With residency beginning in 1727, Adam Miller (Mueller) is recognized as the first permanent white settler in the
Shenandoah Valley
The Shenandoah Valley () is a geographic valley and cultural region of western Virginia and the Eastern Panhandle of West Virginia. The valley is bounded to the east by the Blue Ridge Mountains, to the west by the eastern front of the Ridg ...
of
Virginia
Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth are ...
, US. Born in 1703 in
Schriesheim
Schriesheim (South Franconian: ''Schriese'') is a town located in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is part of the Rhein-Neckar-Kreis and the Rhine-Neckar Metropolitan Region.
Geography
Schriesheim lies on the Bergstraße, at the western edge ...
, Germany, Miller immigrated to America as a young married man, settling in
Lancaster County, PA in 1724.
On a trip through eastern
Virginia
Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth are ...
, Miller heard reports about a lush Valley to the west which had been discovered by Governor
Alexander Spotswood
Alexander Spotswood (12 December 1676 – 7 June 1740) was a British Army officer, explorer and lieutenant governor of Colonial Virginia; he is regarded as one of the most significant historical figures in British North American colonial h ...
's legendary
Knights of the Golden Horseshoe Expedition. In 1727, Miller and his wife Barbara moved from
Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...
to
Virginia
Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth are ...
and staked out a claim on the south fork of the
Shenandoah River
The Shenandoah River is the principal tributary of the Potomac River, long with two forks approximately long each,U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map accessed August 15, 2011 in t ...
, near the line that now divides
Rockingham County from
Page County.
The year of Miller's 1727 arrival in the Valley is confirmed in a 1742 naturalization proclamation by Virginia Governor
William Gooch, which states, "And Adam Miller ... having Settled and Inhabited for fifteen years past on Shenandoa in this colony". Miller's birthplace is also cited in the proclamation, which notes that he was "born at Shesoin in Germany", but the correct spelling of "Schriesheim" is cited on the reverse side of the original document, written out and signed by Adam Miller.
Shenandoah baptismal records show that Miller and his wife had at least three children: Catarina Elizabetha (b. December 20, 1734), Adam Jr. (b. July 16, 1736) and Anna Christina (b. October 18, 1738). In adulthood, Catarina (Catherine) and Anna married brothers, John Baer and Jacob Baer, respectively.
In 1741, Miller purchased , including a large lithia spring, near
Elkton, Virginia, and lived on this property for the remainder of his life. He sold of this property to his son-in-law, Jacob Baer, and the spring on Miller’s land is still known as Bear Lithia Spring. In 1758, Miller fought in the
French and Indian War
The French and Indian War (1754–1763) was a theater of the Seven Years' War, which pitted the North American colonies of the British Empire against those of the French, each side being supported by various Native American tribes. At the st ...
, serving in the Company of Lt. Christian Bingaman. He died in 1783, with his estate settled in
Rockingham County, VA
Rockingham County is a county (United States), county located in the U.S. state of Virginia. As of the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census, the population was 83,757. Its county seat is the Independent city (United States), independent city o ...
.
[Levinson, Constance, "Rockingham County Minute Book, 1778–1792 – Part I, 1778–1786" Greystone Publishers, Harrisonburg, VA, p 204]
See also
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Shenandoah Germans
The Shenandoah Valley region of Virginia and parts of West Virginia is home to a long-established German-American community dating back to the 17th century. The earliest German settlers to Shenandoah, sometimes known as the Shenandoah Deitsch or t ...
References
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Miller, Adam
American pioneers
Mennonitism in Virginia
Virginia colonial people
German emigrants to the Thirteen Colonies
1703 births
1783 deaths
People from Rhein-Neckar-Kreis