Pap was one of four children of John Hewitt Mills and Temperance "Tempy" Daniel Mansfield...there were three boys and one girl.
Tempy was John's second wife. His first, Louisa Buntley, presented him with four children...three boys and one girl.
So Pap had four half-siblings, as well. And John Hewitt was redundant.
Pap's tombstone was incorrect, per Papa Joe Mills. The 20 July 1870 LCT Census seems to bear this out; Pap is 4/12 years of age, placing his birth around April...1870. The 1900 census lists him as born in April 1871, so I'm sticking with 1870 and NOT 1869.
Ben married Katherine "Kate" Leona Sugg, daughter of Joseph "Joe" Sugg and Mary Elizabeth "Bettie" McGee, on 12 April 1894 in Charity, Moore Co., TN.
Pap and Ma had another child, Lizzie, who died when very young. Other than her mention in an the 1900 Lincoln County, TN census (she was in fact born in 1900) and some limited family lore, very little is known about her.
Ma's mother was Mary Elizabeth "Betty" McGee Sugg. It is possible Lizzie was named after her and that she was buried in the Mansfield Cemetery in Belleville, but that's just a guess.
The family lived in the Mill Village for some time, with a number of them working at the mill, proper. (Note that in 1910, Edward and May M. Winkler are boarding with them.)
Pap was actually listed as blind very early in his life, per the census, though mama said he could see when and what he wanted to...
...like the time she went through the living room in a slip, assuming he'd never see her. When he told her to put some clothes on, she found out better.
Despite that, he is listed as working at the Elk Cotton Mill as late as 1940, when he worked on the draw frames - at age sixty-nine-plus.
One of his pat sayings was "y god," instead of "by god" or some such. Once, when his stomach was upset, Granny Um (his daughter-in-law) told her daughter Jan to give him some Black Draught.
Which they did. Not realizing the instructions told you to mix it with water, first. Pap had his theory on the efficacy of that medicine.
Pap: 'Y god, that'll either kill or cure, one.
One of my mom's cousins was telling him she would only marry a guy if he didn't smoke, drink, curse, or "run around."
Said Pap, later, "‘Y god, I guess she wants a dead one, then."
Sometimes Pap called Papa Joe, "Jodie." (So did Granny Um.)
Mama said he was fully dressed, year round, including long sleeves and a jacket. When it got too warm, he'd bang his cane on the floor and say, "Hot, hot, hot."
Pap died at a pretty advanced age at the home of his daughter. He and Kate are buried in Rose Hill Cemetery in Fayetteville, as is his brother, Uncle Chris.
His other two full siblings are buried in Petersburg's Old Orchard Cemetery.
Papa Joe always felt the birthdate was off on Pap's tombstone but, given Bible records versus censuses versus death certificates vis-à-vis a lack of birth certificates for that time period, it's sometimes hard to pinpoint those kind of specifics so, for now, I'll go with the tombstone.
— Bio by James "Jimmy" E. Zielinski, Great-Grandson
Tempy was John's second wife. His first, Louisa Buntley, presented him with four children...three boys and one girl.
So Pap had four half-siblings, as well. And John Hewitt was redundant.
Pap's tombstone was incorrect, per Papa Joe Mills. The 20 July 1870 LCT Census seems to bear this out; Pap is 4/12 years of age, placing his birth around April...1870. The 1900 census lists him as born in April 1871, so I'm sticking with 1870 and NOT 1869.
Ben married Katherine "Kate" Leona Sugg, daughter of Joseph "Joe" Sugg and Mary Elizabeth "Bettie" McGee, on 12 April 1894 in Charity, Moore Co., TN.
Pap and Ma had another child, Lizzie, who died when very young. Other than her mention in an the 1900 Lincoln County, TN census (she was in fact born in 1900) and some limited family lore, very little is known about her.
