| Notes |
- RESEARCH_NOTES:
1. FHL book 929.273 M625u "A Mills and Kendall Family History…," by Helen Schatvet Ullmann (Boston, 2002), pp. 3-9:
"George1 Mills was born, surely in England, perhaps about 1605.[3] He died at Jamaica, Long Island, New York,[4] probably on October 17, 1694 age 89.[5] His only known wife was Rebecca ___ who was living on March 24, 1681/2 when he signed a deed providing for her. But the wording of the deed, charging his son Samuel with her care, suggests that perhaps she was not Samuel's mother and that George may have had an earlier wife. Many have assumed that this was a daughter of Nicholas Tanner, but the documents relating to Nicholas Tanner's estate do not show this clearly at all. Tanner's will named only one relative, a son John living in "Tolspidle" in England. Then it listed a number of other people, particularly children of various families. These included Bethia Mills and her mother and Zacharias Mills. George Mills was to have most of his clothing.[6] George may have married a daughter of Tanner but more likely was associated with him in some other way. However, Nicholas Tanner's residence around 1631, when George would have married, becomes of great interest. Tanner's son John was at Tolspidle in Dorsetshire, England, in 1658.[7] Thus if George Mills married a daughter of Nicholas Tanner before coming to America, he was probably from the West Country of England...
On March 24, 1682/1 [sic] "George Mils of Jemaicae in the North Rideing of Yorkshire upon Long Island," in a legal statement which some have called his will, said that his "...wife Rebeccae shall peaseably and quietly posses and injoye my now dwelling howse and home Lot and ortchard dureing her Life time if it please god that shee should live longer than I and allsoe I doe declare that to the best of my understanding that the oblegation given to mee from my sonn Samuel Mills for the Mowing of hay and cutting of wood or any thing els was to be done for my wife if she shall live longer than I and therefore though the writeing be somwhat short in that perticular I doe exspect that what my sonn Samuel Mills should doe for mee dureing my Life the same to be done to my wife if it please god that shee shall live longer than I..."
This was witnessed by Nathaniell Denton, senior, Edward Higbee and John Everit and copied into the town records from the original.[24] The fact that George felt it necessary to direct Samuel to care for George's wife suggests that perhaps Rebecca was not Samuel's mother. On the other hand, there may have been some friction between Samuel and his mother which prompted George to close all possible loopholes. Or perhaps he just wanted it in writing...
No probate records exist for George, probably because he transferred his land to his wife Rebecca on March 24, 1681/2, to his son Zachariah on February 22, 1678/9 and apparently to his son Samuel.
ENDNOTES
3. Some sources, in particular the manuscripts of William Applebee Daniel Eardeley (on FHL microfilm #416,893), have said he was born in 1595 and died in 1684. Charles J. Werner, in "Genealogies of Long Island Families," compiled "mainly from records left by Benjamin F. Thompson" (New York, 1919), 105, even says George was born in 1585 and died 17 October 1674 at age 89. But he appears on a tax list in 1683.
4. Now in the Borough of Queens in New York City.
5. Cook, 2-3. Cook's note on p. 3 reads, "Note on the Date of Death of George MILLS… In a letter dated Feb. 9th. 1895, Mr. J.H. Mills of Buffalo, N.Y., to Mr. M.P. Mills of New York, (bound herewith), it is stated that 'These old papers were found in the attic of the homestead [at Smithtown} and are now in custody of Mr. Huntington. Ethelbert jr., (sic, no surname given) of Brooklyn had access for a time to the old papers, about a barrel, among them he has found that George Mills of Jamaica died Oct. 17, 1694 aged 89.', also that 'B.F. Thompson compiled genealogical notes (mss.) but did not publish them relating to Mills. I have a copy of said Notes. Thompson undoubtedly obtained his information from the old papers that had accumulated for five generations in the homestead of my g. grandfather Wm. Mills at M(ills) P(ond).' This serves to correct the date as since published from Thompson's said notes in Genealogies of Long Island Families, 1919, and in a chart opp. p. 341 in "The Whitney Family.' LDC"
6. Tanner's will reads:
September 2, 1658. The last Will and testament of Nicholas Tanner, of Rustdorp (Jamaica), made the day and date above written. Imprimis, my will is yf it please God to take me away, yf I doe not otherwise alter in ye meantime, that my son, John Tanner, living in Tolspidle, within Dorsetshire, England, shall have ₤30 sterling out of my estate. And my will is that if my son cannot be procured to come over, or not heard of, the town where I live shall have the use of it for their general good. Provided they put in Securitie to send it to my sonn or as he shall come over to fetch it.
