Allen Mills 1862 - 1944
Allen was the son of Thomas Mills (1825-1908) and Lucretia Barton Mills (1828-1910). He was born on 25 February 1862 in Posey County, Indiana, USA.
Allen married Mary Elizabeth Smith (1865-1937) in Gallatin County, Illinois on 29 October 1884. They had the following children:
Thomas Mills (1886-1887)
Nola Mills (1887-1959)
Marshal Mills (1889-1962)
Matthew Mills (1890-1967)
Dora Mills (1893-1979)
Allen Mills (1894-1914)
Mildred Mills (1896-1972)
John Mills (1900-1960)
Millard Mills (1904-1975)
Isaac Mills (1905-1972)
We first see Allen in the census in 1870 in Robinson Township in Posey County. (census image here) (View neighbors in html)
As of the 1880 census, Allen and his parents showed up once more in Robinson Township. Of his older siblings, only Felix was still living at home, everyone else had gotten married and moved out. All his younger siblings were still there, as well as his nephew Lawrence (Felix's son) who was about a year old at that time. (census image here) (View neighbors in HTML)
Allen married Mary Smith in 1884 in Illinois, I don't know if he was living in Illinois yet or not, but by 1900 he and Mary and seven of their oldest children were living in Ridgway Township of Gallatin County, Illinois. According to the census records, in addition to their son Thomas who died as an infant, there was another child who died young or was stillborn, but I don't know that child's name. (census image here)
For some reason, Allen does not show up in the 1910 census in Ridgway Township, although the rest of the family is there. Mary listed herself as head of household, but still said married on the marital status. I don't know if there was some separation going on or what was happening. I have not been able to locate Allen elsewhere in the census records that year either. (census image here)
By 1920 the situation was clearer. Mary listed her status as divorced and Marsh, John, Millard and Isaac were still living at home with her in Ridgway Township. Nola had married Ethan Allen Strong and was living in Gold Hill Township. Matthew married Mary Drone and was living elsewhere in Ridgway Township (Mary's family was Catholic and apparently Matthew converted, thereby leading to one of the few Catholic branches of the Mills family that I know of). Dora married Charles Edwards. Sadly, son Allen had died in 1914 at the age of 20. Mildred had married someone whose last name was Price and had a son Harold, but she apparently married twice more and I can't locate her in the 1920 census, although she was living in Des Moines, Iowa as of the 1930 census. What of Allen? Once more I have been unable to find him in the census, so I have no idea where he was living. (census image of Mary and the kids still at home here)
In 1930, by a weird quirk of fate and almost as if to make up for not having shown up at all in the two prior censuses, Allen showed up twice in the census. He showed up once with his daughter Mildred and her husband William (?) Clevenger in Des Moines in a census which was taken on 14 April 1930. (census image with Mildred and her family here) Five days later on the 19th, Allen also showed up in the census with his son Millard (who was single at the time although I do not know if he remained so) in Dearborn, Michigan. As far as I can tell both census records are valid, I don't know if Allen was in both locations on both days or if he was customarily living with Mildred or Millard and visiting the other one. (census image of Allen with Millard here)
In any event, until the 1940 census records are released, I don't know any more about Allen's whereabouts among the living. I do know that his ex-wife Mary died in 1937 and is buried in Jackson Cemetery in Gallatin County. Allen died on 15 April 1944 in O'Fallon, Illinois. He is buried at Old Cottonwood Cemetery, Cottonwood, Asbury Township, near his parents and most of his brothers and sisters.
Allen's great grandchildren Thomas Mills and Anne Mills Miller got in touch with me around the time I was working this up, and Anne gave me some more information on Allen:
"Many years ago I asked my dad about his grandfather. He told me that he was a school teacher by profession and had also been a traveling salesman. I found it interesting that in the census where he is listed with his daughter Mildred it says that he sold school supplies; that would make perfect sense given what Dad told me."
"I don't remember exactly how Dad worded it, but I got the impression that Allen had a hard time staying put and went from one place to another. He and Mary Elizabeth were separated on and off several times and then, as you noted, divorced. I never heard that unfaithfulness was a part of this, only that he didn't like being tied down."
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Allen Mills page at Find A Grave
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