With residency beginning in 1727, Adam Miller (Mueller) is recognized as the first permanent white settler in the
Shenandoah Valley
The Shenandoah Valley () is a geographic valley and cultural region of western Virginia and the eastern panhandle of West Virginia in the United States. The Valley is bounded to the east by the Blue Ridge Mountains, to the west by the east ...
of
Virginia
Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States between the East Coast of the United States ...
, US. Born in 1703 in
Schriesheim
Schriesheim (; South Franconian: ''Schriese'') is a town located in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is part of the Rhein-Neckar-Kreis and the Rhine-Neckar Metropolitan Region.
Geography
Schriesheim lies on the Bergstraße, at the western ed ...
, Germany, Miller immigrated to America as a young married man, settling in
Lancaster County, PA in 1724.
On a trip through eastern
Virginia
Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States between the East Coast of the United States ...
, Miller heard reports about a lush Valley to the west which had been discovered by Governor
Alexander Spotswood
Major-General Alexander Spotswood (12 December 1676 – 7 June 1740) was a British army officer, explorer and colonial administrator who served as the governor of Virginia from 1710 to 1722. After an unsatisfactory military career, in 1710 ...
's legendary
Knights of the Golden Horseshoe Expedition
The Knights of the Golden Horseshoe Expedition, also known as the Transmontane Expedition, took place in 1716 in the British Colony of Virginia. The Royal Governor and a number of prominent citizens traveled westward, across the Blue Ridge Mount ...
. In 1727, Miller and his wife Barbara moved from
Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania, officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a U.S. state, state spanning the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern United States, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes region, Great Lakes regions o ...
to
Virginia
Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States between the East Coast of the United States ...
and staked out a claim on the south fork of the
Shenandoah River
The Shenandoah River is the principal tributary of the Potomac River, long with two River fork, forks approximately long each,U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map accessed August ...
, near the line that now divides
Rockingham County from
Page County.
The year of Miller's 1727 arrival in the Valley is confirmed in a 1742 naturalization proclamation by Virginia Governor
William Gooch, which states, "And Adam Miller ... having Settled and Inhabited for fifteen years past on Shenandoa in this colony". Miller's birthplace is also cited in the proclamation, which notes that he was "born at Shesoin in Germany", but the correct spelling of "Schriesheim" is cited on the reverse side of the original document, written out and signed by Adam Miller.
Shenandoah baptismal records show that Miller and his wife had at least three children: Catarina Elizabetha (b. December 20, 1734), Adam Jr. (b. July 16, 1736) and Anna Christina (b. October 18, 1738). In adulthood, Catarina (Catherine) and Anna married brothers, John Baer and Jacob Baer, respectively.
In 1741, Miller purchased , including a large lithia spring, near
Elkton, Virginia
Elkton (formerly Conrad's Store) is an incorporated town in Rockingham County, Virginia, Rockingham County, Virginia, United States. It is included in the Harrisonburg, Virginia, Harrisonburg Harrisonburg metropolitan area, Metropolitan Statistic ...
, and lived on this property for the remainder of his life. He sold of this property to his son-in-law, Jacob Baer, and the spring on Miller’s land is still known as Bear Lithia Spring. In 1758, Miller fought in the
French and Indian War
The French and Indian War, 1754 to 1763, was a colonial conflict in North America between Kingdom of Great Britain, Great Britain and Kingdom of France, France, along with their respective Native Americans in the United States, Native American ...
, serving in the Company of Lt. Christian Bingaman. He died in 1783, with his estate settled in
Rockingham County, VA.
[Levinson, Constance, "Rockingham County Minute Book, 1778–1792 – Part I, 1778–1786" Greystone Publishers, Harrisonburg, VA, p 204]
See also
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Shenandoah Germans
The Shenandoah Valley region of Virginia and parts of West Virginia is home to a long-established German-American community dating to the 17th century. The earliest German settlers to Shenandoah, sometimes known as the Shenandoah Deitsch or the V ...
References
Bibliography
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Miller, Adam
American pioneers
Mennonitism in Virginia
People from colonial Virginia
German emigrants to the Thirteen Colonies
1703 births
1783 deaths
People from Rhein-Neckar-Kreis