August 22, 2025

Introducing William Thurman Miller

Meet William Thurman “Don” Miller

Born in Louisville, Kentucky in 1908, William Thurman “Don” Miller built a life that carried him west to California, through wartime service, and into the steady work of running his own night watch patrol. Along the way, he was a dishwasher, an actor, a soldier, a husband, and a father of four.

You can read his full story — from his early days in Louisville to his later years in Arroyo Grande — over on his Family Page ».

Have a memory of Don, or a family story that’s been passed down? Please share it in the comments below — your recollections help keep his story alive.

August 4, 2025

Introducing Louis Aloysius Miller Sr

🕯️ Introduction to Louis Aloysius Miller Sr.

The Father Who Vanished | Born 1911, Disappeared After 1932

Some names echo loudly through the generations—others are whispered, half-remembered, tucked into the quiet places of family lore. Louis Aloysius Miller Sr. is one of the latter.

Born on July 10, 1911, in Jefferson County, Kentucky, Louis came of age in a household shaped by working-class grit and the scent of cleaning fluid from his father Claude’s dye works. His mother, Mattie App, was the daughter of German immigrants. Together with his two older brothers, Louis lived a seemingly ordinary life on the streets of Allison County.

By 1932, records show Louis living in Louisville, possibly newly married to Mary Katherine Gunterman, and soon to become a father himself. That same year, his son—Louis Aloysius Miller Jr.—was born.

And then… nothing.

No draft card. No death certificate. No obituary or funeral notice. No sign of a second act. According to adoption paperwork and family accounts, Louis walked out of his son’s life sometime in the late 1930s—and never returned. The family was left behind. And so were the records.

Whether by choice or by tragedy, he disappeared from the paper trail and, eventually, from memory. Only a few official documents and one enduring name tie him to the rest of us.

💬 Share What You Know

Have a memory or theory about Louis Aloysius Miller Sr.? His story is still unfolding. If you have family lore, fragments, or even a whisper of what became of him, please share it in the comments below. Every thread helps us stitch together the life of a man who vanished too soon from his son’s story—and from ours.

📚 Want the Full Timeline?

You’ll find census records, city directory clues, and our full investigation into Louis Aloysius Miller Sr.’s short paper trail on his Family Page. It’s all there—what we know, what’s missing, and the open questions still begging for answers.

August 2, 2025

Introducing Louis Aloysius Miller Jr.

Welcome to the Story of Louis Aloysius Miller Jr.

Born: 13 May 1931 or 1932
Died: 3 January 1996
Buried: Memorial Park Cemetery, Indianapolis, Indiana

He was born twice, according to the records. In two different years, and possibly in two different Kentucky towns. His childhood was marked by the kind of loss you don’t always survive—but somehow, he did. He may have spent his earliest years in the halls of St. Thomas Orphanage, separated from his sister Mary Ray, who was placed in St. Vincent’s across the city. They were reclaimed by their mother, but the shadows never quite let go.

Louis Jr. grew up to serve in the Air Force, marry, and father ten children. And then, he left.

But he didn’t vanish—not really. He kept writing. He kept sending money. He kept trying, in his own quiet, complicated way.

He was a tinkerer, an inventor, a man of codes and circuits. He helped build a computer poker game from scratch, made cabinets by hand, and left faint digital fingerprints in places no one expected to find him.

We may never untangle all the knots in his story. But that’s what this space is for.

🕯️ Have a memory of Louis? A photo? A theory?

Please share it in the comments below. Whether you knew him personally, heard whispers from family, or are following the same research trail, your voice matters here. Every comment helps us bring his story into sharper focus—and preserve it for the next generation.

You can also read the full narrative of his life on Louis’s Family Page.