Not only who is he, but why is his name stamped on my S/L Quarter? I picked up this interesting counterstamp a couple of days ago, and of course set out to find who he was. It's unlisted in any reference I have, but with his occupation and town as part of the caption, he should be easy to find...right? No, he's not! Unfortunately, there are more than a dozen states that have an Elk Creek as a town, waterway or township. Not only that, but there are hundreds of people named Levi Miller listed in census records of the 19th Century. I've been unsuccessful so far, but I'm sure I'll find him when he's good and ready to be found.. The unusual thing about this counterstamp is the inclusion of an occupation with the name and town. Few U.S. counterstamps list an occupation, but it's a bit more common on English pieces. The inclusion of a full name, location, and trade are quite unusual. I think he may have practiced in Elk Creek Twp., PA, but I'm not sure. Most of the Elk Creeks i've come across have been in mid-western states or western territories. If it turns out to be from one of these regions, it will increase the value of this piece quite a bit. Here's hoping Mr. Miller was a westerner. Thanks for looking. Bruce
That's a really interesting counterstamp. Looks like he did things one letter at a time. It would be great if you could find out who and where this elk creek was, but I don't think you will. Miller is one of the most common surnames, and Levi is quite common too. You would have to eliminate all other Levi Millers in the US as well as correlating him with this coin. Guess you may just have to enjoy that coin and say to the anonymous Levi Miller (Blacksmith) ---- here's to you and your memory lives on in this coin you did.
This is a very nice piece indeed, and hopefully, you will be able to sort out who and where he came from. Good luck and maybe we will see an update here in the near future..
This probably won't help as this Levi Miller died in 1848 but was a blacksmith http://files.usgwarchives.org/pa/berks/bios/mill0001.txt
KoinJester- Thanks for the info. This man did die too early to be the issuer, but may have been a relative. I've traced people quite a few times through relatives or family members. Bruce
http://news.yahoo.com/ohio-amish-leader-beard-cutting-religious-matter-232845934.html Too Funny, read this post and left to go read the news.. Here ya go! The rest of the story..
Bruce, Found a reference that may be helpful. It is believe it or not off of a discussion of a Civil War discussion regarding African Americans who were in the Confederate Army. Levi Miller, body servant to JJ McBride in the 5th Texas. He drew a Confederate pension from Va for the last 20+ years of his life. Apparently Levi Miller (who was a Slave) was a blacksmith and served as a farrier for a cavalry unit. Possible that this is the same Levi Miller and he went and set up shop after the war? I have found a couple of other references for Levi Miller that echo the above facts, whether or not this is the Levi Miller you are looking for is another story. http://theminiaturespage.com/boards/msg.mv?id=211553 Gene
Thanks for the link Gene. A very interesting story to say the least. I haven't researched the coin extensively yet because I just haven't had the time. I have a whole bunch of other projects I'm working on that need to be finished first. I made a copy of your information and put it in my file so I can check it out further. I thought this would be a fairly easy attribution, but so far it hasn't been. If I find anything new I'll be sure to post it here. Thanks again for the heads up, I appreciate it very much. Bruce
