Titus Miller was born on 7. Jul. 1870 at Easton, Northampton County, Pennsylvania. He was the son of
David Beishline Miller and
Rachel Leah Rinker. Titus Miller married
Lillian Grace Hill, daughter of
Adam Whitfield Hill and
Hannah Blackford Maine, in May. 1896 at Kansas. The Titus Miller home contructed in 1904 on the corner of Salleir and Ryan Streets.

Titus Miller was a contractor on 15. Jan. 1920.
Titus Miller and
Lillian Grace Hill appeared on the census of 15. Jan. 1920 at Lake Charles, Calcasieu Parish, Louisiana.
Titus Miller and
Lillian Grace Hill appeared on the census of 11. Apr. 1930 at Lake Charles, Calcasieu Parish, Louisiana. Titus Miller died on 25. May. 1963 at 309 East Saller St., Lake Charles, Calcasieu Parish, Louisiana, at age 92. Titus was born in Harrisburg, PA 1870. Titus died 1963.(749) <../sources.htm> According to the notes of Beverly Hill, "From Mary Margaret Bunning: My grandfather, Titus Miller, was born in Harrisburg, Penn. When his family moved to Lincoln, Nebraska, he met Lillian Grace Hill. They became teenage sweethearts. The tales are that at some time Grandpa Titus came south to work and Lillian Grace Hill married [F. E. Bailey] and had a daughter named Adele. One day her husband left for work and was never seen again. Years later, a man's body was found in the basement of an old building and was tentatively indentified as her husband. My grandfather heard of Lillian's plight and returned to Lincoln to propose to Lillian. She said she wanted to change her name so they were married in her sister's home in Kansas, May, 1896. Grandpa Titus raised Adela as his own. They had seven boys and four girls."
According to the notes of Charles Miller, "Titus Miller moved to Lake Charles, La. in 1901 and raised 11 children here. Most were in general construction work and stated out as T. Miller & Sons Contruction in about 1925. Of the sons 5 went into construction on their own starting in about 1952." Charles went to work for his dad, Earle L. Miller after he finished high school and went into business for himself after Earle's death in 1968. Now Charles Miller's son, Jeffrey C. Miller is running the company along with his sisters, Jenny and Susan. A Century of Building Date Posted: 7/17/2001
Author: Angela Hebert Page Times of South West Louisana, Lake Charles
MILLER FAMILY:
Laying the Foundation for Lake Charles
By Angela Hebert
Passing along the streets of Lake Charles, especially through the downtown area, it may seem as though one is passing through some sort of life-size museum exhibit. The historical houses and buildings that line the streets stand proudly and strongly with many great tales supporting their structures.
One family in particular has had a big hand in helping to lay the foundation, literally, of the Lake City. The year 2001 marks the 100th year that the Titus Miller family has been building in the Lake Charles area.
The Miller story begins in Pennsylvania in the mid-1700's. Frederick Miller was born in 1738 of German descent. Most of the Millers remained in this area until the mid 1800's - until David Beishline Miller moved to Easton, Pa., and started in the dry goods retail business. It was there in the year 1870 his son Titus was born. David's sense of adventure eventually landed him and his family in the new territory of Lincoln, Neb., in 1880. He would remain there for the rest of his life.
However, his son, Titus Miller, was not fond of the cold Nebraska weather and when he became old enough he journeyed south. A carpenter by trade, he built houses in and around the warmness of Houston, Texas.
Titus did travel back to chilly Nebraska in order to retrieve a wife. Lillian Grace Hill was the daughter of childhood neighbors and was to become the life partner of Titus as well as mother of their seven boys and four girls.
Titus moved his family - Lillian and their then three children: Adelle-age 6, Franklin-age 4 and Gladys-age 2 - to the sunny beaches of Galveston, Texas. However, what moved in after them would forever impact their lives.
The Great Galveston Hurricane of 1900 began beating the Texas coast on Sept. 8 around 4 p.m. By 9 p.m. it reached maximum strength with winds reported by the weather bureau to be as high as 120 mph. During the storm the Millers took refuge in a schoolhouse with their neighbors and close friends, the Ory family.
Over 6,000 lives were lost and the city was almost completely destroyed. Martial law was enforced and the surviving men were utilized in the clean up of debris and removal of bodies. No food or water was available for several days and aid from all over the world was sent to help the people of such a calamity.
