Agatha Christie: A very Elusive Woman 2 (Pages 21 - 61)

 

Agatha's father was Frederick Alvah Miller, whose fortune came from his father Nathaniel Miller. 

Nathaniel  Miller was named for his mother's stepfather. His parents were both from colonial Massachusetts families; his father was a pedlar of cutlery who also invested in a small way in real estate. By spring 1845, Nathaniel had relocated to New York City, where he worked as a clerk, and eventually landed a job with Bulkley & Claflin, wholesale dry goods merchants in Cedar Street.

Frederick Alvah Miller was born in New York City, probably in a boarding house in Lower Manhattan; date and city of birth are given on an 1899 passport application.

Frederick and Clara married in 1878. On 11 April 1878, Fred married his stepmother's niece, Clarissa Boehmer, at St. Peter's, Notting Hill, Kensington. Probably on the recommendation of the Pirie family, the couple settled in Torquay, where in early 1881 they completed the purchase of the long-term leasehold of a pleasant villa called Ashfield. 

Agatha's sister was Margaret (Madge) Miller. 

I always thought that Agatha only one sister, but I have discovered that she also had a brother: Louis Montant (Monty). 

The book tells us about the servants hired in Ashfield. One event that Agatha may have used for her books was the suicide of William Henry Callicott, the gardener, who was found hanging from the roof by her father. Around 1889, he went to work for the Miller family at Ashfield, also located in Barton Road; William and his family lived in Vale Cottages, an easy distance away. During a period of temporary insanity, William hanged himself in the stables at Ashfield. He was buried in consecrated ground on January 5, 1893.

The cook was Jane Rowe. Jane Ratcliffe was the parlourmaid, Charlotte Froude, the housemaid and Susan Lewis, Agatha's nurse. 

Torquay was where Agatha Christie was raised. It was the only city with a 5-star hotel outside London, the Imperial Hotel. 

Torquay is a seaside resort town on the English Channel in Devon, south west England. 

The Imperial Hotel in Torquay is a historic 4-star Victorian hotel opened in 1866, renowned for its coastal views and links to Agatha Christie, who featured it in her novels. While the original structure was replaced in 1965, it remains a prominent, historic seafront hotel often associated with the "Agatha Christie Mile".

In 1901 Frederick died of heart failure, and Clara was left in a dire situation. 

Monty joined the army when the Boer War broke out, but he didn't return after the war. He becamea a game hunter and was even tried for illegal hunting. 

Madge, Agatha's sister, married James Watts, and became the owner of Abney Hall in Cheadle. Abney Hall is a Victorian house surrounded by a park in Cheadle, Greater Manchester. 

Since Clara was left with no money, she couldn't afford to present Agatha in London, so they decided to spend three months in Egypt. They travelled on SS Heliopolis in 1908. The Heliopolis, operated in the Mediterranean between Marseille and Alexandria, with accommodation for 344 First Class, 210 Second Class, and 560 Third Class passengers, giving a total capacity of 1,157 passengers. She continued until 1909, when the Egyptian Mail Company deemed her unprofitable and dry-docked her in Marseille to be offered for sale.

Agatha Christie first visited Egypt in 1910 at age 17/18 as a young debutante, accompanied by her mother. Seeking a warmer climate for her mother's health and a more affordable alternative to a London debut, they spent three months at the Gezireh Palace Hotel in Cairo, filled with social events, tea parties, and polo matches.

She wrote her first novel, Snow Upon the Desert, based on her experiences in Egypt. He asked advice to her neighbour, Eden Phillpotts. Eden Phillpotts (4 November 1862 – 29 December 1960) was an English author, poet and dramatist. He was born in Mount Abu, India, was educated in Plymouth, Devon, and worked as an insurance officer for ten years before studying for the stage and eventually becoming a writer.

Agatha was successful with men, and she was first engaged to Reggie Lucy. Reginald “Reggie” Stanley Lucy was one of the sons in the Lucy family, friends of Agatha Miller. He proposed to her on the Torquay Golf Course.

Agatha met Archibald Christie at a ball at Ubrooke House in Devon on 12 October 1912. Ugbrooke House is a stately home in the parish of Chudleigh, Devon, situated in a valley between Exeter and Newton Abbot.

Archie Christie was educated at Clifton College in Bristol where his stepfather, William Helmsley, was a teacher. His mother remarried when his father died in an asylum, insane caused by syphilis. Clifton College is a public school in the city of Bristol in South West England, founded in 1862 and offering both boarding and day school for pupils aged 13–18. 

Archie Christie went to the Royal Military Academy at Woolwith and he qualified as a pilot.

Archie Christie proposed to Agatha after they went tot he Grand Wagner Concert at the Torquay Pavillion Theatre. The programm was Madame Blanche Marcchesi and the Municipal Orchestra. 

Blanche Marchesi (4 April 1863 – 15 December 1940) was a French mezzo-soprano or dramatic soprano and voice teacher best known for her interpretations of the works of Richard Wagner.