Joseph Seraphim Miller (1888 - 1978)

Born 11 Sep 1888 in Fort Wayne, Indiana

Ancestors

Husband of Alma Loretta (Schenkel) Miller — married 22 Sep 1914 in Ft. Wayne, Allen Co., Indiana, USA

Descendants

Died 22 Dec 1978 at age 90 in Milwaukee Wisconsin

Problems/Questions Profile manager: Joe Kohl [send private message]

Biography

Birth & Christening

Joseph was born on September 11, 1888 in Fort Wayne, Indiana.^[1]

Early Life

One story told to his children was that once as child he jumped off of a barn with an umbrella thinking that he would float down. He didn't float down. ^[2]

In 1900 he was 11 years old and living with his family. His father Seraphim was 33 years old and a house painter by profession. His mother Catharine was 41, and it shows that she had had 7 children but only 5 were alive. His parents were married 18 years prior. Also at home were his sisters Mary age 17, Clara age 9, and Henrietta age 6, and his brother John at 1 year of age. His sister Mary was working as a seamstress.^[3]

In 1904, when he was 16 years old, he ran away from home and got a job with a railroad company that was laying track out west. He would walk 14 miles each day inspecting the track. He even did this through the Badlands (South Dakota), where he would walk at night to avoid the daytime heat. He said that he could hear the coyotes howling from the darkness as he walked with his lantern. Eventually he ended up in Oregon and fell in love with the place. He worked in the railroads warehouses and stayed at a rooming house. He spoke about how the women of the house would make him lemon pies. He returned to Fort Wayne after being gone for about 2 years. When he was older after his wife passed, he would regularly comment that he wanted to go back to Oregon to see if that house was still there (and maybe the women too!).^[4]

He is listed in the 1906 Fort Wayne City Directory found on Ancestry.com as boarding at 1619 Sherman (his father's house). This listing reads that he was "mach hd Ft W E Wks." That was probably the Fort Wayne Electric Works. According to an index on the webpage vintagemachinery.org this company organized in May 1899 in Ft. Wayne and in 1911 it merged into General Electric Company.

1910 Census shows him living with parents at 1619 Sherman Blvd in Ft Wayne, 21 years hold, working as a house painter.^[5]

He met his future wife Alma at church. She would go to the evening devotions and he would wait for her outside and walk her home. As they dated, Joe was spending evenings with Alma at her parents house. Alma's father Peter Schenkel would send him home at about 10pm each night.^[6]

Married Life

He married Alma Schenkel in 1914 in Fort Wayne, IN.^[7] They lived at 2020 Meridian Street in Fort Wayne. His niece Mary Luley Herber said that the house was built by his father-in-law, Peter Schenkel...and that Joseph's daughter Ruth was born in that house.^[8]

The 1920 Federal Census shows them living at 2020 Meridian Street in Fort Wayne. Joseph was 31 years old at the time. His profession was knitter. In the household is his wife Alma L. 21 years old, son Ralph at 4 years 3 months, daughter Ruth M at 1 year 11 months, and son James A at 2 months old.^[9]

Both he and his brother, John, were working for Wayne Knitting Mill until there was a strike in 1920. Both were out of work for a while. His brother John had taken a job in Rosedale PA, but returned to Fort Wayne when his son became ill. Both Joe and John and others from Ft. Wayne were recruited by Kurt Thurfellow of Holeproof Hosiery to come to Milwaukee and work in their factory there. They worked in Milwaukee for some time before bringing the families there. John Miller said all of this took place in 1920, but he also said his son was a year or so old.^[10] His son was a year old in 1921.

