How many of us half-listened to family history tales in our teenage years, only to wish years later that we’d paid more attention? Lisa Edwards shares the story of how a half-forgotten comment about a sporting ancestor led her to the story of football legend Jimmy Miller
Many years ago, when I was a teenager in the 1980s, my maternal grandad told me a family tale and, like many people, it was many years later that I realised I should have been more interested. That story was about football and I just didn’t know anything about the game and, if I’m honest, I probably still don’t.
I clearly remember my grandad, who was a Celtic FC-supporting Glaswegian, telling me that my nan’s uncle had played for Rangers and had been a talented footballer. But that was it, because I never ventured to ask more and so the subject was closed.
Fast forward to 2023 and I’m now researching my maternal family history again, looking at my nan’s ancestors. Through DNA matches I am back in touch with my cousin Ann, who is doing the same thing. Ann’s grandfather and my nan were siblings and so together, we have a family tale to investigate. This time I am interested and so what follows is the story of Jimmy Miller, who was a Victorian and Edwardian professional football player and club trainer.
Jimmy Miller was born in the village of Annbank in Ayrshire on 10 February 1871. He was the second son of George and Agnes (née Dunlop) Miller and had nine siblings: four brothers and five sisters. Miller is the spelling of the family name that I grew up with, however sometimes the name is referenced as Millar, depending on who completed the form, church entry or census, which is, as every family historian knows, a very common situation.
Annbank was formerly a mining village about five miles east of Ayr and three miles southwest of Tarbolton. It had a railway station that served both Annbank and neighbouring Mossblown, and was an important link for the coal mining industry that the village was built on. There was a post office, a reading room and a chapel of ease by the 1870s.
The original 19th-century housing within the village was built by the mine owners and was described as of poor quality; by 1875 it was said to be better, but much too small for the large families living in it. Like the housing, the school was also built and owned by the mining company. The first school in 1871 was described by school mast
