"If you want to understand today, you have to research yesterday." Pearl S. Buck
The most complete detail of Henry Miller’s life for this writer came in the form of a memorial presumably written by then publisher of THE ELECTRICAL WORKER, JT Kelly, in August of 1896. We learn much from this brief passage; most importantly we are given Henry’s birthdate - January 5, 1858 (see In Memorium). However, according to Henry’s death certificate he was 43 years old when he died on July 11, 1896, which would mean he was born in 1853. These journals and other documentation in the IBEW Archives are a brief snapshot of Henry’s life within the IBEW, but do nothing to help us understand his life before the formation of our Brotherhood.
We do know that there was a mass German immigration in Texas around the mid 1800’s referred to by its German promoters as Adelsverein. According to his memorial our founder hails from one of these, “New Germany” settlements, Gillespie. With these facts and other hunches, we set out to research Henry’s family tree, but the common name Miller and a possible birthdate spanning five years left us in a whirlwind. After following several online resources to oblivion and exhausting all the historic resources in our city, Business Manager Frank Jacobs agreed to engage a professional genealogist to trace the family tree of Brother Miller. In a recent discussion the genealogist stated,
“We have tackled way more complex cases than this one!”
To think that we could learn the name of Henry Millers wife, perhaps even how she died, is an exciting prospect. The research is projected to take six months to complete, but we will be adding their discoveries here as soon as they become available. Information about our Senior Genealogist is below!
Our Senior Genealogist
Biography
Kevan’s first exposure to genealogy was from his grandfather. As a teenager he made many trips with his grandfather to the Family History Library. He learned that it wasn’t just collecting names but learning the stories and history surrounding his ancestors that brought them to life.
Kevan specializes in German research, lived in Germany, and is the author of 43 volumes of the Map Guide to German Parish Registers.
Credentials and Degrees
Kevan is a former president of the Salt Lake Chapter of the Association of Professional Genealogists.
Areas of Expertise
Germany, France, Luxemburg, Belgium, Netherlands, Switzerland, United States (New England and Mid-Atlantic), United States colonial, immigration.
