John William Houston McMillan

John McMillan was born at Cairdie house Dunoon, Scotland in 1822. John grew up in Dunoon and on 12th December 1849 married Sarah Ann Sykes at Gretna Green and arrived in Natal some time in the middle of 1850. The family surname is a source of some confusion. John was born a McMillan, but by the time the family arrived in Natal they were calling themselves Houston. It is not clear why this was so. There are a number of colourful family legends explaining the reasons why John changed his name; one being that he did so to escape Britain after killing or badly wounding a man in a duel. He could also have changed his name when he and Sarah ran away to be married at Gretna Green. By the last three decades of the nineteenth century various branches of the family had begun to incorporate McMillan with Houston. John was generally known by his Zulu name Mashibana. Mashibana refers to a man with a piercing and sharp tongue like the horns of a male bushbuck known as the Nkonka Mshiba. This probably refers to John's legendary bad temper.

Another story which was told is that he was involved in piracy of some kind and had to escape the law, it is doubtful if his father a blacksmith could have given him sufficient money to buy a farm/farms in South Africa, so maybe the money did come from something shady like piracy?

The Lodge (Benmore) - In 1872 the Houston family moved to the Lodge (sometimes called Ixopo Lodge), on which John ran a hotel and farmed. Benmore was the mountain that you see from Cardyhouse looking North / North East. The Lodge is close to the town of Ixopo. The Lodge, was an amalgamation of 4 pieces of land: the remainder of Court Hill (801 acres and 31.48 perches); subdivision A of subdivision A of Court Hill (2 acres/ 3 roods, 34 perches); subdivision C of the remainder of Ixopo (101acres, 1 rood, 28 perches) and Ogle's Land (60 acres). John's son Alexander later owned it. John called one of the pieces of land Benmore.

John William McMillan died in 1910 at the age of 84 at his farm Benmore and his wife Sarah died at the age of 87 on 29th April 1908 at Inkonza Falls, Dronk Vlei, at the home of her eldest son John Solomon.

Waterfall - In 1869 or 1870 John Houston bought the farm Waterfall in the Ixopo region, where he traded and ran a wayside inn. Waterfall is in the Umkomaas Valley as you cross the river. It is on the left hand side of the road from Pietermaritzburg to Ixopo and is now called Whiskey Canyon

Death Notice: https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-CS7P-L3QS-3?cc=257... .

The Creighton District

Ambleside - This farm over time was owned by three members of the family. It was first owned by Arthur Tatton Houston, who sold it to his brother Gilbert. Gilbert sold it to his sister Dora Belle Houston who married Henry Edward Eaglestone.

Cloverton - Gilbert Houston bought Cloverton in about 1920 and built the house on the farm. His son Vernon later ran Cloverton.