This page provides information on Joseph Mills, Sr., the father of two Bedford County gunsmiths: Joseph Mills, Jr. and Issac Mills.
L. Dietle
Chronology
1789: The book "Genealogy of the Exline and Axline Family" by Thoesen, Exline, and Holz indicates that Elizabeth Exline was born on January 18, 1789 in Loudoun County, Virginia and married Joseph Mills, who was a son of Eve Harclerode and an unknown Mills. The book indicates that Elizabeth Exline was a daughter of Phillip Henry Exline, who was living in Bedford County, Pennsylvania by 1796, and who received a farm in Colerain Township from his father Adam in 1817.
1790: In an article in the September 1983 issue of the newsletter of the Association of Ohio Longrifle Collectors (AOLRC), James B. Whisker wrote that the gunsmith Joseph Mills, Jr. was a son of Joseph Mills, Sr., was a brother of the gunsmith Isaac Mills, and was born in Providence Township, Bedford County in 1790. In the same newsletter article, Mr. Whisker (mistakenly in my opinion) reports that Joseph Mills, Sr's wife Catherine was the mother of Joseph Mills, Jr. I have not seen any evidence that Joseph Mills, Sr. was residing in Bedford County, Pennsylvania in 1790. No such individual appears in the Bedford County portion of the transcript of the 1790 census of Pennsylvania (46 MB), and the property Joseph Mills, Sr. applied for in 1792 explicitly contained no improvements. The only listing for a Joseph Mills in the index to the published transcript of the 1790 federal census of Pennsylvania is for Washington County.
1790: James B. Whisker's 2017 book "Gunsmiths of Bedford County, Pennsylvania" indicates that the parents of the gunsmith Joseph Mills, Jr. were Joseph Mills, Sr. and Margaret (Harkleroad) Mills of Providence Township in Bedford County, and indicates that Joseph Mills, Jr. was born on July 11, 1790. I suspect that the Harkleroad family may be the same as the Hasselroth/Hosselrode/Kasselroot/Hazelrade family that appears in 1800s Somerset County, Pennsylvania records.
1792: Joseph Mills, Sr. applied for 150 acres of property in Colerain Township, Bedford County in 1792. The document includes the statement, "Joseph Mills makes Application for 150 Acres of Land adjoining Land of Solomon Sparks on the South East on the heads of Chapmans Run Waters of Brush Creek Including also the head Waters of Willsons Camp Run Waters of Town Creek Colerain Township":
1793: On March 8, 1793 Joseph Mills, Sr. obtained a warrant for a 168-acre tract "Situated on the Head Waters of Brush Creek & Wilson's Camp Run in Colerain Township..." and had it surveyed on December 18, 1793. The property was not patented until July 7, 1870. Click here to see a copy of the 1793 survey. In the 1793 survey, the township may be misidentified. Click here to see a 1977 connected draft survey that indicates the property is near the juncture of Colerain, Southampton, and Monroe townships. I believe Wilson's Camp Run mentioned in the 1793 survey is the stream in Monroe and Southampton townships that is called "Wilson Run" on the 1861 Walker map of Bedford County (see below). The headwaters of Wilson Run are close to the headwaters of Shaver's Creek in Monroe Township (a tributary of Brush Creek). The early 1800s Melish-Whiteside map (see below) shows that area as being part of Providence Township, which is the township where Joseph Mills, Jr. supposedly was born. The 1802 Matthew Taylor survey -- which is adjacent to and south of the Joseph Mills survey -- is instructive, stating that Taylor's property is in Southampton Township. This property is now in Monroe Township. Click here for information on surveys near Joseph Mills' X-49 survey.
The following image is from the 1861 Walker map of Bedford County, and shows Walker Run and Shaver's Creek, the latter being one of the headwaters of Brush Creek. This headwaters area is where Joseph Mills, Sr. had his property, and is most likely the birthplace of Joseph Mills, Jr. As you can see, there were several Mills residences in that vicinity in 1861. This was part of Monroe Township in 1861, but in earlier days was part of Providence Township. Monroe Township was established in 1840.
The image below is from the Melish-Whiteside manuscript map of Bedford County, circa 1818. It shows that Providence Township once included the headwaters of Shaver's Creek, and it shows that Shaver's Creek is a tributary of Brush Creek.
1798: A Mills descendant reports that Joseph Mills appears on the 1798 tax roll of Colerain Township with a house valued at $20.00 and 150 acres of property valued at $150.00.
1800: There are two Joseph Mills households enumerated in the Providence and Colerain Townships portion of the 1800 census of Bedford County, Pennsylvania. One Joseph Mills household has one male in the under 10 age group, one male in the 10-15 age group, one male in the 26 to 44 age group, three females in the under 10 age group, one female in the 16 to 25 age group, and one female in the 26 to 44 age group. The other Joseph Mills household has two males in the under 10 age group (Abraham, Isaac), three males in the 10 to 15 age group (Michael, Jacob, Joseph), one male in the 16 to 25 age group (George), one male in the 45 and upwards age group, one female in the under ten age group (Elizabeth), and one female in the 45 and upwards age group. (The names in parentheses were provided by a Mills family researcher.) The following image is a composite made from parts of three different pages of the census.
1802: A Mills descendent reports that Joseph Mills is listed in Southampton Township, Bedford County, Pennsylvania in an 1802 document.
1803: According to Harringer's book "Longrifles of Pennsylvania", an 1803 deed indicates that the first wife of Joseph Mills, Sr. was then still alive.
