He was known as J.K. until he went into the Army, and from there, they called him Jesse.
In 1924, J.K. moved with the family from Arkansas to California. He was only a few weeks old. The John Miller and Robert Miller families all went to California together, leaving from Southwest City, Missouri and traveling through Oklahoma, Kansas and eventually Oregon. They finally arrived nearby to Crescent City, Del Norte County, California and shortly thereafter moved to Ojai in Southern California.
He and his brother, Bill were the closest siblings in age, with J.K. being the youngest in the family.
Memories of J.K. by his brother, Robert William Miller Jr.: "As children, they played together all the time. Jesse was a pitcher and a pretty good ball player. He could throw a ball and make it hop down or up. Bill was always the catcher and still has a fingernail that bothers him from the ball hitting it 65 years ago from a pitch of J.K.'s.
In 1924, J.K. moved with the family from Arkansas to California. He was only a few weeks old. The John Miller and Robert Miller families all went to California together, leaving from Southwest City, Missouri and traveling through Oklahoma, Kansas and eventually Oregon. They finally arrived nearby to Crescent City, Del Norte County, California and shortly thereafter moved to Ojai in Southern California.
He and his brother, Bill were the closest siblings in age, with J.K. being the youngest in the family.
Memories of J.K. by his brother, Robert William Miller Jr.: "As children, they played together all the time. Jesse was a pitcher and a pretty good ball player. He could throw a ball and make it hop down or up. Bill was always the catcher and still has a fingernail that bothers him from the ball hitting it 65 years ago from a pitch of J.K.'s.
He was a real likable kid and he could sing. Dad said - "we finally got a singer in the family". Dad had led the singing at the Church of Christ, which had a choir, but no instruments. He could sing better than Bing Crosby or Frank Sinatra and he was urged to join the USO show, but he didn't want to go. He had gone through basic training and all the guys thought he should stick with them."
From the 1980 Miller Family Reunion booklet: "J.K. had a quick wit, a beautiful voice like his father's and was loved by everyone.He was drafted at the age of 19 and died in Luxemburg at the Battle of the Bulge. He was operating field artillery."
In the 1930 census, he was living with his parents in Ojai, Ventura County, CA.
After the death of Dick's father in 1933, Mimi and some of the children, Dick, Don, Maxine, Ruth and Jesse moved back to Benton County, Arkansas. Robert had told Mimi that if anything should happened to him, he wanted her to go back to Arkansas - and she did.
After the death of Dick's father in 1933, Mimi and some of the children, Dick, Don, Maxine, Ruth and Jesse moved back to Benton County, Arkansas. Robert had told Mimi that if anything should happened to him, he wanted her to go back to Arkansas - and she did.
In the 1940 census, he was living with his Uncle Pete and Aunt Maxine in Ojai, Ventura Co., California. His father had died in 1933 and he and his mother, Dora Ann were living in the Mason household.
He enlisted in the US Army at Fresno, CA, on 9 Feb 1943 and stated that he had 3 years of high school. He was single with no dependents, 72" tall and weighed 145 pounds and was 19 years old.At the time of his enlistment, J.K. was living in Ventura, CA, where he was employed as a truck driver.
The following year, he died in Luxembourg on 31 December 1933 and is buried in the Lexembourg American Cemetery.
_________________________________________________________The following year, he died in Luxembourg on 31 December 1933 and is buried in the Lexembourg American Cemetery.
RECORDS
Jesse Kennedy Miller
1930 - Ojai, Ventura County, CA
1935 - Benton County, AR
1940 - Ojai, Ventura County, CA
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Mildred Miller said that the John Miller and Robert Miller families all went to California together, leaving from Southwest City, MO, and traveling through Oklahoma, Kansas and eventually Oregon. They finally arrived in California in August of 1924. She said that Louoma's mother was a Callis, as was Robert Miller's wife.
