Letter from Barbara McGhee Dukes
Austin, Texas    1-23-07

First Baptist Church LaFollette:

     When I spoke to someone in your office and asked for any information you might have on Martin Miller, your pastor 1927 - 1929, I was given your web site. It was very impressive and enjoyable. However, I might be able to contribute some information about M. E. Miller.

     The son of a Baptist preacher, Martin Evans was born in Kentucky in 1879. His father died when he was four years old and he was raised by a single Mother. After attending Southwestern Baptist Seminary in Louisville, he married and led several churches in Kentucky. God called him to South Knoxville Baptist in 1915. He remained there for nine years. During that time his wife died in the influenza epidemic and he was left with four children to raise. His older daughter married in Knoxville and he moved back to Kentucky with the younger three children to Immanuel Baptist in Henderson, Kentucky. But in 1927 God and First Baptist Church in LaFollette called him back to Tennessee. There he married a lovely lady and the other daughter married a Tennessee man. He used to say he came to Tennessee looking for good marriage partners! The two sons were teenagers and both very happy working for Mr. Parrott at the theatre. Martin returned to Kentucky in the fall of 1929 but one of the boys returned later to marry a Tennessee girl. The other son married a Kentucky girl and became a lawyer whom God called to preach. He was a Chaplain through two wars and was pastor at a Baptist church in Middlesboro when he retired. His name was Truett Miller. Martin and his wife moved back to Immanuel Baptist in Henderson where he stayed until he retired. He died in 1953 but his wife, Verda King Miller, lived to be 102. She lived in three centuries and is buried beside Martin in Henderson. Incidentally, Martins younger daughter, Ruth Miller McGhee, taught school at LaFollette, Jacksboro and Caryville for many years. She died in 1988 and is buried in LaFollette beside her husband, Marshall McGhee.

     This undoubtedly is more information than you needed, so feel free to use it or not. I am Martin's granddaughter and I am writing an article about the Miller men - Baptist all. I have traced them back so far to 1729 and I'm very proud of what I'm finding

     Thanks you for giving me this opportunity.

Barbara McGhee Dukes

The man in the window of the church on your web site is not Martin. His hair never grayed. I'm enclosing a picture of Martin as he looked in the early 1930's.