As evidence of Nannie's superior capabilities in administering
household affairs it should be mentioned that she kept two servants,
Menger Caldwell and Sally Caldwell, his wife, for eleven years, from
1882 to 1893, and at Washington, Dora Miller Kelly, fourteen years,
from 1896 to her death in 1910, and her brother, Martin V. B. Miller,
seventeen years, from 1900 to date. (Cut, 241.)
All these servants were so capable and satisfactory that their long
service seems to warrant the appearance of their pictures in this
narrative.
Our daughter, Constance, attended the excellent schools in Washington,
grew up, and soon entered society, when our house was visited by a
host of young people of both sexes. After enjoying this interesting
period, she became engaged to a young officer of artillery, Winfield
Scott Overton, and two years later, they were married at our home, on
the 30th day of April, 1903.
Captain Overton graduated from West Point just before the Spanish
War. He served in the Philippines and was seriously wounded at the
battle of La Loma, March 25, 1899. He remained in the hospital in the
Philippines for some time, and has been operated upon several times
since, but never fully recovered, and in June, 1908, he was compelled
to retire from the service. They have three beautiful children, Hannah
Elton, six; Constance Elizabeth, four, and Mabel Helen, three years
old. (Cut, 240.)
[Illustration:
CAPTAIN W. S. OVERTON WITH NANCY.
CONSTANCE MILLS OVERTON.
]
[Illustration: OUR GRANDCHILDREN, HANNAH ELTON, CONSTANCE
ELIZABETH AND MABEL HELEN OVERTON IN 1916.]
[Illustration:
MENGER CALDWELL.
SALLY CALDWELL.
MARTIN V. B. MILLER.
DORA MILLER KELLY.
]
[Illustration: MILLS MEMORIAL FOUNTAIN, THORNTOWN.]
In 1908 Nannie and I visited my birthplace, Thorntown, Indiana, a
beautiful but sleepy town of about two thousand inhabitants. An
epidemic of typhoid fever was raging, caused by poor drainage and a
layer of impervious clay about twenty feet below the surface, which
caused contamination of the wells.
A prominent minister requested me to donate a library to my native
town. Thinking more good could be done by building a pure water
system, I said that if the town would maintain a fountain monument to
the memory of my father and mother, I would build a water and sewer
system.
A town meeting accepted my proposition. I employed Mr. Charles
Brossman, a civil engineer, to draw plans and superintend the building
of an excellent water system, which pumped pure water from far below
the impervious clay, carrying it to an elevated tank sufficient to
supply the whole city with water; also the main sewers of a system to
carry off the impure drainage; and to erect a fountain in memory of my
parents.