McMillan Memorial Library

I've been meaning to post this for a while. A few weeks ago, sometime in March, I visited the McMillan Memorial Library, located in the heart of Nairobi. The library was established in 1931, named after the American philanthropist, Sir William Northrup McMillan. Why am I telling you all this anyways? Well, it turns out there is a little Bixby family connection to McMillan.

My great-great-grandfather, William Keeney Bixby (1857-1931) was an employee of Sir William Northrup McMillan's father, also named William. The father and WKB had a close relationship, and after the death of McMillian's father in 1901, WKB was in charge of the McMillian family will and also managed the family's finances. With the huge sum of money that McMillian inherited, he went to Africa for the next 4 years following his father's death. WKB even visited McMillian in Kenya for two months during the 1920s, taking a boat to Mombasa and then a train to Nairobi. (Both places that I've visited!)

The library still stands today, used by about 1,000 people each day. When we visited the library was filled with students studying, I assume from the University of Nairobi. Here is an article that has some more information about the library: http://www.the-star.co.ke/news/article-114346/mcmillan-memorial-library-80-years-later

It was amazing to finally see the library that I had heard so much about from the Bolton Historian (aka Uncle Stretch). I must admit that I teared up a bit while standing on the steps and was overjoyed to be able to explore the library, sneaking upstairs, out onto a balcony and into a smaller book collection room. If you want to learn more about McMillan you should read Judy Aldrick's book, Northrup, which I found a copy of in the St. Lawrence library in Kenya and am currently reading.

downtown Nairobi

Jomo Kenyatta's grave (Kenya's first president at independence)

Kenyatta Avenue

William Northrup McMillan