Letters from Alice B. Miller
Written to Delphia Miller (1883-1902).
Contributed by Marge Weeks, July 11, 2004.

Fenton, LA,
Jan. 21, 1897
Dear Cousin, Delphia Miller
I thought I would answer your letter. I am down in Louisiana. I like it pretty well down here. The grass is green and peach trees are in blossom. I had some straw-berries to eat. I thank you very much for that handkerchief, I think it is real pretty. What did you get for Christmas? Did you go any place Christmas? I got quiet tired on the train. I saw lots of negros when I was coming down. We got down here on Sunday at 3 o'clock P.M. Papa started on Monday at noon and we started Wednesday night. Our train was late at Cedar Rapids and we had to wait all day at C. R. We met papa at Elexander so we rode on the cabosse the rest of the way. Our address is Tenton, Louisiana. I guess I can't write anymore for it is bed time. This looks like chicken scratching. I was in a hurry. Write soon. Goodnight.
From your cousin,
Alice Miller

Welsh, LA
Jan. 16, 1900
Dear cousin Delphia,
I will try and answer your most welcome letter which I received long, long ago. I hope you will pardon me for waiting so long. I have said about a "thousand" times that I was going to write and each time have given it up. I am now in a writing mode and took a notion to write. I can't start back and tell you everything that happened since I wrote last so I will do my best. We are living in Welsh now and we "kids" are going to school. My sisters Cora and Leona are teaching the school. We had a week of vacation during Xmas and New Year and now the school is stopped again as Cora is sick with the measles. She attended a Teachers Association at Shrevesport and was exposed to the measles while there. All the rest of us had them in Iowa while Cora was away teaching and she did not come home while we had them. I am glad I had them. Did you ever have the mumps? I did and I don't envy any one that has them. I was sixteen years old the 27th of December and I did not even get a "whipping" for my birthday went by without anyone thinking of it. What did you get for Christmas? I got an autograph album and a pair of kid-gloves and the Youth's Companion. I took my album to school and had my friends to write in it and I tell you I got some funny verses written in it. I know you would help me to laugh if you were here to read them. If you will come down to see me I will speak to a "fine" little fellow for you but first let me know your taste. Do you like a red-headed fellow? ha! ha! There is a little "dandy" of a cagen at school and I am to bashful to ask him to write in my album. He is bashful too for if I look at him, he will try and pull his head through his collar. tee! hee! We do not play much of any-thing at school. We did play handkerchief but that has all "gone up the spout" now. Oh! yes, I must tell you that we organized a literature society in our school and I tell you it will be a "blooming affair". We have not held any meetings yet. I will tell you our officers. I am president, Lizzie Fear - vice-president, Grace Morril - secretary. Pearl Miller - treasurer and then there is a couple committees. You must come and visit us when we have our first meeting. Ha! ha! won't that be "fun". Well, Goodnight.

Wednesday, -----

Well last night it rained and now the sun is shining like summer. We have not had hardly any cold weather this winter and there has been so much sickness all summer and this winter too. Night before last I went to a show in the school-house and it was real good. The room up-stairs in the schoolhouse is a hall for anything they want to use it for. When it rains we go up-stairs and play sometimes. I wish you could come down and visit me this summer. We had a large crop of rice last year. We farmed 280 acres of rice land. I am going to Ohio when I am 18 years of age so that will be in 2 years. I expect you and Anna Miller have a fine time when you get together. I don't hardly know what it is to have any relation as I have not seen any for so long. I can remember Uncle Dan when he was out in Iowa because he teased Roger and I so much. I can remember of playing with Uncle John's oldest boy. Andrew, I believe his name is. We used to go in the garden and get in a barrel and eat turnips that was when we were in Ohio. I expect he is about 17 or 18 years of age now, is he not? Brother John is staying at the plants this winter and "baching". He takes care of the stock. We keep a cow and pony here in town. Well I can't think of any thing else to write so I will close for this time hoping to hear from you soon and I will be sure and write sooner next time.
Your cousin,
Alice Miller.
P.S. put Box 16 on my letters so I won't lose them.

