William MILLS

[Lindsay]

Goodness, what a lot you've found!

I've just got in from work and I have an early start tomorrow so no time to look at this now, but I'll catch up with it as soon as I can.

Thank you for looking!

Here is the link to the will that Kiterunner found

http://search.ancestry.co.uk/cgi-bin...698&recoff=8+9

Have you had a chance to look at it it's quite a long one.

[Lindsay]

Yes, Maggie, I've had a chance to look at this now

Thanks to you lovely people, I've got William's Will, death and burial; his wife's death (she was obviously dead when he wrote his will which narrowed it down) and her age at death.

I like the sound of William He left his tools to the journeyman who lived with him, and gave him the right to stay in his house till the end of the 4 year lease. The journeyman also got the profit of all stock sold in his shop for the next 2 years, though he had to pay William's daughter Elizabeth the cost price.

No other relatives mentioned; everything else went to Elizabeth - looks like she was the only child of rather elderly parents (though that does make me wonder why they let her marry before her 16th birthday!)

I'm one very happy bunny

[Merry]

Oooh, which death did you decide was Ann's? (sorry to be nosy, but I struggled with that and gave up eventually!!)

[Lindsay]

I reckon it's probably this one:
St George in the East, Ann Mills, Ratcliff Highway, 5 Dec 1814, age 54

It means she was about 20 years younger than William, and was in her 30s when Elizabeth was born.

Nosy is good

[Merry]

Oooh, that's not one of the ones I saw!! Sounds right with that address - that was the problem for me - the ones I looked at were all other addresses.

I wonder if Wm was previously married? Looking difficult to find a marriage

[Merry]

a2a:


MS 11936/397/619497 9 October 1793


These documents are held at Guildhall Library

Contents:
Insured: William Mills, 141 Ratcliff Highway, watch maker and silversmith

[Lindsay]

Ooh, do you know if the original document would contain any more info than that?

I haven't spotted a likely William/Ann marriage; and if he was married before, any children weren't mentioned in the Will.

[Merry]

I don't know about the insurance doc as I've never seen one.

Actually it's possible they were both married before! As you say, apparently no surviving children except Elizabeth, but there still might have been others born, or even a childless marriage.

[kiterunner]

Yes, the insurance docs can give you lots of info, what exactly was insured and how much for. So you might get a list of buildings and their contents and value.