This is a Message Board Post that is gatewayed to this mailing list.
Surnames: Mills, Richards, Kelley, Randolph, Duncan, Peters, King, Hawkins, Fred, Ulrich,
Wilburn, Ogle, Oberle, Kimball, Land, Runyan, Hoover, Davis, Stewart, Shepherd, Tapp,
Ault, Kemp
Classification: Obituary
Message Board URL:
http://boards.ancestry.com/mbexec/msg/rw/Dk.2ADE/643
Message Board Post:
(There are two obits for him on this page).
Tipton Daily Tribune, dated 7 Dec 1925, page 6. Tipton, Tipton Co., Indiana.
Taps Sounded For Veteran.
Francis M. Mills, 81, Civil War Veteran. Died Sunday Morning.
Sunday morning at his home in Sharpsville. Francis M. Mills, 81 years of age and veteran
of the Civil War, died from the effect of a stroke of paralysis suffered last Wednesday
and with his passing the county loses another one of its pioneers and survivors of the
conflict between North and South.
Since he was stricken last Wednesday there had been no hope for the veteran. He
continued in an unconscious condition and the end was not unexpected.
The life of Francis M. Mills was an eventful one in his early years when he ran away and
enlisted in the Civil War, returning after the conflict and settling near Sharpsville, in
which community he resided all his life. He was born on a farm near Westfield in Hamilton
county, 13 July 1844 being a son of Andrew and Mary M. (Richards) Mills, pioneer settlers
of Hamilton county. One evening in June 1861 the father sent Francis, then a youth of 17,
after the cows which had strayed away, but the boy left and joined the union forces, being
assigned to the 26th Infantry, Company C. He was in the battles of Prairie Grove, siege
of Vicksburg, Organda Plantation and many other battles. This veteran was one of those
who was a prisoner in the famous Libby prison, being captured by Confederate forces and
confined therein for 10 months and 12 days. His stories of the awful conditions inside
the walls and barricades of the foul place were intensely interesting. During the time he
wa!
s a prisoner his sole allowance of clothing was one pair of trousers, which had been worn
before he received them.
Returning from the army he came to Tipton county, locating in Sharpsville and for many
years followed the carpenter trade. His friends were legion and he was a man respected
and trusted by all.
March 17, 1864, he was united in marriage to Miss Quintilla Kelley, daughter of Cyrus and
Margaret Kelley, and a sister of the late W.S. Kelley, of the northwest part of the
county. The wife died 5 Apr 1920, and since that time the veteran has made his home in
Sharpsville with his son Jesse and a daughter.
He is survived by the following children: Mrs. Ida B. Randolph, of Terre Haute; Mrs.
Victoria L. Duncan, of Sharpsville; Lindsay Mills, of Indianapolis; Mrs. Zelda Peters,
of Groomsville; Mrs. Annie King of Kokomo; Jesse, at home; and Mrs. Katherine Hawkins,
residing near Sharpsville. He is also survived by 7 grandchildren and 13
great-grandchildren.
Francis M. Mills was a life long member of the Mt. Lebanon church and for over fifty
years was a member of the Odd Fellows lodge, of Sharpsville. He was one of the few
surviving members of Put Evans Post, G.A.R. of Sharpsville and a long time member of the
Rebekah lodge, of Sharpsville.
The late F.V. Haynes of Tipton was a comrade of Mr. Mills, the two having been in the
same company and in many skirmishes and battles together.
Funeral services for this honored pioneer will be held at the Sharpsville Methodist
church Tuesday afternoon at 1:30 and burial will be at Sharpsville. Rev. J.J. Fred will
have charge of the services.
**** Note the obit says he resided all his life near Sharpsville. He in fact was, living
in Lane, Franklin Co. Kansas for the 1885 KS Agri. census. Also three of his children,
Zelda Mytle, Amy P., and Jesse Mills were born in Kansas.*****
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Obit of Francis M. Mills - The Tipton Daily Tribune, dated 9 Dec 1926, pg 4 - Tipton,
Tipton Co., Indiana.
Pay Tribute To Veteran - Funeral of Late Francis M. Mills Was a Large One.
The funeral of the late Francis M. Mills, which was held in the Methodist church at
Sharpsville Tuesday afternoon was one of the largest which has been held there for some
time and among the largest ever held in that town.
Mr. Mills was a veteran of the Civil War and a member of the Put Evans Post, G.A.R. of
that place but there were not enough of his old comrades able to attend the funeral to
make much of a showing and the fact was forcibly brought to the minds of Sharpsville
people that these veterans are fast passing away. Special Sharpsville attendants at the
funeral were Edward Ulrich, J.M. Wilburn and wife and Calvin Ogle and wife the men being
Civil War veterans and seats were reserved for them. The presence of these veterans as
they marched into the church made a profound impression on the audience and reference was
made to the fact that they were fast passing by the pastor, Rev. J.J. Fred in his funeral
address.
Among the friends and relatives from a distance who attended this funeral were Mrs. Ida
Randolph and son McClemmond and John Mills, all of Terre Haute; Mrs. Sylvia Oberle, Leo
Duncan, wife and daughter Phyllis Jean, Lindsay Mills, wife and daughter Marjorie, all of
Indianapolis; Walter King and wife, Mrs. Rose Kimball, Mrs. Dora Land, Thomas Runyan and
wife and Mrs. Ruby Hoover all of Kokomo; Mrs. Margaret Davis of Galveston; Marion
Stewart and son Walter and B.L. Shepherd and wife of Westfield; Mrs. M.L. Tapp of
Savannah, Ga. Mrs. Tapp was formerly Miss Lilly Ault of Tipton and daughter of Jesse
Ault, one time recorder of Tipton county. Mrs. Tapp's brother, Ed Ault resides on a
farm near Savannah, Ga. The father, Jesse Ault will be remembered by the older residents
as the one armed civil war veteran who resided on the lot on North Main street where the
residence of J.P. Kemp now stands.
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Francis M. Mills was a brother of my g gm Amanda (Mills) White. Marysue Eulitz