Notes:

NOTE 1./ Per David Thompson:

Margaret Ellen Millie married a McDowell and was living in London, according to Samuel’s next of kin record, at the time of WWI, at 16 Angel Road, Upper Edmonton, Enfield, England. A note from Melanie says she died December 5, 1921, aged 68, interred in Tottenham Cemetery. I found these records (LDS British Vital Records, 2nd Edition) which give the husband as Frederick, and two children, an unnamed boy and an unnamed girl, born in Dublin:
MCDOWELL, Birth
Gender: Male ; Birth Date: 4 Sep 1875 Birthplace: No 3 South City, Dub, Ire
Recorded in: Dublin, Ireland ; Collection: Civil Registration ; Father: George Frederick MCDOWELL ; Mother: Margaret Ellen MILLIE ; Source: FHL Film 255935 Dates: 1875 - 1875

MCDOWELL, Birth ; Gender: Female ; Birth Date: 4 Dec 1873 ; Birthplace: No 3 South City, Dub, Ire ; Recorded in: Dublin, Ireland ; Collection: Civil Registration
Father: George Frederick MCDOWELL ; Mother: Margaret Ellen MILLER ; Source: FHL Film 255889 ; Dates: 1873 - 1875

Family/Spouse: George Frederick MCDOWELL. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

1. Female MCDOWELL was born on 04 Dec 1873 in South City, Dublin, Ireland.
2. Male MCDOWELL was born on 04 Sep 1875 in #3 South City, Dublin, Ireland.

Notes:

NOTE 1./ Rent book, 1884: Geashill Rate Book, 1883/4 (see .bmp image)
<>

General warrant to collect county rates of the Barony of Geashill after Spring assizes, 1884, dated 29th day of April 1884 with the entry for Lord Digby in the townsland of Bawnmore.

NOTE 2./ Geashill Castle

A castle existed at Geashill from c1200. The Book of Howth mentions that 'the Lord of Offalye builded the Castell of Geschell ' in 1307. The castle may have been erected on or near the site of an earlier castle. The photograph depicts the later manor house and the ruins of the earlier castle to the right of the house.

NOTE 3./ Historical Perspective: The Year Was 1873

The year was 1873 and much of the world was entering into a long period of economic depression. The beginning of the Long Depression is typically marked by the crash of the Vienna stock market, which sent ripples across Europe and eventually the United States with the fall of Jay Cooke & Company. The Cooke investment bank was heavily invested in the overbuilt railroad system which was beginning to fail. With the fall of this prominent company, a financial panic ensued and the New York Stock Exchange had to close for ten days. Railroads, factories, banks, and businesses had to close their doors resulting in skyrocketing unemployment rates. The Long Depression would last into the 1890s.

There were other smaller scale disasters in 1873. The British SS Atlantic out of Liverpool (with a stop at Queenstown) hit a submerged rock en route to New York and was wrecked in heavy seas off Nova Scotia. It is estimated that 545 of the 952 passengers perished.

In Baltimore, Maryland, a fire began in the factory of Joseph Thomas and Sons and spread over ten acres of the city. Photos of the fire and aftermath can be found online at the Maryland Historical Society.

A cholera epidemic swept through Birmingham, Alabama. Below is an interesting excerpt from a report from Mortimer H. Jordan, who was secretary of the Jefferson County Medical Society of Birmingham, Alabama, at the time of the epidemic (found on the website of the Reynolds Historical Library at the University of Alabama at Birmingham).

The treatment adopted was the opium and mercurial. When the stomach seemed so inactive that nothing made any impression upon it, an emetic of mustard, salt, ginger, and pepper, suspended in hot water, in many cases produced a warm glow over the surface of the body in a few moments. . . . Diuretics produced no good results. No condition in life, sex, or age escaped. The sucking babe and those of extreme age suffered alike from its ravages.

