Effie Jane (Cline) Miller (abt. 1862 - 1942)

Born about 2 Oct 1862 in Frederick County, Maryland, United States

Ancestors

Wife of Jeremiah Vellis — married 16 Sep 1880 (to after Sep 1886) in Liberty Township, Adams County, Pennsylvania, United States

Died 26 Feb 1942 at about age 79 in Fountaindale, Adams County, Pennsylvania, United States

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Biography

Date of birth, from Effie's tombstone photo ^[1], is marked [uncertain]. The date shown is consistent with census data ^[2], but the death certificate ^[3] has a different date.

Research Note

The available data for Effie is incomplete and inconsistent. Source ^[4] indicates that Effie married Jeremiah Vellis in September 1880, but that he deserted her a few weeks after the marriage and never returned. Then, in 1886, Effie had a child by another man. At that point she attempted to divorce Vellis so she and the unnamed father of the child could marry, but that attempt was denied by a court in Adams County, PA.

We have found no divorce record, but the U.S. 1900 Census record ^[2] indicates that Effie did have a second marriage, around 1894, to Jacob Miller. Jacob was a widower, 40 years her senior, who had 10 children from his first marriage. Three of Jacob's children remained single and shared the same household with Jacob and Effie. In this 1900 census Effie also reported that she was the mother of no children, and we have found no subsequent record of the child she reportedly had in 1886.

Jacob Miller died in 1901 at age 78. Subsequent census records indicate that Effie continued to share the household with Jacob's adult children, and that at some point she may have married Jacob's son Jeremiah (Jerry) Miller. In the 1910 ^[5] and 1930 ^[6] census records, Effie is listed as Jerry's sister, but in the 1920 ^[7] and 1940 ^[8] records, she is identified as his wife. In the 1911 obituary notice for her sister Amanda E. (Cline) Reeves, Effie is identified as Miss Effie Kline, but in the 1939 obituary notice for her brother Charles P. Cline, she is identified as Mrs. Jerry Miller. In her own obituary (1942) ^[9] and Certificate of Death ^[3], she is named as the widow of Jacob Miller. She is not mentioned at all in the obituary or the death certificate for Jerry Miller (1941, not shown).

Death Records

● Interred at Fountaindale Union Cemetery, Fountaindale, Adams County, PA. ^[1]

● Data Base, "Pennsylvania, U.S., Death Certificates, 1906 - 1968" (Effie Jane Miller). Place of death, Adams County, Liberty Township. Length of stay in this community, 79 years. Usual residence of deceased, Rural Adams County, Pennsylvania, near Fountaindale. Sex, Fm. Race, W. Widow. Husband, Jacob Miller. Date of death, Feb. 26, 1942, 10 a.m. Cause of death, Cerebral Hemorrhage. /s/ [illegible], Coroner. Birth date of deceased, October 18, 1863. Age, 79 years, 4 months, 10 days. Birthplace, Adams County, Pa. Usual occupation, Housekeeper. Father, Samuel Cline, birthplace Fredrick Co., Md. Mother, Annie Ramsberg, birthplace Fredrick Co., Md. Informant, Harry R. Harbaugh, Fairfield, Pa., R.D. #1. Burial Feb. 28, 1942, Fountaindale. Funeral director, S.L. Allison, Fairfield, Pa. (Accessed 05 Sep 2022.) ^[3]

● Text of obituary: ^[9]

"Mrs. Effie J. Miller, widow of Jacob Miller, was found dead at her home at Fountaindale Thursday afternoon at 5 o'clock.

"Dr. C.G. Crist, Adams county coroner, investigated and attributed death to a cerebral hemorrhage. Death is believed to have occurred about eight hours before.

"The deceased was a daughter of the late Samuel and Anna (Ramsburg) Cline. She was a member of Jacobs Reformed church, Fountaindale. There are no survivors.

"Funeral services from the Jacobs Reformed church Saturday afternoon at 2 o'clock conducted by the Rev. Edwin Werner, of Blue Ridge Summit. Interment in the Fountaindale cemetery.

"Friends may call at the S.L. Allison funeral home, Fairfield, this evening."

Census Data

● U.S. 1940 Census (Effie Miller). Residence, Liberty Township, Adams County, PA. Age 77, married, born MD. Completed 8th grade. In household of husband Jerry Miller (75), with sister-in-law Emma Miller (64). Residence 01 Apr 1935, Same House. (Enumerated 17-18 Apr 1940. Accessed 18 Aug 2013.) ^[8]

● U.S. 1930 Census (Effie Miller). Residence, Liberty Township, Adams County, PA. Age 67, single, born MD, father born MD, mother born MD. Able to read and write, Yes. Occupation, None. In household of brother Jerry Miller (65), with sister Emma Miller (55). (Enumerated 14 Apr 1930. Accessed 18 Aug 2013.) ^[6]

[In the field for showing relationship to head of household, Effie's original entry 'House Keeper' is lined out and replaced by 'Sister'.]

