Pearl Miller was born Ellis Hannah Willis (also seen as Willio), daughter of magician, necromancer and prestidigitator "Prof. Henry Willio," and his wife, Marion Cook. Mrs. Willio died in Kingston, Jamaica on Dec. 1, 1874. Through a series of unfortunate events in Jamaica, Ellis and her sister Mabel Lillian came to be in the company of Emma "Lola" Parshall (later known as Lola Earl). She took the girls back to New York, and left Mabel Lillian with her mother in Rochester, NY. She took Ellis, now known as "Little Pearly" Parshall, a contortionist and trapeze artist, with her when she went out west to Atchison, KS, and Deadwood, SD. Pearl married William (aka Wilton) Akarman in King Co., WA Terr., in 1884. In 1887, her father, who had been believed dead, and had been trying for fifteen years to track down the woman who had taken his daughters, finally had success and was able to connect with both Lillian Mabel and "Pearl". The Akarman's resided in San Francisco for a time, then in 1890 removed to Australia. While in Australia, W. F. Akarman died (1906), and Pearl married Pete Miller in 1907. After the death of Pearl's daughter, Marion Akarman Hill, in Melbourne in 1910, Pete, Pearl, granddaughter Lola, and Pearl's son, Wilton, immigrated to America. Pete, Pearl, and Pearl's son, Wilton Fields Akarman performed as "The Australian Musical Millers." After the death of Wilton, Pete, Pearl and Lola were "3 Musical Millers."

An account of Pearl's story can be found in The Sunday Chronicle (San Francisco) April 17, 1887, page 8
and the account of her sister being reunited with their father can be found in: Leaves from conjurers' scrap books; or, Modern magicians and their works By Hardin J. Burlingame (1891)
and Manford's Magazine (1887) Vol. 31, page 386