Before closing this paper, justice demands that we should briefly allude to the heroic and self sacrificing conduct, during this epidemic, of that unfortunate class who are known as 'women of the town.' These poor creatures, though outcasts from society, anathematized by the church, despised by women and maltreated by men, when the pestilence swept over the city, came forth from their homes to nurse the sick and close the eyes of the dead. It was passing strange that they would receive no pay, expected no thanks; they only went where their presence was needed, and never remained longer than they could do good. While we abhor the degradation of these unfortunates, their magnanimous behavior during these fearful days has drawn forth our sympathy and gratitude.

Further north and west, Jesse James and the James- Younger gang robbed a Rock Island train near Adair, Iowa. This first train robbery netted the gang more than $2,300, but was most likely a disappointment for the gang. They were expecting a $100,000 gold shipment, but that shipment had been switched to another train at the last moment.

North of the border in Canada, the Dominion Parliament had more lawful goals in mind when it established the North-West Mounted Police, the predecessor of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. Canada was growing and in 1873 Prince Edward Island joined the federation as Canada's smallest province.

In music, the song Home on the Range was born (Daniel Kelly & Brewster M. Higley). The tune went on to become the state song of Kansas and is known around the world.

Henry married Mary Jane DEMPSTER on 31 May 1851 in St. Thomas, Dublin, Ireland. Mary (daughter of Charles DEMPSTER) was born about 1830 in England; died on 20 May 1899 in Ballymooney, Geashill, Ireland. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

NOTE 1./ Dempster
In the original Irish Dempsey is Ó Diomasaigh, from diomasach, meaning "proud". The name was also occasionally anglicised "Proudman". The Ó Diomasaigh originated in the territory of Clanmalier, on the borders of what are now counties Laois and Offaly, and remained powerful in the area until the seventeenth century. In the 12th century. O’Dempsey, Chief of Offaly, was one of the few native Irish leaders who defeated Strongbow. In later years, their allegiance was to the English and they were involved with the newcomers in the massacre of the O’Lalors in Laois in 1577, an action which local tradition says was responsible for their later losses. James I recognised the strength of the family by granting the title "Viscount Clanmalier" to Terence Dempsey. The loyalty of the family to the Crown was short-lived, however, and the Williamite wars later in the century destroyed their power and scattered them. The surname is now found throughout the country. It is recorded in the placename Knocknadempsey, in Neddans civil parish in south Tipperary. In Ulster, Dempsey is common in Co. Antrim, where it may be a version of "Dempster", a Scottish name meaning "judge", or possibly an anglicisation of Mac Diomasaigh, also sometimes rendered as "McGimpsey". 112 births of the name are recorded in 1890, with particular concentrations in Antrim, Cork and Wexford, making it the 192nd most common surname in the country; by 1996 it had risen to 164th. .Jeremiah Dempsey (1906 - ) provided the guiding spirit behind the Irish national airline, Aer Lingus, from its foundation in 1937 until his retirement in 1967. He was President of the IATA in 1962. Noel Dempsey T.D. (1945 - ) has been a prominent member of the Fianna Fáil political party for many years, and minister of state in number of governments. William Harrison Dempsey (1895-1983), born in Manassa, Colorado isbetter known as Jack Dempsey, one of the most popular heavyweight boxing champions of all time. His ferocious attacking style earned him the nickname "The Manassa Mauler". He was world champion from 1919 to 1926, when he lost the title to Gene Tunney.

Notes:

David J. Thompson
78 Shavian Blvd., London, ON, N6G 2P3
Tel: 1-519-858-0239; Fax: 1-519-858-8223

May 18, 2002

Mr. R. Millie
8700 North Shore Drive
Jonesboro, GA, 30236.

Ms. Melanie Maasdam
2205 195th Street
Clarion, Iowa 50525

Dear Bob & Melanie:

I wrote recently about some Millie's I found in Scotland I thought might be precursors of Melanie's H.H. Millie. Melanie asked me to explain, and I thought it would be a good exercise to see if it hangs together. I think Bob's line may well be connected as well, so here goes:

We have these facts:

" Henry (aka "Harry") H. Millie (H.H. Millie) was born in Ireland Feb 8, 1863. His brothers were Charles Thomas Millie and Samuel Boucher Millie. We know this from the information I got last year from the National Archives. The three emigrated to Canada in the early 1880's.

" H.H. Millie's brother Samuel Boucher Millie joined the North-West Mounted Police force on September 1, 1899 and was discharged on March 25, 1904. The archive records refer to his next of kin, Miss Lily Hariot Millie of Ballymooney, Gashill, Kings. Co., Ireland. Another record identifies his next of kin as his sister, Margaret McDowell of Upper Edmonton, now a London suburb. Samuel joined the 179th Battalion in the Canadian Expeditionary Force in World War I. This relationship is confirmed in the Archives records, and per note received from Melanie apparently written by H.H.'s daughter Emma. Although reported to have died in Winnipeg during WWI, the archives records suggest he claimed a pension in British Columbia under the name William Thompson.

" H.H. Millie's Charles Millie was found in Battleford, Saskatchewan. It appears that he was a member of the Battleford Home Guard Volunteers in the rebellion of 1885. He was given a land grant for services but took $$ instead. By 1901, when Henry had settled in Carman Manitoba, Charles was working for a rancher in Alberta near Wetaskiwin. In the letter from H. H. Millie in Carman, Manitoba to the Commissioner of the North-West Mounted Police it says that his brother Charles had died just previous to September 11, 1902. He died shortly after in Wetaskiwin. This relationship is confirmed in the Archives records, and per note received from Melanie apparently written by H.H.'s daughter Emma.

H. H. Millie also had 4 sisters per information from Melanie, as well as from the archives records of Samuel.
" Margaret Ellen Millie married a McDowell and was living in London, according to Samuel's next of kin record, at the time of WWI, at 16 Angel Road, Upper Edmonton, Enfield, England. A note from Melanie says she died December 5, 1921, aged 68, interred in Tottenham Cemetery. I found these records (LDS British Vital Records, 2nd Edition) which give the husband as Frederick, and two children, an unnamed boy and an unnamed girl, born in Dublin:
MCDOWELL, Birth
Gender: Male
Birth Date: 4 Sep 1875 Birthplace: No 3 South City, Dub, Ire
Recorded in: Dublin, Ireland
Collection: Civil Registration
Father: George Frederick MCDOWELL
Mother: Margaret Ellen MILLIE
Source: FHL Film 255935 Dates: 1875 - 1875
***********************
MCDOWELL, Birth
Gender: Female
Birth Date: 4 Dec 1873 Birthplace: No 3 South City, Dub, Ire
Recorded in: Dublin, Ireland
Collection: Civil Registration
Father: George Frederick MCDOWELL
Mother: Margaret Ellen MILLER
Source: FHL Film 255889 Dates: 1873 - 1875

I couldn't find them in England yet in the 1881 census.
" Lillian Hariot Millie - per note received from Melanie apparently written by H.H.'s daughter Emma, never married
" Henrietta Millie - per note received from Melanie apparently written by H.H.'s daughter Emma, never married; and
" Mary Millie, married Charles Castle.
The parents of H.H. Millie and the others were identified by Melanie as Henry Millie and Mary Dempster. The death certificate for H.H. lists his father as Henry Millie, and his mother as Mary. Note that the death certificate says that the father, Henry Millie was born in Scotland.
I found the following marriage record (in the LDS British Vital records CD's, 2nd edition) for Henry and Mary Dempster, which says Henry's father was Thomas and Mary's was Charles Dempster:
MILLIE, Henry Age: 30
Wife: Mary Jane DEMPSTER Age: 21
Marriage Date: 31 May 1851 Recorded in: St Thomas, Dublin, Ireland
Collection: Civil Registration
Husband's Father: Thomas MILLIE
Wife's Father: Charles DEMPSTER
Source: FHL Film 101326 Dates: 1851 - 1851
(I will call H.H.'s father Henry 1821, his approximate birth date, to minimize further confusion)
According to notes from Melanie, extracts from the Kings County Chronicle report that Henry Millie Died January 7, 1891, in his 71st year at Ballymooney, Geashill, (which was where H.H. was born per his death certificate, and per his obituary in 1917 in Kelowna, B.C.). Henry's wife Mary Jane died May 20, 1899, aged 68.

