Harry and Argenta Miller Papers, 1898-1969

Overview of the Collection

Creator
Harry and Argenta Miller
Title
Harry and Argenta Miller Papers
Dates
1898-1969 (inclusive)
Quantity
2 c.f.
Collection Number
MG 062 (collection)
Summary
Personal correspondence, including fifteen letters from Argenta Miller's brother Orland Scott, author of Pioneer Days on the Shadowy St. Joe; financial records, legal documents relating to land purchases, and photographs of family and friends.
Repository
University of Idaho Library, Special Collections and Archives
Special Collections and Archives
University of Idaho Library
875 Perimeter Drive
MS 2350
Moscow, ID
83844-2350
Telephone: 2088850845
libspec@uidaho.edu
Languages
English
Sponsor
Funding for encoding this finding aid was provided through a grant awarded by the National Endowment for the Humanities.

Biographical NoteReturn to Top

Harry (born Hezekiah) Miller was born September 26, 1868, in Alvin, Illinois, the fourth of five children, and the only son of Ambrose and Mary (Ballah) Miller. At the age of 19 he migrated first to Aberdeen, Washington, then to Olympia where he was employed carrying mail on horseback between Olympia and Montesano. Later he came to the Palouse country where he worked on a farm near Colfax until coming to the St. Joe Valley in 1891. In 1898 he married Argenta Scott and the couple moved to Spokane where he worked in the Phoenix Sawmill. In 1903 they returned, with their small daughter, to the St. Joe Valley where they lived for 60 years on a 230 acre ranch. In 1955 infirmities of age forced them to sell the ranch and move into St. Maries where he died on January 22, 1964.

Ada Argenta (Scott) Miller was born October 2, 1878 in Missouri, the fifth of seven children of Francis (Frank) Gale and Amy Jane (Hicks) Scott. When she was three the family traveled first by rail to San Francisco, then by boat to Portland, and finally by wagon to Crescent, near Cheney, Washington. Her father worked at several jobs in the area, then in 1885 he moved the family to the St. Joe Valley where he acquired extensive land holdings. He also built the first log schoolhouse which was located on the bank of the St. Maries River near the junction with the St. Joe. After graduating from this school Argenta obtained a teachers certificate and taught for a time in Harrison, Idaho. On October 12, 1898 she married Harry Miller; they had one daughter. Harry's rheumatism and her lameness as the result of a broken hip in 1955 caused them to sell their ranch on the St. Joe in 1959 and move into St. Maries where she died in 1969.

Content DescriptionReturn to Top

The papers of Harry and Argenta Miller span the years 1898 to 1969, with the bulk of the material covering the years 1930 to 1965.

The papers include personal correspondence, Christmas and other greeting cards, picture postcards, property tax receipts, promissory notes, mortgage and lease agreements, the will of Harry Miller, Scott family records and the 1955 correspondence of Amy Belle Scott, Argenta Miller's diary and bird watching notebook plus her reminiscences of moving to the St. Joe Valley, two autograph books, one from 1894-96 with poems written by her school friends, the other the guest book from the Miller's 60th wedding anniversary party, funeral memorial books for Amy Belle Scott and Harry Miller, a poem entitled "The Bachelors of St. Joe," and a large collection of photographs, including some tintypes, of Scott and Miller family and friends, and the descendants of Harry and Argenta.

The earliest letter is from Harry (then known as Hezekiah) to Argenta prior to their marriage. The 15 letters of Orland Scott, author of Pioneer Days on the Shadowy St. Joe, to his sister Argenta, which were written between 1955 and 1969, contain many reminiscences of their childhood.

The Amy Belle Scott papers include her 1915 divorce degree, family birth records, stock certificates, and some 1955 correspondence, including one letter from her brother Orland.

Also included with the game licenses and membership cards in folder 38 are a newspaper clipping and pamphlet dealing with Argenta's fractured hip, a list of boats that have sailed the St. Joe River, and a booklet "The Mann's Chapel Country" the story of a pioneer church near the town where Harry Miller grew up.

Materials in box 3 came from the Idaho Subject and Idaho Title vertical files. They were added to this manuscript group by Julie Monroe in 2013. See the addendum at the end of this finding aid.

Administrative InformationReturn to Top

Arrangement

The personal correspondence was arranged by year only, with separate folders created for special events; in October 1955 Argenta Miller fell and broke her hip and the cards she received are in a separate folder. Likewise the sympathy cards she received when Harry died in 1964 are separate from the rest of the 1964 correspondence. Separate folders at the end of the correspondence file contain Christmas cards and picture postcards. Christmas cards containing family portraits are in this series.

The financial material was sorted by type and the contents of each folder are arranged chronologically. The same system was used for the legal material.

Many of the photographs were tied together in bunches with broad identifications, e.g., "Friends and unidentified folk, not relatives." These groups were kept together in folders and the identifiers modified and used as folder headings. Many of the pictures were not identified, and the majority were undated.

