Fourth Generation

24. William George MILLER was born on 29 Jul 1853 in Orange Tree Place, Wilmington, Kent.¹⁰ He was living on 3 Apr 1881 in Spencer Road, Acton, Middlesex.³⁴ He died on 12 Feb 1931 in 24 St Johns Road, Southall, Middlesex.² He was buried on 16 Feb 1931 in Grave 94c, Southall Cmty. William George Miller was born at Orange Tree Place on 29 July 1853. His birth certificate clearly shows his mother as Elizabeth and his father as one Thomas Kingsland, a carpenter. This is probably true as, after 1837, a certificate for an illegitimate child shows the mother's name and occupation. If the child's father is not known then the space for the father's name would be left blank. If, on the other hand, the father went along with the mother when she made the notification, then his name would be entered. Additionally, when a couple are married then the mothers name would appear as "Elizabeth Kingsland formerly Miller". In cases like that of our William George, the mother's name would be entered simply as "Elizabeth Miller" and the child's surname would be that of the mother.

After his birth William George next appears on the 1861 census as a "Scholar, aged 7" in the home of his grandparents George and Jane at 1 Orange Tree Place, Wilmington, Kent. His mother, Elizabeth, is not on that record.

The next reference to him is in the 1871 census showing him as "Pawnbrokers Assistant, aged 17".

He must have moved from Wilmington to Dartford as we have no further trace of him until 1872 when, according to the records of Spurgeon's College, he joined that establishment. There is a copy of the letter received by Edward Donald Miller from the college which outlined his movements over the next few years. Another part of the family legend, passed down from Edith Miller, that says that Spurgeon himself heard William George preaching at a street corner evangelistic meeting and was sufficiently impressed to take him to be trained as a missionary. The known facts are that he was with the Baptist Missionary Society from 1874 to 1876, having spent 1875 and 1876 in Benares (transliteration of Varanasi, holy city in India). It is then recorded that he was "Invalided from Benares in 1876".

The College records go on to show that he "Withdrew from the College Conference in 1878-88 - no reason given". The version that Ernest William Thomas had is that William George discovered his illegitimate origin and decided that he was not suited to be a missionary. In 1877 he joined the Metropolitan Police. The following details are from a letter that Ernest William Thomas received from Scotland Yard:

Joined, 25 June 1877. Warrant no.61625.
Posted to "N" Division, Islington.
Transferred, 30 June 1880 to "G" Division, Finsbury.
Transferred, date unknown, to "X" Division Paddington as PC 242 X.
Promoted, 15 August 1887 to Sergeant and transferred to Clapham Division as PC 48 W.
Promoted, 14 May 1888 to Sub-Inspector and transferred to "J" Division, Bethnal Green.
Promoted, date unknown, to Inspector and transferred to "H" Division, Whitechapel.
Promoted, 8 February 1896 to Sub-Divisional Inspector, a rank apparently equivalent of the present-day Chief Inspector, and transferred to "E" Division, Holborn, in charge of Hunter Street station.
Resigned, 5 October 1902 after serving 25 years, 103 days, Certificated "Very Good" Pension Number 15048, 118 pounds 17 shillings and 6 pence per annum. Age on resignation, 49. Address on resignation, 90 Tufnell Park Road, London W6.

On November 3rd 1898, while serving at the Hunter Street station, William gave an interview to Charles Booth as part of his social survey into life and labour in London. Booth described William as " .. a tall, grave, portly man, wears spectacles, very pleasant manner and voice. .. "( Booth's notes are held in the Library of the London School of Economics).

As far as is known, he then moved to Westcliffe-on-Sea with his family, where he stayed until the Zeppelin raids started in 1916. The report on his death in the "Southall Messenger" (The Baptist Church magazine) of March 1931 shows that was when he moved to Southall. Initially this was to 3 Orchard Maisonettes, Hortus Road, and in about 1918 to 24 St. John's Road where he spent the remainder of his life.

From the latter part of the 1914-18 war he was involved in local affairs including being Fuel and Food Controller (operating from the library in Osterley Park Road), Town Councillor and for a short time, temporary librarian. Illness - some sort of "waterworks" problem curtailed his activities around 1924. This coupled with a stroke which caused him to fall and break a shoulder bone in 1930, finally resulted in his death in 1931.

William George MILLER and Emily HERBERT were married on 23 Mar 1878 in Register Office, Islington, Middlesex.³⁰ Emily HERBERT² (daughter of John HERBERT and Elyza WHIBLEY) was christened on 5 May 1850 in Brenchley, Kent.³⁵ She was born about 1850 in Brenchley, Kent.^2,30 Birth data acquired from the 1901 census. She was living on 30 Mar 1851 in Waterbar Nursery Cottages.³⁶ She was living on 3 Apr 1881 in Spencer Road, Acton, Middlesex.³⁴ She died on 30 Jan 1931 in 24 St Johns Road, Southall, Middlesex. She was buried on 4 Feb 1931 in Southall, Norwood Cmty. Member and active worker at the Southall Baptist Church with Women at Home and Ladies Sewing Meeting.

