1880s/1890s Autograph Album of Cora Miller of Sugartree, Ohio

1880s/1890s autograph album that belonged to Cora Miller of Sugartree, Ohio, in Guernsey County.  She signed the first page in the album and noted that it was purchased on 28 May 1888.

Farther along in the album there's a page written in a fancy script with the name Cora Miller.  I don't know if Cora penned this page herself or if it was written in her honor.

The album is approximately 7-1/2" x 5" and contains the sentiments of 75 of Cora's relatives and friends, some of whom signed more than one page.  Many pages have wonderful Victorian scraps pasted on them.  

An alphabetical listing of the signers appears at the end of this post.

From online research, hopefully correct: [corrections and additions welcome!]

Cora Miller was born 21 October 1870 in Ohio, the daughter of Mason and Maria Jane (Dawson) Miller.  Her father was born in Harrison County, Ohio, and her mother in Newcomerstown, Ohio, in Tuscarawas County.

Cora's California death record gives her middle name as Bell.  I found an online tree that gave her name as Cora Sarah Miller.

Finding Cora's family was helped by the fact that several of her siblings signed pages in her album; two of them signed more than once.

Cora's younger sister Miss Liza Miller of Sugartree, Ohio, signed a page on 28 May 1888, the day Cora bought her album.  She also signed facing pages farther on in the album.

Cora's older sister Miss Hattie Miller of Sugartree, Ohio, also signed a page on 28 May 1888.

Cora's married older sister Mary (Miller) Bumgardner of Kimbolton, Ohio, signed a page on 18 June 1888.  Most records I found for her husband, G. W. Bumgarner, spell his name without the "d", as did he in the pages he signed in Cora's album.

Cora's younger brother Perry Milton Miller signed a page.  

Cora's youngest sister Stella [Estella] of North Salem, Ohio, signed a page on 25 December 1890.

On 10 January 1893, Cora married Neal E. Kane.  He was born 26 January 1867 in Pennsylvania.  They lived in Ohio, Michigan and California, where they died, Cora in 1951, and Neal in 1954.

They raised at least three children, two daughters and a son.

If you have corrections to the information above, please leave a comment or contact me directly.  Thanks!

Here's an example of one of the lovely Victorian scraps, on a page originally signed by someone else, but overwritten by Sallie and Betta of Salem, Ohio, on 15 March 1890.

Alphabetical list of the signers: [Note: given names within a specific surname may not be in alpha order.]

