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Biographies
Source:
A Portrait and Biographical
Record of Portage and Summit Counties, Ohio
containing Biographical sketches of many
Prominent and Representative Citizens.
together with portraits and biographies of all the
Presidents of the United States and Governors of Ohio.
V. 2
Logansport, Ind.
A. W. Bowen & Co.
1898
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GIDEON
H. MILLS, JR., of Twinsburg, Ohio, an old soldier of
the Civil war, springs from Old New England ancestry, of
Holland-Dutch stock, and is the seventh generation of his
family named Gideon.
Gideon Mills, grandfather of our subject, was
one of the pioneers of Hudson, and Gideon Mills,
father of subject, came with his father, when a boy, to
Hudson, Ohio. The last-named Gideon was reared
a farmer, and married Matilda Case, daughter of
Gideon and Temperance (Minor) Case, and to this union
were born six children, viz.: Julia, Lucy, Gideon, Eliza
O., Almon D. and Harlow. Mr. Mills located in
Streetsboro, where he cleared up a farm. He enlisted
as a soldier in the Civil war in the fall of 1861 - probably
September - for three years, and had nearly served out his
time when he was honorably discharged on account of
disability, and returned to Streetsboro. His first
wife died, and he next married, in Streetsboro, Mary
Wilcox, and they were the parents of two children -
Edward and William. Mr. Mills was a member of the
Congregational church, and in politics was a whig and
republican. He was an honored and respected citizen, a
well known and substantial farmer and owned a good farm, and
died at the age of eighty-four years.
Gideon H. Mills, Jr., was born Oct. 29, 1834, at
Twinsburg, Ohio, received a common-school education and
became a farmer. He enlisted in Capt. George
Wetmore's Ninth Ohio independent battery, Nov. 2, 1861,
to serve three years or during the war, was promoted to
corporal in 1863 and re-enlisted in the same organization as
a veteran volunteer Feb. 11, 1864, at Tullahoma, Tenn., and
was honorably discharged July 25, 1865, at Camp Cleveland,
Ohio. He was in the battles of Mill Springs,
Cumberland Gap, Franklin, Tenn., second battle of Franklin,
Tazewell, Tyrone, Nashville, Stone River, Tullahoma, and
Chattanooga, and several others, fifteen battles in all.
His service was principally in Kentucky, Tennessee and
Alabama, and he was always an active soldier, prompt and
faithful in the discharge of his duty. He kept a
memorandum in a diary of each day's events while in
the army, which is of great interest. He was not sick
in hospital nor wounded, nor a prisoner, but was all the
time with his battery, although he was ruptured in 1863.
After the war Mr. Mills returned to Summit county,
and married, Jan. 22, 1868, in Twinsburg township, Sarah
White, widow of Elisha White (nee Sarah Lane),
daughter of Luman and Irene (Thomas) Lane. Luman
Lane was born at Killingworth, Conn., in 1796, and came
on foot to Ohio with a pack on his back, in 1820, when a
young man of twenty-four years, in company with Hanford
White, the father of Elisha White,
the first husband of Mrs. Mills, and located at the
place now occupied by our subject, then all woods.
They built a cabin and lived together nearly two years, as
bachelors, when Luman Lane married Irene Thomas, who
came from Connecticut with Ethan Alling and family.
He cleared up a farm of 100 acres and made a good home.
His children were Charles, Albert, Augusta, Edward,
Emeline and Sarah. Mrs. Lane died and he
married Emma Parrish and they had one child -
Philena. Mr. Lane was an honored pioneer and
upright man. He lived to be eighty-two years old, and
died a member of the First Congregational church at
Twinsburg, and in politics was a republican.
Gideon H. Mills, Jr., after marriage, first
lived on the White farm and then twelve years in
Hudson township, where he bought 106 acres, then returned to
the White farm, bought a lot and built a feed-mill,
cider-mill and a factory, and for twenty years ran a
threshing machine and a portable saw-mill. The
children of Mr. and Mrs. Mills are Lottie P.,
and Gideon L. Lottie P. is the wife of
George M. Wall, a bookkeeper of Wilmington, Del.
They have one son and daughter, Adelbert, Marion.
Gideon L. is a resident of Solon, Ohio, and is an
engineer; he married Miss Electa Sheets, a native of
Ohio. Mr. and Mrs. Mills were pupils in the
Rev. Samuel Bissel's Twinsburg institute, and are now
members of the Twinsburg institute, and are now members of
the Twinsburg Congregational church, in which he has held
the office of deacon. In politics he is a republican,
casting his first presidential vote for Gen. John C.
Fremont, is a member of the W. T. Sherman post, G. A.
R., at Hudson, and has held the office of vice commander.
He is a member of the school board, and for two years was a
supervisor. Mr. Mills is a veteran of the late
war, with a fine military record. The famous John
Brown of Kansas was a relative of Mr. Mills, John
Brown's mother having been a sister of Squire Gideon
Mills, of Hudson, the grandfather of our subject.
The Mills are of Holland-Dutch stock. The first
of the name was Peter Walter Mulen, as the name was
spelled, who came from Holland to America. Gideon
Mills, Jr. and Samuel Bediant made the first
traction engine, at Hudson, and ran this engine twenty
years.
Source: A Portrait and
Biographical Record of Portage and Summit Counties, Ohio -
V. 2 - Publ. 1898 - Page 836 |
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