Philo Miles made his way to Homer as a young married man somewhere between 1829-1831. Philo was born on March 16, 1792, to John and Rachel Miles of Connecticut, and the family moved to Eaton, New York. It was here that Philo met his future bride, Abilena Hopkins. The couple were married in 1815 and they purchased land on Lot 91 in Scott in 1829. It was in Scott where their first three children were born, in a log house built by Philo.
Conflicting resources make it difficult to know just when the Miles family moved to Homer, but a deed is recorded for a land purchase on Lot 11 on September 28, 1831. Philo and Abilena were the first family to settle in the thickly forested Homer Gulf, and they traveled along the creek beds with their team of oxen because there were no roads. Much work was required to make a home, and Philo immediately set about building a log cabin as a temporary home. Trees were cleared to build a dwelling and to plant crops, and the enterprising Miles created charcoal from the excess trees.
Charcoal was an absolute necessity for all blacksmiths to run their forges to create the iron work that was ubiquitous at that time. Horseshoes, nails, tools, and more were created by the neighborhood blacksmith. Charcoal production was time consuming and dangerous, not to mention filthy. Large mounds of wood were stacked (as much as 25-40 cords), covered with a layer of wet ferns or leaves, followed by a covering of sod. Fire was set to the mound and then required constant supervision. Sleep was not an option if one were to keep the pile from exploding into fire and ruining the product. Large mounds could be 30 feet or more around and take as long as a month to complete the process of creating charcoal. Farmers often created smaller mounds, but we don’t have enough information to know how big of a charcoal production Philo had. Sources state that he supplied blacksmiths with charcoal in Homer, Scott, and Sempronius, but for how long, we don’t know. Over time, he built his acreage up to 160 acres, and from 1850 to 1860, the value of his real estate increased from $1,556 to $3,500 according to the US Census. Philo was not alone in his side gigs; for her part, Abilena took on weaving to supply additional income for their family.
Not only did Philo have his charcoal business, but he also set up a sawmill where he sawed all the lumber for their frame house, which he built himself in 1848. Miles did everything from burning the limestone to make the plaster to building the stone foundation. The cozy house was described as having a cobblestone terrace and a large fireplace for warmth and light in the main room. It’s easy to envision the entire family being involved in the process, and tasks like finding the perfect stones for the foundation would have been a way for the younger children to contribute to building their family home. The Miles’ family was self-sufficient, which required many different skills as well as a culture of cooperation both at home and in the neighborhood. Neighbors were not close by, but they could be depended on when help was needed, and small, peripheral communities were close knit.
Philo and Abilena had fifteen children born to them, but their last three babes died at birth, and three others died too soon. Son Philo was killed when he fell off a load of hay and broke his neck, daughter Rachel died at 16, and little Alanson died at 2. In a time when books were highly prized, Philo Miles had a small library in his home that contained many titles of a religious nature. It seems safe to say that he was well educated himself and that he strove to provide the same for his children. Though Philo and Abilena had little money to educate their children, they attended school about a mile away, so they did receive some education. Their walk to and from school was through a dense forest, and most of the year, they went without shoes. The shoes they did have were made by their father. The family had the means to allow schoolteacher Adelaide Emelina Hurlbut to board with them in 1848. She remembered simple meals of Johnny cake for breakfast, salt pork, potatoes, and turnips for dinner, and samp and milk for supper. Samp is dried corn that has been pounded or ground to be made into porridge. Wild berries were not only a treat in season but also provided some extra income and were sold by the quart. The Miles homestead also had fruit and nut trees which would have been another source of sustenance for the large family.
Reading the names of the children of Philo and Abilena and seeing who they married shows that though Philo and Abilena did not found businesses, churches, or schools, they left behind a different legacy. Their large family married into other families, and this strong pioneer family planted their values of perseverance, ingenuity, and strength in the dozens of other families into which their descendants married, creating an even stronger community. In some cases, the descendants fanned out across the country, taking with them the important values and solid foundation they received growing up in Homer.
There is much we do not know about Philo Miles. Besides the work he did to build a life with his wife, we see that his grave at Atwater Cemetery shows that he was a soldier in the War of 1812. What stories did not get handed down about his service to his country? We know even less about Abilena Miles. How ever did she live through the heartbreak of losing six children? Despite all we don’t know, we do know that together they built a life that included children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren by the time they passed away, each at 79, at the time of their death. They are both at rest in Atwater Cemetery. ~Tabitha Scoville, CCHS Director