Lillian returned to the safety of Nebraska temporarily with the children while Titus remained in Galveston to assist in clean up and reconstruction.
The Galveston Storm was one of the largest disasters in the U.S. Titus and Lillian survived the misfortune and ended up settling in Lake Charles in 1901.
Lillian Miller recalls the storm in a birthday greeting to her old friend Mrs. Ory, "...then in 1900, I'll never forget the date a tidal wave swept over the isle, but we still clung together leaving our homes for a higher place. The wind took everything in the terrible weather. We landed in your church. They gave us food and clothes, a room for our two families. After weeks and months we landed in Lake Charles."
Subsequent to relocating in Lake Charles, Titus and his neighbor from Galveston, S.J. Ory, founded Miller and Ory Construction Company. They were responsible for much of the work on many old homes on the lakefront, including the Burton and Cross homes. They also constructed many of the old downtown buildings and the Louisiana State Rice Milling Plant - the largest rice mill in the world.
Titus designed and constructed a beautiful two-story home for him and his new family on the corner of Sallier and Ryan Street in 1904. This was considered "out in the country" at that time. The middle of Sallier Street was the end of the city limits until 1936. The Miller home would go on to shelter eight more children: Edith, Chester, Earl, David, Rachel, Julius, Alfred and Marsden.
All seven Miller sons began working at their father's construction company as soon as they were capable. In time, most of them secured jobs at a lumber mill in Longville. It eventually closed operations and moved to a new location in Washington state. Four of the brothers followed the mill to Washington. All returned to Lake Charles except Chester who remained in Seattle in the ship building business. Ultimately each one opted for a profession involving some form of construction work: carpentry, masonry, painting, contractors, architects, or related field.
After the dissolution of the Miller & Ory Company, Titus formed his own family business. In 1925, T. Miller & Sons was founded by Titus and his boys. This establishment was the root of a family company that would one day branch into numerous successful enterprises.
The Depression began in 1929 and was to be the next adversity for the Millers. The economic hardship imposed overwhelmed many businesses as well as families. Like everyone else, T. Miller & Sons would take a job wherever one could be found. Construction on the original dock in Lake Charles was one endeavor that helped keep them afloat in a time when almost everything else was sinking.
The Miller's endurance through such hardship can be credited to their family unity and hard work. The sons shared a rented house and their mother, Lillian, cooked for them. Profits from one job would support the family until the next one came along.
T. Miller & Sons persevered and by the late 1930's became the prominent contractor in Lake Charles. They broadened their operation to include more industrial contracting. The expansion was influenced by the new petro-chemical industry locating in the area.
T. Miller & Sons was involved in much of the original construction of these plants.
Titus' boys matured into men with families of their own. In 1947, he retired from the construction business leaving a legacy of hard work and success as well as a renowned reputation. The Miller family name had been built strong and held much respect.
By 1953 T. Miller & Sons divided but did not disappear. Although this was the end of Titus' construction career, it was just the beginning for his sons and their families.
Various Miller companies have evolved since the groundwork laid by Titus Miller:
F. Miller & Sons, David Miller Construction Company and Earle Miller Construction were the initial independent companies. Also developed around the same time were Alfred Miller Masonry and Marsden Miller Construction Company.
Chester Miller, son of Alfred, runs Alfred Miller Contracting. He remembers going out on jobs when he was just 12 years old. He officially joined the company when he turned 21 as a bricklayer, but Chester says he's performed every type of job on the site at one time or another. The Power Center, located on Highway 14, is one of the most recent area projects Alfred Miller Contracting was involved in.
The Miller's ability to be progressive and responsive to changes in the industry is one reason his family has been successful, said Chester.
Charles Miller of Charles Miller Construction, originally David Miller Construction, feels that many lessons about success are continually handed down in the Miller family: "Don't take short cuts, be honest and ALWAYS do your best work."
F. Miller & Sons was formed by Franklin Miller along with his sons Frank and Joe. Frank and his other brother David also opened T. Miller & Sons Building Supply Store which is still open today on Enterprise Boulevard. Their sister Mable ran the store then; her son runs it now.
Joe would sweep the downtown offices for $1.25/week after school and on weekends, he said. He worked for his grandfather, Titus, since he was just 10 years old. He learned more about the business as he got older and worked his way up to timekeeper - figuring the week's payroll and paying the workers.
