Elizabeth Jane Miller family papers
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Abstract
The collection includes one scrapbook (disbound), loose items (some of which were removed from the scrapbook), and two baby biography books, all of which document members of the Miller family of the East New York neighborhood of Brooklyn (later of the Upper West Side of Manhattan), dating from 1842 to 1966.
Biographical Note
Elizabeth Jane Miller (1871-1965) was the daughter of Dr. Francis Frost Miller and Susette Henes, and was born and raised on Highland Avenue in the Brooklyn neighborhood of East New York. In the early 1890s, she attended school in Germany. In 1894, she married Charles E. Miller at Trinity Episcopal Church in East New York. Charles's father, John L. Miller, was prominent real estate developer in the Upper West Side of Manhattan, and Elizabeth relocated to that area after her marriage. She had two children, Vera Louise Miller Keppler and John Lester Miller (a gold medalist rower at the 1924 Olympic games).
An extensive genealogy of the family is held in the accession file for the portrait of Sophia Theresia Miller (M1974.35). Researchers interested in this file should consult library staff for more information.
Scope and Contents
The collection includes one scrapbook (disbound), loose items (some of which were removed from the scrapbook), and two baby biography books, all of which document members of the Miller family of the East New York neighborhood of Brooklyn (later of the Upper West Side of Manhattan), dating from 1842 to 1966.
The scrapbook primarily documents the life of Elizabeth Jane Miller; her parents, Dr. Francis Frost Miller and Susette Henes; her husband, Charles E. Miller; and her children Vera Louise Miller and John Lester Miller.
It includes correspondence in English and German; news clippings relating to the Miller family; birth records of Elizabeth Jane Miller; invitations to the marriage of Elizabeth Jane and Charles E. Miller; calling cards; postcards and programs from Trinity Episcopal Church in East New York; programs for theatrical performances and other events (including a concert by the pupils of Louis H. Stagg's Studio of Music at Association Hall, which was located at Pennsylvania and Liberty Avenues in Brooklyn; a lecture at the German Pilgrim Lodge; and the Fourth Annual Long Island Older Boy's Conference at Greenport, Long Island, with commemorative badge); Red Cross ephemera; cards and invitations; school ephemera from The Stagg School (of Brooklyn), The Waldleigh High School (Manhattan), and P.S. 9 (Manhattan); and watercolor paintings.
It features a number of photographs in an assortment of formats, including cyanotypes, tintypes, albumen prints, cabinet cards, and color prints. The photographs depict numerous Miller family members, as well as their home. Photographs of note includes class photographs from schools in East New York, Brooklyn City Hall (later known as Borough Hall), and images of the Miller family on ships and in their bathing suits.
The papers include memorabilia such as a leather wallet, dried flowers and leaves, human hair, and fabric.
The collection also includes two baby biography books of Vera Louise Miller and John Lester Miller. Dating from the 1890s through the 1920s, these books document the early lives of the Miller children and include an assortment of ephemera.
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Organizations
Families
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Conditions Governing Access
Open to users without restriction.
Preferred Citation
Identification of item, date (if known); Elizabeth Jane Miller family papers, 1977.280, Box and Folder number; Brooklyn Historical Society.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Gift of Vera Keppler, 1966.
About this Guide
Processing Information
Minimally processed to the collection level by Nicholas Pavlik on June 20, 2011. Photographs and baby biography books, which had been separated from the collection prior to processing, were reintegrated into the collection by John Zarrillo in December 2015.
