My visit with great aunt Stella Miller

So yesterday I went to visit Stella at her home in Webster. She has lived there for over 30 years, right across the street from where Aunt Connie lived for a number of years. She had everything organized for me. I brought my laptop and software to show her what I had collected so far and to also make it easier to record new information.

The first thing she showed me was a family tree, hand written on 3 sheets of paper, she had received from "Mrs. Miller" (Stacia Kozlowski my Great Grandmother and wife of Alexander Miller). Much of what was written down I had found through various census records, but there was information there that I did not have. I need to go back now and fill all this in. She then showed me a picture of the Kozlowski family. This is the picture that I posted up on facebook. Without even checking the names, I guessed correctly which young man was Peter Jr. (Kerry's Grandfather). There is such a resemblance to Louis the lineage is unmistakeable.

Peter P Miller -Technical Sergeant/Tail Gunner, Air Corps

We talked a bit about Peter (pictured above) as I was interested in his military service record. In the process of this discussion I learned that many of the Miller boys, 5 in all in fact, were enlisted men in WWII. They were Ziggy, Walter, Joseph, Peter, Alex and Felix.

Peter was a Technical Sergeant in the Airs Corps and was an aircraft Mechanic and Tail Gunner. He spent most of his time strapped to the seat in a canopy on the underbelly of a B17 Bomber, a Flying Fortress. He was part of the 12th and 15th Air Force, 301st Bomber Group, 352nd Bomber Squadron. He was assigned to Manuel Formosa's crew (and flew missions with other pilots) flying a total of 65 missions in all, receiving credit for 51.

On his second raid over Regensburg, 31 planes left and only 7 came back. He was awarded the Air Medal with 8 Oak Leaf Clusters. A stone with his name engraved in it makes up part of the verterans war memorial in front of the the Webster town hall. I was there today to check it out.

The Name Change and Other Assorted Tid-Bits

Before Peter and Stella were married in 1945, he made a point to tell her that his last name was really Kozik. He wanted to make sure that she knew that before they were married. He recalls that it was his Grandfather Wojciech Kozik and not his father Alexander, that changed the name after arriving in the states. Stella told me that he (Wojciech) held a good rank in the Polish Army, but was forced to leave Poland after becoming involved in a "duel". This duel resulted in the death of the other man (bad for him, good for us) and resulted in him being kicked out of the army. He worked for a period of time in the Pennsylvania coal mines before coming to Webster, Massachusetts.

Now I don't know how much of that recollection is fact, how much is exaggerated, or how much of it is just plain fantasy. I do know that I did find an immigration record for an Alexander Kozik whom passed through Ellis Island, New York on his way to stay with his father Wojciech who lived in Webster, Mass in the year 1900.

I'll write a follow-up, and include additional pictures of the Miller Boys. In closing, here is one of the few pictures that I have ever seen of my grandfather Stanley with is beautiful wife Mary of the day of Stella and Peter's wedding. I hope you enjoy this as much as I do..