THE CHARACTERS


The author,
W. HENRY MILLER,
used information about the
 traditions and characteristics
of his own family members that
had been handed down for generations,
because it gave him a more intimate
understanding of what the pioneer
life was really like.
For the same reason, he used
stories that were told to him about
many other pioneer families.
By doing this, he was able
to develop a plot
that would give his readers
authentic information
about what he called
"an enormously significant
period" in the United States.

The genealogy of this
particular Miller family can be
traced back to the name  
JOSEPH MILLER.
 The author has plotted his story
around Joseph's son, EBENEZER,
and the generations after him,
along with stories told to him about
many other pioneer families.
 EBENEZER MILLER
married Nancy Johnson;
their son, JESSE MILLER,
married Mary Ann Defoe.
They had 10 children.
One of those children,
CHARLES GARLAND
MILLER, married Sara Manley. 
Charles and Sara had several children.
 The youngest child,
WILLIAM HENRY MILLER,
 was the author of "Pioneering North Texas."
Their oldest son, JOHN ANDREW MILLER, married Ida Calhoun. John and Ida had 2 children, CHARLES ANDREW (Andy) MILLER  and a 2nd child, NELLIE MILLER, whose birth
took the life of their mother, Ida. 
As a result
of the mother's death,
CHARLES ANDREW
(Andy) went to live with his maternal
GRANDMOTHER, Sara Manley,
who was the mother
of the author.