My family tree looks like this on my paternal grandmother's side:
- David Black
- John Black
- Marguerite Miller
- John Hancock Miller
- John Hancock Miller
- John Miller
- David Miller
That's as far back as I've gotten.
David Miller, along with his wife Catherine, were from the Rheinland-Pfalz region of Germany. This is the light green area in the left of the map.
It's one of the most beautiful regions in Germany.
Many people from this area moved to America in the 18th and 19th centuries. Pennsylvania Dutch, spoken by the Amish in the U.S., originated in this region of Germany. Many Mennonite refugees brought this language to Pennsylvania between 1717 and 1732. My 3rd-great grandfather David Miller was born in 1734 in the Rheinland-Pfalz region. He died in Sharpsburg, MD, on May 14, 1811 at the age of 76. In July of 2026 I was able to locate his grave.
How to describe it? One of the most sacred moments of my life. A man I had never met yet whose blood runs through my veins. A man whose choices helped to shape generations he would never see. Family is more than those who stand beside us. Family is those who came before us.
Great-great-great-great-grandfather Miller, thank you for your legacy. Thank you for the gift of family. Thank you for helping to create opportunities that allowed future generations to grow and thrive.
Standing at that grave in Sharpsburg, I didn't feel pain or loss. I felt connection. I felt gratitude. I felt home. I didn't just find a grave. I found myself.