Welsh, LA
Sept. 29, 1900
Dear cousin Delphia,

I rec'd your most welcome letter sometime ago and will now endeavor to answer it. I have started to write to you four or five times and then never finished it. I wrote a part of a letter a few days ago and it disappeared and I could not find it but I will do better this time. Sisters Cora and Pearl have gone to League tonight and that leaves Mayme, Ettie and I here alone. Mayme and Ettie have crawled up on chairs and are asleep. If you were here I would put them to bed but as you are not I have to have some company even if they are in dreamyland. The rest of the folks are at the plants. If you were here we would have a fine time. I did not go to church or Sunday School this morning. After dinner I went with a girl friend to Roanoke and did not get home until about 6 o'clock.

I lost the letter that you wrote to me and I have forgotten what questions you asked me. I believe one was if I went with boys. No, mamma thinks I am to kiddish too. When I go to socials or parties I have a partner for supper but I never go any place with them. I went to a social a while ago and I eat three dishes of ice cream (now don't think I am a pig.) besides lemonade and cake. One young man that I ate supper with gave me a rose and I put it in my perfume box to keep it and my sisters tease me so that I have a notion to throw it in the fire. I did not keep it to remember him but to remember the night of the social? Another boy asked to take me home but you bet your "boots" I told him "no". The social was for the benefit of the methodist church. They made $24. The church has a new organ. It is real pretty. There was a show in the schoolhouse the other night. It was a vitascope show and there was something the matter with the "do-funny" and they gave the tickets back and had it over again tonight. All school children got in for 10 cts. I went to a magic-lantern show not long ago. I don't like them very well. They also had a phonograph but it had such a squeaky voice. ha! ha!

I attended a funeral Friday. It was real sad. A young man by name Paul Sloane was shot and killed at Lake Charles. He was the postmaster of this town but his father acted as postmaster and he was a jailer at L.C. They had a negro in jail and a mob came on purpose of taking the negro and in the act shot Mr. Sloane. It is believed that a member of the mob came on purpose to shoot Mr. Sloane. They did not get the negro and now those men are in jail.

Papa has his harvesting done now and we will soon Thresh. There is a lot of work in the house to do as we have to have a great deal of hired men. We has two boys to ride the front horses, four negroes, and three men besides my two brothers and papa.

School commenced two weeks ago. Prof. Haupt as principal and Miss Daisy Welsh as primary teacher. Our Prof. is a well educated man but he does not keep good order. We do about as we please. He is noted for his sweet smile. When any one acts bad he says "come, come, now all be nice and sweet" or something of that sort. I study Algebra, General History, Arithmetic, Grammar, Spelling, and will study Physiology. There is an enrollment of about 75 pupils. Yes, there are a great number of "blacks" here but not a one is mean as I know of. You just come and see me and I will see that they don't hurt you. ha! ha! Yes, just let me know when you are coming and I will have chicken, rice and sweet potatoes. We don't have rice and sweet potatoes very often as we don't care for them. By the way we here that you might be afraid of. We don't have any tigers or lions here. ha! ha! You must imagine it is boiling hot here. It is not any hotter here than up north but we have more hot weather. We have flowers almost all the year round. Sister Cora keeps a bouquet in the house almost all the time. In the spring our roses are just lovely. Oh, say when you come down I will be sure to have a red-headed fellow for you. Papa had one working for him and I tell you he is a beaut. Who do your sisters and brothers tease you about? A friend of mine is always telling me about her beaux and I get so tired because she really has no beaux. When she asks me who my beau is I tell her he is a banker in New York City and she believes me. Ha! ha!

Do you cousin Anna read each others Letters? I should think that would be real fun. When I go to Ohio you might as well expect to have a "hot time" as I am a regular "tear up". I should think you and your cousins would get together and have a fine time. Do you? If you do I wish I could spend some evening with you. I hardly know what it is to have any cousins. ha! ha! Is there a Murphy girl about your age? So I would not get lonesome you girls ought to write me a letter so heavy that it would have to go on the freight. ha! ha! Ethel has written a letter to cousin Leona. Well, I am obliged to close this letter as my eyes are inclined to shut. Be sure and answer soon and a long letter.
From you cousin,
Alice B. Miller

Alice Belle Miller

Alice Belle Miller (1883-1970) Oaklawn Cemetery, Welsh, Louisiana

Miss Miller, Dana Teacher, Retiring

Dana Junior High School faculty tomorrow afternoon will honor Alice B. Miller of 1108 Tenth St., who is retiring after 13 years as a mathematics teacher at Dana and 31 years of teaching in four states.

