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Miller, John A.

3/1/1908

JOHN A. MILLER Jan. 25, 1832 - March 1908
John A. Miller, son of Matt L. and L. E. Miller, was born in Anderson District, S. C., January 25, 1832. In 1845 his parents moved to Jackson County, Ala., where in 1847 he professed religion and joined the Methodist Episcopal Church, South. During that winter he moved with his parents to Lafayette County, Miss. On October 2, 1852, he was licensed to preach by the Quarterly Conference of Coffeeville Circuit, Grenada District, Memphis Conference, of which the Rev. Robert L. Andrews was presiding elder, and was immediately afterwards admitted on trial into the Memphis Conference and sent as junior preacher to Pontotoc Circuit, in North Mississippi. In the following March he was put in charge of Carrollville Circuit to fill the place of the Rev. B. B. Ross, who was elected to a professorship in La Grange College. In 1854 he traveled Fulton Circuit, and on October 29 was ordained deacon by Bishop Paine. In 1855 he was removed by the presiding elder from Okolona Circuit, to which the bishop appointed him, to the Carrollville Circuit, the pastor of which had died. In the fall of !855 he was transferred to the Louisiana Conference with Rev. S. B. Surratt, and was appointed to the New Orleans Circuit. At the Waterproof Conference, February 8, 1857, he was ordained elder by Bishop Kavanaugh and sent to Mt.. Bayou and Bayou Vidal Circuit, where he built a chapel costing about $800, which the Rev. B. M. Drake dedicated. In February, 1858, at the Mansfield Conference, he was sent to Richmond and Madison Colored Mission and supplied the immense territory by preaching three and sometimes five times on the Sabbath. To other difficulties an overflow of the Mississippi was added, and the itinerant's horse had to be substituted by the skiff or dugout. In 1858 and 1859 he was sent to Pattersonville Circuit and inaugurated Methodist preaching in Brashear City, where he officiated once a month. On July 29, 1859, he married Miss Rosa B. Mills at Chapel Hill, Tex., and secured this year a parsonage in the town of Pattersonville. In. 1860 and 1861 he was sent to Island and Wright's Chapel. In 1862 he was sent as chaplain to the Ninth Mississippi Regiment, Confederate States Army, and the following year was returned to Pattersonville Circuit; but in consequence of the latter appointment being within the Federal lines, he was removed to Homer Circuit, where the pastor had died. In December 1853, the Conference which met at Homer returned him to that work. He served the Claiborne Circuit the following year, and in December 1865, was sent to Minden Circuit. In December 1866, he was presiding elder of the Homer District, the next year on Mt. Lebanon Circuit, and December 1868, on Haynesville Circuit, where he remained four years. In 1873 he went to South Bossier Circuit, in 1874 to Minden Circuit, and in 1875 was made presiding elder of Homer District, which he served three years. In December 1877 (to 1879), he was appointed to the Haynesville Circuit; in 1880 to Minden Circuit, and from 1881 to 1885 was returned to Haynesville Circuit. He was a delegate to the General Conference at Atlanta, Ga., and served in that body on the Committee on Revisals. In December 1885, he was sent to Arcadia and served during 1886, 1887, 1888, and 1889. In December 1889, he was sent to the Opelousas District as presiding elder and served four consecutive years. In December 1893, he was sent to Ruston and served four -years. In December 1897, he located on account of trouble with his throat. During the year 1898 he lived with his son at Perry, La. In December 1898, his throat having recovered sufficiently to enable him to take work, he was sent to Patterson, and served here four years. In December 1902, he was sent to Clinton and served one year, and in December 1903, he was superannuated. The remainder of his days were spent with his son at Perry, La., until the latter's death, in March, 1908, when he went to live with his daughter in Patterson, Mrs. Emma Wadsworth. This is a noble record of pastoral and evangelistic work. Faithful in his duties as a preacher, firm in his devotion to his friends, and courteous in his demeanor to all, he lived out his appointed time and entered the saints' everlasting rest.
Source: Journal Louisiana Conference Methodist Episcopal Church, South, 1912, pages 64-65 by C. W. Castes.

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