Miller, George W.

George W. Miller was born in Massillon, Stark County, Ohio, on November 11, 1848, to Samuel Miller of Maryland and Susan Rice of Pennsylvania. Reared on a farm in Medina County, he received his education in the local public schools and learned the trades of butter- and cheese-making. He later managed cheese factories and creameries in Missouri and engaged in farming across Kansas before eventually relocating to Fresno County, California, in September 1909.

After initially settling in Laton, George purchased forty acres of raw land at Tranquillity in March 1911, which he leveled, improved, and established as an alfalfa, dairy, and hog farm. He married Sarah Margaret McGovney in Vernon County, Missouri, and together they raised seven children: Bessie, Hattie, Roy, John, Frank, Sadie, and Fay. After selling his original acreage in 1919, he purchased twenty acres southeast of town to live in retirement as an esteemed community member and co-founder of the local Church of Christ.