Ma's mother was Mary Elizabeth "Betty" McGee Sugg. It is possible Lizzie was named after her and that she was buried in the Mansfield Cemetery in Belleville, but that's just a guess.
The family lived in the Mill Village for some time, with a number of them working at the mill, proper. (Note that in 1910, Edward and May M. Winkler are boarding with them.)
Pap was actually listed as blind very early in his life, per the census, though mama said he could see when and what he wanted to...
...like the time she went through the living room in a slip, assuming he'd never see her. When he told her to put some clothes on, she found out better.
Despite that, he is listed as working at the Elk Cotton Mill as late as 1940, when he worked on the draw frames - at age sixty-nine-plus.
One of his pat sayings was "y god," instead of "by god" or some such. Once, when his stomach was upset, Granny Um (his daughter-in-law) told her daughter Jan to give him some Black Draught.
Which they did. Not realizing the instructions told you to mix it with water, first. Pap had his theory on the efficacy of that medicine.
Pap: 'Y god, that'll either kill or cure, one.
One of my mom's cousins was telling him she would only marry a guy if he didn't smoke, drink, curse, or "run around."
Said Pap, later, "‘Y god, I guess she wants a dead one, then."
Sometimes Pap called Papa Joe, "Jodie." (So did Granny Um.)
Mama said he was fully dressed, year round, including long sleeves and a jacket. When it got too warm, he'd bang his cane on the floor and say, "Hot, hot, hot."
Pap died at a pretty advanced age at the home of his daughter. He and Kate are buried in Rose Hill Cemetery in Fayetteville, as is his brother, Uncle Chris.
His other two full siblings are buried in Petersburg's Old Orchard Cemetery.
Papa Joe always felt the birthdate was off on Pap's tombstone but, given Bible records versus censuses versus death certificates vis-à-vis a lack of birth certificates for that time period, it's sometimes hard to pinpoint those kind of specifics so, for now, I'll go with the tombstone.
— Bio by James "Jimmy" E. Zielinski, Great-Grandson
Pap was one of four children of John Hewitt Mills and Temperance "Tempy" Daniel Mansfield...there were three boys and one girl.
Tempy was John's second wife. His first, Louisa Buntley, presented him with four children...three boys and one girl.
So Pap had four half-siblings, as well. And John Hewitt was redundant.
Pap's tombstone was incorrect, per Papa Joe Mills. The 20 July 1870 LCT Census seems to bear this out; Pap is 4/12 years of age, placing his birth around April...1870. The 1900 census lists him as born in April 1871, so I'm sticking with 1870 and NOT 1869.
Ben married Katherine "Kate" Leona Sugg, daughter of Joseph "Joe" Sugg and Mary Elizabeth "Bettie" McGee, on 12 April 1894 in Charity, Moore Co., TN.
Pap and Ma had another child, Lizzie, who died when very young. Other than her mention in an the 1900 Lincoln County, TN census (she was in fact born in 1900) and some limited family lore, very little is known about her.
Ma's mother was Mary Elizabeth "Betty" McGee Sugg. It is possible Lizzie was named after her and that she was buried in the Mansfield Cemetery in Belleville, but that's just a guess.
The family lived in the Mill Village for some time, with a number of them working at the mill, proper. (Note that in 1910, Edward and May M. Winkler are boarding with them.)
Pap was actually listed as blind very early in his life, per the census, though mama said he could see when and what he wanted to...
...like the time she went through the living room in a slip, assuming he'd never see her. When he told her to put some clothes on, she found out better.
Despite that, he is listed as working at the Elk Cotton Mill as late as 1940, when he worked on the draw frames - at age sixty-nine-plus.
One of his pat sayings was "y god," instead of "by god" or some such. Once, when his stomach was upset, Granny Um (his daughter-in-law) told her daughter Jan to give him some Black Draught.
Which they did. Not realizing the instructions told you to mix it with water, first. Pap had his theory on the efficacy of that medicine.