Married Life in Milwaukee

According to his daughter Marcie, Alma and the four kids moved to Milwaukee when Marcie was 6 months old. That would have been April 1922. Marcie said that the family rented a flat near Washington Park, near the zoo (not the current zoo location). And Alma would take the children to the zoo for picnics often since it was close. Then her dad bought a house and then later bought the house we know on 26th Street. This seems to be confirmed by records found at the public library.^[11]

The 1922 city directory for Milwaukee^[12] shows Joseph Miller (the knitter) at 263 9th Street. it does not list his wife Alma. This may have been where Joseph lived when he first moved to Milwaukee while Alma and the kids stayed in Ft. Wayne. This address is now part of the Milwaukee County Courthouse Campus, and would have been on N. 9th Street between Kilbourn and State Streets.^[13] His brother John is shown with his wife Matilda at 1101 28th Street. The new address from 1931 for this house is 2801 28th Street. For the previous year, there is not a clear Joseph or John Miller listed in the Milwaukee City Directory that has their wives' names or their profession as 'knitter.'^[14]

The Milwaukee City Directories found in the Milwaukee Public Library in 2004 show that in 1923 and 1924 Joseph and Alma were living at 2923 W. Brown Street. Joseph was employed at Holeproof Hosiery.^[15] That address today would is at 2927 West Brown Street.^[16]

In 1925 and 1926 They were living at 746 39th Street. With the change of addresses in 1931, this location is now at 2152 N.39th Street. This is where Joseph's daughter Marcie mentioned that they lived near Washington Park and frequented the zoo there as kids. From historic photographs posted on-line, the park looked beautiful (originally designed by Frederick Law Olmstead) and the zoo quite interesting. Sadly the building no longer exists, but just to the south there is a building that was similar. It has one unit on the ground floor and another above on the second that may have included the attic too.^[17]

In 1927 through 1930 they were living at 1753 N. 26th Street.^[18] The house may have been torn down around the year 2000.^[19]

The 1930 Federal Census finds them still living at 1753 N 26th Street in Milwaukee Wisconsin. Joseph is listed as being 41 years old, owner of the house worth $9,000 and they have a radio at home. It records that he was 26 years old at the time of his first marriage and that he was a knitter at a Hosiery Company, and that he was not veteran. Also in the household was wife Alma, age 36, Ralph aged 14, Ruth age 12, James age 10, and Marcella aged 8.^[20]

In 1931 the family was living at the house Joseph and Alma's grandchildren knew well and loved. It was at 3939 North 26th Street. That house is still standing.^[21]

The 1940 Federal Census shows the family living at 3939 Twenty-sixth Street in Milwaukee. Joseph is listed as being 51 years old whose highest level of school was the 8th grade, and as the owner of the house worth $6000. He was a knitter in a hosiery mill, he worked 40 hours per week for 52 weeks, and his income was 1800 per year. Alma was listed as 47 years old with an 8th grade education. Son Ralph was 24, single, and work 40 hours per week for 20 weeks as a machiniest at a shaft manufacturing plant. His annual income was $500. Ruth was 22, single, and worked 40 hours per week for 52 weeks as a clerk in commercial advertising for an annual salary of $610. James was 20 years old and worked 52 hours per week for 0 weeks and $0 as an office clerk in a Steam Laundry. He must have just gotten the job? Daughter Marcella was 18 years old and is not listed as employed. All 4 children had finished high school, Marcie must have just graduated.^[22]

Joseph's 1942 Draft Registration Card shows him living at the same address as in 1940. He was 53 years old. His telephone number was KILB 7481M. He was employed at Holeproof Hoisery Company located at 4th and Fouler in Milwaukee WI. He was 5 feet 11-1/2 inches tall with blue eyes, black hair, and a light complexion. He weighed approximately 138 lbs.^[23]

According to Wikipedia, Holeproof Hosiery was a Milwaukee, Wisconsin textile firm that was founded in 1901. Its advertising expenses exceeded $500,000 after 1901, making it a brand name recognized worldwide. The business produced men's and women's hosiery, underwear, lingerie, and men's pajamas. Holeproof Hosiery was made a division of Julius Kayser & Company after it was acquired for $13 million in August 1955. Kayser manufactured ladies gloves, lingerie, and hosiery. Holeproof's fixed assets were absorbed by Kayser during a five-year period concluding on June 30, 1960. It was then bought out by Staley & Staley Ltd. of Austrialia and continues there as of 2010, owned by Pacific Brands.

