The following information is transcribed from the WPA Linn County Cemetery Survey, researched & prepared by Leslie L. Haskin on  3/4/1940:

This cemetery is situated in Section 17, Township 10 South, Range 3 West in Linn County, Oregon. It is a small tract of land from the north-east corner of the land claim of George Miller Sen. And lies in the southwest angle of two branching roads at that place....

The Miller Cemetery received its name from a very prominent Miller family, or group of families, who settled in this neighborhood in the year 1848. The heads, or elders of these families were Abraham Miller Sr., born in 1794, and George Miller Sr., born in 1785. The latter was the father of twenty-four children, therefore the Miller tribe became very prominent in this neighborhood. They gave their name to the cemetery as well as to the small country community of Millersburg.

George Miller Sr., and his wife, Mary Ann Miller, deeded the land for this cemetery on September 24, 1857. It is apparent, however, that the ground had been used for burial purposes considerably previous to that date. The deed given by the Millers reads, in substance, as follows- "George Miller Sen., and Wife To Little Bethel Church of Regular Baptists. "For the purposes of building a meeting house and burying ground." "Consideration one dollar and the respect they have for said church." [NB: followed by a description of the land...]

The trustees of the above Little Bethel Church at the date given above were Exum Powell, Abraham Miller, Jr., and John Crooks. The history of the church, being linked closely with that of the cemetery, and besides being most interesting, is here quoted at considerable length:

Little Bethel Church of Regular Predestinarians of Old School Baptists was organized at the home of Exum Powell, in the Millersburg district in 1848. The Miller families and especially Abraham Miller Jr., were guiding spirits in the organization. At that time it is believed that there was only one other church organization in Linn County, namely, the Santiam Baptist Church at Sodaville.

This new church received its name from Little Bethel Church in Lincoln County, Missouri. Its articles of faith were adopted from those of a church at Spoon river, Illinois. Their doctrines were most conservative; The eleventh article reads as follows: We believe the mission system, Sunday schools and temperance societies to be unauthorized by the Word of God. And as such we declare a non-fellowship with them all in their various branches."

At its organization the church consisted of the following members- William Alphin, John T. Crooks, Abraham Miller Jr. Exum Powell, Elizabeth Powell and Louisa McClain. John T. Crooks was the first clerk and Abraham Miller Jr. the first deacon. Elder Joseph Turnidge became the first pastor, although the first sermons here were preached by itinerants from further down the valley. Meetings were first held in the homes of settlers. Indeed, although the present cemetery plot was deed "For the purpose of building a meeting house and burying ground", it appears from local tradition that no church building was ever actually erected here but that the services continued to be held in private homes and school-houses only.

Little Bethel Church seemed from its beginning to have been divided into factions by internal strife. The slavery question, among others, greatly bothered them. Late in the 1860's it was split into two factions each claiming to be "The Church". By 1870 the membership was so reduced that there was talk of dissolving but in the another, and unique plan was evolved. Certain members of the church were planning to leave the neighborhood and move to the gold mines of Southern Oregon. These moving families were permitted to go, but to take the church with them, while those who remained behind were given letters of dismissal. This unique church procedure empowered George Miller Sr., Abraham Miller Jr., and Elizabeth, the latter's wife, to take the church and church records with them wherever the went.

Since the Church, from that time on, left Linn County, its history is immaterial here. Enough to say that it held sway thereafter at such various and distant places as "Pine Opening, Cascade Mountains", "Woody's Schoolhouse", "Bear Creek Valley, Jackson County," "Southern Oregon", "Antelope Schoolhouse", "Jackson County", "Hockensmith's Schoolhouse", :root's new Meetinghouse", "Bish's Schoolhouse", "Plimire's Schoolhouse", "Bell's Schoolhouse", "Antelope", "Chimneyrock", "Phoenix", and "Ashland". In 1885 a branch church was organized on Williams Creek in Josephine County.

Because of its various wanderings throughout southern Oregon this church became popularly known as "The Church Which Traveled".

Before leaving Linn County the records show that the services of this church were held in the following places- "Exum Powell's home" (where it was organized), "the Forks of the Santiam", "Dickey's Schoolhouse", "Tharp's Schoolhouse", "Allphin's Schoolhouse". Dickey's Schoolhouse was in the Scio region. Allphin's and Tharp's Schoolhouses were in the Millersburg region.

Preachers who held forth before the little Bethel congregations in its Linn county days were Turnidge, Simpson, Gregg, Stipp, Cranfill, Beebe, and Abraham Miller Jr.

The first burial in the Miller Cemetery, according to local tradition, was the above Elder Turnidge, first pastor of the church. No stone marks his grave and the facts could not be positively verified. The first burial of record was William McClain who died in 1850, the second burial of record was Mary, wife of Jacob M. Miller on Sept. 16, 1855 and the third of record was Mary Ann Miller in December 23, 1857. This last was the wife of George Miller Sr., the man who gave the land for the cemetery. Her death occurred only ninety days after she signed the deed of conveyance.

