Guide to the Joan and Patricia Miller collection, 1933-2012,
SFH 683
Finding aid prepared by Tami J. Suzuki.
San Francisco History Center, San Francisco Public Library
Dec. 31, 2021
100 Larkin Street
San Francisco, CA 94102
sfhistory@sfpl.org
Title: Joan and Patricia Miller collection
Date (inclusive): 1933-2012
Identifier/Call Number: SFH 683
Creator:
Miller, Joan (Joan Martha), 1938-2012
Creator:
Miller, Patricia (Patricia Fay), 1938-2012
Physical Description:
2 manuscripts boxes
(.4 cubic foot)
Contributing Institution:
San Francisco History Center, San Francisco Public Library
Abstract: 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.
Physical Location: The collection is stored off site.
Language of Material:
Collection materials are in English.
Access
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.
Publication Rights
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.
Preferred Citation
[Identification of item], Joan and Patricia Miller collection (SFH 683), San Francisco History Center, San Francisco Public
Library.
Provenance
Received from Martha Campbell, second cousin to Joan and Patricia Miller, on Dec. 16, 2021.
Biographical Statement
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.
The initial performance led to shows at Army and Navy camps in the San Francisco Bay Area. Their grandmother made their costumes.
They learned to harmonize, and began singing lessons at the age of six. In a 1948 biographical statement, Joan and Patricia
credited their mother for guiding them. Besides providing entertainment on various stages, they also appeared on local radio
and television shows in the 1950s.
In 1976, Joan and Patricia bought a home in South Lake Tahoe, CA. Joan was a senior accounting clerk for the Lake Tahoe Unified
School District from 1979 to 1984. Patricia worked in the El Dorado County's social services office during that same time.
They seemed to live to themselves, and died in their home at 73. Both were found dead during a welfare check in Febuary of
2012.
Scope and Contents
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.
Arrangement
Organized into two series: 1. Joan and Patricia Miller and 2. Elmon and Fay Miller. Within series, organized chronologically.
Processing Information
Processed by Tami J. Suzuki in 2021.
Subjects and Indexing Terms
San Francisco (Calif.)-- History.
Miller, Joan (Joan Martha), 1938-2012 -- Archives
Miller, Patricia (Patricia Fay), 1938-2012 -- Archives
Box 1
Series 1
Joan and Patricia Miller,
1938-2012
Birth Certificates,
Dec. 22, 1938
Correspondence, Bob Robinson to Joan,
1954-1955
Newspaper Clippings and Court Summons,
[1945?]-1982
Retrospective Video and Newspaper Article
2012
Series 2
Elmon and Fay Miller,
1933-1997
Box 1
Vital Documents,
1939-1997
Box 2
Diaries, Fay,
1933, 1939, 1940
Box 1
Correspondence from Fay to Elmon,
1940
Box 2
Diaries, Elmon,
1974, 1975
Box 1
Elmon's Personal Documents,
1975
