THE MILLAR STORY

THE SCOTTISH ORIGINS

The Millar family records begin positively with the christening of ROBERT MILLAR on
15.4.1805 at St Cuthberts, Edinburgh. His parents were probably James Millar and
Euphemia Peat. The father of Euphenia was John Peat S.S.C. Edinburgh 1749-1826
whose tomb can be seen in Old Calton cemetery.

On 16.1.1832 Robert married MARGARET ROBERTS at the Associate Secession
Congregation, Edinburgh. Their second son took his mother’s maiden name becoming
THOMAS ROBERTS MILLAR (TRM 1). There is no precise date for the birth of
TRM1, but it was in the 1830s. There were 6 other children.

It was TRM1 who emigrated to Australia to join his uncle's family in Victoria.. It is very likely that he is the Thomas Miller (not Millar), a Scot, age 19, a carpenter, who sailed from Glasgow aboard the Sir William Molesworth October 12th 1852. (He is a carpenter on his marriage certificate). This ship was owned by the passengers who called themselves collectively the Christian and Temperance Emigration Association.

His uncle, and brother to his mother, James Roberts, appears later in the Australian history. James
was a miller and one wonders what was the motivation that made him pack up and leave
Scotland. Presumably he sought a better life? He and his family sailed from Lieth on the
Caledonia on17.4.1839 and arrived at Port Philip on 18th September 1839.

It would seem that the other members of the Millar family stayed in Scotland. For
instance his father and mother are shown to be living in Amgask in the 1871 Census, and
there is an Amgask record dated 24.3.1875 of the death of Margaret.

AUSTRALIA

The Sir William Molesworth arrived Melbourne 13th October 1853 after a 5 month voyage!
At that time it was said by descendants that the Roberts family lived in a log cabin and hung carpets on the walls to keep out the draughts. There were no white settlers at Hobson's Bay at the head of Port Phillip, but by
1838 lots were selling at £250 per acre. By 1841 there were 11,000 white settlers, and
in 1851 the discovery of gold raised the population to 100,000.

In due course TRM1 marries his cousin SOPHIA ROBERTS, daughter of James Roberts,
born in 10.6.1842 at what is now a GPO site in Collingwood, Melbourne. The marriage
was held in 19.12.1861 at the Presbyterian Chapel, Rushworth.

At the time of his marriage TRM1 was described as a carpenter and, later, a coach builder.
Since the Roberts had a coach and landau manufacturing business it is probable that he
worked for them. However in due course he went into business importing all kinds of food
and goods and selling and distributing them to villages around Port Philip and to stores along
the coast towards what became Adelaide.

The youngest of 6 children THOMAS ROBERTS MILLAR (TRM2) was born 27.9.1879
in St Kilda, Melbourne on a site that eventually became Melbourne Post Office. He was
only 13 years old when his father died in Bordertown whilst on a business trip. TRM2 and
his mother were left with little money and TRM2 had to leave school and go out to work.
The man for whom he worked thought highly of him and when he and his mother moved
to join his brothers in New South Wales his employer gave him a sovereign.

The brothers were living and working in Narromine, NSW. William A.R. Millar 'owned
6 pieces of land', and Robert owned 4 acres. In due course the brothers owned a station
called Rallima, near Narromine,on which there were 14 cattle and 1100 sheep, and a sawmill and building
business. Within Narromine they bought, sold and transferred plots of land.

TRM2 married Edith Amy Gunning in Yass on 12.4.1909 at which time he was described as an auctioneer.
Seven years later TRM3 was born in Narromine hospital, the youngest of three children and later he and family moved
to Mosman in Sydney, though also spending time at the sheep station .
See THOMAS ROBERTS MILLAR

TRM3's daughter, ANNE ELIZABETH, was born and educated in Sydney, and she also
worked there for a few years before moving to London where she married. Anne and her
family live in a Wiltshire village - a day's drive to her great-grandparents' homeland, Scotland.

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