Judge T. H. Miller
Bio-Sawyers
SURNAMES: HUDSON, VANDERVORST,
Judge T. H. Miller – Prominent among
the most popular Federal officials in Santa Clara County may well be
named Judge T. H. Miller, the efficient postmaster at Morgan hill. He was born at Woodstown, N. J., on July 1,
1863, a son of Anthony and Anna [Hudson] Miller, who came to America
from Ireland, a newly-married couple. His
father was a native of Germany, but his mother was born in Ireland; she
was a sister of the late Rev. Father Hudson of St. Mary’s Parish,
Gilroy.
In
1867 the Miller family came to California and located in San Francisco,
and at the age of nine T. H. went to Gilroy and made his home with his
uncle, Father Hudson. Here the lad grew to
young manhood, enjoying the excellent public school education; and on
graduating, in 1880, he entered the employ of the Machado Rancho
Company, near the present site of Morgan hill. In
1888 he acquired, by purchase, a ranch of fifteen acres on the
Watsonville road, near the State Highway, and there he continued
farming successfully for twenty years.
For
the last ten years Judge Miller has lived at Morgan Hill; in 1902 he
was elected justice of the peace for Morgan Hill Township, and for
twelve consecutive years he served in that responsible office. He resigned, in fact, only because, in 1914,
President Wilson appointed him postmaster at Morgan Hill, an office he
has conducted to everybody’s satisfaction ever since.
He owns the Post Office building on Monterey street, having
erected it in 1908. Two good rural free
delivery routes have been built up since 1914, and this may be one
reason why, although the Judge is a Democrat, he has been retained by
the present administration. He is a member
and past officer of the American Yeomen.
At San Jose, Cal., on April 8, 1888, Mr. Miller was married to
Miss Clara Vandervorst, the daughter of Henry and Johanna Vandervorst
of San Jose, where she was both reared and schooled.
Four children make up the family: Thomas J., has a wife and one
son, and resides at San Jose; Harry V., who is now perusing the
electrical engineering course in the University of Santa Clara, saw
service in the late World War as first lieutenant in the U. S. Army;
Frank I., is employed by James Slavin at Tres Pinos; and Albert J., is
a student at the Live Oak High School. The family attend the
Roman Catholic Church at St Catherine Parish; the Judge is a member of
the I O F and the American Yeoman.