Summary
As we delve into the life of Joseph Miller, a resident of Burton Latimer in the late 18th century, the details surrounding his birth and parentage remain elusive. However, what we do know for certain is that he wed Elizabeth Torton (or Turton) at Burton Parish Church in 1784, and together, they had five children. Sadly, their third-born son, William, passed away before his third birthday, while their youngest child, also named William, was born five years later. In 1801, Elizabeth died, and Joseph went on to marry twice more, but the details of the first of these marriages remain uncertain.
Each of Joseph's children were baptized at the Old Meeting Hall in Wollaston between 1807 and 1813. The reason for this choice of location is unclear, but it may have been due to Joseph's non-conformist religious beliefs or the popularity of the church's pastor, the Rev. David Hennell. The marriage of Joseph and Mary ended sometime between 1813 and 1823, most likely due to Mary's passing. Joseph would later marry again to a woman named Elizabeth, who became a stepmother to his children. Joseph worked as a shoemaker, and the 1824 Burton Latimer Baptist register recorded the birth of his daughter Martha Yeomans Miller.
Joseph's son George Yeomans Miller, born in 1809, lived in Nichols Yard, 4 High Street, Burton Latimer, and like his father, worked as a shoemaker. He married Elizabeth Aldwinkle in 1835, and the couple had twelve children. Their second-born son, Edward Yeomans Miller, was widely known as "Teddy the Potato King." At age eight, Edward worked as a farm boy, and by the time he was 18, he had become a pig dealer. In the 1851 census, Edward was a resident of the Horse and Groom public house with his aunt Sarah Miller. Edward's life was marred by a crime he was suspected of committing - stealing someone's cape on the grounds of the Horse & Groom. However, the charges were eventually dropped.
Tragically, Elizabeth and two of her sons, Thomas and James, lost their lives in the great typhoid outbreak of 1872. George passed away in 1881, and his gravestone is located in St. Mary's graveyard in Burton Latimer, where it can still be viewed today.
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| Edward 'Teddy' Miller with his daughters Fanny (Rachel Anne) and Topsy (Charlotte) pictured horse-hoeing in Teddy's potato plot on Finedon Road. Photograph taken c.1900. Photo credit: www.burtonlatimer.info/ |
Detail
Joseph Miller was born in Burton Latimer in either 1767 or 1768. It's unclear who his parents were; the two most likely candidates are William and Martha Miller, who baptised their son Joseph on September 9th 1776, and David and Dorothy Miller, who baptised their son Joseph on August 31st 1778.
Whilst Joseph's exact date of birth and parentage remains uncertain, there is concrete evidence that he married Elizabeth Torton (Turton?) at Burton Parish Church on February 1st 1784. Together they had five children John, Sarah (b. April 9th 1787), William (b. August 8th 1790 - d. February 8th 1793), Joseph (b. October 4th 1793) & William (b. February 25th 1798).
Joseph & Elizabeth's children:
John Miller (b.18 Dec 1784)
Sarah Miller
William Miller
Joseph Miller
William Miller
Unfortunately, their third eldest child, William, died before his third birthday, and their fifth-born child, born some five years after his death - was also called William. Then, in 1801, just three years after the birth of the 'second' William, Elizabeth died.
Joseph went on to marry again, it's unconfirmed exactly who this Mary was, but the two most likely candidates are - Mary Glover and Mary Robinson. In either event, the marriage occurred in 1804 at Toller United Reformed Church, and the couple had eight children. The eldest two children, John (b. September 8th 1802) and Francis (b. December 20th 1803), may have been born out of wedlock.
Joseph & Mary's Children:
John Miller
Francis Miller
Eliza Miller
Benjamin Miller
*George Miller (25 Jun 1809 - 1891)
Samuel Miller
Edy Miller
Each of Joseph and Mary's children were baptised at the Old Meeting Hall in Wollaston between 1807 and 1813. This venue was much further to travel than the Great Meeting Hall in Kettering. Joseph may have opted for this due to his religious observances (non-conformist) or the popularity of Wollaston's pastor at the time, the Rev. David Hennell.
At some point between 1813 and 1823, the marriage of Joseph and Mary ended, most likely due to the death of Mary. However, Joseph married again, and just like his first wife, her name was Elizabeth.
Burton Latimer Baptist register records the birth of Martha Yeomans Miller on October 12th 1824. Several of Joseph's other children adopted the forename Miller which suggests that Elizabeth Yeomans was stepmother to all of the children from around 1824 onwards. The same register records Joseph's occupation in 1824 to be that of a shoemaker. In total, Joseph Miller produced 13 descendants from three different women.
