The genealogist

The director of the Linn County Museum and Genealogical Library in Pleasanton strives to connect with people and then connect them to the area's history

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By Billy Roudybush, Journal contributor

In my interest of history, I started visiting the museums and Historical Societies in Linn County. As I visited these sites, I have run into some amazing people. This is about one of those people, Theresa Miller.

Theresa Miller, director of the Linn County Museum, enjoys her work that connects people to the past. (Billy Roudybush / Journal contributor)

Miller is the director of the Linn County Museum in Pleasanton, Kansas. The museum and the genealogical research library housed in the library is operated by the Linn County Historical Society. 

I discovered – like, I am certain, anyone who has met Miller – she is very open and expressive. She likes to share and get the truth out there. She has opinions that she is willing to share and beliefs she is willing to defend.

Miller grew up in a suburb of Chicago, Illinois. She said she originally married an intellectual who proved to not like children, so that did not last. She then married Fred Miller from Mountain Home, Arkansas. She had three children, two sons and a daughter. 

Since her husband worked construction, they would take trips in the winter. Their interest in activities varied, from visiting the mountains, rock climbing, spelunking and snowmobiling. She also owned and operated The Elephant’s Trunk interior design store in Leawood for many years.

With this background, Miller subscribed to the belief that all people should be treated properly. In her research into John Brown and James Montgomery, she kept noticing how she agreed with their belief about races and the treatment of each other. She is not as militant as Brown became, but she still believes in what was right for all people as he did. 

When Miller decided to close her store, she convinced her husband to move to Linn County because of the history here. They built a stone house outside of Pleasanton. Later they bought a house and moved into Pleasanton. Once she and her husband settled into the county, she took an interest, not just in the history of the county, but the people in the county as well.

She said she got to know Ola May Earnest, who at that time was director of the Linn County Museum. It was through Earnest that Miller started volunteering at the museum. When Earnest decided to retire from running the museum, she wanted Miller to take her place. The historical society board approved, and she has been working hard to improve the museum ever since.

Ola May Earnest, left, and Theresa Miller in the museum's genealogical library in 2023 during a reception in Earnest's honor. (Journal file photo)

Partly because of the COVID pandemic and partly because of Earnest’s health, the museum had been closed when Miller assumed her duties as director. 

She said she inherited a huge obstacle upon starting this new position. Many articles and artifacts were in need of been organized and stored. She has taken on the challenge with gusto and seeks additional help wherever she can find it. 

She also is continuously striving to care for all the items in the museum’s possession as well as improving and updating displays. She seemed very proud of the antique car collection donated by the late Waldo Cox. 

What really stood out when talking with Miller was her love of people. With so many resources in the museum, she is able to help many people trace their genealogy if the people had relatives that had lived in Linn County. 

She had the list of the members of the Potawatomi tribe who had been buried at the Philippine Duchesne Memorial Park. She said she has information about the movement of African Americans through Linn County whether they had been freed men or escaped slaves. She also has knowledge and records of all the other people that have lived in the county.

It is this love of people that fuels many of her passions. She knows the history of many of the people who used to live in Pleasanton. But she doesn’t want to just help Pleasanton, she wants to help all of Linn County. 

She knows many of the members of the Confederate Sons of Veterans, Civil War re-enactors. One of her hopes is to provide them with a location, in Linn County, where they can perform reenactments and provide other activities to bring more interest into our history-laden county. 

Whether Miller’s dream for the Confederate Sons of Veterans comes to life is uncertain. What is certain is that she will work toward that dream because she holds a strong belief that it could help the people in the county. 

She said she will also continue to provide a service for people to learn about their families because it is important to so many people. Finally, Miller aims to continue to improve and expand the Linn County Museum, then work toward increasing attendance so more people can see the great history of Linn County.