Miller, Melville - I311

First Class Passenger ♂

Melville Miller
Born c1841
Nationality	Unknown
Born	c1841
Genealogy Data
Person ID	I311
Birth Family
Miller Family - F19141
Father	James Miller  (b. 1806)
Mother	Margaret
Marriage Family/Families
Miller Family - F69
Spouse	Sarah Moffatt Ferguson  (b. c1847)
Nationality	Unknown
Children:
Miller Archie Miller
Voyage Data
Voyage to Adelaide in 1871
Personal role	First Class Passenger
Name on list	Mr. Miller
Travel Family	Miller Family - F69
Joined place	London
Left place	Adelaide

In 1871 Melville Miller was now 30 years old and a journeyman draper. Two years earlier he had been married in Leslie to Sarah Moffatt Ferguson from Dumfries, who was six years younger.

"My wife and I … mutually agreed to leave our native country and to try our luck in the antipodes" is the first line in Melville Miller's excellent diary account of his voyage with wife Sarah and niece Jessie Davidson to South Australia on the City of Adelaide through June, July and August of 1871.

They were met on their arrival at the Semaphore anchorage by three men who rowed out in a small boat. These were E S Wigg and son Edward (who would marry Jessie within three weeks), and Melville’s cousin James Miller Anderson.

The following day Melville visited “stylish and busy” Hindley Street, and he wrote in his diary "Cousin James’ place is first class, almost equal to Cowan & Strachan’s” (a foremost up-market drapery store in Edinburgh). A week later he recorded “I have made very satisfactory business arrangements with my cousin, who has been extremely kind, - also taken a house, furnished it and settled down all snug and complete".

Melville Miller spent the remainder of his working days in the employ of his cousin. He was never a partner in the business. Melville and Sarah had two children at their home in North Adelaide – a daughter who died at the age of seven, and a son Archie who was born in 1882.

Robert Miller was an uncle to both Melville Miller and James Miller Anderson. He had arrived at Adelaide in September 1839, and immediately established a ‘linen drapers’ business in Hindley Street. After a succession of three different partners in this enterprise, he was joined by James Lucking in 1848.

James Holmes Lucking (1810-1904) and his brother Charles, two young London-born men, had arrived in Adelaide on the John in 1840. James was also one of a syndicate of seven men who purchased The Register and The Observer newspapers in 1853, and he had pastoral pursuits near Myponga. James Lucking left the colony in 1855, returned for a brief visit a year or two later, and lived in London for the rest of his life.

By 1843 Robert Miller had sheep-farming interests at Eyre’s Flat (Kangarilla), and he lived in ‘Ridge Park’, a cottage on 40 acres of land at Brown Hill Creek. After becoming quite affluent, Robert returned to live in Scotland in 1849. He retained his financial interest in the firm, and subsequently paid two visits to Adelaide. He died in Edinburgh in 1898.

James Miller Anderson (1828-1923) also had been born in the town of Leslie, a son of David Anderson and Elizabeth Miller, who was an elder sister of Melville’s father. After first working in a Dundee drapery shop, he arrived at Adelaide in September 1849 following a voyage of 128 days on the William Wilson, to join his uncle’s Hindley Street drapery business of Miller & Lucking.

That partnership was dissolved when Lucking returned to Scotland in 1855, and the absentee partner Robert Miller took his young nephew and Robert Hawkes into partnership as Miller, Anderson & Hawkes. After the death of Hawkes in 1857, James M Anderson, with his ‘Uncle Bob’ still the absentee partner, traded as Miller, Anderson & Co.

Subsequently James became the sole proprietor of the well-known firm of J. Miller Anderson Co, drapers, importers, carpet warehouse men and upholsterers, of Hindley Street, Adelaide. It was formed into a limited liability company in 1914.

James M Anderson was 33 when he married 18 years old Christina Sanders (1844-1920) at Parkside SA in 1862. Living first in Buxton Street, North Adelaide, then at “Ramornie” in Medindie, they had five sons and three daughters, but one of the girls died in infancy. They made several trips back to Scotland.

Death Notice

Death Of Mr. Melville Miller

The death occurred early yesterday morning at his home at Lefevre terrace, North Adelaide, of Mr. Melville Miller, aged 96.

Mr. Miller, who was born in Leslie, Fifeshire, Scotland, had been in poor health for some months. He was the son of a Leslie draper, the business having been founded by his grand father in 1789. He received his education privately and at a parish school, and subsequently worked as an apprentice to his father for two years. Mr. Miller then joined the services of Scott, Low & Co. Edinburgh, and later was with Charles Meeking & Co. (later known as Wallace's), Holborn, London. When his father died in 1868, Mr. Miller and his brother John carried on jointly for a time, but in 1871 Mr. Miller left London for Adelaide by the sailing ship City of Adelaide, the journey occupying 76 day. On his arrival in Adelaide. Mr. Miller joined his cousin, Mr. J. Miller Anderson, in the business now known as Miller Anderson Ltd, Hindley street, which had been founded by an uncle Mr. Robert Miller. After 42 active years with the firm. Mr. Miller retired in 1913.

The late Mr. Miller for some years was an elder of St. Andrew's Presbyterian Church, and also was associated. with the Caledonian Society. His wife died in 1924, There are no surviving children, a daughter and a son, Mr. Archie Ferguson Miller, who took degrees in medicine at the Adelaide University, and later studied in Edinburgh, having died some years ago.

Mr. Miller was a keen golfer. During his retirement gardening had been his bobby, and he also was an assiduous reader. He lived for about 60 years in Lefevre terrace, North Adelaide, and the funeral will leave there at 4 p.m. today for the North road cemetery.