Jessie Pearl Montgomery, born March 8, 1887 in Athens, Henderson Co., TX being the second child of eleven children of James Fernander "Jim" Montgomery of MS and Beulah Benton Ironie Guill of TX.

Married Oct. 25, 1903 in Athens, TX, being the third wife of Isaac Nelson "Ike" Miller Sr., sixth child of Martin Van Buren Miller of IN and Louisa Jane Hinman of IN. Ike was born on Feb. 11, 1877 in Bell Co., Texas.
From this union eight children were born.
1. Hubert Harold Miller born Nov. 11, 1904 in Athens, died Dec. 4, 1994 in Athens
2. Vertie Cleo "Sally" Miller Quisenberry born July 3, 1907 in Stephens Co., TX died April 30, 1989 in Rowlett, Dallas Co., TX
3. Lee Roy Miller born June 20, 1910 Stephens Co., TX, died Jan. 24, 1990 in Houston, Harris Co., TX
4. Robert Nelson Miller born Aug. 25, 1912 in Athens, died Sept. 1, 1967 In Dallas, Dallas Co., TX
5. Maggie Lorraine Miller born Oct. 17, 1914 in Athens, died Feb. 11, 1917 in Athens
6. Homer T. Miller born May 7, 1917 in Athens, died March 26, 2000 in Tyler, Smith Co., TX
7. Steven Austin Miller born Nov. 25, 1921 in Athens, died July 15, 1944 in Freeport, Brazoria Co., TX
8. Isaac Nelson "Ike Jr." Miller born April 21, 1925 in Athens

MULBERRIES

A black bird walked
around in circles
In my backyard today
And so some people say
He had stuffed himself
with fermented berries
And it made him
walk that way.

A funny story
just came to mind
One Grandma told to me
of when she was
young and married
and just as pregnant
as she could be.

She had this terrible cravin
How I wished
I'd lived to see
When the doctor came
and caught Grandma
up the Mulberry tree.
Written in 1960
Your daughter-in-law
Lillie Jean Pirkle Miller

ROSES, THREE
My Dear:
Mother's Day
will not be the same today
since we laid our mother to rest
only a few days ago.
No, not blood kin
but a dear and strong kin
and I feel a great loss,
for I was privileged to know
and love her much longer
than my own.

As I looked upon her frail form,
so dainty, prim and old fashioned.
An inner strength seemed still
underneath the almost childlike features
and tiny hands
So many lives were touch
as were mine.

I raised my eyes
to the uplifted lid
of the rose hued casket
and let them rest.
For upon white,
in palest pink,
stitched so daintily,
were satin
ROSES, THREE.
Written May 1974
Your daughter-in-law
Lillie Jean Pirkle Miller

I have so many stories about Jessie Pearl Montgomery Miller that I don't know where to start and there isn't enough space to put them all. One that quickly comes to mind was that Pearl was always sickly as a child and when Ike asked for Pearl's hand in marriage, Jim Montgomery said to Ike, "I don't know what you want with Pearl. She has been sickly all her life and isn't fit for anything". Ike said "but I want her for my wife". Ike treated Pearl like a queen. He would get up early in the morning when it was cold, build a fire, warm some bricks for Pearl to stand on when she made their biscuits for breakfast, so her feet would stay warm and each night he would get their children ready for bed while Pearl cleaned up the kitchen.

I remember as a child, going to visit Grandma Miller and Granny Montgomery's home on Tyler Street. I never could figure out how Grandma always knew we were coming to Athens because her cookie jar was alway full of her famous TEACAKE cookies. As an adult, I realized that the cookie jar was alway kept full for when one grandchild or another came to visit her. I also remember the little room that my sister and I slept in on Tyler St. It had a twin bed in it but was so small that you almost had to crawl into the bed from the door way. Their yard didn't have a blade of grass on it, only trees and flowers. It was almost like they swept the yard to keep it clean. I'm sure part of it was because I was a child and didn't know better.

I remember several visits of Grandma and Granny coming to Garland to visit us. One time, was sometime between 1944 and 1947, Grandma and Granny were visiting Homer and Lucy in Plano, when Homer Glenn took Diphtheria. When the doctor came to the house, Grandma and Granny hid from the doctor's view. After the doctor made his diagnosis, he quarantine everybody to the house except Uncle Homer who was allowed to go to work each day at the A & P Store and return straight home after work. My father, Bob, went to Plano and smuggled his mother and Granny Montgomery out of the house and brought them to Garland to stay at our house.

After Granny Montgomery died, Pearl moved into the home of son, Homer, and Lucy in Garland. Pearl died in a nursing home in Garland on May 4, 1974 and layed to rest next to Ike in the Athens Cemetery.