For the family of Joseph Peltier and Louise Miller

JOSEPH PELTIER was born on 27 January 1861 in Ohio, the son of Louis Peltier and Mary Ballou.   His parents were recent immigrants from France and had settled in Loramie Township in Shelby County, Ohio.  LOUISE MILLER was born in November 1864 in Ohio.  She was the daughter of John B. and Rosa Miller.  Her parents were also recent immigrants from France.  They had first settled in Darke County and then by 1880 had settled in Loramie Township in Shelby County.  Joseph and Louise probably attended St. Remy Catholic Church in Russia and that is most likely how they would have met.

They married in early 1884 and it was probably at St. Remy and in Shelby County.  I have not yet located a marriage record for them.   Their first child was born in October of that same year.  Children arrived steadily after that.   By the 1900 federal census, they were living at their farm in Loramie Township in Shelby County.   They owned their own farm and it was free of a mortgage by that date.    Louisa is listed as the mother of 8 children, 6 living.  Those 6 were still living at home with them:  Rosa, Alford, Clara, August, Raymond and Louis.  Also at this time Louise's brother (John B. Miller) was living with them

By the 1910 census, they were still living in Loramie Township.   Joseph's occupation is listed as "own income" instead of farmer and they were shown as living in a house and not a farm.   Louise is listed as the mother of 10 children but only 7 were still living.  Living within a few households of them was George and Mary (Peltier) Marchal.  Mary was Joseph's sister. Also living close by was their son August and Louise's brother John B. Miller.

By the 1920 census, they were still living in Loramie Township.  Their youngest daughter Agnes was still living with them.   I cannot make out Joseph's occupation.  But according to Joseph's obituary, he had filled a number of Loramie Township offices and served for two terms as a Shelby County Commissioner.  There is an interesting story about Joseph as told by his great grandson.   At one point, Joseph Peltier's name was on the Big Four Bridge.   There was a plaque or something on it with his name on it.   They think it might have been in connection with his service as a county commissioner and perhaps the building or improvement of that bridge.   The great grandson used to tell his playmates that the bridge was his because his name was on it.   Unfortunately, the plaque is no longer there.

One Sunday in July 1922, Joseph and Louise attended morning mass at St. Remy church in Russia.   He ate dinner and went to the pool room of John O'Neil to make some purchases.  He was in the pool room for only a few minutes when he was suddenly seized with a heart attack and fell over dead.   He was buried in the St. Remy Cemetery.

The Peltiers seem to have a weakness for heart trouble.   Joseph died of immediate heart attack in the pool room.  His son Raymond died of a heart attack while watching television.  Raymond's son Lester died of a heart attack while cutting the grass.   These heart problems are still carrying on to the current generation and except for the advances in medical care, there would undoubtedly have been more fatalities due to this apparently hereditary heart condition.

Louise continued to live in Russia Ohio until her death in 1953.  She too is buried at the St. Remy Cemetery in Russia.   One interesting thing that her great granddaughter remembers is that her mother always told her that Louise would not eat anything green.  No vegetables, no easter eggs, no icing - nothing green.  The other interesting thing about Louise is that her granddaughter Marie Peltier would come and clean her Grandma's house.  Grandma would give her a candy bar for the help.   But if she stayed overnight, she had to go to bed by 7:00 p.m.

They had 10 known children, all surnamed Peltier: