William was born 26th January 1848 in East Gates, Lochwinnoch, Renfrewshire, 
Scotland. Father Robert (occupation Carter) died 1896 Mother Margaret 
Cunningham d 1865. He had 2 brothers and 2 sisters. 
He was a widower age 29 when he married for the 2nd time in Glasgow in 1877 to Mary 
McKenzie age 21.  His occupation then was a steam ship stoker, so he 
must have made his way up the ranks over the years. They had 4 
children, Mary b1886, James b1889, William b1878 and Margaret b1879.

The 1st wife of William is a bit of a mystery. 
According to family legend, she along with all their children died in a 
house fire, whereabouts unknown.  William sailed with a agency based in Sunderland which is the area that his 
second family moved to from Glasgow sometime after 1886 and before the 
birth of James in 1889. They all moved back to Lochwinnoch after the 
death of William as I found them in the 1901 Census. I have found 
William in the Glasgow 1851 census age 3 but no trace after that until 
his marriage in 1877 then again no trace until his death in 1898.

William's death:  In attempting to step into his boat during the pre-dawn hours of August 20, William Miller, Chief Engineer of the British Steamship CAPE CORRIENTES, fell overboard and was drowned. He was presumed drunk. The ship had been cleared to leave Pensacola on August 19, and many were on shore enjoying themselves before pulling out with a large cargo to Dundee. Specifically, the ship carried 1,531,800 sq ft of timber and 37,809 sq ft lumber, valued at $10,878. The death of Miller delayed the ship for a few days.

Additional Information