Find Ancestors

Fanny Mills was born to James Walter and Mary Mills at Sparsholt, Hampshire in Q1 1884 (Winchester District, Vol. 2c, Page. 106), their second daughter. She appears on the 1891 Census for Sparsholt, aged 7, but not the 1901 Census. The family moved from Hampshire to Folkestone, Kent, circa 1893-1896, but she is not on the 1901 Census for Folkestone either. I have found no Marriage or Death record for her either. Did she go into service, or was she put into service at the age of 16 or younger? Where was she living? She can't have just disappeared, or can she?

On the aforementioned 1891 Census for Sparsholt there appears in the Mills household, a niece, Amy Goodyear, aged 8, but not in the 1901 Folkestone Census, whilst in the 1871 Census I believe there is mention of another Goodyear Niece who was at that time aged 13 years. My late father George Mills (1907-1996) spoke of 'Uncle Goodyear', indeed I believe we have a picture of hime with James Walter Mills and his son Harry Mills (my Grandfather) taken in Folkestone c.1893-1896 at the family Bathchair Hire Yard.

Were the Goodyear girls in Hampshire on holiday or did their family live in Micheldever and move to Folkestone with the MIls Family when thery made the trek eastwards.

Does anyone out there know the answers please, can YOU help?

Thank You,

Alwyn F Mills,

[Younger son of George Frederick Mills (1907-1996), who was the middle son of Harry & Sarah Mills (1877/78-1967)]

Could this Fanny Mills be the one who was married in Westhampnett, West Sussex at about the time or shortly after the Mills family moved lock, stock and barrel from Hampshire (New Forest and Micheldever areas) to Folkestone, Kent, c.1893-1896 or thereabouts. Could she have been in service in that area before marrying there? Can anybody please help to find Fanny Mills (b.1884)?

Alwyn,
If you go to:-
www.knightroots.co.uk
You will find the Sparsholt registers on line with the baptisms of James and Mary's children (including Fanny)

There are several of the Hampshire registers on there either part or fairly complete.

It is a bit hit and miss but you may be lucky!

Bet

I will give it a try, very many thanks El;izaberth,
Regards,
Alwyn.

Hi Sophie,

Many thanks for your message. I am sorry, but I have only just realised that I hadn't even acknowledged it befire. My sincere apologies, and thank you for the 1881 Census details.

I am interested in finding out where Alice Goodyer's family came from, as the 1891 Census for the Mills family in Sparsholt show an Amy Goodyear aged 8 as a niece who was visiting at the time of the census. I think that the name Goodyer is a miss-spelling (I think the Mills family head, James Walter Mills, was perhaps only semi-literate), and that the two girls were in fact sisters albeit 15 years apart.

When the Mills family moved to Folkestone, Kent, in 1893-1896 the Goodyear family either came with them or perhaps the Goodyear family were already resident in Folkestone. The two families were related (the Goodyear father had marrie a Mills girl somewhere), as my late father (George F Mills 1907-1996, refered to an 'Uncle Goodyear' many times and he appears on an old family photograph taken when both families were together in Folkestone.

Kind regards, and again my apologies and thank you,

Alwyn.

Please, someone,

Any serious suggestions of how I can find out what happened to this Fanny Mills, please.

Regards,

Alwyn F Mills.

Hi Elizabeth,

I tried the Knightsroots site you suggested and I found the baptism records of my Grandfather Harry's siblings (including Fanny), but not one for him, Harry Mills (b.1877 Hurst Common). His two youngest siblings Albert and Adelaide, were born in Folkestone, Kent, and so will not appear, but I have them at the Folkestone end.

Following her christening/baptism and a reference to her in the 1891 Census aged 8, she just seems to disappear. She is at neither the Sparshot nor the Folkestone addresses for the 1901 Census, and I can find nor record of her marriage or her death in that ten year period. Can you help, please.

You seem to have the knack and knowledge to be able to winkle the information out, wherever it is. I struggle, but I have only been doing geneology since June/July last year, plus I am not fully computer litterate. I just seem to thrash about and get nowhere.

Regards and best wishes,

Alwyn F Mills.

Hello Alwyn,
Well.the Free BMD Index has a Fanny MILLS marrying in the 3rd Q 1900.
Is she yours?!

There are currently 4 entries for that quarter(it goes up to 8 when complete I think)

September Q 1900 Westhampnett RD(Sussex)
Vol 2b Page 773

Elizabeth S Nicholson
Fanny Mills
Henry William BRIGGS
Edward James ELDRIDGE

Apart from sending for the certificate you could try finding her under BRIGGS or ELDRIDGE in the 1901 census

Good luck!
Bet

Hi Elizabeth,

The Mills family were from Micheldever & Sparsholt in Hampshire, but I have wondered if Fanny went into service in West Hampnett in West Sussex butt I haven't been able to find out anything about her, so I expect I will have to get a copy of the Marriage certificate just to check.

I will try the 1901 Census first however. By the way, how come it is called freecen, as I have had to buy 500 credits with genesreunited to get to the census results. Maybe I'm just tight!

Many thanks,

Alwyn.

Alwyn,
I use "findmypast" GR are too expensive for census look ups,besides which there are several people on the "Records" thread who offer to do them for nothing-they have access to Ancestry!
Bet

Elizabeth,

I agree. It is not so much that I begrudge the £5 per batch of units but rather the 7 day time limit in which to use them. They have taken hundreds off me through illness and other problems, so I joined findmypast as I reckoned that £80 per year was much better value for money than £5 for 50 credits (I had spent in excess of £350 in 6 months before I realised it). Now I only have GR credits when I absolutely have to, like for the 1901 Census which is not available on the fmp site. I will use the remainder of my 500 credits on the other Censuses reather give them to GR.