2. My will is that Thomas Ireland shall have five pounds. And Richard Everard's children, and Roger Lynn his boy, and John Rodes his youngest boy shall have ten pounds amongst them.
3. My will is that Bethia Mills shall have a cow and a calfe, and that she and her mother shall have ten pounds more betwixt them, to buy them clothes with.
4. My will is that Henry Pearsall's children shall have 5 shillings a peice. My will is that John Eazor shall have my share of the tackling and cart that is betwixt us, and my share of the hollowes. Henry Pearsall shall have my cloak, and Daniel Denton my suit of cloathes. Zacharias Mills shall have a calf. My will is that a beast shall be sold to buy some linnen to bury me in, and also a sheete and other things that shall be needfull; And the white faced cow killed at my burial and given to the neighbours. My will is that yf God take me away, and that I doe not otherwise alter in the mean time, that Henry Pearsall, of Hempstead, and Daniel Denton, of Rustdorp, shall be my executors.
George Mills is to have all my cloathing except as above given.
Witnesses, George Mills, Timothy Halstead, Henry Pearsall, Daniel Denton. Quietus granted, June 23, 1666 ("Collections of the New York Historical Society: Abstracts of Wills on file in the Surrogate's Office, City of New York, vol. II (1893), Appendix, 415-16).
On 2 July 1660 the following was entered on Jamaica town records:
"Whereas there was a certaine parsell off mony Amounting to thirty pounds was left By Nicolas Tanner deceased for the use of his sonn and the Towne to have the use of it after Inquirie made for his sonn till he shall come and fetch it or send for it. These underwritten doe protest against having any thing to doe with the saide Mony either themselves or heirs or executors for beneffit or damage."
John Townsend and George Mills made their marks on this (Josephine C. Frost, ed., "Records of the Town of Jamaica, 1656-1751" [Brooklyn: Long Island Historical Society, 1914], 1:8-9, from the original 1:10). A second copy, "taken out of the owld booke by mee Nath Denton Town Clerk," does not mention the marks. On 24 January 1664 the town, having spent the money, agreed that they would pay it if lawfully demanded. (Frost 1:170-711, from the original 2:3-4).
Many have claimed, presumably based on this will, that George's wife Rebecca must have been surnamed Tanner. However, if so, it seems odd that Tanner referred to her, not by name, but as Bethia's mother. If one assumes his daughter was deceased the omission seems plausible; George might already have married again. On the other hand, the fact that the town, rather than heirs, was to have the ₤30 if John didn't claim it, suggests that Tanner left no heirs in America. On the other hand, George's disclaimer does suggest that at least some thought he and Townsend might claim a right to it. Cook lists Bethia and Zachariah as George's children, but does not suggest that Rebecca's maiden name was Tanner. Actually, Bethia could even be George's wife.
There was another Nicholas Tanner at Swansea, Mass., in 1663 and Rehoboth in 1666 (James Savage, "A Genealogical Dictionary of the First Settlers of New England [Boston, 1860-62; reprint, Baltimore, 1965, 1981] 4:253), but no connection with Nicholas of Long Island has been found.
7. Or at least Nicholas thought he was. "Tolspidle" must be the village called Tolpuddle, for which there are no extant church records until the 1730s. However, it is beyond the scope of this project to pursue this lead.
24. Frost, "Jamaica," 1:212, from 2:41.
SOURCES_MISC:
1. FHL book 929.273-K727kf: "Knapp's N' Kin, The Ancestral Lines of Frederick H Knapp and Others," compiled by: Frederick H Knapp, Rt. #2, Box 438C, AB Hwy, Richland, Missouri, 65556; 1987; Revised/Updated 1991. It notes the following sources, none of which I have yet reviewed:
-Hist. of Greenwich, by S.P. Mead (1911).
-7 Gen. of Judith's, by A. Gibson
-NEGHR, v. 14, p. 106.
-CT Ancestry (Dec 1963 and 1986).
-Samuel Mills and Descendants, by Samuel Mills IX.
-Rundle Fam. of Amer. (1992).
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Chris & Julie Petersen's Genealogy
Bef 1612 - Aft 1682 (> 71 years)