MILLER

Posted by Cathy Gowdy on Thursday, April 22, 2010 at 05:33:31 :

The Marin Journal
Thursday, Nov. 27, 1890
Page 3

Death of James Miller
The Old Pioneer Passes Away

“God’s finger touched him and he slept.”
James Miller is dead. Death came to him Tuesday night, 25th instant. He had passed the allotted span of human life, and doubtless the transition was welcome to him. But great is the mystery of death, and the bereavement of families, and the mourning of surviving friends is always bitter. James Miller was no common man. His name and his life work will forever be conspicuous and honorable in the annals of Marin county. He was the pioneer of our pioneers. Arriving in San Rafael, over the plains from Wisconsin, in 1845, he soon after settled at Gallinas, the very spot where his body now lies, the title to the land on which he has lived ever since being the first deed on the records of the county. The changes wrought by his industry, foresight, stability, enterprise and public spirit on that spot are recalled as an apt illustration of the progress of the whole county, in all the formative period of which he was a conspicuous and helpful force. Contrasting the little shake shelter first erected as his home, with the elegant mansion which has sheltered his declining years, one gets a vivid idea of the march of improvement embraced within his lifetime here; and his family and friends recall with pride the fact that his forceful and generous individuality was not confined to his home spot, but was beneficially felt in several of the other townships of the county. The social character of Miller Hall has made it a home well known in the most cultivated circles throughout the State. Mr. Miller was a genial, warm-hearted man, who retained the grace and spirit of the old time hospitality; and aided by his late charming consort and accomplished family of sons and daughters, his elegant home has been the scene of many of the brightest gatherings in our social annals. The news of his death will carry sorrow to many families in different parts of the State, and the funeral, which takes place tomorrow at 10 o’clock, will be attended by a vast concourse of personal friends.