George MILLINER

1822 - 1875  (~ 52 years)

• Name	George MILLINER
  Christening	27 Oct 1822	Melksham Parish Church, Wiltshire
  Gender	Male
  Baptism	03 Oct 1839	Old Broughton Road Baptist Church, Melksham, Wiltshire
  	Recorded in Church Meeting minutes.
  	This followed his application which was discussed on 22 Aug 1839 when Mr. Phillips and Mr. Isaac Pocock were assigned to examine him. On 30 Sep 1839 favourable reports resulted in his acceptance into the Church.
  Occupation	1842	Stewart Town & New Birmingham, Jamaica
  	Teacher in the Baptist Day & Sunday Schools, together with his future wife Miss Thomas. [History of the Baptist Missionary Society, from 1792 to 1842]
  Event	08 May 1845	Old Broughton Road Baptist Church, Melksham, Wiltshire
  	"An application was laid before the Church for the dismissal of George Milliner to the Church under the care of Mr Dexter in Jamaica and it was agreed that a letter of dismission be prepared and forwarded by the Pastor & Deacons." Church Meeting minutes.
  	Rev. William DEXTER of the London Baptist Missionary Society settled in Jamaica in 1835.
  		Alps Baptist Church, Trelawny, Jamaica The Alps Baptist Church was the second to be consecrated in Trelawny; it is a converted Coffee House, which was the only building available to the Rev. William Dexter.
  Occupation	Dec 1853	Spring Gardens, Jamaica
  	Excerpt from The Baptist Magazine, January 1854 (which records receipt of a letter from G MILLINER dated 23 December from Spring Gardens): "BROWN'S TOWN. - The Rev. J Clark informs us that at his stations the congregations continue large, and the word of God is not preached in vain. The increase of the church does not, however, more than make up the losses by death and exclusions. The foundation of a new chapel has been laid in the back mountains of Trelawney. This has arisen from the successful labours of Mr. Milliner, formerly of Melksham, among the European immigrants and coloured people resident in that region. As they were poor, the people have given their labour. They went into the woods on Mr. Milliner's property, cut down trees, sawed up timber and boards, made a lime-kiln, and prepared stone for the chapel which they are now busily engaged in erecting. They will, however, need a little help to procure glass, ironmongery, &c., for which, probably, £20 would suffice. Will our friends at Melksham help in this?"
  		Spring Garden Baptist Church
  Occupation	1858	Bethsalem and Wallingford, St Elizabeth, Jamaica
  	Report from the Baptist Missionary Herald for year ending December 1858: "The Rev. George Milliner, of Ebenezer in Trelawney, has accepted the oversight of Bethsalem and Wallingford churches in St. Elizabeth's."
  Occupation	Dec 1860	Spring Gardens, St Elizabeth, Jamaica
  	From "The West Indies: Their Social and Religious Condition", Edward Bean Underhill, 1862: "With the small Church at Spring Gardens, the Rev G. Milliner united at the time of my visit the oversight of the churches at Wallingford and Bethsalem*, some thirty miles deeper in the mountains, and only to be reached by circuitous and unfrequented paths. Since then he has moved to Bethsalem, and Spring Gardens is connected with "The Alps", under the ministry of a native pastor, the Rev. P. O'Meally. By this arrangement, Albert Town, and the settlements springing up around it, will be brought under religious instruction." * Wallingford is 16 miles from Spring Gardens; Bethsalem, 30 miles; and an outstation, called Ipswich, is 20 miles further. They are all in the parish of St. Elizabeth.
  		George MILLINER From a large picture owned by Nigel Milliner. Not 100% certain of identity, but seems most likely candidate.
  Occupation	Abt 1846? - 1861	Stewart Town, Jamaica
  	Baptist Minister
  	His intended appointment in Jamaica might account for the dismissal application in Melksham. Appears in 1861 Jamaica Almanac in Stewart Town.
  		Baptist Missionary Herald 1861 - Letter from Rev George MILLINER
  Occupation	1862	St. Elizabeth, Jamaica
  	Baptist Missionary
  	"Mr. Milliner whose letter I enclose is a poor hard working brother with a long family & labouring hard to do good to the bodies & souls of his neighbours" [See Milliner Orphan Papers]
  Occupation	1865	Vauxhall station, St Elizabeth parish, Trelawny, Jamaica
  	Baptist minister
  Occupation	1875	Waldensia Chapel, Trelawney, Jamaica
  	Baptist Minister
  		Waldensia Chapel, Trelawney, Jamaica
  Residence	Colorado, USA
  	Said to have emigrated to Colorado [Harold GADD] In September 1868 H J Milliner, aged 50, Preacher, took ship from Kingston Jamaica to New York, intending to immigrate to the USA. The initials and age are incorrect for this individual, but the surname and occupation are unusual, and (assuming his first wife died between 1862 and 1868) the date fits. If he did indeed emigrate, he had returned to Jamaica by 1874 when he married again.
  Death	14 Feb 1875	Southfield Penn, Trelawney, Jamaica
  	According to relatives in Bristol, George was reputed to have been a very cruel man, especially so to the children of his brother James. He did, however, take in James's children when they were orphaned. Perhaps the girls were not grateful for being sent to an orphanage in Bristol. In Bristol it was also said that in revenge for his cruelty, natives in Jamaica stoned him to death while he was swimming. This notion adds another twist to the announcement in the Falmouth Post, Friday 19th February 1875: "We regret to announce the death of the Reverend George Milliner, Baptist Minister of Waldensia Chapel in Trelawny, on February 14th. The deceased met his death at Southfield Penn, a few miles from this town, in the River which runs through the property, whither he had gone that morning, having taken his towel and soap with him as was his custom, for a bath. His long absence causing alarm, a person was sent to look for him and found him dead in the river. Mr. Milliner leaves a Widow, and several children to lament their sad loss." Southfield Estate is now the site of Rafter's Village, which controls rafting on the Martha Brae River and is one of the island's three main river-rafting projects. Good Hope Estate runs an exclusive Great House hotel, set in the now 2000 acre plantation/pen, financed by Jamaican merchant capital and advertised in international tourist brochures - including rafting trips to the river bridge at the eastern edge of Martha Brae. ("Martha Brae's Two Histories", Jean Besson, 2002) In the 1950s the Great House ruins of Trelawny's Southfield Estate near Martha Brae could still be seen on a hill above the remains of the slave village on a ridge below, near the overseer's bungalow. ("Martha Brae's Two Histories", Jean Besson, 2002)
  		Jamaica Baptist Union Death of George Milliner the day before the meeting of the Jamaica Baptist Union
  Person ID	I82	Gadd
  Last Modified	3 Oct 2023

