A Postcard of Troy’s Miller Brothers Store; A Reminder of a Historic Business and Family
By Judy Deeter, images from The Troy Historical Society
TROY — In the historical research collection of The Troy Historical Society, there is an advertising postcard (pictured above left) from a store named Miller Brothers. It operated in Troy for nearly a century from 1859 to 1956. Newspaper stories from the 1940s report that at that time it was the oldest business in Troy. Both the store and family members were once well-known in Troy and are remembered for playing a significant part of the town’s history.
From Germany to Troy, And Everything In Between​
The Miller Brothers business was founded by a German immigrant named Frederick Miller in 1859. His life story is an interesting one. He was born in Bavaria, Germany, in 1827. During the days of his youth there, he learned the skill of making harnesses and saddles. He left Germany for America sometime around 1850-1851 when he was in his 20s.
Old stories about his journey to America seem to indicate that he might have traveled alone, which would take some courage. His native German language could have created problems for him in mostly English-speaking America, but no stories have been found that mention any language problems he might have encountered. He came ashore at New Orleans. Then he traveled up to St. Louis, where he worked for about a year making saddles.
This was in the time of the California Gold Rush, and about 1852 he headed west to the gold fields there. Once at the gold fields, however, he found his life was better using his saddle- and harness-making skills than digging for gold. Eventually, he left California, wandered across several states, and came to Troy in the mid-1850s. It is not known why he chose to make Troy his home. In 1859, he founded a Troy business that he named Miller Harness Firm.
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In 1858, he married Maggie Honeyfeugle. They soon became the parents of two girls, Lusetta (or Lisette) and Maggie. Unfortunately, their marriage ended in 1862 when Maggie died at the age of 25. After her death, Miller married Rosalia Schnell. They became the parents of five children: Charles, William, Clara, Walter, and a child who died and whose name is not known.
A Great Success in the Harness Business​
A sketch of Miller’s business in the book General Business Review of Miami County, Ohio, for 1890 says that he started out in a modest way, but it became “…the largest establishment in Miami County engaged in the manufacture and sale of harness and saddlery goods.”
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A story published in the Miami Union newspaper on May 22, 1941, reported, “Frederick Miller was a most successful harness man, and during the prosperous ‘horse and buggy days’ made and sold riding saddles, horse collars, sweat pads and fly nets, as well as harness for ‘Old Dobbin’ (name for an animal). He at one time employed as many as eight to 10 men, and manufactured some harness for use in the Civil War.”
Old Miller Brothers advertisements list the Miller Bros. Harness store with several addresses, including the corner of East Main and Walnut streets, 11 E. Main St., 12 E. Main St., and 111 E. Main St. A faded version of the Miller Bros Harness advertisement pictured at left is still visible today!
Above: A sign for the company in downtown Troy.
Shaping Downtown Troy's Skyline​
Old Miller Brothers advertisements list the store with several addresses: at the corner of East Main and Walnut streets, 11 E. Main St., 12 E. Main St., and 111 E. Main St. A story in the Troy Daily News of June 5, 1929, says, “…in 1869 (Miller) erected the building on the corner of East Main and Walnut streets, for the occupancy of Frederick Miller harness store.” A story in the Miami Union newspaper, published May 22, 1941, refers to Miller constructing a building at East Main and Walnut in 1876 and the purchase of an adjoining building in 1889.
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Over time, with the coming of automobiles, trucks, and airplanes, fewer shoppers wanted equipment for horses. To stay prosperous, Miller Brothers expanded their sales inventory to many other items. The Miami Union article of May 22, 1941, says, “The firm has withstood several depressions, has increased the size of the stock carried, and added many new lines to displace the old items…. The store is noted for its large and varied stock, now featuring largely sporting goods, fishing equipment, leather goods, luggage, farm and garden supplies, seeds, paints, and ‘a thousand and one other items.’”
The store was converted to a general merchandise store about 1929. It should be noted that the store was known for the friendliness of its owners.
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The "Largest Talking Machine Ever in Miami County!"
One item of interest sold at Miller Brothers was the Edison “talking machine.” This was a machine that was the forerunner of the record player. A story published in the Miami Union newspaper on Sept. 14, 1905, describes a unique “talking machine” at the Miller Brothers store. It says, “The largest talking machine ever in Miami County was received by Miller Brothers on Saturday (Sept. 9, 1905). It is a Columbia graphophone using cylindrical records. The megaphone is 56 inches long and measures 24 inches at the mouth. The machine and horn are valued at $125, and is known as the Twentieth Century Talking Machine. It brings out every note very clear and loud enough to be heard a block away.”
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Miller Brothers was in business in Troy for generations. Frederick Miller’s oldest son, Charles, quit school when he was 13 to go to work for his father. He is believed to have stayed with the business more than 60 years. In 1891, Frederick’s son William joined the business. In fact, that year the brothers Charles and William bought the business from their father and renamed it Miller Brothers. Their younger brother Walter joined the firm in 1901; he passed away in 1930. Charles died in 1944.
William Miller was then joined in the business by his sons Frederick and Vernon in 1949, and he retired at that time. Frederick and Vernon operated the store until it closed in 1956.
An article in the May 22, 1941, edition of the Troy Daily News reported that previously in the early 1940s, William’s sons lived away from Troy. It says that Vernon Miller was an instructor at a college in Brunswick, Maine, and Frederick worked for Seagram’s distillery in Louisville, Kentucky.
A story in the Troy Daily News on Oct. 8, 1951, states that the Miller Brothers planned to open a store in Vandalia at the Airline Shopping Center opposite the Dayton Airport. No further information about the proposed opening of a Vandalia store.
During the 1964 Troy Sesquicentennial celebration, local resident Wilbur Fish wrote a letter to the editor of the Troy Daily News because he thought the Sesquicentennial Historical Committee had overlooked the historically important Miller Brothers store and family in their celebration research. Fish said he was related to the Miller family by marriage. Fish’s letter, published on Sept. 26, 1964, outlines a history of both the Miller family and their business. It is unusual for a letter to the editor to have such history.
This old advertising postcard is an interesting memory of one of Troy’s longest, but now long-gone, businesses.