In 1929, just prior to the Great Depression, Angelo W.(“A.W.” or “Ang”) and May Miller moved from Greene County to a farm they had purchased at 2570 S. State Route 201 with their 14-year-old daughter, Catherine, better known to most as “Kate.” A.W. Miller (1876-1953) was a farmer, but in his younger years, he had been a painter. While working on houses near Huffman Prairie, he often observed the Wright Brothers experimenting with their flying machines.
May (Mott) Miller (1892-1952) descended from several generations of ancestors who lived in Champaign County. She was related distantly to several Motts that also lived in Elizabeth Township. While spending her early childhood in the little town of Osborne, Kate thrived in her new life on the farm. She was named May Queen and valedictorian of the Class of 1933. It was during her first years living in Elizabeth Township that she met Wes. In 1934, Kate’s Aunt Hettie Mott served as a chaperone when the newly engaged couple returned to Virginia to meet many of Wes’ relatives.
In February 1935, they wed at the Miller home – and the home became theirs, with Kate’s parents eventually relocating to a house in Alcony. Kate gave birth to the four oldest of the couple’s six children there: James in 1935 (who died as an infant); Robert “Bob” (1938-2013); Richard “Dick”; and Barbara. The couple’s two youngest sons were born in the hospital: John (1945-2018), and William “Bill” (1947-2021).
