William MILLAR was the eighth of ten children born to Robert MILLER and Ann Jane née JOHNSON, in Magheralin, Co. Down. It is most likely he emigrated to Brisbane, Australia in 1865. (The change of spelling ER to AR seems to have been done by all the children who emigrated, plus one who stayed in Ireland.)
Cooktown, Far North Queensland, is where Captain James Cook managed to repair his ship, Endeavour in June to August, 1770. As far as European settlement is concerned, it lay dormant until 1873 when gold was discovered at the Palmer River, and Cooktown was formed to be the nearest port. The town expanded rapidly but not always in a supportive way – in just the month of April 1874, 65 hotel licences were issued. Cooktown in 1874 was described as having 94 hotels - ‘At its peak of "the Roaring Days" there were 24 restaurants, 12 large general stores, scores of small shops, 5 bakers, 6 butchers, 4 tentmakers, 7 blacksmiths, 4 wheelwrights, 3 saddlers, 3 chemists, 4 doctors, 3 banks, 2 newspapers, 86 gambling houses, scores of brothels.’ It was also Queensland’s third busiest port. By 1876, the town was proclaimed a Municipality, with a Fire Brigade (established after fire destroyed John Walsh’s Free Trade Stores, other shops and a hotel), a State School with Ben Matthews the head teacher, Anglican and Roman Catholic church buildings, the West Coast and Sovereign Hotels. In nearby Helenvale, the Lions Den Hotel was built in 1875 – this hotel was to later figure strongly in the life of William’s daughter.
It was in Cooktown that William decided to settle. The first record of his residing there is in May 1876, when he travelled from Cooktown to Sydney. But there were two Unclaimed Letters sent from within the Colony to William Millar, Storekeeper, Cooktown on 5th September 1874, and 6th October 1874. So it seems he may have been lured by the Gold Rush, but he doesn’t seem to have pursued mining, but rather took on a Produce Merchant business, most likely supplying goods to the thousands of miners.
Although having left his beloved Ireland behind, William maintained his strong Ulster Protestant heritage from Northern Ireland. He was a very active member of the Cooktown Chapter #42 of the Loyal Orange Lodge, attending meetings, and helping to organise events.
William settled into business as a Produce Merchant, thought to be a shop in Charlotte Street beside the Family Hotel run by Thomas Reynolds, though precisely what was the nature of his merchant trade is unknown. He frequently travelled to Sydney, presumably in connection with his business. His first trip seems to have been in Steerage on the “Somerset” arriving 14th May 1876. In 1877, William seems to have taken on a business partner, Gregg, but by 1878 he was back on his own. Further trips to Sydney were made: in Steerage on the steamship “Victoria” arriving 5th June 1878, in Steerage on the “Elamang” arriving 21 October 1878, in Steerage on the “Corea” arriving 5 April 1880. The final trip recorded was with his wife, Mary Ann (now 13 weeks pregnant with their first child), and they travelled in the Saloon on the “Corea” arriving 14th December 1880.
William married Mary Ann née LOVELL (born in Glastonbury, Somerset) in Cooktown on 17th January, 1880.
William & Mary Ann had five children, but sadly only two survived past age 4.
They purchased a few properties in Cooktown, and in later years, William was the Sexton at the local cemetery.
Mary Ann died on 7th June 1911, and William died 11th August 1921, and they are buried together in the Cooktown Cemetery.
