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Miller collection, Joan and Patricia
SFH 683  
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Collection Overview
 
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Description
Contains baby books, diaries, publicity photos, and a personal account of Joan and Patricia Miller who sang and performed on stage and on radio and television in the 1940s and 1950s. Also contains personal documents of their parents.
Background
Joan and Patricia Miller were twins who gained fame singing in San Francisco in the 1940s. Joan was born eight minutes before her sister, in Portland, OR in 1938 to Elmon G. and Fay Lang Miller. The family moved to San Francisco in 1940 where Elmon was a dairy salesman and eventually a member of the Bohemian Club. The family lived for a time in San Leandro, where the young girls began taking dancing lessons. Fay taught them to sing. Joan and Patricia had their first performance at the Scottish Rite Temple in Oakland in 1943, days after their fifth birthdays. The following year they moved back to San Francisco and would attend Lawton and Jefferson schools.
Extent
2 manuscripts boxes (.4 cubic foot)
Restrictions
All requests for permission to publish or quote from manuscripts must be submitted in writing to the City Archivist. Any use beyond scholarly research will be forwarded to Martha Campbell for review. Permission for publication is given on behalf of the San Francisco Public Library as the owner of the physical items.
Availability
The collection is available for use during San Francisco History Center hours. A minimum of two working days' notice is required for use. Please call the San Francisco History Center for hours and information at (415) 557-4567.