was found in the original.
Kathie Weigel--1998
Samuel J. Miller married Sarah Ann Livingston of
Conemaugh Twp, Pa. They started housekeeping in the
Glades, Stoneycreek Twp. Here their first child Alfred
was born. From here they moved one mile northwest of
Davidsville and purchased a farm. Here were born: John,
Daniel C. and Silas L. Then Sarah Ann wished to move to
Cambria County, so Samuel her husband purchased a farm
near Conemaugh, Pa. But when he made known his purchase
to his wife, she refused to live there as the former
residents had a bad reputation, so he purchased the
present Miller farmhouse in Sidman, Pa., which at that
time was known as Sidman Mills.
The Sidman farm consisted of 110 acres, with about
40 acres uncleared woodland. On this farm was a log and
frame house attached, a log barn, log flour mill and a
blacksmith shop. The farm land was of poor quality, so
in order to support the family Samuel J. purchased an old
sawmill from George Stineman of South Fork. Timber was
cut from the Fye farm. This timber was hauled to
Johnstown to sell for about $6-$8 per 1000 feet.
At the time the Millers moved to this farm, Alfred
was 4 yrs. old, John 3 yrs. old, Daniel 2, Silas 1, and
Elizabeth about 3 weeks old.
It should be mentioned here that Samuel J., like his
father Yost D., was of German ancestry (a Pennsylvania
Dutchman), and of the Amish faith. Yost was a minister,
preaching in German, and a farmer. Sarah Ann (Livingston)
Miller was Lutheran. Samuel and his wife Sarah helped to
found and build the present Lutheran Church in Sidman,
as there was no church there at the time they bought
their farm. They were it's staunch supporters in the
years that followed.
Samuel J. worked on his farm "estate" as a farmer,
blacksmith (shoeing horses and repairing wagons etc.),
and ran his sawmill and grist mill. His wife Sarah did
the necessary housework, cooking, and worked in the
fields as well. She also spun the wool from her sheep
into yarn and Alfred or John would take the yarn to
weavers, a widow and a Mrs. Kring near Elton, at Dan's
homestead. Sarah then took the cloth which they had made
and made shirts and pants for her sons, doing all the
work by hand, and working late at night by candlelight
(candles made by themselves with their own tallow; their
lanterns were lighted by candles instead of oil). The
children, (boys at that time) didn't wear underwear as
they were too poor to afford it. Their Sunday dress
consisted of shirt, trousers and a 10 cent straw hat.
As soon as the boys were old enough to work (they
were still children too), they helped about the farm,
house (carrying all the water, etc., which was a mile
from the house and the pathway full of snakes, some as
long as a fence rail), gristmill, sawmill and cutting and
sawing wood.
The farm produce, consisting of chickens, butter,
eggs, potatoes, apples, and berries when in season, was
taken by the Miller boys to sell in South Fork and
Johnstown. Here are some of the prices their produce
brought selling from door to door, on the curb market in
Johnstown, or at UpterGraffs store: chickens from 20-25
cents each, butter 10 cents a pound, eggs 10 cents a dozen,
raspberries 10 quarts for $1.00, and blackberries 10 quarts
for 50 cents. The produce not sold for cash, that is what
was left over after cash sale, was taken to UpterGraff's
store and bartered for goods such as thread, gingham (3 cents
a yard), coffee (about 10 cents a pound, which was taken home
and roasted), and sugar (5 cents a pound).
They also raised cattle, swine and sheep on the
farm. This livestock (especially sheep and swine) roamed
the hills and mountains for miles around and many of the
sheep and swine got lost, strayed, or were even stolen.
Cattle roamed in the vicinity of the reservoir where St.
Michaels is now located. Horses too were pastured here,
whereupon horse thieves haunted the vicinity and stole
young horses when they could. All cattle, sheep, swine
and horses had to be branded.
Samuel J. Miller was Amish like his father before
him. He dressed in the Amish style. He wore a beard and
his hair bobbed. he wore the usual big, black broad-
brimmed hat and a black suit. The Amish people made their
own clothes. They never wore buttons, but used hooks and
eyes. Anything fancy or ornamental was against their
custom.
The reservoir that caused the Johnstown Flood on May
31, 1899, was formerly owned by the U.S. Government. It
was build to feed an old canal. The reservoir broke in
1865 when Johnstown was very small and did little damage.
Water from the reservoir was transported in large iron
pipes to feed the canal. These pipes were joined and
soldered together with lead which some of the farmers
used to steal and melt down and make into bullets. In
addition to feeding a canal, the reservoir fed an ole
swimmin' hole, where the Miller boys used to go swimming.
About 1877, a number of Pittsburgh millionaires
bought this reservoir for the purpose of creating a lake
and a summer resort. They organized themselves in to the
"South Fork Fishing and Hunting Club."
