Beth McKeown Weblog

Deaths in the family

Harry Jr. came over today with some the material he has acquired on the Miller ancestors.

He has copies of war records beginning during the revolution - war of 1812 - Indian uprising 1815 - Civil war records.

He read a letter written by his great-great uncle from a hospital during civil war.
It was from Burr Miller to his father Thomas Miller.

The first line was a common place greeting. The second line was Papa "Pere, Calas died today". Hearing that letter written to a beloved father about the death of a beloved brother caused me to cry as if it had just happened. I felt the pain for the entire family. Calas died from Typhoid fever. Burr was in hospital for some illness too but was able to nurse his brother.

About a month later Burr was injured killed at the battle of Sharpsburg and died ten to fifteen days later in hospital at Martinsville, VA.

This letter had a special effect on me because of my brother, Arthur, having been killed at Anzio Beachhead - WWII March 1944. His commanding officer wrote my sister in law Annie Lee Brocket (Horton) about it. The official telegram arrived several days later.

No telephones were available for rural areas. My (2) sisters and I were working in Chester. None of us could drive. Mr + Mrs Carlisle White - friends to us girls - took us down to tell mama + daddy about Arthur's death.

Mama told me later that she was convinced that Arthur would live through the war. She had a great faith - but the shock was such that for the first 24 - 30 hours she was disoriented and disbelieving. After that she accepted the fact that he would not come home again -
Daddy was hurt so badly that for years he could hardly talk about or call Arthur's name.

The pain lasted for the rest of their lives.
Mama's brother and his wife "Ellis + Mae Beam" had a child born the next year. They named him Arthur.

Two of my sister's named their sons after him. Jesse + Emmie - Joseph Arthur
Years later the government returned all remains from Anzio to US and Arthur is now buried in New Hope ARP Church - Fairfield County. Mama and Daddy were buried by him at their deaths.

Since WWII the U. States has been involved in the Korean war (1950) the year Harry Jr. was born and the Vietnam war both ended as unconclusive.
Roy Bennett, husband of Ruby Francis "Pam" was sent to Korea after their son Steve was born. He suffered a heart attack there.
Fortunately none of our immediate family served in Vietnam. Both were controversial and those who served felt that they were never recognized as people defending their country.

I hope we never have another war.

For my parents the civil war was still fresh in the minds of their parents - Then my father served in WWI - "the war to win all wars" was the slogan used for Nov 11 - armistice day. When I was a child - at school on Nov 11 we always remembered those who served in WWI with a moment of silence at eleven o clock. I always felt secure during those early years that the slogan was true It was a shock when I realized in my late teens that war was coming again.
The pain felt by so many was unbelievable. I was working in Chester by 1942. By 1943 1944 if the phone rang at an odd hour it was answered with apprehension - we never knew who had been killed or wounded - Joe Woodward - Dewey McKeown Arthur McKeown - a few - others were prisoners of war -

I found out in 1986 several of my grandfathers first cousins lost their lives in the civil war also Harry's grandfather lost two sons during the war.

Posted by Beth McKeown at October 5, 1986 11:20 PM