James & Esther Millar – my maternal Great Grandparents

James Strachan Millar

1827-1895

James was born in January 1827  and baptised on 9th January 1827, to George Millar (born 1801 and died before 1859) and his wife Rachel Susanna Millar nee Jamieson (born  1806 and also died before 1859). His parents married on 22nd January 1825 at St Nicholas, Aberdeen. His father, George, was a cooper. James middle name of Strachan comes from his Grandmother who was Rachel Strachan and sister to John Strachan the first Bishop of Toronto.

Rachel, nee Jamieson, was the daughter of Daniel Jamieson and Rachel nee Strachan who married on 25th August 1803 at St Nicholas, Aberdeen. Rachel Strachan’s father was John Strachan (1743 – 1794) and her mother was Christine Blenshell. Her father died as the result of a quarrying accident when flint flew into his eye. As a result her brother John Strachan (1778- 1867) put himself through University in order to earn enough money to help support his mother and siblings. He then went to Canada and became ordained becoming the First Bishop of Toronto. He founded the school which later became Toronto University. Here is an interesting article about him https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Strachan

James Strachan Millar was  the second of three sons born to George and Rachel:

• Alexander Gibbon Thomson Millar born in 1825 died young
• James Strachan Millar – my Great Grandfather born 1827
• George Millar  born in 1830 and who died young.

James was a pawnbroker in Aberdeen and I  have a copy of his marriage certificate to Esther Barazzoni on 14th January 1859 at the Roman Catholic Church in Aberdeen.

From the certificate I gather that James is living at 55 Woolmanhill, aged 32 and his occupation is down as a clothes broker. His parents are described as George Millar – journeyman deceased  and Rachel Millar deceased. It is signed by William Stopani – clergyman from the Scots College, Rome.   Esther is aged 20 and also living at 55 Woolmanhill, and her father Anthony Barazzoni, is described as an Optician maker . One of the witnesses is Alexander Watt  and as James and Esther named one son George Watt Millar, I imagine that they did so after this friend.

James and Esther had 8  children:

1/ Elizabeth Millar was born in 1861, baptised on 4th March 1861. She married Alexander Duncan Man (who in 1901 was a cashier at a coach builders) on 24th November 1880 at the age of 29. They had 8 children of which Nellie Mann was the 5th born in 1882. She married Bertie Hedgley Gates and they ran a theater. She was an actress according to the descendant that I made contact with and who sent me this photo of her

  B

Bertie died on 12th December  1952 aged  59   and Nellie died on 21st Aprl 1972 aged 90 according to this gravestone

2/ Isabella Gillian Agnes born 1865, baptised 15th June 1865 in Aberdeen. she married Lewis Grey from Inverurie

3/ James Strachan Miller born in 1863 and died on 4th December 1876 aged 3 years of TB

4/ Esther Mary Josephine Millar baptised on 6th January 1870. She married James Allen Mair – a postman

5/  Antonio Barazzoni Millar born in 1867. He married Jeannie Elrick Davidson

6/ Christina Maver Yule Millar born on 3 June 1872 at 3 Woolmanhill, Aberdeen. She died in the Royal Infirmary on 30 April 1951. Christina married Alexander Ross on 7th August 1895 who died on 8th April 1898 – only 3 years later and so Christina remarried  Leslie Leiper on 9th January 1903.

Cristina had two children with Alexander, Ethel and Arthur. She remarried on 9th January 1903 to Leslie Leiper with whom she had another son called Anthony.

Christina died on 30th April 1951 of broncho pneumonia and advanced arteriosclerosis at the Royal Infirmary in Aberdeen and at the age of 79

7/ George Watt Miller born on 7 December 1874 who died at the age of 3  of croup.  I cannot quite read the writing on his gravestone but think it is 1888 as  he was aged 3years old.

8/ Alexander Smith Millar born 5 January 1878 – my Grandfather

This is a photo of the grave of James Strachan Millar and two sons, James and George.

Thanks to the help of Linda MacKenzie I now know that James died on 6th December 1895

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 Esther Millar nee Barazzoni

1839-1909

Esther (also known as Estella) was the daughter of Antonio Barazzoni (1792-1873) and Elizabeth Robertson born in 1809.

Esther was the eldest of three children. She was born in 1839 and was followed a year later by:

•  John Barazzoni born 1840 who died the same year
•  Catherine Barazzoni born 1847

Esther’s father, Antonio, was born in Como,Italy in 1792 and emigrated to Aberdeen. We have done a great deal of research into why he should have come to England and I posted a link to an interesting article in the post  of  Alexander Smith Millar.

We believe that he made looking glasses and also barometers in Aberdeen.

Mary made contact with someone who was also descended from Antonio Barazzoni and had been to Como to research the family further and kindly gave her his findings so we do have records of the family going back to Antonio’s parents Giuseppe  and  Guiseppina Barazzoni born in Como in 1771 and 1772 respectively.

There is a well known concert pianist, Beatrice Barazzoni, http://sassari.academia.edu/BeatriceBarazzoni  who is also descended from Giuseppe and Guiseppina through Antonio’s brother Abramo Barazzoni.