Miley Family

About the Miley Family

Frederick Miley was a stonemason and a carpenter. Other members of the Miley family played integral roles in Colony life. The Mileys worked in close cooperation with other Colony families and married into the Steinbachs, the Zieglers, and the Forstners, among others.

An Interesting Life

Frederick Miley’s son, William Miley, was born August 1, 1844, in Columbiana County, Ohio. During the Civil War, William was stationed at Kirksville, Missouri, for a number of months on the side of Lincoln. In 1863, he drove a four-ox team to Aurora, which he described many years later as a little hamlet in the woods. William played cornet in the Colony band under leadership of Frederick Keil.

After the Colony

William and his brother Henry operated a general merchandise store at Wilsonville, Oregon, and William ran a shoe shop at Aurora. He was elected to the Marion County Commission and was a very conscientious official, absolutely honest in all of his dealings. A constant whistler, he never married and lived alone in his own house until he died in 1930 at the age of 86.

Researching the Miley Family

The Miley family was the subject of a museum exhibit in 2007. Much biographical information is available in the historical society archive.