• Sallie and Betta, signed at Salem, Ohio, on 15 March 1890.  There may have been another name under the large Victorian scrap.
• G. W. D.
• C. A. S., signed at Sugartree, Ohio, on 2 September 1888
• S. R., signed at Tynor Ohio, on "10-1-1888
• A. L. or A. Z., signed at Coraopolis, Pennsylvania
• Sadie Mc, signed on 18 January 1891
• Maley, signed on 23 June 1888.  Possibly Maley Atkins of Cambridge, Ohio, daughter of Robert and Martha Atkins
• Jennie, signed 223 September 1888 at Kimbolton, Ohio; can't make out her surname, but it's possibly Smith
• M. C. Mc. or M. E. Mc.; page shared with Esther Fields, who wrote in a childlike script
• L. M. W. or L. M. N. or ?, signed 30 August 1891
• Myrtle of Sugartree, Ohio
• E. S., signed at Newcomerstown, Ohio, on 3 August 1890
• A. L., signed at Sugartree, Ohio, on 8 December 1888
• The name of the signer from Sugartree, Ohio, is rubbed out.  The date signed was January 1889.  The page has the names of Jennie Julia Sallie Bethard Hawes
• Cora, signed 20 April 1889
• A friend in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, signed at North Salem, Ohio, on 12 January 1890
• Lulu Angus of North Salem, Ohio, signed on 13 January 1891
• Kate Angus, signed at North Salem, Ohio, on 19 January 1889
• Nannie Angus, signed on 19 January 1889
• Maley, signed on 23 June 1888.  Possibly Maley Atkins of Cambridge, Ohio, daughter of Robert and Martha Atkins
• A. M. Beatenhead of Kinbolton, Ohio, signed on 8 September 1889, "S.R.S."
• Mattie Bell, or Hallie Bell, signed on 4 July 1888
• H. C. Bell of Stringtown, Ohio
• Oscar O. Bell, signed on 10 February 1892.  "N.S.", perhaps referring to Normal School.  Page shared with Lillie Hurst, who signed on 23 June 1889
• Olie Berg, signed at Cambridge, Ohio; shared a page with Sallie Bethard, who signed at Salem or Sugartree, Ohio
• Mary Berry, signed at Kimbolton, Ohio
• Sallie Bethard, signed at Salem or Sugartree, Ohio; shared a page with Olie Berg of Cambridge, Ohio 
• The name of the signer from Sugartree, Ohio, is rubbed out.   The date signed was January 1889.   The page has the names of Jennie Julia Sallie Bethard Hawes.  Perhaps it means Jennie and Sallie Bethard and Julia Bethard Hawes.
• Harry C. Beymer, siged at Washington, Ohio, in January 1889.
• A. M. Broome, signed at Newcomerstown, Ohio, on 28 September 1890
• Mary Bumgardner, signed at Kimbolton, Ohio, on 18 June 1888; Cora's sister.  Mary spells her name a Bumgardner, but her husband, who signed two pages, leaves out the "d"
• G. W. Bumgarner, signed at Kimbolton, Ohio.  He signed another page in 1888.
• Emma Carnes of North Salem, Ohio
• P. A. Cavanagh, signed at Coraopolis, Pennsylvania, on 6 September 1891
• Sherman D. Chambers of Kimbolton, Ohio, signed on 23 September 1888
• O. L. Clark of Stoneboro, Pennsylvania, signed on 9 August 1888
• William Coudding, signed at Coraopolis, Pennsylvania
• Esther Fields, wrote in a childlike script; shared page with M. C. Mc. or M. E. Mc.
• Hard to read, but perhaps J. G. Fisher of Odell, Ohio, signed on 24 Jan [no year given]
• The page has two names: Lizzie Henderson and Mary L. Henderson.  Two separate people or just one?
• Sallie Hurst, signed on 9 January 1889
• Signed by Lillie Hurst on 23 June 1889; page shared with Oscar O. Bell, who signed on 10 February 1892 and added "N.S.", perhaps referring to Normal School
• S. C. Kilgore of Sandy Lake [either Ohio or Pennsylvania, but there were Kilgores at Sandy Lake, Pennsylvania around that time].  Not positive of surname
• J. P. Lanning of Odell, Ohio, in Guernsey County, signed on 25 January 1892; signed two pages, the other in 1891.
• J. P. Lanning of Odell, Ohio, signed on 24 January 1891; signed another page in 1892
• H. G. Little, signed at Newcomerstown, Ohio, on 27 July 1890
• E. Little, signed at N. C. Town, presumably Newcomerstown, Ohio, on 28 July 1890
• Howard March of N.C. Town, Ohio, likely Newcomerstown, Ohio, signed on 23 February 1889
• Elmer E. McCullough of Sugartree, Ohio, signed on 16 January 1889
• Walter McKee of North Salem, Ohio, signed on 22 June 1889
• Miss Cora Miller of Sugar Tree, Ohio, album owner.  She signed her ownership page on 28 May 1888, the day she bought the album
• Miss Liza Miller of Sugartree, Ohio, signed on 27 May 1888; Cora's sister.  She signed two facing pages farther along in the album.
• Miss Hattie Miller of Sugartree, Ohio, signed on 28 May 1999; Cora's sister
• Name on the page is Miss Cora Miller, signed at North Salem, Ohio, on 24 January 1891.  Was she the album owner or someone with the same name?  The page is more than halfway through the album.
• Cora's brother Perry M. Miller.
• Stella Miller of North Salem, Ohio, signed on 25 December 1890; Cora's younger sister
• Mary Miller, signed on 26 August 1889; not Cora's sister, as she would have been married by then, and the message doesn't sound as though it came from Cora's mother.
• Sadie E. Milligan of Gas Valley, Ohio, signed on 22 February 1890
• Mrs. Addie Shaffer of Beaver Falls, of Beaver County, Pennsylvania, signed on 31 January 1892
• Etta Shaffer; she or another Etta Shaffer signed a page farther along in the album
• L. R. Shaffer of South Oil City, Pennsylvan
• C. A. Shaffer, signed at South Oil City, Pennsylvania, on 22 June 1888.  Refers to A. L. S., someone Cora might marry
• L. R. Shaffer of Sugartree, Ohio, signed on 5 May 1889 at Sugartree
• A. Shaffer of Sugartree, Ohio, signed on 26 January 1889; middle initial might be T or C
• Lemuel R. Shaffer, signed at Homestead, Pennsylvania.  There's other handwriting on the page that mentions Bradford, Pennsylvania, Olean in Catagaugus County, Pennsylvania, Portland, Oregon, Oil City, Pennsylvania, East Sandy, Pennsylvania.  It also mentions Cora Miller of Sugartree, Ohio.  At the bottom is the date of 18 November 1888.
• A. L. Shaffer of South Oil City, Pennsylvania, signed at North Salem, Ohio, on 16 July 1888
• W. K. Shaffer, signed on 15 September 1888
• L. D. Shaffer
• D. F. Sittle, or D. F. Settle, signed at Odell, Ohio, on 23 March 1889
• W. H. Smith, signed at Brady, Ohio, in Guernsey, Ohio, on 29 January 1891
• J. F. Smith of Washington, Ohio
• Ida Smith, signed at Washington, Ohio, on 18 August 1889
• C. J. Sperry, signed on 26 September 1891
• S. B. Walters, signed on 31 August 1891; added to on 26 September 1891
• Miss Emma Waters, signed at Coraopolis, Pennsylvania
• J. W. Williams, signed at Zanesville, Ohio, on 15 January 1889

Guernsey County, Ohio

View Larger Map

Thanks for stopping by!