When Carl E. Miller was born on June 2, 1884, his father, Erastus, was 39 and his mother, Rachel, was 35. He had one brother and four sisters. His parents died when Miller was a youngster, and was raised by his siblings. He served in the U.S. Army during World War I as a Corporal in Company A, 2nd Machine Gun Battalion, 1st Infantry Division. He was Killed in Action on May 12, 1918 and is now buried in Heyworth Cemetery, Heyworth, McLean County, Illinois, USA.