William Roy Millar (1848 – 1942)
On the wall of the study in my childhood home there was a black and white photographic print showing a man with a bushy beard pushing a wooden wheelbarrow. He always seemed a friendly chap, an adventurous pioneering relative perhaps.
We had other black and white photos on the walls in our house and I never queried who he was or why he was there.
As I got older and took more interest in photos and stories about my family tree, I learned that this man was indeed a “pioneer” but he was not a relative of mine. My connection to this image was to the man who took the photo.
So, I will start my family history blog with the story of the “Pioneer Photographer”, my great-great grandfather, William Roy Millar. Known as Roy – and Gramp to his grandchildren.
My Nanna, Dulcie Elizabeth Roy Millar, was a great one for sharing stories about our family and she had very fond memories of her Gramp. She described him as ‘a real Gentleman’ with ‘a good sense of humour’, ‘We all loved our Gramp’, she said.
As I scour the internet for facts, documents and other photos that might narrate the life of William Roy Millar, I reflect that maybe it is the recollections of his granddaughter, passed on to her own granddaughter, that might be the most meaningful to him. Here are some other facts and stories I have uncovered about Roy (it turns out he was quite an adventurous fellow).
of dust and glare 
Fabulous to read of William Roy Millar’s travels over the sands and seas, a story shared by many of the early goldfield prospectors and pioneers that “Roy Millar and Sons” document in their photographs. James R.
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