According to the letter dated January 1, 1920 from Aunt Margaret Ellen McDowell (H.H.'s sister) to her niece Emma Millie McGarrity (Melanie's grandmother), the Millie's settled in Scotland. Emma Millie McGarrity's grandfather's grandfather (ie: Henry Millie's grandfather) had 4 sons, John, Tom, Andrew and Robert. The letter says that all 4 went to Ireland. Tom Millie was Henry Millie's father according to this letter. This marriage record above is consistent with this information. I was previously unable to find a Millie family in Scotland, or anywhere else which included 4 sons named John, Tom, Andrew and Robert, let alone one which would fit the requisite time frame. With the new LDS British Vital Records collections however I found the following family in Fife with the right collection of sons. Better still, the unusual name of the mother make it virtually certain, for me anyway, that the son Thomas, born 1796, is went to Ireland, as presumably did the other sons as described in Ms. McDowell's letter. The following lists the 6 sons of Henry Millie (yes, yet another one) and Magdalene Rumgay (note the name):
1. MILLIE, John Bir 1791 Scot Fife Ceres
Fa: Henry Millie, Mo: Magdalene Rumgay
2. MILLIE, Andrew Chr 1793 Scot Fife Ceres
Fa: Henry Millie, Mo: Magdaline Rumgay
3. MILLIE, David Chr 1794 Scot Fife Ceres
Fa: Henry Millie, Mo: Magdaline Rumgay
4. MILLIE, Henry Chr 1794 Scot Fife Ceres
Fa: Henry Millie, Mo: Magdaline Rumgay
5. MILLIE, Thomas Chr 1796 Scot Fife Ceres
Fa: Henry Millie, Mo: Magdaline Rumgay
6. MILLIE, Robert Chr 1798 Scot Fife Ceres
Fa: Henry Millie, Mo: Magdalene Rumgay

I found the marriage of this Henry and Magdalene on the LDS FamilySearch website:
Marriage:

Magdalene RUMGAY; Sex: F; Spouse: Henry MILLIE; Marriage: Abt. 1790; Banderran, Ceres, Fife, Scotland; Film # 457767

I also found the following birth record of Magdalene-I presume it is her, how many can there be?:
Magdalan RUMGAY; Sex: F; Christening: 1 September 1765, Cameron, Fife; Parents: Andrew RUMGAY, Mary Mackie. Reference: Batch # C114122, 1695-1819, Call # 1040151, Printout # 6900431.

The real proof that Thomas of this family went to Ireland lies in the marriage record below:
LATIMER, William
Wife: Magdalene Rumgay MILLIE
Marriage Date: 23 Oct 1847 Recorded in: St Peter, Dublin, Ireland
Collection: Civil Registration
Husband's Father: James LATIMER
Wife's Father: Thomas MILLIE
Source: FHL Film 101286 Dates: 1847 - 1847
Magdalene Rumgay Millie of Dublin Ireland, daughter of Thomas Millie, MUST be the granddaughter of Henry Millie and Magdalene Rumgay of Fife. There surely can't be another Thomas Millie, of the same generation, who would name his daughter Magdalene Rumgay. Since we know that Thomas, father of Henry 1821, and grandfather of H.H Millie was born in Scotland, and moved to Ireland, and had brothers named Andrew, John and Robert, and there are so few Millie's generally, let alone in Ireland, he must be the same person as the father of Magdalene Rumgay Millie of Dublin, and she is an aunt of H.H. Millie and his siblings. Also note that like Henry 1821, she was married in Dublin, and only 4 years before Henry 1821.
Next, who did Thomas marry? Who was Henry 1821's mother? Well, the LDS website has a marriage record for a Thomas Millie and Mary McWattie, 9 December 1818, Dundee, Angus, Scotland (batch # M112824, Source Call # 0993401, Printout call # 6902959). Is this the correct Thomas? Here we go back to the letter Margaret McDowell wrote in 1920 to her niece, Emma Millie. The transcribed copy Melanie sent says:
There was a slip of paper enclosed in this letter from Aunt Maggie McDowell and this is the info as follows:
"PRIVATE and don't tell acquaintances, does no good. My father's Grandfather committed suicide from loss of an awful large sum in speculation and I believe he was a Millie, French, but I may be mistaken, he may have been McQuatty."
So yes, Thomas married Mary McWattie in Dundee. Margaret McDowell's father was Henry 1821, and his grandfathers would have been Henry Millie (married to Magdalene Rumgay) and Mary McWattie's father. This reference proves that this is the correct spouse for Thomas.

