Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1905-11-08
Pioneer Printers Of the Piedmont.

Old Stone Churcb and Cemetery AS.
sociation, there ia an il resting
paper by Mrs. Julia Miller. Br wne ON
"John Miller and his DescenI .nts."
This pioneer journalist of the up
country, WHO established and pub
lished the first newspaper in this Sec
ton, "The Pendleton Messenger"
was an interesting character, and the
sketch by his descendants is given
below:
Three John MilleYs are buried at
the QA Stone church: father, sou
and g&kason. The first John Miller
was born in London, England, about
1870; he was one of the fifteen
parties who owned and published
the London Evening Post and the
Advertiser at the time that the
famous "Junius Letters were pub
lished in those papers. He, with
two other partners, Henry Sampson
Woodfall and Mr.. Almon, were tried
for libel before the General Assizes
in London in 1775 for publishing
the letters. History says that the
largest crowd ever seen assembled in
: the house and in the streets of Lon
don during the trial and evinced the
greatest enthusiasm when they were
found not guilty. These three men,
: Henry Sampson Woodfall, Mr.. AL
mon and John Miller, no doubt knew
who was the author of the Junius
Letters, but the secret died with
thedH Many believed that John
Miller himself was the author, as his
handwriting and that of the Junius
Letters were very much alike. John
Miller's penmanship is very neat and
peculiar, as is shown by the ledger
kept by him of the London Evening
Post from 1860 to 1773, which ledger
is we'll preserved and is in the pos
session of his descendants in this
vicinity.
In 1882 he came to America, land
ing at Philadelphia. From there he
came with his family to Charleston,
S. c., in 1888, and began the pub
'lication of the South Carolina Ca
zette and General Advertiser, one of
the first papers ever published in the
State. After the treaty with the
Indians in this part of the country,
he was given grant of land of $40
acres by Governor Benjamin Pendle-
ton and including the site on which
the Old Stone Church now stands.
He, or his son, Crosby Miller, decided
the site to the trustees of Hope well
church. After getting this grant of
land, he and his family moved from
charleston to Pendleton in 1885;
this was then known as Pendleton
District. He then commenced the
publication of the Pendleton Weekly
Messenger and continued to own
and publish it until his death in 1909.
1t was the first paper published in
upper Carolina.
After his death his son, the second
John Miller, took possession of the
paper aed, published it until his
death inYfS22. The second John
Miller was born in the city of Lon
don in ITO, and came with bis
father to Charleston in 1888. He
married Jane Gray in 1901; to them
were born twelve children, many of
whom are buried beside himself and
his wife in the Old Stone Church
yard.
The third John Miller was one of
n these twelve children. He was born
4 in Pendleton in 1874. He was for
thirty printer in the Pendle-
Etoa Messenger Office, and was known
generally as Printer John Miller.
In 1913 he married Lydia Ann Per
dreau, ward and adopted daughter
OF COL Samuel Warren, who was a
brave soldier in the Revolutionary
war and man of wealth and cul-
ture.
John and lydia Miller had six