John Mills (1790 - 1873)

Born 1790 in Moncton, Westmorland, New Brunswick, Canada

Ancestors

Husband of Mary (Welling) Mills — married 29 Nov 1814 in Dorchester, Westmoreland, New Brunswick

Descendants

Died 1873 at about age 83 in Shediac, Westmorland, New Brunswick, Canada

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Biography

John Mills is one of the sons of Reuben Mills, United Empire Loyalist from New York State. John was 60 years old at the time of the Census in 1951 which makes his birth date 1791 or 1792 (the census was taken in the summer).^{[1] [2]}

John was a founding member of First Baptist Church in Westmorland County (Moncton) following a revival in the 1820's. The majority of the Mills family remained in the Moncton area, but it appears that John moved his family to Westmorland County, Shediac some time before the 1951 census.

John married Mary Welling in 1814.^[3] The marriage was witnessed by Lewis Mills and Peter Mills.

Note that Welling Mills is listed as a child of John and Mary. This is an educated guess. Welling lived in the house next door to John and Mary, and because Welling is an unusual first name, it is reasonable to think that he is the son of John and Mary (Welling) Mills. See Welling Mills for more information.

By 1861, John was 70 years old and no longer the head of the household (it does seem odd that he is listed as a "boarder", but perhaps that was the only option available to the census recorder). This responsibility had been taken on by his oldest son who lived in the house, John. No wife is listed for John, and only Harvey (Lewis) and Elizabeth continued to live at home with their father. As was often the case, after the death of Mary (John Sr.'s wife) one of the daughters would take over the household responsibilities. In this case, it appears to have been Elizabeth.

John continued to worship with the Baptists, while the remaining members of the family had moved to the Episcopalian (Anglican) church.

Based on the 1861 census, it appears that Mary predeceased John. By the time of the 1871 census, John Mills is living in the household of son Harvey (Lewis Harvey) Mills, at the age of 80.

John is buried with his wife Mary in St. Martin's in the Woods Anglican Church Cemetery in Shediac, New Brunswick.^[4]

Documentation

Founding Members of First Baptist Church

The first Baptist Church in Moncton (West. Co.) appears to have been organized as a result of a religious awakening about the year 1827 in which the following, embracing a large portion of the then population of the Bend were baptized: Israel POWELL, John POWELL, Wm McKENZIE, David MILLS, Gilbert STULTZ, Abraham STULTZ, James LEWIS, Patrick RITCHIE, Wm RITCHIE, Mathias SOMERS, Aaron PORTER, John HORSMAN, Richard SHEA, Samuel MILLS, Elizabeth POWELL, Elizabeth STULTZ, Amy SOMERS, Eunice RITCHIE, Mary LEWIS, Susanna LEWIS, Mary CONSTANTINE, Harriet PRINCE, Rebecca MILLS, Hannah STEADMAN, Elizabeth STULTZ, Mary COLPITTS, Mary DOWNING, Esther PORTER. It is noted in the minutes that the ages of these converts ranged from Elizabeth Powell, aged 82 years to Harriet Prince, age 10. The above mentioned converts with Wm COLPITTS, Peter MILLS, Thos. PRINCE, Andrew STEEVES, John MILLS, Wm STEADMAN, sr., Jas. F. GOULDRUP, Elizabeth COLPITTS, Catherine TRITES, Sarah PRINCE, Elizabeth STEEVES, Jane LEAMAN, Alice LEAMAN, Deborah MILLS and Charlotte McKENZIE, dismissed from the Salisbury Church, appear to comprise the full original membership of what is now known as the Moncton First Baptist Church. The organization was elected June 8th, 1828 by the late Rev. Joseph CRANDALL and late Rev. James WALLACE, the former, grandfather of postmaster, Joseph CRANDALL of Moncton. The deacons were William Colpitts, Thos. Prince and Peter Mills. The clerk was Rev. James F. Gouldruo whose death was recorded a few months ago. The church was received into the N.B. Baptist Assoc. in July 1829. There is a record April 29th, 1847 to the effect that Sister Ann BECK died at the Bend on Thursday afternoon.^[5]

The remaining history of the church can be found in this volume (presumably the Times, rather than Daniel F. Johnson's volume).

Land petition by Mills, David. 1811

Others involved in the petition include:

• Constantine, Pharez
• Mills, Felix
• Mills, John
• Mills, Lewis
• Mills, Peter
• Mills, Reuben
• Mills, Samuel^[6]

Note that this land petition (above) matches perfectly with the family of Reuben and Deborah (even including the husband of Mary Mills, Pharez Constantine) in this land grant.

There is a cadastral map on the Provincial Archives of New Brunswick (PANB) website showing the location of these original land grants.^[7] The 200 acre land grants for Felix, John, Lewis and Peter are seen in the upper right corner of this map.

Canadian Census, 1851

According to the Canadian census of 1851, the household of John Mills is located in Westmorland, sub-district Shediac.^[8] The family includes:

Canada Census, 1861

According to the Canadian census of 1851, the household of John Mills changed considerably from 1851. They are still located in Westmorland, sub-district Shediac.^[9] The family includes:

Note: the term "native" in this context refers to a person who was born and raised in this area.