Again searching the LDS site, we find a record for the christening of Henry Millie, 10 October 1819, Dundee, Angus, Scotland; father-Thomas Millie, mother-Mary McWattie (batch # C112827, Source Call # 0993425, Printout call # 6900646)

So Melanie, I think we have you back to Scotland:
1. Henry Millie married Magdalene Rumgay in Fife Scotland in 1790.
2. Thomas, born 1796 in Ceres, Fife, Scotland, married Mary McWattie, 9 December 1818, Dundee, Angus, Scotland.
3. Henry Millie born 10 October 1819, Dundee, Angus, Scotland, married Mary Dempster 1851 in Dublin
4. Henry Herbert Millie (H.H. Millie) born February 1863 in Ireland, emigrated to Canada early 1880's, married Caroline Sarah Mills, abt. Feb. 1900 in Manitoba
5. Emma Lily Millie born abt March 6, 1901, married Joseph Patrick McGarrity, 1919
6. Lawrence Patrick Dempster McGarrity, born 1924, married Jean Anderson
7. Melanie McGarrity

I think this is pretty accurate based upon these published records. If you are energetic, you should order the microfilms from the LDS and copy the records yourself, ideally taking a print or the original registers. Not only will this document the facts, but the original registers may have additional information not picked up on the LDS indexes.

The next question is what happened to the other brothers of Thomas who went to Ireland, who were their children and grandchildren, and did Thomas have any other children besides Henry 1821 and Magdalene.

Bob's Henry Thomas Beale Millie (H.T.B.) was born September 14, 1862, in Kilkenny, Ireland, and emigrated to Canada around the time of H.H. and his brothers. H.T.B.'s parents were Robert Millie and Elizabeth Beale. (Although born in Ireland, I have always held out to Bob that he is Scottish in origin: Millie's all come from Scotland, and the south of England (perhaps French before that, but that is all beyond me), and H.T.B. was Presbyterian, basically a Scottish Protestant religion.) Was this Robert another son of Thomas, and a brother of Henry 1821 and Magdalene? Or was he a son of one of Thomas' brothers, Andrew, John or Robert, and a first cousin of Henry 1821 and Magdalene? I think given the scarcity of Millie's generally, and in Ireland in particular, these Irish Millie's of Scottish descent must be connected, and H.T.B. and H.H. were cousins, sharing common grandparents in either Thomas Millie and his wife ??, or in Henry Millie and Magdalene Rumgay. The common names, Henry, Henrietta, Robert and Thomas are all there (H.T.B also had a sister Henrietta). All were Presbyterian, indicating Scotch origin, and all came from the counties around Dublin.
If I were a betting man, that's where I would put my money.

Best regards
David

Thomas married Mary MCWATTIE on 09 Dec 1818 in Dundee, Angus, Scotland. Mary (daughter of David MCWATTIE and Margaret KID) was born about 1800 in Dundee, Angus, Scotland. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

Reference David Thompson e-mail 5-15-02:

Thomas MILLIE had brothers Robert, John and Andrew. Well, I found a family with all these children:
MILLIE, John Bir 1791 Scot Fife Ceres
Fa: Henry Millie
Mo: Magdalene Rumgay
MILLIE, Andrew Chr 1793 Scot Fife Ceres
Fa: Henry Millie
Mo: Magdaline Rumgay
MILLIE, David Chr 1794 Scot Fife Ceres
Fa: Henry Millie
Mo: Magdaline Rumgay
MILLIE, Henry Chr 1794 Scot Fife Ceres
Fa: Henry Millie
Mo: Magdaline Rumgay
MILLIE, Thomas Chr 1796 Scot Fife Ceres
Fa: Henry Millie
Mo: Magdaline Rumgay
MILLIE, Robert Chr 1798 Scot Fife Ceres
Fa: Henry Millie
Mo: Magdalene Rumgay
I also found the following who may be an aunt of HH, her father was Thomas, she was in Dublin, and note her first and middle names, the same as Thomas above:
LATIMER, William
Wife: Magdalene Rumgay MILLIE
Marriage Date: 23 Oct 1847 Recorded in: St. Peter, Dublin, Ireland
Collection: Civil Registration
Husband's Father: James LATIMER
Wife's Father: Thomas MILLIE
Source: FHL Film 101286 Dates: 1847 - 1847
I still bet that Bob's Henry comes down this line. Likely a couple or all of the brothers went to Ireland together.