From 1946 through 1953, His daughter Ruth, and her husband Norman Kohl lived in Joe and Alma's upstairs apartment (the attic). Their first born daughter was born while they lived there. In light of their second daughter being born, they moved out in 1953 to a house that Norman and Ruth purchased down the street at 3828 N. 26th Street.^[24]

Later in Life

In 1955 Joseph was working for Wisconsin Iron & Metal as a watchman.^[25] His change in employer may have been the result of the acquisition of Holeproof Hoseiry in 1955 mentioned in Wikipedia.

He was 67 years old and mostly retired at this point in his life. This job was only for a few nights a week. Being a tinkerer and bored during his rounds, he would think up ways for the company to do things better. One of the things he came up with was a way to quickly burn off cardboard that had copper wiring attached to it, so that they could salvage more of the copper.^[26]

In 1960 and 1961 he was working at Parks Iron & Metal.^[27] Was this the same company that changed names?

Joe liked to tinker with things and was often at the scrap yard where he had worked looking for parts for his Perpetual Motion machine located in his basement. The attempt was a common hobby in the early 20th Century with the idea that someone could build a machine that could run on the power it generates. However physicists agree that the laws of thermodynamics illustrate that it is impossible for a machine to generate more energy than it is receiving making perpetual motion a fantasy. His son Jim said that Joe always thought that he was close. He would push a lever and the machine would start running for a while, with pullies and gears turning. This was a big contraption, probably a cubic yard in size, sitting on top of an old table. Perhaps it was using gravity if there where weights inside that could fall??? Later in life he was drinking a lot while down in the basement with his machine. One day when he was out, Alma took an ax to the machine and had it hauled out of the house before he came home.

He once made a tricycle and wagon for his visiting grandson Joey from multiple parts from the junkyard.^[28]

He was retired by 1966 for sure;^[29] but probably he retired sooner.

In the early 1970s the demographics of the neighborhood changed with African Americans moving north in the city. Crime was increasing in their neighborhood, and Joe and Alma were a target being elderly and possibly the last white family on the street. One incident involved a child crawling through the milk box to get into the house. The milk box was a compartment in the wall that could hold 2 or 3 bottles of milk. it was small. It had a metal door on the outside for the milkman's access, and a door on the inside for the occupants. The temperature inside the wall kept the milk from freezing in the winter. The house had become too much for them and it was unsafe. Joe and Alma moved into an apartment. ^[30]

His wife Alma died not long after that in 1973. His children moved him into a nursing home after finding him unconscious multiple times on the floor of his apartment. At some point around this time, he traveled with his niece Jan Kohl to her home in Virginia. He was thrilled at the opportunity to fly in an airplane. His wife had always forbade them from flying because she believed it to be "unnatural." ^[31]

He stayed in the Norman Kohl household in Virginia for a few weeks, and rode in the family stationwagon back to Milwaukee as Norman was taking his vacation there to see his mother, family, and friends. ^[32]

Death & Burial

Unfortunately Joe never seemed happy at the nursing home. Had he participated in the activities there and interacted with more people, he might have been happier. His son Jim chose the place because it had painting studios and shops for him to tinker, but he wanted no part in it. He continued to fall down, and one day in 1978 at the age of 90 he broke his hip and died soon after .^[33] He died on December 22, 1978 in Milwaukee. He is buried with his wife, his daughters Ruth and Marcie, and their husbands at Holy Cross Cemetery in Milwaukee, WI.

