Millar family/Leith South

[micksharp]

Hello,

I have discovered that my great great grandad, David Millar, and my great grandad, Hugh Millar, lived at 3 Anderson Place in Leith South in 1891.

Can anyone tell me:

• is this the same Anderson Place that exists now, running off Bonnington Road? I'm just curious, as modern maps show South Leith as being further over from this area. If it is the same street, are there any buildings left from the turn of last century?
• David Millar died in Leith in 1931. Can anyone tell me which are the local cemeteries? I also suppose I'd like to know if cremation was popular in the 30s!
• does anyone know much about the area in 1891. David Millar was a dock labourer and I reckon 3 Anderson might have been a tenement as there are lots of other people listed as living there.
• doe anyone have any photos of the area from around 1891?

Thank you very much

Mick

[JaneJ]

Hi Mick,

Try http-www.edinphoto.org.uk-index.htm....hope I've copied that down right.
This is a good site for old photo's and maps of Edinburgh.

It also has a great recollections section, where I have found information on work, transport and general living conditions in Edinburgh for the last couple of hundred years.

You can post a question and gets loads of answers, some quite funny, some not so accurate (memories not being as sharp as they should...lol).

Hope this helps
Jane

[Mary Young]

I agree, Peter Stubbs' edinphoto site is an amazing resource. http://www.edinphoto.org.uk/
I doubt whether there were two streets named Anderson Place in the Leith area.
There's a picture of the old Bonnington Bond, Anderson Place, on Streets of Edinburgh http://www.streetsofedinburgh.co.uk/ This is now part of a mega housing and commercial development.
Googling on Anderson Place, Edinburgh, I found "Anderson Place runs to the north from Bonnington Road towards South Fort Street and Ferry Road"

[micksharp]

Thank you both very much. I think the Edinphoto site is on the blink, as very little seems to work. Perhaps it's my computer!

I can assume that there is very little of Anderson Place left from the beginning of last century!!??!! My great great grandad (David Millar) later moved around the corner to Bonnington Road and died at 7 Union Street, Leith, in 1931 at the age of 70.

[Lesley Robertson]

• does anyone know much about the area in 1891. David Millar was a dock labourer and I reckon 3 Anderson might have been a tenement as there are lots of other people listed as living there.


In addition to the other answers you've had, you might like to take a look at the Statistical Accounts for the area - the 2nd one would have been written about the time you're interested in. They're available here http://edina.ac.uk/stat-acc-scot/ . Ignor all the stuff about loggin in or subscribing, towards the bottom of the page there's a link for non-subscribers to browse the pages. This will let you read the sections as though they were printed pages, the search facilities are only open to subscribers.

Lesley

[Mary Young]

I think the Edinphoto site is on the blink, as very little seems to work. Perhaps it's my computer!
No, it doesn't work for me either. Hopefully, Peter is doing another mega update and it'll be OK soon.

[JaneJ]

Hi Mick,
What a small world, my Grandfather George Richardson lived (and I think owned) 7 Union St, Leith, he ran it as a Theatrical Boarding House.
His Mother Elizabeth Mills and wife Jamesina Melrose both died there.
He lived there until the late 1950's and I believe he moved there in the late 1930's, though I need to confirm this.
I think they are flats now, or looked that way last year when I was in Edinburgh.
Yours Jane.

[micksharp]

Hi Jane

Thanks for that. I'm planning on taking a detour along there when I visit Edinburgh in November. I was always assuming it might have been a tenement or something similar as David Millar was a dock labourer and, I assume, not particularly well-paid.

[Lesley Robertson]

Hi Jane

Thanks for that. I'm planning on taking a detour along there when I visit Edinburgh in November. I was always assuming it might have been a tenement or something similar as David Millar was a dock labourer and, I assume, not particularly well-paid.


It wasn't only the poor folk who lived in the tenements. The richer ones live on the lower floors, and might have had fairly big appartments. The higher up you got, the poorer the people were, to the point where you might have a whole family in one room.
Literal social stratification!
Lesley