● U.S. 1920 Census (Effie Miller). Residence, Liberty Township, Adams County, PA. Age 57, married, born MD, father born MD, mother born MD. Able to read, Yes. Able to write, Yes. Occupation, None. In household of husband Jerry Miller (54), with brother-in-law Christopher Miller (56) and sister-in-law Emma Miller (44). (Enumerated 28 Jan 1920. Accessed 18 Aug 2013.) ^[7]

● U.S. 1910 Census (Effie J. Miller). Residence, Liberty Township, Adams County, PA, Valley Road. Age 47, single, born PA, father born MD, mother born PA. Able to read, Yes. Able to write, Yes. Occupation, None. In household of brother Jerry Miller (45), with brother Christopher Miller (47) and sister Emma Miller (34). (Enumerated 15-16 Apr 1910. Accessed 18 Aug 2013.) ^[5]

● U.S. 1900 Census (Effie Miller). Residence, Liberty Township, Adams County, PA. Age 37, married (6 years), born MD (Oct 1862), father born MD, mother born MD. Able to read, Yes. Able to write, Yes. Mother of 0 children. In household of husband Jacob Miller (77), with stepson Christian (36), stepson Jerry (34), and stepdaughter Emma Miller (22). (Enumerated 15-16 Jun 1900. Accessed 18 Aug 2013.) ^[2]

[From the image of the 1900 census record, it appears that the Millers lived next door to Effie's widowed mother, Anna Cline.]

● U.S. 1880 Census (Effie Cline). Residence, Liberty Township, Adams County, PA. Age 17, single, born MD, father born MD, mother born MD. Occupation, At home. In household of parents Samuel (60) and Ann Cline (60), with brother-in-law Joseph Harbaugh (26), sister Eliza Harbaugh (21), and nephew Clarence Harbaugh (1/12, born Apr 1880). (Enumerated 02-03 Jun 1880. Accessed 16 Aug 2013.) ^[10]

● U.S. 1870 Census (Effa Jane Cline). Residence, Liberty Township, District 100, Adams County, PA, Post Office Gettysburg. Age 7, born MD. In household of Samuel Cline (57), with Ann M. Cline (51), Eliza Cline (11), and Charles P. Cline (9). (Enumerated 05 Aug 1870. Accessed 28 Aug 2022.) ^[11]

[In the original census ledger sheet the surname of all the family members is spelled Kline, but the record has been re-indexed with the corrected spelling.]

Sources

1. ↑ ^{1.0 1.1} Find A Grave: Memorial #24505719. Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/24505719/effie-jane-miller: accessed 06 September 2022), memorial page for Effie Jane Cline Miller (2 Oct 1862–26 Feb 1942), Find a Grave Memorial ID 24505719, citing Fountaindale Union Cemetery, Liberty Township, Adams County, Pennsylvania, USA; Maintained by deb (contributor 46554453).
2. ↑ ^{2.0 2.1 2.2} "United States Census, 1900", database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MS1C-P2Y : 1 December 2021), Effie Miller in entry for Jacob Miller, 1900.
3. ↑ ^{3.0 3.1 3.2} Ancestry.com. Pennsylvania, U.S., Death Certificates, 1906-1968 [database on-line]. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2014. Original data: Pennsylvania (State). Death certificates, 1906–1968. Series 11.90 (1,905 cartons), Certificate Number Range: 010201-013150. Records of the Pennsylvania Department of Health, Record Group 11. Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. Accessed on ancestry.com, 05 September 2022.
   • View Ancestry Record 5164 #4651054 (requires subscription).
   • View free Ancestry Sharing Link on ancestry.com.
4. ↑ Gettysburg (PA) Compiler, article on Vellis Divorce Case, Tuesday 29 Nov 1887, p3 (online at Google News Archive Search, <news.google.com/newspapers>, accessed 20 Aug 2013.)
   [An image of the article is shown as a .pdf file under Images.]
5. ↑ ^{5.0 5.1} "United States Census, 1910," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MGD9-ZD6 : accessed 7 September 2022), Effie J Miller in household of Jerry Miller, Liberty, Adams, Pennsylvania, United States; citing enumeration district (ED) ED 20, sheet 1B, family 11, NARA microfilm publication T624 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 1982), roll 1292; FHL microfilm 1,375,305.
6. ↑ ^{6.0 6.1} "United States Census, 1930," database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XCH4-LWJ : accessed 7 September 2022), Effie Miller in household of Jerry Miller, Liberty, Adams, Pennsylvania, United States; citing enumeration district (ED) ED 22, sheet 5A, line 35, family 93, NARA microfilm publication T626 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 2002), roll 1959; FHL microfilm 2,341,693.
7. ↑ ^{7.0 7.1} "United States Census, 1920", database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MFT8-JG2 : 3 February 2021), Effie Miller in entry for Jerry Miller, 1920.
8. ↑ ^{8.0 8.1} "United States Census, 1940," database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:KQXX-Q51 : 7 January 2021), Effie Miller in household of Jerry Miller, Fountain Dale, Hamiltonban Township, Adams, Pennsylvania, United States; citing enumeration district (ED) 1-28, sheet 7B, line 78, family 132, Sixteenth Census of the United States, 1940, NARA digital publication T627. Records of the Bureau of the Census, 1790 - 2007, RG 29. Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 2012, roll 3396.
9. ↑ ^{9.0 9.1} Gettysburg (PA) Times, obituary, Friday 27 Feb 1942, p1.
10. ↑ "United States Census, 1880," database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MW64-2GL : 14 January 2022), Effie Cline in household of Samuel Cline, Liberty Township, Adams, Pennsylvania, United States; citing enumeration district , sheet , NARA microfilm publication T9 (Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.), FHL microfilm.
11. ↑ "United States Census, 1870", database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MZLM-591 : 29 May 2021), Effa Jane Kline in entry for Samuel Kline, 1870.