All greeting cards and post cards without messages were discarded as were religious tracts, souvenir booklets of California and Florida, bank statements, canceled checks, invoices, and receipts. The exception to these last items are the 1905-1926 checks for over $100.00, checks made out to the Scott family or banks, and receipts for payments on bank notes, land purchases, and taxes, all of which were retained with other financial material. In all, about 1 c.f. of material was removed.

Acquisition Information

The papers of Harry and Argenta Miller were donated to the University of Idaho Library on March 16, 1970, by their granddaughter Lois (Mrs. Bert) Scholz of Colfax, Washington.

Detailed Description of the CollectionReturn to Top

Series I. Correspondence , 1898-1969Return to Top

Container(s) Description Dates
Box/Folder
1/1-14
Letters and greeting cards
385 items
1898-1969
1/15-16
Christmas Cards
98 items
1930-1968
1/17
Picture postcards
48 items
1910-1965

Series II. Financial Records , 1903-1966Return to Top

Container(s) Description Dates
Box/Folder
1/18
Road Poll Tax
3 items
1908-1910
1/19-20
Property Taxes
84 items
1921-1961
1/21
Income Tax Return
1 item
1959
1/22
Hay Sale Records Book
3 items
1936-1937
1/23
Promissory Notes
59 items
1903-1934
1/24
Bank Savings pass books
6 items
1910-1966
1/25
Canceled checks
103 items
1906-1926
1/26
Receipts
14 items
1905-1925
1/27
Medical bills for broken hip
13 items
1955-1956

Series III. Legal Items , 1903-1960Return to Top

Container(s) Description Dates
Box/Folder
1/28
Property Agreements (mortgages, leases)
16 items
1903-1956
1/29
Release & Option for crop damage
2 items
1942-1949
1/30
Sale of Ranch
8 items
1959-1960
1/31
Will of Harry Miller & Burial Plot Deed
3 items
1934-1953

Series IV. Other Papers , 1894-1964Return to Top

Container(s) Description Dates
Box/Folder
1/32-33
Amy Belle Scott papers & letters
24 items
1915-1955
1/34
Argenta Scott's memoirs & diary
3 items
1954-1959
1/35
Harry Miller's family birth records
2 items
1/36
Autograph books
2 items
1894-1896; 1958
2/37
Insurance policies and receipts
3 items
1935-1960
2/38
Game licenses, membership cards and other papers
17 items
1913-1963
2/39
Funeral memorial books
5 items
1955-1964
2/40
Poem, "The Bachelors of St. Joe"
1 item
undated

Series V. Photographs , ca. 1880-1964Return to Top

Container(s) Description Dates
Box/Folder
2/41
Francis Gale & Amy Jane (Hicks) Scott
4 items
undated
2/42
Harry & Argenta (Scott) Miller
15 items
1898-1964
2/43
Ardis (Miller) Cook
12 items
1906-1925
2/44
Ardis Cook and her family
35 items
1933-1946
2/45
Lois (Cook) Sholz and her family
3 items
1947-1958
2/46
Doris (Cook) Polli
7 items
1950-1956
2/47
Harry Cook
1 item
ca. 1946
2/48
Phillip Cook and his family
13 items
193?-1957
2/49
Harry & Argenta Miller and family groups
13 items
1945-1961
2/50
Relatives of the Millers
17 items
1945-1958
2/51
Scott family relations
3 items
ca. 1900
2/52
Amy Belle Scott
3 items
undated
2/53
Orland Scott and Family
6 items
undated
2/54
Frank Elmer Scott and Family
26 items
18-?-1958
2/55
Harry Miller's Relatives
20 items
ca. 1880
2/56
Harry Miller's Friends
4 items
ca. 1880
2/57
Hicks family relations
14 items
undated
2/58
Scott and Hicks family & friends, (tintypes)
34 items
undated
2/59
Miller's Ranch house on St. Joe
9 items
ca. 1950
2/60
Stacking hay on Miller farm
4 items
ca. 1910-1950
2/61
Harry & Argenta's neighbors
26 items
1885-1930
2/62
Scenic views of the St. Joe area
15 items
ca. 1910-1940
2/63
Birthday party for Mrs. Emma Ross
13 items
1958
2/64
Ferrell Women's Club
1 item
ca. 1930
2/65
Miller relative's Florida scrapbook & photos
8 items
1925
2/66
Unidentified children
25 items
undated
2/67
Unidentified individuals
7 items
undated
2/68
Unidentified family groups
22 items
undated
2/69
Unidentified farm scenes
9 items
undated

Addendum Return to Top

Container(s) Description
Box/Folder
3
Materials added from the Idaho Subject and Idaho Title vertical files

Names and SubjectsReturn to Top

Personal Names

  • Miller, Argenta--Archives
  • Miller, Harry, 1868-1964--Archives
  • Scott, Orland A.

Geographical Names

  • Saint Joe River Valley (Idaho)--History--Sources

Titles within the Collection

  • Pioneer Days on the Shadowy St. Joe