  
  

  Father	James T MILLINER,   b. 1803, Melksham, Wiltshire d. 05 Nov 1884, 7 Kenilworth Terrace/Earlsmead Terrace, Bristol (Age 81 years)
  Mother	Mary BANKS,   b. Abt 1802, Melksham, Wiltshire d. 21 Feb 1876, The City, Bath Road, Melksham, Wiltshire (Age 74 years)
  Marriage	25 Dec 1821	Melksham, Wiltshire   [1]
  Event	24 Nov 1841	Sherborne Journal (quoted in Freeman's Journal)
  	"On Thursday last about thirty individuals of the labouring population left Melksham, as emigrants to the island of Jamaica, whither several had gone before, who are doing well. They are employed on the coffee plantations on the hills."
  Notes	September 1868 H J Milliner, aged 50, Preacher, took ship from Kingston Jamaica to New York. Might this be one James's sons, with incorrect age and initials?! The Baptists in Jamaica established, in 1843, the "Calabar Theological College" for the training of Ministers for the local ministry and also as missionaries to Africa and the Caribbean. The Baptist work in the Cameroons, West Africa, was started by the Baptists of Jamaica in 1846. In 1849, some of the Baptist Churches in Jamaica came together to form the Jamaica Baptist Union. The Baptist Churches had seven years before declared their independence of the Baptist Missionary Society.
  Photos		Map of Jamaica in 1886
  Documents		Baptist Missionary Herald 1861 - Letter from Rev George MILLINER
  Histories » Slide Show		MILLINER Orphan Papers "Jas. Milliner Senr, member of Baptist Church Melksham, with wife, 3 sons, & 3 daughters, were sent to Jamaica as Agricultural laborers about 1840 where they remained several years, but in consequence of sickness & misfortune, all returned to England, except the 3 sons, James, George, & John." Although slavery had nominally been abolished in Jamaica in 1834, it continued under the "Apprenticeship System" until August 1838. This led inevitably to a shortage of labour in Jamaica, which the MILLINERs were sent to alleviate.
  		Jamaican Immigration 1840-1841 Agricultural labourers were brought to Jamaica from Great Britain and elsewhere to alleviate the labour shortage.
  		Collapse of the Jamaican Sugar economy "Sickness and misfortune" were cited by George MILLINER (see MILLINER Orphan Papers) as the reason for the return to England of the parents and daughters of the family. The summary of these parliamentary papers suggests that the misfortune may have related to general economic collapse, and also makes reference to the alleged incitement of the Black population by Baptist ministers.
  		Papers relating to immigration to Jamaica The MILLINERs were probably brought to Jamaica under the "Bounty scheme": planters were paid a bounty for finding and employing labourers (some from England) and paying for their passage.
  		The MILLINER Story as told by Harold GADD
  		The MILLINER Story as told by Herbert MILLINER The story was passed down through James's daughters to Harold GADD, and through his sons to Herbert MILLINER. Compare and contrast!
  Family ID	F32	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

  Family 1	Katherine THOMAS,   b. Wales d. Bef 1875
  Notes	In the Milliner Orphan Papers George refers to his wife (still living in 1862) who with him was a witness at his brother James's wedding in 1848. The transcribed marriage entry included in the Papers gives her name.
  Children	1. Benjamin Banks MILLINER   2. George Thomas MILLINER   3. Joseph Sturge MILLINER   4. Katherine Elizabeth MILLINER,   b. Apr 1848, Jamaica, West Indies   5. Annie Maria MILLINER,   b. 1856, Jamaica, West Indies   6. Emma Jane MILLINER   7. Helen Rebekah MILLINER   8. Mary Frances MILLINER   d. Spring Garden, Jamaica
  Family ID	F6386	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart
  Last Modified	18 May 2008

  
  

  Family 2	Catherine INERARITY
  Family ID	F6381	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart
  Last Modified	6 Dec 2011

  
  

• Sources

  [S271] Witnessed by T. Hedges (friend?) & Caleb Angel (regular witness).