Ethel (Davis) Mills (1882 - 1977)

Born 30 Sep 1882 in St. Albans, Hertfordshire, England

Ancestors

Wife of Frederick Mills — married 1905 in Luton, Bedfordshire, England

Descendants

Died 1977 at about age 94 in Luton, Bedfordshire, England

Biography

Ethel was born in 1882 in St. Albans, Hertfordshire, England. She was the youngest of eleven children born to Daniel and Eliza Davis whose main home was at 39 Grange Street, St. Albans, Hertfordshire, England.

When Ethel was two or three years old her father passed away and she was taken to live in Luton, Bedfordshire, England by her mother. Her sisters Florence, aged eight, Mabel aged twelve and brother Harry aged fifteen came too. Their new home was at 9 Hart Hill Lane, Luton, Bedfordshire in the Parish of St. Matthews where Ethel and Frederick were married and where I myself was also married for the first time in 1970.

By 1901what remained of the family with their mother Eliza, moved to 82 Hope Street, Battersea, London but returned in 1905 to 35 Ashton Street, Luton, Bedfordshire, England.

Ethel and Frederick were married in 1905 at St. Matthews Church and went on to have three children, Herbert (Bert), Ethel Constance (Connie) and Frederick (Fred), my father.

For many years Ethel worked as a straw hat finisher. It was a popular occupation for women during those times and helped the burgeoning economy of Luton, which was famous for the hat trade, particularly straw boaters.

You can read about the hat trade in Luton by clicking below.

[[Space:|https://historicengland.org.uk/research/inclusive-heritage/womens-history/womenhatplaitluton/]].

Ethel passed away in 1977 at the grand age of ninety-five years.

Sources

Volume 3a, page 476, St Albans, Hertfordshire, Births December 1882 FreeBMD

1901 England Census

1911 England Census

British Army WW1 Pension Records 1914-1920

"England and Wales Death Registration Index 1837-2007," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QVCR-KS7V : 4 September 2014), Ethel Mills, 1977; from "England & Wales Deaths, 1837-2006," database, findmypast (http://www.findmypast.com : 2012); citing Death, Luton, Bedfordshire, England, General Register Office, Southport, England