Early birth dates are numerous in this cemetery. Those found of especial note, and all occurring in the 1700's are- George Miller, 1785. Abraham Miller, 1794. William McClain, 1796. David Bensley, 1799.

The present size of this cemetery and the distribution of burials indicates that there have been late additions to the original plot. The original land deeded by the Millers probably comprised Sections 1 and 2, while sections 3 and 4, increasing the area almost twice, are as yet but little filled.

Historical & Biographical Notes:

Mary Miller. 1807-1880. Was the wife of Abraham Miller Sr. Came to Oregon in 1847 or 1848.

Abraham Miller. 1794-1975. This is Abraham Miller Sr. He came to Oregon in 1847 or 1848. This is one of the early birth dates here. His donation land claim was in Sections 14-15, which is on the south bank of the Santiam River just opposite the present town of Jefferson.

Nancy C. Miller. 1819-1855. She was the wife of J. L. Miller hers was one f the early deaths recorded in his tract.

Delazon S. Davis. 1859-1860. An infant son of the early settlers, J. J. and M. A. Davis who evidently named their son after Delazon Smith, one of Oregon's first Senators. The parents are buried at the hale Cemetery.

T. J. Crooks Sr. 1807-1896. He was one of the trustees of Little Bethel Church to whom this cemetery tract was first deeded. His donation land claim was situated in Section 1, near the junction of the Santiam and Willamette Rivers.

Thomas Allphin. 1827-1891. A very early settler in this region. The family have been prominent in the neighborhood since pioneer days.

William McClain. 1796-1850. The first burial of record here. Also one of the earliest birth dates. William McClain was an Oregon pioneer of the year 1847. Came from Pike County Missouri. Was the father of ten children. His donation claim was near the Willamette River west of Millersville.

David Bensley. 1799-1886. A very early birth date.

John Meeker. 1817-1883. Came to Oregon in 1848. First settled on the Willamette River but because of floods soon left his claim and purchased the claim of Stanley and Jane Earl Umphlet a short distance north of present Millersburg. His descendents still own the original claim. He was a cousin of Ezra Meeker.

Lydia Meeker. 1823-1889. Wife of the last. Her maiden name was Lydia Miller.

George Miller Sr. 1785-1874. The earliest birth date recorded here. He came to Oregon in 1847 or 1848. Was the father of twenty-four children. He gave the land where this cemetery is located.

Mary Ann Miller. 1810-1857. Wife of the last. She died only a short time after signing the deed with her husband which set aside this tract for cemetery and church purposes.

Isaac Meeker. 1847-1910. Son of John Meeker, pioneer of 1848. Came with his parents as an infant. First married Laura Hale, daughter of Milton Hale. She is buried at the Hale Cemetery. Second marriage to Elizabeth Wilson (Mary Elizabeth Wilson).

Mary Elizabeth Meeker. 1863-1910. Wife of last. Her maiden name was Wilson.

[end of Haskin survey]

Charlotte Powell, Miller family descendant, is preparing a genealogy of the Millersburg Cemetery.  She adds these notes to the information above:

George Miller came to Oregon in 1850, settled his claim in Oct of 1850. (His daughter Martha was b. in Dec. 1849 or Jan 1850 in Iowa, promise to get her death certificate soon).  I am sure George had no idea in 1850 of turning his place into a cemetery!  

According to the Church Clerk's record Book of the Little Bethel Church, page 25, on 23 May  1857 "Agreed that the piece of land selected by Brethren G. Miller & J. T. Crooks, on the N.E. corner of Bro. G. Miller's land claim, shall be obtained for church purposes, On which to build a meeting house and for a burial place........Made by the request of Elder Joseph Turnidge, that he might be buried thereon."

The request must have been made earlier because Jos. Turnidge  d. 18 May 1857 and was the first person to be buried there. Mary Ann Stockton Miller, George's wife was probably the second, in Dec of 1857. George Miller did deed the land to the church shortly after.

William McClain did die earlier but he was first buried on what was his intended land claim. It was jumped by two men after his death and his children forced off. (Linn Co. Pioneer Stories, interview with Ella Ann McClain Burbank) His body was removed at a later date and moved to the Millersburg Cemetery.

... I differ a bit with a few of [Haskin's] facts, it was Abraham Miller Jr., George Miller's son that came in 1847, not George's brother Abraham who came in 1851.  

Isaac Meeker 's wife Mary Elizabeth was a Groshong, her first husband was John Wilson, I have his first wife as Melvina Hale, not Laura, but could have been her middle name?   

There is a Jacob M. Miller whose wife Mary d. (bur.?) Sept 16 1855. Cannot find this Jacob or his wife anywhere in the two Miller lines that lived in this area or on any of the three lists that I have. Sure would like to find him!

I am doing the genealogy of the Millersburg Cemetery, which seems an unending task! Would like to put it on line some day even though it is nowhere finished. 

Online Transcriptions:

    Surveyed 2001 by Lyle Stephenson and available at Jan Phillips' website.

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References used to prepare these cemetery pages are provided.
Lisa L. Jones prepared and is solely responsible for the content of these pages. 
Copyright 2001.