52 Ancestors for 52 Weeks: Week 29

 Week 29:

The theme for Week 29 is “Cousins.” As genealogists, we know that there are more kinds of cousins than just the children of our aunts and uncles. This week, write about a cousin – no matter how “distantly” they are related to you!


Martha Elizabeth Miller Cassell Zimmerman

Born: 1872

Died: 1941

1st cousin 3x removed


Martha Elizabeth Miller was just 17 years old in August of 1890 when her father murdered her mother and then committed suicide in front of her and her eight siblings. At 17, Martha was the oldest, and the youngest sibling was just two months old.

August 3rd, 1890, started with Jeremiah W. Miller verbally abusing his wife and eldest daughter at the breakfast table. He accused them of running around town with different men and threatened to shoot them. A threat that he would carry through with just moments later.

After shooting Mary, the mother, in the chest with a double-barreled shotgun, Jeremiah gathered the children around, told them he was going to kill himself, and then shot himself in the stomach. He died instantly. Mary lingered for a few days, paralyzed from the waist down before she succumbed to her wounds. 

The tragedy unfolded at 9 a.m., but it wasn’t until noon—three hours later—that the coroner and constable arrived at the remote log cabin in Pennsylvania’s Cumberland Valley.

By the following Monday Martha was an orphan with eight siblings to care for.

I don’t know much about Martha’s life after the loss of her parents. What I do know is that she married not long after, and by the age of 19, she had already welcomed her first child.

Martha married twice in her lifetime. Her first husband was Charles William Cassell, and after his passing, she wed Benjamin Edward Zimmerman. Through these marriages, she raised a large and loving family—four daughters, one son, and seven stepsons. Her legacy lived on through her 24 grandchildren, a testament to the strength and perseverance that carried her through life’s darkest moments.

I'm still in the process of researching Martha’s eight siblings. I can only hope that each of them found happiness and were able to heal and move forward after the family tragedy.


Martha’s testimony during the inquest 





Martha’s mother, Mary, died from her wounds. She was survived by her mother and 9 children


Martha’s obituary 


Martha’s death certificate 


Martha and Benjamin Edward Zimmerman's marriage license 


Martha’s oldest child, Charles Martin Cassell, and his wife, pictured in their later years


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