Canadian Census 1871

According to the Canadian census of 1871, the household of Harvey Mills included:^[10]

Marriage Register for Westmorland County

One of the most important sources is Register of marriages for the county of Westmorland, 1790-1835 containing the marriage registrations of most of Reuben Mills' children. It is puzzling that the records are all in Dorchester, however, Dorchester included parts of Westmorland and Shediac parishes. The page numbers for the Mills marriages include:

• David Mills- Married Jane Trites - 1809. Image 13, document page 9.
• Mary Mills- Married Pharez Constantine - 1811. Image 16, document page 14.
• John - Married Mary Welling - 1814 - Dorchester. Image 27, document page 36.
• Peter Mills- Married Rhoda Constantine - 1815. Image 31, document page 44.
• Lewis Mills - Married Jerusha Welling - 1823. Image 112, document page 198.
• Felix Mills- Married Jane Simpson - 1824. Image 110, document page 194.^[11]
• Samuel - Married Rebecca - Unknown date/location - Their eldest child was born 1824 so marriage date likely around 1822/1823.

• Fact: Burial St. Martin's in the Woods Anglican Church Cemetery, Shediac, Westmorland, New Brunswick, Canada

• Fact: Residence (1851) Shediac, Westmorland County, New Brunswick, Canada
• Fact: Residence (1861) Shediac, Westmorland, New Brunswick, Canada
• Fact: Residence (1871) Shediac, Westmorland, New Brunswick, Canada

• Fact: http://familysearch.org/v1/LifeSketch Birthdate: circa 1730-40

Birthplace: Bedford,Westchester,New York Death: 1822 Moncton,Westmoreland,New Brunswick Son of George Mills and Mary Mills

Reuben served with General Sullivan's continental troops in 1779, but was a Westchester Loyalist at the close of the Revolutionary War and was among those expelled from New York. He was aboard the THETIS, which landed near Petitcodiac Nova Scotia, in June 1783. This area became part of the Province of New Brunswick in 1784. Reuben was at least 25 yrs old by then, and perhaps married, though all of his children were born in Canada. He received a land grant at River Remsheg, but never settled there, preferring to stay with his wife's family. He married Deborah Lewis.

Children: Charlotte Mills 1788-1869 m.MacKenzie David Mills 1789–Aft 1851 Lewis Mills 1790–1863 Mary Mills 1791–1839 Felix Mills 1792–1851 Peter Mills 1794–1875 John Mills 1796–Aft 1851 Freelove Mills 1800–Aft 1851 m.Simpson Samuel Mills 1801–1887

• Fact: Burial St. Martin's in the Woods Anglican Church Cemetery, Shediac, Westmorland, New Brunswick, Canada

Sources

1. ↑ Canada Census, 1851. Surname: Mills, Given Name: John, Gender: Male, Age: 60, Relationship: Head, Ethnic Origin: English, Province: New Brunswick, District Name: Westmorland (county), Sub-District Name: Shediac, Sub-District Number: 88, Page Number: 39, Microfilm: C-997, Reference: RG 31,Item Number: 1013103. Document e002295200.
2. ↑ John Mills, Canada Census, 1861. Surname: Mills, Given Name: John, Gender: Male, Age: 70, Religion: Baptist, Province: New Brunswick, District Name: Westmorland, Sub-District Name: Shediac, Page Number: 90, Line Number: 11, Microfilm: C-1006, Item Number: 213917. Canada census of 1861. From census document 4108523_00361
3. ↑ "Canada Marriages, 1661-1949," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:F2P9-V8W : 10 February 2018), John Mills and Mary Welling, 29 Nov 1814; citing Westmorland,New Brunswick, reference ; FHL microfilm 847,576.
4. ↑ Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com : accessed 07 November 2020), memorial page for John Mills (1790–1873), Find a Grave Memorial no. 218045570, citing St. Martin's in the Woods Anglican Church Cemetery, Shediac, Westmorland County, New Brunswick, Canada ; Maintained by Scott A (contributor 50170331) .
5. ↑ The Times, Moncton. Westmorland County. December 1, 1887. Transcribed from the original by Daniel F. Johnson : Volume 69 Number 792.
6. ↑ Provincial Archives of New Brunswick. Index of Land Petitions: Original Series, 1783-1918 (RS108). Mills, David, 1811, Westmorland County. Microfilm F4174.
7. ↑ Provincial Archives of New Brunswick. Place Names: Salisbury. Download Salsibury map (including NW Moncton). Note: if the link does not work, go to the PANB Place Names of New Brunswick index, search for "Salisbury" and download the map.
8. ↑ Canada census of 1851. Document e002295200
9. ↑ Canada census of 1861. Document 4108523_00361
10. ↑ Library and Archives Canada, 1871 census. Document 4396595_00311.pdf and http://data2.collectionscanada.ca/1871/pdf/4396595_00312.pdf 4396595_00312.pdf
11. ↑ Register of marriages for the county of Westmorland, 1790-1835

• "Family Tree," database, FamilySearch (http://familysearch.org : modified 14 August 2022, 19:20), entry for John Mills Sr. (PID https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/4:1:K4VM-TWF ); contributed by various users.