Sources

1. ↑ From his grandson Joseph A. Kohl.
2. ↑ From his grandson Joseph A. Kohl.
3. ↑ 1900 Federal Census; Wayne, Allen, Indiana; Roll: 359; Page: 5A; Enumeration District: 0050; FHL microfilm: 1240359.
4. ↑ From the story retold by his brother John and confirmed by his son Jim during a 1988 taped interview by his granddaughter Sue Goldstein.
5. ↑ 1910 Federal Census; Fort Wayne Ward 9, Allen, Indiana; Roll: T624_339; Page: 13A; Enumeration District: 0065; FHL microfilm: 1374352.
6. ↑ retold by his daughter Marcie during a 1988 taped interview by his granddaughter Sue Goldstein.
7. ↑ Marriage Source: Indiana Marriages, 1811-2007, 2 Sep 2002. GS Film Number 002111520; Digital Folder Number 004168620; Image Number 00830. https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:S3HT-D8MQ-487?i=75&cc=1410397
8. ↑ Told by Mary Luley Herber to Joe's grandson Joseph A. Kohl in 1996 during a tour of Fort Wayne.
9. ↑ 1920 Federal Census; Fort Wayne Ward 9, Allen, Indiana; Roll: T625_422; Page: 10A; Enumeration District: 78; Image: 445
10. ↑ Told by his brother John during a 1988 taped interview by Joseph's granddaughter Sue Goldstein.
11. ↑ Told by his daughter Marcie during a 1988 taped interview by his granddaughter Sue Goldstein.
12. ↑ Found on Ancestry.com.
13. ↑ from the website of the Milwaukee Co. Historical Society. The web page explains that some streets changed names in 1931 and almost all house/building numbers changed too. There is a conversion chart. http://www.milwaukeehistory.net/street-name-conversion/
14. ↑ Found/not found on Ancestry.com.
15. ↑ from the MILWAUKEE City Directories, found at the Milwaukee Public Library.
16. ↑ from the website of the Milwaukee Co. Historical Society. The web page explains that some streets changed names in 1931 and almost all house/building numbers changed too. There is a conversion chart. http://www.milwaukeehistory.net/street-name-conversion/
17. ↑ from the website of the Milwaukee Co. Historical Society. The web page explains that some streets changed names in 1931 and almost all house/building numbers changed too. There is a conversion chart. http://www.milwaukeehistory.net/street-name-conversion/
18. ↑ from the MILWAUKEE City Directories, found at the Milwaukee Public Library.
19. ↑ from a map search at www.historicaerials.com.
20. ↑ 1930 Federal Census; Milwaukee, Milwaukee, Wisconsin; Roll: 2595; Page: 7A; Enumeration District: 0414; Image: 441.0; FHL microfilm: 2342329.
21. ↑ from the MILWAUKEE City Directories, found at the Milwaukee Public Library.
22. ↑ 1940 Federal Census; Milwaukee, Milwaukee, Wisconsin; Roll: T627_4560; Page: 9A; Enumeration District: 72-445.
23. ↑ The National Archives at St. Louis; St. Louis, Missouri; World War II Draft Cards (Fourth Registration) for the State of Wisconsin; State Headquarters: Wisconsin; Record Group Name: Records of the Selective Service System, 1940-; Record Group Number: 147; Box Number: 210; Microfilm Series: M2126; Microfilm Roll: 70.
24. ↑ The dates are from the MILWAUKEE City Directories, found at the Milwaukee Public Library. Interpretation from Joseph Kohl based on family stories.
25. ↑ from the MILWAUKEE City Directories, found at the Milwaukee Public Library.
26. ↑ Told by his son Jim Miller during a 1988 taped interview by his granddaughter Sue Goldstein.
27. ↑ from the MILWAUKEE City Directories, found at the Milwaukee Public Library.
28. ↑ From his grandson Joseph A. Kohl.
29. ↑ from the MILWAUKEE City Directories, found at the Milwaukee Public Library.
30. ↑ From his grandson Joseph A. Kohl.
31. ↑ From his grandson Joseph A. Kohl.
32. ↑ From his grandson Joseph A. Kohl.
33. ↑ From his grandson JJoseph A. Kohl.