Elizabeth Miller, George Miller and Jane’s youngest, was born in 1834 in Wilmington, Kent. At the time of the 1851 census Elizabeth was living with her parents at Orange Tree Row in Wilmington. In 1853 she gave birth to an illegitimate son, William George Miller and Elizabeth left the family home leaving William George to be brought up by his grandparents.

What happened to Elizabeth became something of a family mystery in later years. Did she get thrown out of the family home after William George’s birth? Did she go into service the “the Big House”? Why did she disappear after the 1851 census?

There was a family story that Elizabeth eventually married a man called James Booker. Very often there is more than a grain of truth in family stories and rumour so this was the starting point for the research into Elizabeth’s movements.

A record exists of a marriage of an Elizabeth Miller and James Booker, a gardener, on the 6 February 1860 in Northfleet, Kent. On the marriage certificate Elizabeth’s father is named as George Miller a Labourer. This reflects what is known from the 1841 and 1851 census. Additionally, Elizabeth’s age on the marriage certificate ties in with what was already known. Elizabeth’s place of residence is shown as Northfleet but quite what she was doing there will remain a mystery for some time to come.

Elizabeth and James appear on all the census returns from 1861 to 1901. In each case Elizabeth’s place of birth is Wilmington.

In the 1871 census James and Elizabeth are back in Wilmington. In fact they are living at number 5 Orange Tree Place, next door to Elizabeth’s widowed mother, Jane. It is probable that James and Elizabeth had been living there before George died as their children where all born in Wilmington, the oldest of which was aged 6 at this time.

Sometime between 1881 and 1891 James and Elizabeth moved from Wilmington to the nearby hamlet of Hawley with four of their five sons. Both James and Elizabeth are shown to be still living there in 1901 with one son Alfred, 32 and one Samuel Saunders, a platelayer from Bury, Lancaster. James was still working a gardener in 1901.

Elizabeth died on 27 December 1901 at the family home of 2 Claremont Street, Hawley, Sutton and Hone from “Mitrial Disease Dropsy”.

©Barry Miller 2005