I haven't yet fathomed out how to get in contact with these mysterious people who have access to all these thing, like pre-1837 Church & Parish Records.

I am still trying to find the William Mills who was the father of James Mills (b.circa 1830, m.Maria Pearcs 07/09/1851 & died in India between 1853/4 and 1859/60, Maria was declared a widow by the 1861 Census). I need to know how this William Mills was related to Thomas Mills (b.1799) the father of Henry 'Brusher' Mills as for many years it has been accepted that Brusher was a Gt Uncle a few times removed.

Can you tell me how or if I can find out who the parents of Fanny Mills (m.Q3 1900, West Hampnett, Vol 2d, Page 277) without having to buy a copy sertificate, as I have just bought 4 in the past couple of weeks. I need to know if her parents were James Walter and Mary (Judd) Mills, if so she was my Grandfathers sister.

Many thanks Elizabeth, I am sorry to keep boring you. This is for my 'new' cousin Wendy in Aus as well as for me.

Kind regards,

Alwyn.

Hi Elizabeth, it is me again, your favourite pest,

Yesterday, I put two messages/topics on this message board for Mills/Goiodyear or Goodyear/Mills. O clicked in 'submit' and they have just disappeared. Where could they have gone and, if possible, how can I retrieve them and get them on the Mills message board?

This shows how just computer illiterate I am!!

Regards,

Alwyn.

Dear Alwyn,
I hope you don`t mind me asking ,but your William Mills,do you know if at some point, he could have lived in Southsea, and had a daughter called Mary born around 1830.
I would be pleased to hear from you.
G M Ford.
P.s there are Mills family in gosport.

1901 - mistranscribed

Fannie Moody (image says Mills)
Age: 19 (17 on image)
Estimated Birth Year: abt 1882
Relation: Servant
Gender: Female
Where born: Deow Sparshatt, Hampshire, England

Civil Parish: Folkestone
Ecclesiastical parish: Christchurch
Town: Folkestone
County/Island: Kent
Country: England

Registration district: Elham
Sub registration district: Folkestone
ED, institution, or vessel: 9
Neighbors: View others on page
Household schedule number: 255
Household Members: Name Age
Fannie Moody 19 general domestic
Mary Moody 51 lodging house keeper

Source Citation: Class: RG13; Piece: 847; Folio: 112; Page: 46.

Andy

Alwyn, will you give us more information on the Goodyear niece in 1871? Then we can go searching.

Hi Elizabeth,

I have tried under Briggs and Eldridge in the 1901 Census but diddly-squat as they say, so it looks as if I will have to buy another certificate after all!

Regards,

Alwyn.

Alwyn,
It looks as if Andy has found her for you in the 1901 census mis-transcribed!
Bet

Hi Andy,
Is Skipton still that nice peacefull country market town that I used to take coach loads of passsengers to way back in the 1970's? I hope so, as it was so nice, and so typically Yorkshire - I lived in Hull at the time!

Many thanks for your message. Yes indeed this is my missing Fanny! I assume that she had gone into service after the family moved from Sparsholt, Hampshire, to Folkestone, Kent, circa 1893-1896. She doesn't appear on the 1901 Census for the family home at 4 Broadmead Road, Folkestone. This would explain why she is in the Moody household. Does there happen to be any address in Folkestone?

I think I have found Fanny Mills registration of marriage in Q4 1903, Elham District, Vol 2a, Page 2453, so I presume she was married in Folkestone (Elham being the Reg.Dist for Folkestone), but how can I find out (without a surname) who she married, & any children and dates od decease?

Many thanks again Andy, regards,

Alwyn.


PS. Andy, any idea how I can find two messages I put on this message board over the weekend, seeking info on a Frederick William/William Frederick Goodyear (who married a Mills girl - but which one and when) as they appear to have simply disappeared, and I don't want people replying to something that I cannot find to respond to!).

Hi Ozbird

The Goodtear girls are; Alice (age 13 in 1881C) and Amy (age 8 in 1891C), in these years each was recorded as a visitor to the Mills households in Michdever (1881) and Sparsholt (1891).

I am trying to eatablish when and how (which Mills girl married a Goodyear and when) the Goodyear family became related to the Mills's as they each appear on those Census returns as niece - visitor. My late father (George F Mills 1907-1996) mentioned many times a 'mysterious' Uncle Goodyear a title which was thought to be more of an honorary title until reading those census returns.

Hope this helps, many thanks, (my cousin Wendy in Oz speaks highly of your assistance thank you!).

Regards,

Alwyn.

Hi Elizabeth,

Yes, thank God for West Yorkshire, and Andy! It certainly is the Fanny Mills who was my late Grandfather's sister.

Now I can begin tracking her to see if she married, when, who and when she died. I do noy remember by Grandad talking about an Aunt Fanny, so maybe she died prior to the second world war. I have just found that she married in 1903 but I haven't a clue who to!

I would like, someday soon, to seek out all of these family graves in and around Folkesyone (and in Hampshire) and photograph them, likewise I want to prove or disprove my family's assertion that we had a Great Uncle Brusher in the distant past. But I am stuck on William Mills (C.1820), my Gt, Gt, Grandfather's father (my 3 x Gt Grandfather!).

Many thanks for your help and encouragement Elizabeth, regards,

Alwyn.