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26 April 1930 census of District 19, Ojai, Ventura County, CA, found the Miller family living in dwelling #344. Robert and Dora said that they were first married at ages 23 and 19 respectively. Living nearby were Dora's father, John H. Callis (76) and brothers Claude (40) and George (45) and their families:
Robert W. Miller 50 IL IL IN Operator - Service station
Dora 46 AR AR TN
Herbert 26 AR IL AR Rancher - Fruit ranch
Dick 20 AR IL AR Rancher - Fruit ranch
Donald 18 AR Il AR Gardener - Private home
Maxine 14 AR Il AR
Ruth 12 AR IL AR
R. W. 9 AR IL AR
J. K. 5 AR IL AR
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1 April 1940 census of Ojai, Ventura County, CA (Dist 56-23), found the Mason and Miller families living in dwelling #204 on Ojai Avenue. Ernest said that he was living in Ojai on 1 April 1935, Maxine and her Miller relatives said that they were in Benton County, AR:
Ernest Mason 25 SD - Truck Driver - Trucking company, Completed 4 years of high school, $900 in annual wages
Maxine Mason 23 AR - Completed 1 year of college
David Miller 8/12 CA - Son
Dora Miller 56 AR - Mother-in-law, Widow, 8 years of education
J. K. Miller 15 AR - Brother-in-law, 8 years of education
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"J.K." had a quick wit, a beautiful voice like his father's and was loved by everyone. He enlisted in the US Army at Fresno, CA, on 9 Feb 1943, at the age of 19 and died the following year in Luxemburg during the Battle of the Bulge. He was operating field artillery. At the time of his enlistment, JK was living in Ventura, CA, where he was employed as a truck driver. He stated that he had 3 years of high school. He was single with no dependents, 72" tall and weighed 145 pounds.
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Jesse was killed in action in Luxembourg during World War II while operating an artillery position that was attacked in error by US aircraft. Details can be found at: http://www.timeontarget.us/DailyJournalDecember1944.pdf
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AMERICAN BATTLE MONUMENTS COMMISSION
Jesse K. Miller
Technician Fifth Class, U.S. Army
Service # 39693568
945th Field Artillery Battalion
Entered the Service from: California
Died: Sunday 31 Dec 1944
Buried at: Plot H Row 6 Grave 12
Luxembourg American Cemetery
Hamm, Luxembourg City, Luxembourg
Awards: Purple Heart
[http://www.abmc.gov/search/detailwwnew.php]
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THE TRIP TO CALIFORNIA (as remembered by Maxine Miller Mason and written by Margot Mason Stockstill)
On August 1, 1924, the family left Benton County, Arkansas, and headed for a ranch near Crescent City in Northern California that Robert's uncle and namesake, Robert William Miller, had given him. Mimi had only been out of Benton County once and then only a few miles into Oklahoma.
There were 24 people and a collie named Socrates in the moving party packed into a new Maxwell, a Ford, a Buick and a Ford Truck. They were: Mimi and Robert, Herbert and Hershel, Blanche, Margaret, Don, Dick, Maxine, Ruth, Bill, JK (just 7 weeks old), Uncle John Miller (Robert's brother) and his wife Aunt Dove and their 5 girls, Mimi's brother Uncle Claude Callis, Aunt Arthula and their son Louis, Mimi's father John Hamilton Callis, who was 64 years old, and Cora Nichols, Mimi's twin.
The first stop was Grove, Oklahoma, at Mimi's brother Uncle Clark's home. Aunt Cora only went that far. Uncle Clark had a big going away party for the family. Each night while traveling they stayed in campgrounds. The women would wash clothes and the men would work on the cars and truck.
In Colorado there was an inspection stop for boll weevils so the family had to empty all their boxes. the Rocky Mountains were too big for Robert so his sons Herbert and Hershel drove. The family drove down through Oregon and reached Crescent City on Don's birthday, August 30th. The trip had taken 30 days. When they first saw the Pacific Ocean Mimi said,"I think we've come too far."
On their new ranch they lived in tents. The children had fun playing in the river but Socrates, the collie, got ahold of a dead salmon and died. They wouldn't let Grandad (John Hamilton) Callis play his fiddle for fear it would attract bears and Indians.
In September it was time for school so the family moved into town. Uncle John Miller took his family to Smith River. That winter Uncle John's youngest girl died, their house and car burned, but they stayed on in Smith River. There was a hurricane which ruined part of Crescent City. Mimi was sick all winter because the damp weather caused her to have rheumatism. Uncle Claude and Aunt Arthula left Crescent City and moved to Ojai, writing back about the warm and beautiful valley.
As soon as school was out in 1925 the Millers headed south, stopped in Suisun and leased a ranch with apricots and peaches. Mimi always said that that was one of the happiest years of her life. Robert took Hershel and Margaret to Ojai and liked it so well they decided to move down in the Fall of 1926.
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SOURCES
Memories of Robert (Bill) William Miller, Jr.
Refer to www.millerinfo.net/genealogy
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