Mary Mills

1839 - 1870  (27 years)

 Set As Default Person

• Name	Mary Mills  [1]
  Born	1839	Canada   [1]
  Gender	Female
  Reference Number	6529
  Residence	1861	North Dorchester, Middlesex, Ontario, Canada   [1]
  Died	Between 1866 and 1870
  	child born 1866-not on1870 census and children split up.
  Person ID	I6529	FelsingFam
  Last Modified	16 Feb 2024

  
  

  Father	Amasa Chase,   b. 18 May 1822, Galen, Wayne, New York, USA ,   d. 22 Aug 1913, San Fernando, Los Angeles, California, USA  (Age 91 years)
  Relationship	natural
  Mother	Hannah Mills,   b. 12 May 1822, Yarmouth, Elgin, Ontario, Canada ,   d. 28 Apr 1856, Canada  (Age 33 years)
  Relationship	natural
  Family ID	F1908	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

  Family	Anson Henry DeGroat,   b. 27 Feb 1833, Bayham, Elgin County, Ontario, Canada ,   d. 1 Jun 1927, Cedar Springs, Kent, Michigan, USA  (Age 94 years)
  Married	28 Sep 1857	North Dorchester, Middlesex, Ontario, Canada
  Children	+ 1. Anna Maria(Mariah) Degroat,   b. 1859, North Dorchester, Middlesex, Ontario, Canada ,   d. 17 Mar 1900, Surrey, Clare, Michigan, USA  (Age 41 years)  [natural] + 2. Lydia DeGroat,   b. Aug 1863, North Dorchester, Middlesex County, Ontario, Canada ,   d. 3 Feb 1958, Howard City, Montcalm County, Michigan, United States of America  (Age ~ 94 years)  [natural] + 3. Mary A. DeGroat,   b. 12 Jun 1866, Goodland, Lapeer, Michigan, USA ,   d. 3 Apr 1948, Avon, Oakland, Michigan, USA  (Age 81 years)  [natural]
  Last Modified	16 Feb 2024
  Family ID	F1892	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

• Photos		1861 Census of Canada Library and Archives Canada; Ottawa, Ontario, Canada; Census Returns For 1861; Roll: C-1049-1050
  		mary mills 1 Date:4/14/2019 8:39:10 PM

  
  

• Notes

  The Mary Mills who appears on the 1861 Census in Southwold appears to be a different Mills family. Notes by Kristin Schwark on findagrave.com: Very little is known of my 3x great grandmother. I was able to connect with someone in North Dorchester, her only confirmed place of residence, and her marriage info was found. Mary Mills & Anson DeGroat wed on September 28, 1857 in Yarmouth, Elgin, Ontario. On the 1861 Census of Canada her estimated birth year was 1839 (Anson's was 1836, but actual year is 1833. I'm calculating that hers may have been fudged as well, at 1836). They had a daughter, Anna (1859). 4 years later, still in Canada, they had Lydia (Aug 1863). The family moved to Goodland, Lapeer, Michigan sometime between September 1863 and May 1866. Their daughter Mary was born there on June 12, 1866. Sometime between Mary Jr's birth, and Anson's next marriage on January 18, 1869, Mary Mills had died or abandoned her children. On the 1870 US Census, the 3 girls were with foster parents. Anna & Lydia were with the Carpenter's, and Mary Jr was with the McConnell's. Michigan death records were not kept formally until beginning in 1867, and fully by 1868. It is my conclusion that Mary did indeed die in Lapeer County. I will keep digging, and not let her slip through the cracks!! A few notables from my ONLY record: Born abt 1839 in Canada West (possibly fudged like Anson) Religion: WM (living with/near Anson's family who were all listed as CPM) In my search for Mills in or around North Dorchester (Middlesex County) and their marriage location (Elgin County) on the 1852 Census, I found a Mary Mills, born abt 1835, listed as Baptist, who was NOT living with her parents in 1861. Jesse, Matilda, Mary & siblings were in Southwold, Elgin County. Although the birth years are off (common occurrence), and the religion is different (she may have conformed to Anson), it seems to be the first real possibility I've found to who she is. I hope she didn't abandon these girls, and, I hope her death was not caused by Anson. (He remarried and abandoned a few times). I also thought she may have been buried in the local family plot on Henry Ruiter DeGroat's farm, but there seems to be no record of it. That burial ground was also known as Lum Cemetery, and is now Arcadia Township Cemetery. My guess is she is there with no record or headstone, or was returned to Canada. Her possible parents are in Iona Cemetery, but again, no record of her there either. The family had moved to Lambton County sometime between 1861 and 1871, so she may be buried in Lambton. She was so young and unexpected, they may have just buried her local to their current residence, versus going back to Elgin County, where Iona Cemetery and most of the family are. 1870 living in residence of Alexander and Phoebe Carpenter. Phebe is the daughter of Abner Chase and Lydia Upton. Also next door on the census is Sharley Wilson, another daughter of Abner and Lydia. Abner and Lydia are quakers in Yarmouth, Elgin County Ontario. We have multiple autosomal dna matches with Abner & Lydia although we do not know the exact relationship. Also both sisters had either a son or grandson of John Mills/Abigail Minard as a witness at their weddings in Canada. We also have multiple autosomal dna matches to John Mills/Abigail Minard, although we do not have the exact line fleshed out. Mary may be a granddaughter to them. Based on numerous DNA matches we believe that Amasa Chase was the illegitimate father of Mary Mills. He was living in Yarmouth at the time. Numerous matches show that his DNA goes through Mary Mills line to her descendants. After Mary died, two of her children were 'adopted' by Amasa's sister, Phoebe Carpenter in Lapeer, Michigan. We believe Mary's mother was a child or grandchild of John Mills & Abigail Minard. Again, numerous DNA matches to Mills/Minard come through Mary's line. Mary would have grown up in one of the Mills households. Unfortunately, the 1851 census for the section of Yarmouth that the Mills family lived in is missing. The 1841 census was head of household only, and we cannot identify Mary. The 1861 Census shows Mary living with her husband, Anson Degroat. A review of probate records shows that there is no record of probate for Mary or record of conservatorship for any of the children in Lapeer County. A probate file at https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QS7-89SC-B6MF for Sharley Chase WIlson, daughter of Abner Chase and Lydia Mills refers to Anna Degroat Phelps (daughter of Mary Mills) as her niece. Niece would not be possible, however if Anna Degroat was her grandniece that would mean that a parent of Mary Mills would have been a sibling of Sharley. Thus, Mary Mills would be granddaughter of Abner Chase and Lydia Upton. The 1842 census of Yarmouth https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:939D-VQCT-P?i=4&cc=1834342 shows 1 female under the age of 5 in the household of Abner Chase.

  
  

• Sources

  [S219] 1861 Census of Canada, Ancestry.com and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, (Name: Ancestry.com Operations Inc; Location: Provo, UT, USA; Date: 2009;), Library and Archives Canada; Ottawa, Ontario, Canada; Census Returns For 1861; Roll: C-1049-1050. Record for Anson Degroat http://search.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/sse.dll?db=1570&h=794584727&indiv=try 1861 Census of Canada Library and Archives Canada; Ottawa, Ontario, Canada; Census Returns For 1861; Roll: C-1049-1050