Pap: 'Y god, that'll either kill or cure, one.
One of my mom's cousins was telling him she would only marry a guy if he didn't smoke, drink, curse, or "run around."
Said Pap, later, "‘Y god, I guess she wants a dead one, then."
Sometimes Pap called Papa Joe, "Jodie." (So did Granny Um.)
Mama said he was fully dressed, year round, including long sleeves and a jacket. When it got too warm, he'd bang his cane on the floor and say, "Hot, hot, hot."
Pap died at a pretty advanced age at the home of his daughter. He and Kate are buried in Rose Hill Cemetery in Fayetteville, as is his brother, Uncle Chris.
His other two full siblings are buried in Petersburg's Old Orchard Cemetery.
Papa Joe always felt the birthdate was off on Pap's tombstone but, given Bible records versus censuses versus death certificates vis-à-vis a lack of birth certificates for that time period, it's sometimes hard to pinpoint those kind of specifics so, for now, I'll go with the tombstone.
— Bio by James "Jimmy" E. Zielinski, Great-Grandson
Tempy was John's second wife. His first, Louisa Buntley, presented him with four children...three boys and one girl.
So Pap had four half-siblings, as well. And John Hewitt was redundant.
Pap's tombstone was incorrect, per Papa Joe Mills. The 20 July 1870 LCT Census seems to bear this out; Pap is 4/12 years of age, placing his birth around April...1870. The 1900 census lists him as born in April 1871, so I'm sticking with 1870 and NOT 1869.
Ben married Katherine "Kate" Leona Sugg, daughter of Joseph "Joe" Sugg and Mary Elizabeth "Bettie" McGee, on 12 April 1894 in Charity, Moore Co., TN.
Pap and Ma had another child, Lizzie, who died when very young. Other than her mention in an the 1900 Lincoln County, TN census (she was in fact born in 1900) and some limited family lore, very little is known about her.
Ma's mother was Mary Elizabeth "Betty" McGee Sugg. It is possible Lizzie was named after her and that she was buried in the Mansfield Cemetery in Belleville, but that's just a guess.
The family lived in the Mill Village for some time, with a number of them working at the mill, proper. (Note that in 1910, Edward and May M. Winkler are boarding with them.)
Pap was actually listed as blind very early in his life, per the census, though mama said he could see when and what he wanted to...
...like the time she went through the living room in a slip, assuming he'd never see her. When he told her to put some clothes on, she found out better.
Despite that, he is listed as working at the Elk Cotton Mill as late as 1940, when he worked on the draw frames - at age sixty-nine-plus.
One of his pat sayings was "y god," instead of "by god" or some such. Once, when his stomach was upset, Granny Um (his daughter-in-law) told her daughter Jan to give him some Black Draught.
Which they did. Not realizing the instructions told you to mix it with water, first. Pap had his theory on the efficacy of that medicine.
Pap: 'Y god, that'll either kill or cure, one.
One of my mom's cousins was telling him she would only marry a guy if he didn't smoke, drink, curse, or "run around."
Said Pap, later, "‘Y god, I guess she wants a dead one, then."
Sometimes Pap called Papa Joe, "Jodie." (So did Granny Um.)
Mama said he was fully dressed, year round, including long sleeves and a jacket. When it got too warm, he'd bang his cane on the floor and say, "Hot, hot, hot."
Pap died at a pretty advanced age at the home of his daughter. He and Kate are buried in Rose Hill Cemetery in Fayetteville, as is his brother, Uncle Chris.
His other two full siblings are buried in Petersburg's Old Orchard Cemetery.
Papa Joe always felt the birthdate was off on Pap's tombstone but, given Bible records versus censuses versus death certificates vis-à-vis a lack of birth certificates for that time period, it's sometimes hard to pinpoint those kind of specifics so, for now, I'll go with the tombstone.
— Bio by James "Jimmy" E. Zielinski, Great-Grandson
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