Joslyn: This is Joslyn Arthur. I’m interviewing my grandmother, Nadine Miller. We’re
conducting this interview in her home, in St. James, Missouri. The date is the 26th of March, the
interview is for Religious Lives of Ozark Women, Intergenerational Storytelling from the Older
to the Younger conducted through Missouri State University in Springfield, Missouri. So, your
full name, including maiden name:
Nadine: Nadine Prewett Miller.
J: Place of birth?
N: Near Rolla, Missouri
J: And Current Place of residence?
N: St. James, actually, on a farm near between Rolla and St. James, Missouri
J: Places of residence, include the years, as much as possible ((laughter)).
N: Ok, on a farm near Edgar Springs until I was 20 some years, and then-I’ve only moved once, I
lived at the-moved here in 1963 and lived here ever since
J: Current age?
N: 75
J: And date of birth?
N: May the 6th 1934
J: Education, include institutions, locations, degrees…
N: I have a BS in education from Southwest Missouri State University in Springfield, Missouri
J: Occupations?
N: Occupations, I taught school for school for 6, 7 years, and then I was an accountant, and my
husband’s business, in Rolla, MO and then started my own business, a custom framing shop for
20-some years. Retired, for 8 years, I guess.
J: Current religion?
N: Member of the Christ Community Church, in Rolla, Missouri.
J: Spouse’s name?
N: Dilly E. Miller
J: And spouse’s occupations
N: he’s retired too
J: k, children’s name
N: Kathleen, the oldest one. We lost a son at birth, and Cary, Denson the youngest daughter
J: Alright, first question, how long have you been a member of your church
N: Uh, Christ community church, about 9-10 years.
J: How, how did you did you get involved there?
N: I guess we left Rolla, one of the Rolla’s churches of Christ. A little bit of dissatisfaction, and
thinking there was a need for more of a community church.
J: How-have you been involved with other churches or other religious organizations?
N: Not really, been baptized, when I was almost 16 years old, by a church of Christ minister
J: What was the role of religion in your home growing up?
N: Actually, we didn’t go to church anywhere. We visited camp meetings, which were primarily
Church of God. Visited a occasionally a Pentecostal churches, more as an observer, are, almost
for entertainment for anything else
J: What’s your strongest childhood memory relating to God or religion?
N: Well, my strongest memory, was I always believed in God, and we didn’t, we didn’t go to an
organized church, but I remember going to uh going to uh, campground every summer and Vishy
campground I guess it was Church of God. Because I got to see my cousins a lot and got play a
lot there. And, then I guess my really strongest memory was when a visiting church of Christ
preacher came to our small school which had already closed by that time and he preached so
vibrantly right out of the Bible and gave me answers that I’ve never heard before and used the
Bible instead of just telling personal stories, and we studied the bible and I was so impressed, I
think that’s my strongest memories
J: Hmm, okay, do you recall any times as a child that times were different for you in your
religious world because you were a girl and not a boy?
N: Not so much as a child, but I obviously, uh, had in the Church of Christ that I, after I was 15,
16 grew up in. I just more or less, accepted that women were second class citizens. I’m sorry
maybe this is bad, saying it too strong, but there were certain roles that women did not, didn’t…
J: Mmhhmm. Okay. What differences have you experienced in your religious life? Kind of…
N: What…differences?
J: Because you’re a woman
N: Because I’m a woman. Well, I probably I answered that because women did not have any
leadership or in some cases any decisions roles. I guess, my home life was probably a little more
different because my husband kept me into confidence and we always discussed things,
religions, financial, and probably because of that background I was more open to the fact that,
women were equal to men
J: Mhhm. And, what challenges or struggles have you faced in your religious life?
N: Challenges or struggles, I’ve…Let me think. Well, for one reason we left, the-I guess you’d
say traditional, conventional I would call it legalistic Church of Christ, and started going to the –
and formed the Christ Community Church a Church of Christ was because of the legalistic
approach to so many issues, and the gender situation was part of that because it, they had to, if a
woman was teaching the children’s church there had to be a man in there to say the prayer and so
and I-whenever you back off and look at the scriptures it was neither male or female it doesn’t
quite all add up, so that was one of the issues .
J: And that was Aunt Cary?
N: Yeah, that was Aunt Cary, was so talented in that area, that I thought it was ridiculous have a
that man was in there stumbling through things when you have some really good teachers,
principles, public school and everything but they can’t say anything in a formal an assembly
J: What person has most influenced your religious life, and how?
N: Well, that’s a really difficult, through the years there has been a lot, but the whenever we first,
whenever I first, uh started going to the Church of Christ, I George Lite was the-the traveling
minister that came by and uh, was teaching that the Bible was understandable and I really
admired him and through the years I’ve-I’ve had a lot of people that…
J: Okay, how do you think religious life is different for kids today than it was for you?
N: Well, I think life in general is so different today because I see church today as it was thirty or
forty years ago. Families-religious life centered in the church but I see that kids today as being so
diversified and maybe seeing some of the hypocrisy in things that were taught in the church the,
the way they were taught, not the bible teachings were hypocritical or anything like that, but the
interpretations were and I think that younger people today-and I think there is so many
distractions, we’re such entertainment society today that and people are, are not attending
services.
J: Mmhhmm. Okay, how do like your church to remember you?
N :Well, I would hope that I have been fair and honest, and everything that I’ve done. I would
like to be more known for less judgmental, and not necessarily tolerant of, of, of what’s right,
and wrong, in-less judgmental in the way I treat others.
J: Okay. That’s it. Thank you
N: You’re welcome.