John McMillan (abt. 1857 - abt. 1944)

Born about 1857 in Inverness, Highland, Scotland, United Kingdom

Husband of Caroline Evelyn (Maney) McMillan — married 3 Aug 1887 in Dunedin, Otago, New Zealand

Descendants

Died about 1944 at about age 87 in New Zealand

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Biography

John was born about 1857, the son of James McMillan and Margaret McIntosh of Inverness, Scotland. He married Caroline Evelyn Maney in 1887 ^[1] John McMillan built houses in Dunedin in partnership with the construction company, McKechnie and Fleming. In 1903, McKechnie and Fleming was contracted to build the Wellington Tramcar Sheds and the McMillan family moved to Wellington settling in the working-class suburb of Newtown. Creating a new company in 1905, he established a construction business that expanded across the North Island. John’s sons, James and John, took over the business renaming the company, McMillan Bros., and basing the head office at Palmerston North. Caroline died of cancer of the uterus in June 1912, and in his retirement yars John lived with the family of his daughter Margaret in Wellington. ^[2] On Christmas day in 1936, her son, Ian Cowan, a seventeen-year old cashier, shot his grand-father during a family quarrel. Ian was arrested, charged with attempted murder and remanded in custody ^[3].

John passed away in 1944 age 87. ^[4]

Sources

1. ↑ http://bdmhistoricalrecords.dia.govt.nz/
   • NZ Marriage registration 1887/771
2. ↑ Michael Watt (michaelgwatt@outlook.com.au), a researcher of German immigrants to Tasmania, in family geneaology shared by email
3. ↑ Shot in side, Evening Post, 26 December 1936, vol. CXXII, issue 153)
4. ↑ http://bdmhistoricalrecords.dia.govt.nz/
   • NZ Death registration 1944/16569