FOREST LEONARD MILLER

The following bio was taken from page 307 of the book entitled “Rusk County History” compiled and edited and used with permission of the Rusk County Historical Commission.

Transcribed by Claudia Schuster

 Submitted by Gloria Briley Mayfield, Cemeteries of Cemeteries

The immigrant grandfather of Forest L. Miller, Jr., who is a resident of Henderson, Texas, was Benjamin Franklin Miller.  B.F.’s family for political reasons, had to leave Germany when he was very young and B.F. was raised in the Baltimore, Maryland area by foster parents.  He was with these foster parents in the Ford Theatre the night President Lincoln was shot.

 When still a very young man, B.F. struck out on his own and went to West Texas.  There, in 1892, he met and married Thirza L. Taft, a cousin of President William Howard Taft.  They had eight children, and the elder son, with whom we are concerned, is Forest Leonard Miller, who was born in San Saba, Texas, August 21, 1898.

 Leonard came to Henderson, Rusk County, when his parents moved here to run a hotel.  Leonard married Katie Teresa Burnett, daughter of Dennis Hopkins Burnett and Amanda McAnally, in 1921 and took a job as night watchman, which he held for twenty-four years.  The local Henderson newspaper figured that after his eighteenth year, Leonard had walked a total of 80,000 miles through the streets and alleys of Henderson on his nightly rounds.

Leonard and Katie had a daughter, Florence Christine, born November 7, 1923; and a son, Forest Leonard Miller, Jr., born December 16, 1929.  Leonard later became constable of Precinct 1 for nine years.  During World War II Katie worked as assistant manager at the Strand and Palace theatres.  In 1941 Christine married James Glen Skelton and they moved to Houston, where they lived until her death in 1980.  In 1949 Forest married Claire Mai Leslie of Kilgore and they moved to San Antonio.

In 1950 Katie and Leonard moved to Houston to seek employment.  They remained there until Leonard died in 1969. At that time Katie retired from Foley’s in Houston and returned to their original home in Henderson, where she is now living.  She is extremely active in church and civic work.

 Forest and Claire had two children while living in San Antonio, a son, Forest Leonard Miller, III, born June 16, 1951; and a daughter, Kay Leslie Miller, born February 7, 1956.  Business opportunities took this family to Houston, and Forest later expanded his business to the Texarkana area.  In 1974 Forest, a diversified businessman, and Claire, a teacher, returned to Henderson, where they are now retired.

 Submitted by Forest Miller, Jr.