George Yeomans Miller
George Yeomans Miller (Joseph's tenth-born child and sixth-born son) was born in 1809 and lived in Nichols Yard, 4 High Street, Burton Latimer. Like his father, he worked as a shoemaker and was a member of Burton Latimer's Baptist congregation. George married Elizabeth Aldwinkle (1815-1872) at St. Mary's Parish Church in 1835. Elizabeth was the daughter of John and Elizabeth Aldwinkle of Drayton, Leicestershire. Together George and Elizabeth had twelve children.
George and Elizabeth's children
Mary Ann Miller (May 7th 1835 - November 26th 1911) died aged 76
Charlotte Miller (b. 7 Feb 1837)
Thomas Miller (1839 - October 16th 1872) died of typhoid aged 33
Edward Yeomans Miller (1843 - 1912) died aged 69, nicknamed 'Teddy the Potato King.'
Samuel Yeomans Miller (c. 1844 - 1919)
Elizabeth Miller (c. 1847)
George James Yeomans Miller (c. 1849)
Charles Miller (b. 20 Feb 1851)
James Yeomans Miller (1853 - September 2nd 1872) died of typhoid aged 19.
Ellen Miller (c. 1854)
John Walter Yeomans Miller (c. 1856) was the father of Elizabeth Anne Miller, who married William Toseland on October 18th 1906, aged 25.
Henry Miller (c.1858)
http://boards.ancestry.se/surnames.toseland/6/mb.ashx
Unfortunately, Elizabeth died in the great typhoid outbreak of 1872, aged 57, along with their sons Thomas and James; George lived on until 1881. His gravestone is shared with his eldest daughter Mary Ann and can still be seen today in St. Mary's graveyard.
Edward Miller - The Potato King
George and Elizabeth's second-born son, Edward, was well known in the county and went by the nickname 'Teddy The Potato King'. Historical records reveal some interesting details about Edward's life.
In the Burton Latimer census of 1851, Edward was just eight years old and employed as a 'farm boy'. By the census of 1861, he had become a pig dealer and lived with his aunt, Sarah Miller, at the Horse and Groom public house. A crime was said to have occurred on the grounds of the Horse & Groom. Edward had been suspected of stealing someone's cape. But after questioning, all charges were dropped against Edward. However, he was accused of stealing someone's cape.
Edward then worked as a shoemaker in Leeds (1871 census) and Irthlingborough (1881 census) before returning to Burton, where he worked as a 'dealer' in the censuses of 1891, 1901 and 1911. He dealt in retail, wholesale, furniture and potatoes, for which he would gain local fame. Edward's stock was stored in a large barn on Duke Street, which was later demolished to make way for Burton Latimer Fire Station.
George married Mary Ann Daft in 1861 at Leicester and they had ten children together. But unfortunately, only eight children made it to adulthood. George and his family lived in a thatched house on the corner of High Street and Piggotts Lane. He also owned a plot of land on Finedon Road, where he grew his potatoes, ably assisted by two daughters, Fanny (Rachel Anne) and Topsy (Charlotte).
Charles Miller
The fifth son of George and Elizabeth and the younger brother to Edward was Charles. Charles worked as an engine driver and ironstone worker and left Burton Latimer c.1869 to live with his future wife (Susan Brains 1853-1932) in Grafton Underwood. George and Susan were married in 1871 at the Parish Church and had their first child, Fred (b.1871), soon after.
In about 1872, Charles and his family moved to Warrenby in Yorkshire due to the demand for ironstone workers, and it is here where their following three children were born - Thomas James (b. 1873), Louisa (b. 1875) and James Thomas [Tom] (b. 1876). By the time their fifth child had arrived in 1879 (another James somewhat confusingly), they had returned to Burton Latimer, where they would have five more children. They lived at Nicols Yard, 4 High Street, until at least 1918. Susan died in 1932, and by 1934, Charles had moved to 87 High Street, where he is believed to have lived until his death.
John Walter Yeomans Miller
John Walter Yeomans Miller (c. 1856) was father to several daughters, one of whom - Elizabeth Anne Miller - married William Toseland on October 18th 1906, aged 25. Mr Toseland had been a lodger in the family home on Alexandra Street from at least 1901 onwards. John's elder brother, George (Elizabeth's uncle), was one of the marriage witnesses. The marriage records show that John was a shoe manufacturer, Elizabeth was a machinist, and William was a shoehand. Following their marriage, Elizabeth and William moved into a house on Newman Street.
Charles and Susan's children
Fred [Fred] Miller b. June 2nd, 1871
Thomas James Miller b. November 20th, 1873
Louisa Miller b. March 20th, 1875
[James] Thomas Miller b. October 30th, 1876
James Miller b. May 14th, 1879
Ada Miller b. October 30th, 1881
Charles Miller b. September 24th, 1883
Florence Miller b. May 20th, 1885
Samuel Miller b. December 13th, 1886 (7?)
Rhoda Miller b. 20 August, 1889
Edward Archable [Archibald] Miller b. July 27th, 1892