Harrison County Iowa Genealogy

HISTORY OF HARRISON COUNTY, IOWA, 1891
BIOGRAPHIES
Page 749
FRANCIS M. MILLS

Francis M. MILLS, one of the representative farmers of Allen Township, living on section 27, accompanied his parents to Harrison County in the month of August, 1868, and located in Lincoln Township. (See sketch of Charles MILLS.) Our subject's father gave him time when nineteen years of age, and he went to work by the month on a farm, and put his earnings into stock and took care of it by working out until 1877, when he went to the Black Hills. After he arrived in that wild country he worked for others for four months and then went into the wood business buying and selling on his own account. He followed this for about two years, and then went to freighting from Pierre to Sydney, following that until 1880. Then he worked five months on the Northwestern Railroad, freighted another year, and then went to Montana, and hauled ties for the Diamond Railway Company.

We next find him on the Yellowstone River, where he worked at railroading for about eight months, and then went to Ft. McGINNIS, where he assisted in constructing a toll road, and subsequently bought a quarter interest in it. He then built a boarding house and took up a ranch, and remained there two years, and then went to Maiden and remained there one year, working in the mines for about five months, and conducted the International Hotel for about four months. He was also at Sturgis City, Rapid City, Buffalo Gap and Chadron.

Our subject was born in the town of Duane, Franklin County, N. Y., and is the son of Charles and Mehitable MILLS, the former a native of Canada and the latter of New York. They reared a family of ten children, born in the following order: Harriet E., Francis M., Walter T., Scuyler J., Mehitable E., Lillie E., Roxy A., Elias E. Eva A. and Charles A.

August 29, 1880, Mr. MILLS was united in marriage to Norah McCRACKEN, the daughter of Daniel and Ann McCRACKEN, natives of Indiana and Missouri, who were the parents of six children, born in the following order: Charles, deceased; Mary A., Isaac, Nora, George H. and Frances J., deceased.

Mr. and Mrs. MILLS are the parents of six children, as follows: Edna M., July 31, 1884; Dennie A., May 6, 1886; Hettie E., February 20, 1888; Flora E., February 15, 1890; and Walter A., July 18, 1891.

Politically our subject in not in full sympathy with either of the great National political parties. He is a member of the Farmers' Alliance and Industrial Union.

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