The reservoir covered an area of 600 acres and was
3 miles long. The South Fork Fishing and Hunting Club
then began to construct their lake, hiring all the usual
apparatus, horses, digging machines, etc., and also
laborers and engineers. They dug up huge rocks, uprooted
trees. Some of the rocks took as many as eight horses to
drag. Some horses fell in the excavations or fell over
backwards and were killed. The Miller boys had had a
small hand in helping to build this lake. Alfred drove
a baggage wagon. The older boys worked around the
cottages surrounding the lake, digging ditches, carrying
hod to the cottages (at $1.50 for a 10 hour day) and
Alfred even washed dishes.
It took 3 years to build this lake and 3 years more
for it to fill. Then it was stocked with fish (all kinds)
and suckers 13-22 inches long. No one was allowed to fish
in the lake except the Members of the South Fork Fishing
and Hunting Club and their guests. But many of the
farmers and residents in that vicinity did fish there
under cover of darkness. The Miller boys used to be fish
poachers at this lake! And Samuel J. himself. They
lighted their way by means of rags soaked in oil. The
fish were so thick that they could tramp on them in the
shallow water or spear two at a time. One night Samuel
J. Miller and his son John caught 105 lbs. and Alfred
caught 195 lbs. The next day Alfred took a horse and
buggy and took 220 lbs. of their catch to South Fork and
sold it all for 10 cents a pound. They seldom ate any of the
fish they caught, as they cared little for fish. The last
year or two the lake was in operation (before the dam
broke), Samuel J. charged $1.00 a person to fish on their
land. The men who fished on his land would buy hard cider
from him (2 quarts for 10›) and would go home feeling
quite tipsy. Thus Samuel J. Miller profited in two ways
from this lake, three ways you might say, including the
fish he and his sons would catch and sell.
This lake was called Conemaugh Lake. Adjoining the
Miller creek, the Club built a dam, with poles to keep
the fish from coming up into the streams and posted "No
Fishing" signs all around with a $50. fine for anyone
caught fishing there. But the farmer boys tore out a few
poles so the fish would come up and every spring the
suckers came up in their creek to spawn. Here is where
the farmers from ten miles around came to fish with
spears and net.
For four or five years after the lake filled in it
was inhabited on the surface by wild ducks and geese and
swans. These were shot or driven away. In 1879, wild
pigeons, probably the now extinct Passenger Pigeon, came
in large flock into the area. They were so plentiful that
when they perched in the trees they broke the limbs. The
people, those who had guns--not the Millers though, they
were too poor to afford guns--would shoot them. They
roosted at night in the neighborhood of Beaverdale. Many
of the farmers sought them at night, and in the morning
the pigeons took to the air and they were so numerous
that they blackened the sky for an hour afterward. A
George Kring from Wyanndtown sneaked up on a flock and
whistled and when the birds took flight he shot and
brought down 60 birds with one shot (this sounds like a
"bird story", but that is what Alfred Miller said). The
birds, what were left after their merciless slaughter by
the farmers, left as mysteriously as they came and never
returned (you can't blame them!).
Some of the young farmer boys, including Alfred
Miller, John and Jonas Kauffman, Bill Orris and Bill
Gramling formed a club and called it the Dunlo Social
Club. They cleared out the land where the United Brethren
Church now stands. They bought lumber and built a dance
floor. They erected a refreshment stand and built picnic
benches and some seats through the surrounding "park" for
privacy for lovers. The Dunlo Social Club held dances and
Saturday night entertainments. The three Hoyer boys were
fiddlers and they played for the dances (at $5.00
apiece). They charged 10 cents a dance. The Club advertised
their dances as far away as Johnstown. The PPR ran a
special train from Johnstown to South Fork and Dunlo.
Some of the boys, or rather young men, met their future
wives at these dances and picnics. Alfred met his wife
here and John met Alda Wonders.
There was a big depression in 1877. Steel mills,
coal mines, factories of all kinds throughout the nation
were shut down. The farmers didn't suffer as much as the
city folk, but they felt the depression too. Samuel J.
got hired men for as little as $6.00 a month room and
board. The Miller family was very poor at that time so
that every time Sarah Ann saw a horse or wagon she was
afraid it was the sheriff coming to their place to
collect or be sold out.
The dam site which held back the lake facing to
Johnstown began to weaken and when the spring rains
swelled the lake, water pressure caused the dam to
crumble and break. There was very little warning. As soon
as it began to break, one of the men (probably unknown
now) saddled a horse as quickly as he could and rode to
Johnstown, Paul Revere style, and when he saw anyone he
shouted that the dam was breaking and that the people
should fly to the hills. Some obeyed, but more did not.
The water in the lake with a mighty roar rushed down the
valley (a wall of water 60 feet high), and since
Johnstown was in the valley directly in its path, it
received the full brunt of the onrushing waters. The
Miller farm, which is above St. Michael and thus above
the dam site (and lake) was not harmed.
After the tragedy of the Flood subsided, some of the
members of the South Fork Fishing and Hunting Club
considered rebuilding the lake. But the residents got
wind of their decision and threatened any members who
came there with such intentions would be met with armed
farmers who would shoot them on sight. The former owners
never dared to even try to return, let alone rebuild the
lake. All that remains of that former rich mens'
fisherman's paradise are a few cottages in St. Michael
and a half dried up creek bed.
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