FROM Scotland -- the neighbourhood of Aberdeen -- in the early part of the eighteenth century, there came three brothers into England named Miller. One settled in Burnage, another in Taunton, and the third at Hartshead. The Hartshead Miller was a woollen cloth manufacturer and farmer -- at that time there was a good deal of wheat grown in the neighbourhood. He took his manufactured goods on pack horses to Huddersfield market. His son Aaron was also a farmer, and tenanted Little Lee Farm on Lees Road. Aaron's son Isaac was born there.
Isaac became a joiner and maker of coffins, also of hand-looms, lathes, and shuttles, and all kinds of work appertaining to hand-loom weaving, and was considered a very expert workman. In 1791 he married Sarah Buckley, of Hartshead, and removed to Hangsnig in Smallshaw, where he had a prosperous business. He held house, workshop, and two meadows on lease from the Earl of Stamford and Warrington, and was succeeded by his sons, William and Isaac, in partnership. William built and occupied the Old Ball Inn, Broadoak Road, and also took a lease of the Holebottom farm, and worked that as well. Isaac built several cottages with coach houses and stables, which were afterwards demolished by the Railway Company for the erection of the present Charlestown Station.
JOHN MILLER, son of Isaac, was born at Hangsnig on September 6th, 1797, and married Sarah, daughter of George Lees, Hurst Brook. Soon after his marriage he built two houses and a workshop in Union Road. This was in 1822, when steam looms were becoming general, and John and his brothers who had devoted a good deal of time to the loom and shuttle business, discontinued it, and devoted their whole time to undertaking. They worked orders for places so far apart as Denton and Greenfield, Saddleworth and Newton, Hooley Hill and Woodhouses, Failsworth and Audenshaw.
John died in 1854 at the age of 57, and three sons, Samuel, Aaron, and John, each followed in their father's steps as far as the undertaking business is concerned. But not at the same place. The work there was done by his eldest son, Samuel, until Samuel died, when Joshua Barber succeeded.
Before passing on to John's son Aaron, who at the time of writing resides at Rochdale, it should be mentioned that a younger son, John, commenced business at Hurst Cross in 1855, and for some time occupied the position of sidesman at St John's Church. In politics, he differed from from his brother Aaron, he pledging his faith in Unionist principles. He was candidate for the first Hurst District Council Election. He retired from business in 1889, and died on January 21st, 1907, at the age of 73, and among his bequests was an amount of £100 for the benefit of St. John's Church, in whose yard his remains have a resting place.
AARON MILLER was born on September 6th, 1828, and was apprenticed to a clogger in 1841 as an out-door apprentice, having previously worked for his father in the saw-pit. He was 'prenticed for 8 years, but in 5 years his father bought his indentures and put him to coffin making again; again he commenced working as clogger, until in 1854 he began business on his own account in Wood Street, and remained there for 35 years as a clogger and undertaker, and retired from business in 1889.
Mr. Aaron Miller in his early days took an active part in local and political affairs, and as an advanced Radical had many wordy conflicts. He was elected a member of the general council of the Liberal Party in Ashton, and was for some years on the executive council, together with the late Mr. Arthur Reyner and others. He has also been a member of the Parish Council.
On many occasions he had been invited to become a candidate for the Hurst Local Board, but his private business took so much time that he could not do so. When the time arrived that he had more leisure, Mr. Miller says that he then had not the desire.
Mr. Miller has always been fond of reading, and has a good retentive memory. His interest in historical matters is well known, and he has contributed in many ways to the sum of local knowledge on points of history. He was one of the founders of Hurst Brook Mutual Improvement Society -- a society which did a good deal of Temperance work, but broke up in 1868.
He was also a founder and one of the first members of Hurst Brook Co-operative Society, and on the Committee of management for some years.
Mr. Miller well remembers the first election which took place after the passing of the Reform Act of 1832. The hustings were fixed at the bottom of a wide passage between the old Workhouse and the lockups in Market Street. There were three candidates :- Helps, conservative; Hindley, whig; and Williams, radical. Williams was returned. At that time the Market was being made, but was unfinished, the ground being in a "cut-up" condition.
About the middle of the 'nineties, Mr. Aaron Miller ably championed his cause in favour of the non-consecration of a portion of the Hurst Cemetery, and his opponent was the present writer. On that occasion we each argued our point of view most strenuously, but our personal relations have been unimpaired.