Miller Cemetery - The Bethel Lutheran Cemetery

The following inventory of Miller Cemetery was done in 1957 by Mrs. Joseph E. Brown and Mrs. W.A. McBride of the Julia Watkins Brass Chapter, N.S.D.A.R., Crown Point, Indiana on August 4, 1957. A copy of the inventory was acquired from the Indiana State Library in Indianapolis. The inventory has a short introduction about the history of Miller with these few comments about the cemetery itself:

"This small cemetery is not listed in Ball's book on Lake County. This is probably because Calumet and North Townships were as yet very sparsely settled in 1872. However, this cemetery contains one very old stone and is a very interesting one.
...It is to be noted that several graves were uncovered and it is reasonable to assume that there may be others covered by the shifting sand."

The cemetery is still active and maintained. If you are interested in burials following 1957 you could contact Bethel Lutheran. In communication with descendants of John Victor Johnson, an early settler in Miller, it was learned that this land was originally owned by that gentleman, who donated the land to Bethel Lutheran Church when he had finished sand mining it.

The Chairman of the Bethel Lutheran (Miller) Cemetery, Verlaine Wright, states the following about the cemetery's history:

Miller Cemetery contained a number of unidentified stones in 1957, when this inventory was done. It's very possible that many of these stones have now been buried. Below is the "unidentified" list as it was compiled in 1957:

• Old stone; weathered; south of Huldah Anderson
• Three graves in family plot; one marked with native stone; south of Alfred Anderson
• Six graves; no stone; north of Eshelman
• Family plot curb enclosed; immediately to the left of the entrance gates
• Picket fenced enclosure; no stones; due west of the old John Miller stone
• "P.E.K." May 21, 1810; Oct. 26, 1891
• Grave; no marker; due north of Quantz
• new grave on the Skove lot
• Three family plots enclosed with cement curbs; due east of Charles Swanson; no data
• Large family plot north of the drive; six graves; cobble stones enclose plot