ramsei

Wounded John Miller (fl. 1760)

John (Hannes) “Wounded John” Miller

Christopher’s earliest Miller-surname ancestor in America on this line, known in family history as “Indian John” or “Wounded John”.

The story (Troyer 1984, "The Miller Family I"; corroborated by the 1912 Hochstetler genealogy)

  • Came on the ship Phoenix, master John Mason, from Rotterdam, last from Cowes in England (Isle of Wight), and took the oath at the Philadelphia Court House on 15 Sep 1749 (Pennsylvania German Pioneers, list 133 C, where “Hannes Miller” signed). The ship carried 550 “freights” from Zweibrücken, Nassau, Württemberg and the Palatinate; the Mishler family and men named Hochstatter and Hostetter were aboard too. Settled at the Northkill, Berks County, Pa., where land was newly open to Amish immigrants. The family lived near the Hochstetler farm.
  • In September 1757, during the raid that killed part of the Jacob Hochstetler family, he was chopping wood for the morning fire when the attackers “aimed for his heart”. His hand intercepted the powder charge. The attackers left, and he went into his cabin and shut the door. Inside were his wife Magdalena and four children: Jacob, John, Christian and Peter, Peter then about a year old. He “saw the Indians leaving the scene of the massacre.”
  • The 1912 genealogy (fam. 9146): “John Miller, who was wounded by the Indians when they were taking the fam. of Jacob Hostetler into captivity, moved later to Somerset Co., where he d.”
  • Like the other Northkill families, he left the frontier for a safer area, ending in Somerset County, Pa.

Children (1912 genealogy, from an account by Moses B. Miller): Jacob (Bishop Jacob Miller, m. Anna Stutzman; led the Amish into Holmes County, Ohio, 1808–09), John “Annas” (Christopher’s line, see John Miller (fl. 1780)), Christian, Peter (b. 1756, Berks Co.; m. Mary Stutzman; Meyersdale, Pa.), Joseph, Mrs. Joseph Bees, Mrs. Christian Speicher, Mrs. Jacob Kauffman, Mrs. Christian Mishler, Mrs. John [?], and Barbara, wife of Jacob Hochstetler.

Why it matters: he is a second Northkill-massacre survivor among Christopher’s ancestors, alongside the Hochstetlers (see 1757 The Hochstetler massacre and The Hochstetler massacre of 1757). His sons Jacob and Peter married Stutzman sisters, daughters of Christian and Barbara (Hochstetler) Stutzman (Troyer 1984), which supports the theory that Fanny Stutzman (fl. 1790) was their sister too.

  • Phoenix passenger list checked: “Hannes Miller” is on list 133 C (2026-10-31). Several Millers signed (Jerg, Jacob, Christian, Peter, Davit), so identifying him rests on family tradition.
  • See Ships and journeys of the immigrant ancestors

Narratives and research

Research log

  • 2026-10-31: Hochstetler 1912, Stutzman 1938, Hertzler 1885 searched: no parents for ‘wounded’ John Miller; Phoenix 1749 signature already checked (earlier)

About this research

Supporting documentation is linked throughout. This project is an exercise in AI-assisted research and development, and I haven’t manually verified every link or conclusion. All transcriptions and translations of Swiss parish records were made with AI, and their accuracy should be treated accordingly.

Graph View

Backlinks