NOTE 2./ CERES, ASSOCIATE CONGREGATION: BAPTISMS, 1738-1806, 1808, 1836-37, [CH3/54]
<>
[Seceding families came from all over Central and East Fife to have their children baptised at Ceres, and this has been reflected in the baptismal register, in the index below all parishes and place-names have been kept, apart from Ceres: where none is given, the family belongs to Ceres]
MILLIE, HENRY & MAGDALENE RUMGAY by Easthill of Bandirran; John, Oct 25/0ct 30 1791; Andrew, Jan 20 1793; David, Oct 10 1794; Thomas, July 26 1796; Robert, Aug 12 1798

NOTE 3./ Historical Note: The Year Was 1789

The year was 1789 and in the U.S. a young government was beginning to take shape. In its first nationwide election, the popular Revolutionary War general, George Washington, became the country's first president and was sworn in at the first capitol of the United States, Federal Hall in New York City.

In France, a rebellion was underway and with the storming of the Bastille prison, the French Revolution began. In its reporting on the subject, The Times of London, England had the following to say of the conflict:

The spirit of liberty which so long lay in a state of death, oppressed by the hand of power, received its first spark of returning animation, by the incautious and impolitic assistance afforded to America. The French soldier on his return from that emancipated continent, told a glorious tale to his countrymen--"That the arms of France had given freedome to thirteen United States, and planted the standard of liberty on the battlements of New York and Philadelphia." The idea of such a noble deed became a general object of admiration, the [facets?] of a similar state were eagerly longed for by all ranks of people, and the vox populi had this force of argument--"If France gave freedom to America, why should she not unchain the arbitrary fetters which bind her own people.

Later that year, the Marquis de Lafayette, with the advice of Thomas Jefferson who was at the time the American ambassador to France, drafted the Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen. It was adopted by France's National Assembly in August and ratified by Louis XVI in October.

There was unrest in other parts of the world as well. Sweden and Russia were at war, and briefly, Norway had joined the conflict, although a peace treaty was signed in July 1789.

In a smaller, but well-known conflict, the mutiny on the H.M.S. Bounty was also in the year 1789. On April 28, part of the crew of the Bounty, led by Fletcher Christian, mutinied and set Captain William Bligh and eighteen crewmembers adrift. Bligh managed to get the boat some 3,600 miles to Timor. Some of the mutineers were captured and prosecuted--three were hanged, while others, including Fletcher Christian ended up on Pitcairn Island, where some of their descendants live to this day.

In 1789, there was an epidemic of influenza in New England, New York, and Nova Scotia, which resulted in many deaths due to secondary cases of pneumonia. The new president was among those who fell ill. He caught a cold while visiting Boston, and later, was affected more seriously with influenza, which was dubbed Washington Influenza.

Henry married Magdalene RUMGAY about 1790 in Easthill of Bandirran, Ceres, Fife, Scotland. Magdalene (daughter of AndrewSr RUMGAY and Mary (McKie) MACKIE) was born on 01 Sep 1765 in Cameron, Fife, Scotland. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

David married Margaret KID on 28 Jun 1795 in Airlie, Angus, Scotland. Margaret (daughter of Charles KID and Margaret DOIG) was born on 28 Dec 1773 in Auchterhouse, Angus, Scotland; was christened on 28 Dec 1773 in Auchterhouse, Angus, Scotland; died on 16 Jan 1835 in Dundee, Angus, Scotland; was buried in Howff Graveyard, Dundee, Angus, Scotland. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]