1803-1823: A Mills descendant reports that there is a December 7, 1803 deed (Bedford County Deed Book F page 365) to George Mills for 400 acres of property and 150 acres of warranted property with the proviso that George Mills would maintain Joseph and Margaret Mills for the rest of their lives, including providing a dwelling and pasturage for two cows. George made a down payment on the property and agreed to pay a sum to each of his siblings when they reached their maturity. The descendant further reports that pages 225-226 of Bedford County Deed Book N records a June 14, 1823 release from the lifetime maintenance obligation that Joseph Mills granted to his son George Mills.
1804: A Mills descendent reports that Joseph Mills is listed in Southampton Township, Bedford County, Pennsylvania in an 1804 document.
1808: A page from an unknown book indicates that the Joseph Mills is identified as a farmer with 150 acres, two horses, and two head of cattle in the 1808 tax roll.
1810: I did not find a listing for a Joseph Mills in the Colerain Township or Providence Township portions of the manuscript 1810 census records of Bedford County. A Joseph Mills household appears in the 1810 census records of Southampton Township of Bedford County with one male in the 10 to 15 age group, one male in the 16-25 age group, one male in the age 45 and upwards age group, one female in the 10 to 15 age group, and one female in the 45 and upwards age group. The following census image is a composite, with a table from one page and a table header from another page.
1819: A page from an unknown book indicates that Margaret Harkleroad, the first wife of Joseph Mills, died in 1819, and his second wife was named Christina.
1819: The Margaret Mills who is buried at the Zion Lutheran Church Cemetery is believed to be the mother of the gunsmiths Joseph and Isaac Mills. Her tombstone states, "Margret Mills was born in the year of our Lord June 12, 1757 died in the year 1819 aged 62 years". Joseph Mills, Sr. is buried in the same cemetery.
1820: A Joseph Mills appears in the Providence Township portion of the 1820 census records of Bedford County, Pennsylvania, with one male in the 45 and upwards age bracket, and one female in the 26 to 44 age bracket. One individual in the household was engaged in agriculture. The following image is a composite comprising tabular information from one page and a table header from another page.
1825: A Mills descendant reports that a January 27, 1825 record from the Bedford County Court of Common Pleas records the High Sheriff's acknowledgement of a deed to Joseph Mills for two tracts of Daniel Diehl's property in Southampton Township totaling 140-1/4 acres that had a log barn and a one-story log dwelling that was 50 feet long. Both buildings were described as "good". Logically, I believe this 1825 record would pertain to Joseph Mills, Sr. because I believe Joseph Mills, Jr. had already moved to Ohio before 1825.
1829: The following Pennsylvania legislative act, published in the "Laws of the General Assembly of the State of Pennsylvania passed at the session of 1828-29", shows that Joseph Mills, Sr. began receiving a Revolutionary War Soldier's Pension in 1829.
1829: The following composite image is from Volume 10 of the 1844 book "Laws of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania from the fourteenth day of October one thousand seven hundred":
1831: The following two payment records are from the book "Annual Report of the State Treasurer on the Finances of the Commonwealth":
1832: According to Harringer's book "Longrifles of Pennsylvania", an 1832 document indicates that the first wife of Joseph Mills, Sr. was then deceased, and Joseph was remarried. The book goes on to explain that his second wife was named Christina Huff.
1833: Joseph Mills, Sr., the father of the gunsmiths Joseph Mills, Jr. and Isaac Mills, is buried at the Zion Lutheran Church Cemetery (39.85326277, -78.42076915) in Bedford County, Pennsylvania. According to a web page about him, this Joseph Mills was born in 1755, died in 1833, was married to a woman named Margaret, and was the father of Michael Mills, Joseph Mills, Jacob Mills, and Isaac Mills. Margaret is also buried at the Zion Lutheran Church Cemetery.
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1833: Here is the will of Joseph Mills, Sr., which names Joseph and Isaac Mills as two of his heirs, and gives the name of his then-current wife as Christina.
1833: A Mills descendant reports that the August 30, 1833 issue of the Bedford Gazette" contains the following notice, "Public Sale - Will be sold at Public Sale, at the house of Joseph Mills, in Southampton township, on Friday, the 13th of September next, a TRACT OF LAND situate in said township, containing two hundred and twenty acres of Land, about forty acres of which is cleared and under fence, the balance in good timber. Terms of sale made known on the day of sale, and due attendance given. George Mills.
1834: The following is from the Tuesday, January 14, 1834 entry of the "Journal of the Forty-Fourth House of Representatives of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania":
The Pennsylvania Archives has 1829 to 1833 Revolutionary War pension files for Joseph Mills and 1834 to 1835 pension files for Joseph Mills' wife Christina Mills. Unfortunately, these files do not identify the unit(s) he served in during the Revolutionary War and do not help to identify his place of residence before moving to Bedford County.
A 109/111 Y-DNA match has been observed between a male descendant of the gunsmith Joseph Mills, Jr. of Bedford County, PA (1790 - 1876) and a male descendant of Peter Mill of Nockamixon, Bucks County, PA, (1737 - 1824). Peter was a son of Johan Georg Mill "George" (circa 1705 - 1767). The testing showed two mutations in a 111 Y-chromosome STR marker test that was performed by FamilyTreeDNA. The company reports that most men who share a surname and have a 109/111 match are seventh cousins or closer, with more than half of them being fourth cousins or closer. The shared Mill/Mills surname suggests that the relationship between the tested individuals may be a shared Mill/Mills ancestor such as Johan Georg Mill.
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1755: According to a web page about him, Joseph Mills, Sr. was born in 1755.
