Mills, Frank P.

MILLS, ROBERTSON

Posted By: Linda Ziemann, Plym. CC (email)
Date: 3/19/2005 at 12:03:51

Frank P. Mills

Frank P. Mills a well-to-do retired farmer of this county, proprietor of the Bank of Westfield at Westfield and dealer in live stock at that place, is a native son of Plymouth county and has lived here all his life. He was born on the old Mills homestead place in Sioux township on March 16, 1874, son of David and Sarah (Robertson) Mills, pioneers of that section of the county and among the best-known and most influential residents of that neighborhood, further mention of whom is made in a biographical sketch relating to Milo S. Mills, brother of the subject of this sketch, presented elsewhere in this volume.

Reared on the homestead farm on which he was born, Frank P. Mills received his elementary schooling in the district school of his home neighborhood and supplemented the same by a course in the high school at Sioux City, meanwhile aiding in the labors of the home farm, and remained at home until the time of his father's death in 1892. The estate then was divided, the share of Frank P. Mills being five hundred and twenty acres of fine valley land in Sioux township, near the Big Sioux river. Though but eighteen years of age at the time, Mr. Mills assumed the responsibility and straightway started in to further improve and develop that portion of the farm which had come to him and he was successful from the start of his individual operations. From the beginning he paid large attention to the raising of cattle and hogs and most of the grain raised on his place was profitably fed to his stock, Hereford cattle and Duroc-Jersey hogs being his specialties. After his marriage in 1901 Mr. Mills established his home on his place and gradually added to the same until he became the owner of eight hundred and forty acres of well-cultivated and highly-improved land, three hundred and twenty acres of which he later sold, but still retains his original tract of five hundred and twenty acres, on which there are two sets of substantial buildings, one new and modern in every respect and the other greatly improved since he came into possession. Mr. Mills continued farming in Sioux township until 1915, in which year he retired from the farm and with his family moved to Westfield, where he has a very pleasant home. Upon locating at Westfield Mr. Mills opened the Bank of Westfield, a private concern, of which he is president and sole owner. The bank was started with a capital stock of ten thousand dollars and Frank Anderson is the cashier and Thomas Haynes, assistant cashier. Further five thousand dollars has been added to the capital, making the latter fifteen thousand dollars. Mr. Mills also engaged in the unifying and selling of live stock upon locating at Westfield and has been quite successful in that line, annually shipping to Chicago and to Sioux City large quantities of stock. He is a Republican and during his residence on the farm for some time served the public as township trustee in Sioux township, as well as in other public capacities and is now treasurer of Westfield township.

In February, 1901, Frank P. Mills was united in marriage to Clara Butler, of Elk Point, South Dakota, daughter of J. B. Butler and wife, and to this union four children have been born, David Milor, deceased; Gladys A., John Joseph, also deceased, and Frank C. Mr. and Mrs. Mills are members of the Catholic church and take a proper interest in parish affairs, as well as in the general social activities of the community in which they live, helpful in advancing all movements designed to promote the common interest thereabout.

BOOK SOURCE:
History of Plymouth County, Iowa
Indianapolis, Ind.: B. F. Bowen, 1917