Is said to have worked in a paper mill in Dartford at the age of eight.



Buried in Grave 94C. William George MILLER and Emily HERBERT had the following children:

30	i.	Edith MILLER was born in 1879 in Dartford, Kent.37 Birth data acquired from the 1901 census. She was living on 3 Apr 1881 in Spencer Road, Acton, Middlesex.34 She died on 21 May 1940. She was buried in Southall Cemetery. On the 1901 census, while still living with here parents, Edith is recorded as being a "Clerk Furniture Dealer". Not much is known about her early life except that she had some training in her teenage years as what was then called a "pupil teacher". This is is understood to have been the method of training teachers in those days. She does not appear to have taken up teaching at this point. Later she is said to have worked for Express Dairies as a manageress but no firm information about her before 1920 is available. There is a story thart she was once engaged to one Harry Thornicroft who had a hardware shop, the SPQR Stores, in Western Road, Southall, but that she fell out with him and jumped on the engagement ring. Up to their deaths in 1931 she kept house for her parents. Despite what is known of her dogmatic and difficult personality, she must have been a fanatically hard worker. In 1925 she started up the "Preparatory School" teaching nine or ten children at fees ranging from 1/- (5p) to 2/6 (12.5p) weekly from which books and stationary had to come. This was in addition to her other tasks of cleaning, shopping, cooking and attending to her fathers "plumbing appliance" and other needs. In 1932 the unexpected windfall of 100 pounds, bequeathed by an elderly relative of her father, to her and her sister May brightened things for a while. Some was spent on a holiday in Somerset. Later some was used as a deposit on a house at 9 Thorncliffe Road, Norwood Green, which had a large room to which the school was transferred. Something went wrong with the finances and Edith and family moved around several rented houses. These were 26 St. John's Road, one in Woodlands Road and finally in Kingsbridge Crescent, up to the time of May's death in February 1940 after which Edith became mentally strained and eventually died in Hillingdon Hospital in May 1940.
+31	ii.	Thomas William MILLER.
32	iii.	Jessie Jane MILLER was born on 11 Mar 1882 in Acton.37 On the 1901 census, while still living wiht her parents, Jessie is reported to be a Milliner. She died about Dec 1953. A children's nanny who was employed mainly by Army and Navy families to look after their children fro the first few years. She used to return to St. John's Road between jobs. It is known that Jessica travelled to the USA as a nanny for the Bell family during 1921. There is a copy ot a copy of a telegram that was sent to her when she left that reads "NURSE MILLER CARE BELL S/S ROTTERDAM PLYMOUTH = PLEASANT VOYAGE HAPPY SOJOURN SAFE RETURN MILLER". Additionally there is a postcard that notes the date she left on the Rotterdam IV. It says that she sailed Feb 13th 1921 from Plymouth England, Landed Boston, U.S.A. Feb 22nd. Jessie must have travelled a lot in the USA with the Bell family as there is also a photograph of Jessie holding one of her charges and written on the back of the photo is "May 15th 1921 Brianhurst, Manitou, Colorado Springs U.S.A." She wrote to Ernest William Thomas frequently during the 1939-45 war with one such letter reaching him in Algeria. Only knowing that Ernest William Thomas was somewhere in Africa because of the wartime censorship, she told him to "take care out there in the heat". This caused quite some hilarity between him and his army colleagues as at the time they were in Constantine, up in the Atlas Mountains, and had a three foot snow drift up the side of the tent. Despite being a non-smoker and a teetotaller she eventually died of cancer. She is believed to be buried with Edith and May.
+33	iv.	Daisy Helen MILLER.
34	v.	Ethel MILLER was born about 1886. She died ?. From information given by Joan Birch (nee Miller) Ethel died at a very young age falling out of her high chair. Nothing really known about Ethel. There is only some family talk of her existance and, as yet, no proof. It is thought that Ethel died very young by falling from her high chair and that JOAN ETHEL MILLER was named after her. Does not show up on the 1891 or 1901 census and, if the birth date is correct (or even close) it would be expected.
35	vi.	May Emma MILLER was born in 1888 in Newton Heath, Surrey.37 She died on 13 Feb 1940. She was buried in Southall Cemetery. Worked as a book keeper for Cable Press in Doughty Street, Holborn, and therefore mixed with a variety of people in a way that the rest of her family did not. It was probably the cumulative effect of of domestic tension, worrying abouth the war and so, which got her in the end. On her last day, getting ready for work, she collapsed and was taken to St. Bernard's Hospital and died from a cerebal haemorrhage on the same day.
+36	vii.	Ernest Edward MILLER.