Elizabeth Todd was born on her family farm in the townland of Edenagarry, between the villages of Rathfriland and Loughbrickland, County Down, Northern Ireland, on the 31st January 1872. Her parents were James and Ellen Todd (née Sheladay), and she was one of nine children, although by 1900, three of her siblings had died.
It is not known when she added the forename “Margaret” to her name, but it was probably in childhood.
In 1892, her parents and her three youngest siblings emigrated to the United States of America, and settled in New York City. Margaret followed them in 1893, and at that time she was a school teacher.
On the 7th August 1913, she married Aubrey Hutcheson Millar, who had been born in Auckland, New Zealand, in 1870, but had grown up in Scotland, and had emigrated from there. Their home was at 602, West 137th Street, New York City, N.Y.. The couple were childless. Her husband had been a mariner, but by the time he met Margaret, he was working as carpenter.
Her husband’s family lived in Glasgow, Renfrewshire, Scotland, but in February 1915, he had unfortunately died and as a result, in the spring of that year, his widow Margaret decide to fulfil a promise to him by making a visit to his family in Glasgow. Consequently, she booked second cabin passage on the May sailing of the Lusitania from New York to Liverpool on the first part of her journey.
Having boarded the liner at the Cunard berth at Pier 54 in New York port on the morning of 1st May 1915 in time for the liner’s scheduled 10.00 a.m. sailing, she then had to wait until 12.27 p.m. before the liner actually left on what became her last ever trans-Atlantic journey. The delay was caused because she had to embark passengers, cargo and some of the crew from the Anchor Liner Cameronia, which had been requisitioned by the British Admiralty for war service as a troop ship.
Then, six days later, on the afternoon of 7th May, the Lusitania was torpedoed and sunk within sight of the coast of southern Ireland by the German submarine U-20 under the command of Kapitänleutnant Walther Schwieger. At that stage of her voyage, she was only about twelve to fourteen hours away from the safety of her home port.
Unfortunately, Margaret Millar lost her life as a result of this action and as her body was never recovered and identified afterwards, she has no known grave. She was aged 43 years.
Once news of the sinking reached New York, her brother-in-law, Mr. G.S. Lindgren who worked in New York’s Weather Bureau, sought news of her from Cunard’s office at Battery Park Buildings, in State Street, but without any favourable outcome!
Margaret had four sisters, all of whom had immigrated to the United States. Mrs. Eleanor Todd Lindgren, Miss Sara Todd, Mrs. Mary Todd Hall, and Mrs. Edward Somers McWade, whose forename was Rachel, although she was always known as “Ray”.
Margaret’s sister, Sara Todd, later submitted a claim for compensation with the American authorities, which ultimately failed, as the Mixed Claims Commission decided that Margaret, and all of her sisters, with the exception of Eleanor, were British subjects at the time of her death, and as none were dependant on her, no American citizen was affected by her death.
Cunard records state that her name was Miller, however, this was incorrect and her correct name was Millar.
Register of Births, Marriages and Deaths, New York U.S. Extracted Marriage Index 1866 – 1937, 1900 U.S. Federal Census, 1910 U.S. Federal Census, New York Passenger Lists 1820 – 1957, Cunard Records, Mixed Claims Commission Docket No. 2190, New York Times, PRO BT 100/345, Deaths at Sea 1871 – 1968, Graham Maddocks, Geoff Whitfield, Michael Poirier, Jim Kalafus, Cliff Barry, Paul Latimer, Norman Gray.
Copyright © Peter Kelly.