The group will assemble for tea at 3:15 p.m. in the teachers' cafeteria.

In charge of the affair were Ed Foster, Mrs. Carl Waldow and Bernice Symons.

Miss Miller has been teaching seventh, eighth and ninth mathematics at the San Pedro school, rounding out 19 years in the Los Angeles city school system. Before that she taught in Louisiana, New Mexico and Arkansas.

Miss Miller said today she expects to return to the family homestead in Welch, La., where she, will reside with two sisters. She plans to do vegetable and flower gardening.

Other Dana teachers who have retired in the past years are Mrs. Maude Hammond, Mrs. Ethel Bain, Mrs. Jessie B. Rogerson and Miss Amelia Edwarson and. Mrs. Bertha Ingmire, clerk in the attendance office.

Miller services to be in Welsh
[March 19, 1970]

WELSH, La. - Funeral services will be held Saturday at 3 p.m. for Miss Alice Belle Miller, 86, former school teacher, who died Thursday night at the Welsh General Hospital.

Services will be held at the First Presbyterian Church with burial under the direction of Hixson Funeral Home.

Miss Miller, who came to Welsh with her family in 1897, taught school in Jeff Davis and Calcasieu Parishes for 25 years and also was a mathematics instructor in the Los Angeles, Calif. school system at one time.

Survivors, include two sisters, Mrs. L. E. Himler of Baton Rouge [Louisiana] and Mrs. C. W. Cook of Lafayette [Louisiana], and several nieces and nephews, including A. R. Eaton of Jennings [Louisiana], Miss Mary Eaton of Beaumont [Texas] and A. W. Cook of Lake Charles [Louisiana].

WELSH - Funeral services for Miss Alice B. Miller, 86, of 301 W. Nichols St., will be at 3 p.m. today (March 21) in First Presbyterian Church.

The Rev. Sidney Harris will officiate. Burial will be in Oaklawn Cemetery under the direction of Hixson Funeral Home.

Miss Miller died at 8:30 p.m. Thursday in a Welsh hospital.

She was a native of Roseburg, Ore. and was a retired school teacher. She had taught at Lake Charles High School [Louisiana] and Welsh High School, after which she taught for 20 years in Los Angeles, Calif. At the time of her retirement 15 years ago she moved here.

Survivors are two sisters, Mrs. L. E. Himler of Baton Rouge [Louisiana] and Mrs. C. W. Cook of Lafayette [Louisiana], and a number of nieces and nephews.

Funeral services for Miss Alice Belle Miller, 86-year-old beloved and respected Welsh resident, were held at the First Presbyterian Church of Welsh on Saturday, March 21 [1970], at 3:00 p.m. with Rev. Sidney N. Harris officiating.

Burial followed in Oaklawn Cemetery of Welsh under the direction of Hixson Funeral Home.

Pallbearers were her nephews and great-nephews: Dr. R. Frank Miller of Jennings [Louisiana], A. R. Eaton of Jennings, Charles Miller of Jennings, A. W. Cook of Lake Charles [Louisiana], Ronald Cook of Lake Charles, Luther C. Stubblefield of Welsh [Louisiana] and Roger W. Sherwood of New Orleans [Louisiana].

Miss Miller was the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. A. R. Miller of Welsh who were pioneer residents although she was born at Roseburg Oregon. She passed away at the Welsh General Hospital at 8:30 p.m. on Thursday, March 19 [1970], after a short illness. She first came to the Welsh area with her parents in 1897.

Miss Miller was a school teacher. She received her higher education at Meridian Women's College at Meridian in Mississippi, at Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge [Louisiana] and at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles, California.

She held teaching positions in the high schools of Calcasieu and Jefferson Davis Parishes. During the last twenty-five years of her teaching career, she was a teacher of Mathematics in the high schools of the City of Los Angeles, California.

After her retirement in 1955, Miss Miller returned to Welsh and made her home in the Old Miller Place on West Nichols Street.

She was a member of the Los Angeles City Teachers Association, the American Association of University Women and of the First Presbyterian Church of Welsh.

She is survived by two sisters: Mrs. Lee E. Himler of Baton Rouge [Louisiana] and Mrs. C. W. Cook of Lafayette [Louisiana]; and by seven nieces and nephews, nine great-nieces and nephews and three great great-nieces and nephews.