The main difference now from the way business was run in the beginning is technology, of course, said Joe, and the dependence on brokers or subcontractors. Jobs now are generally not completed by just one company. Most are broken down into subcontracted portions.
Joe too attributes the family's success and long history in the construction business to a strong work ethic that originated with his grandfather. He also feels they have inherited a love of the business. "The Millers that work in construction truly love what they do," he said.
Some popular projects completed by Miller companies include:
Mullers building
Louisiana State Police building
Woolworths
Lake Charles Post Office
Victory Theater
Drew Station Post Office
LaGrange High School
Rosteet School
First Baptist Church
Lake Charles Airport
CM Tower (now Hibernia)
First National Bank
Lake Charles Civic Center
Central Library
Paramount Theater
Lake Charles High School
Lake Charles Memorial Hospital
St. Patrick Hospital
McNeese Arena
Burton Coliseum
Gulf States Utility buildings
Many bridges in SWLA
Nearly every refinery in SWLA
Hotels, motels, apartments and homes
And that's just to name a few. And with several Miller Construction Companies still operating, there is only more to come.
Many stumbling blocks have come before the Millers over the past century. However, they are a family with grace, stamina and commitment. It is these characteristics that have enabled them to remain standing strong - just like their structures.
Titus Miller and his descendents have not just left their mark throughout the city of Lake Charles; they built the walls on which they left it. The legacy continues
BY ERIN KELLY
AMERICAN PRESS
When a hurricane ripped through Galveston at the turn of the century, Titus Miller and his family sought refuge in a school-house. That's where Titus met the Ory family.
In 1901, the two families teamed up to create Miller and Ory Construction Co. in Lake Charles.
The Miller family home was originally on the corner of Sallier and Ryan streets.
"This was considered out in the country at that time," said Joe Miller, Titus' grandson.
Joe's father was Franklin Miller, one of seven sons born to Titus and his wife Lillian. The couple also had four daughters.
In 1925, the Millers and Orys parted ways. Titus created T. Miller and Sons Construction with five of his sons -- Franklin, David, Earl, Julius and Alfred.
During the depression, they did whatever job they could find. One of them was building a dock on the lakefront.
Joe Miller, Franklin's son, said he worked at his grandfather's business until he was 10. He swept the downtown offices for $1.25 a week.
T. Miller and Sons soon became one of the most prominent construction companies in Lake Charles. Titus and his sons worked on projects like Lake Charles High School, Lake Charles Memorial Hospital, the McNeese arena and the Burton Coliseum.
In 1953, T. Miller and Sons dissolved.
"When it broke up, it was like an ant colony," Joe said.
Earl opened Earl Miller Construction Company and focused on smaller, residential work. The business, renamed Charles Miller Construction, is now run by Earl's grandson.
Franklin formed F. Miller & Sons with Joe and his other son, Frank. Joe currently operates the business, which has completed projects such as the Hibernia tower, the old Bank One building (now US Unwired) and virtually all of the city's overpasses.
Alfred opened Alfred Miller Construction, which is now run by his son, Chester.
Ernest Levingston, another Titus Miller grandson, opened Leving-ston Engineers Inc. in 1961.
Levingston's first job was with F. Miller Construction in 1939, when he was 17.
"That was back when they were building McNeese," Levingston said. "I worked there up through age 20, then the war started and I went off to the Pacific with the (Navy construction batallion) and did more construction."
Charles, Chester, Joe and Levingston have continued the Miller business legacy that started with their grandfather.
Each of the men have clear memories of Titus Miller, who died in 1964 at age 94.
"He was a big man, a humorous man," Charles said. "He was a man of strong integrity. He wanted things done right and he was fair with people."
Because the first cousins are in the building business, they've crossed professional paths several times. Leving-ston's company has designed plans for projects being built by one of the other Millers, for example.
The Millers have always been a close-knit group, according to Charles. That includes his parents and uncles.
"The Miller boys were very close. They were always stuck together, always around each other," Charles said.
Each of the first cousins agree that they learned a lot about ethics and hard work from Titus.
"Grandpa liked to do fine work," Joe said. "When they built those homes on the lakefront, they didn't have all the equipment we have today. All the boys would be on the floor, sanding and sanding until it was perfect."