"The Mills and Elligood were families in Lower Norfolk county from an early date." (Editor, William and Mary College Quarterly, series (1), vol. 8, p. 275.)

Beyond the above, three clues have guided research into Captain Luke Mill's ancestry. (1) A family tradition in one line of descendants that suggests he is a descendant of Mark Mills of Jamestown, VA. (2) The record of his marriage that specifically refers to him as being "of Northampton in Virginia", and (3) the altogether curious name of his son, Elligood (also spelled Alligood) Mills, which is believed to represent a maiden name of one of Luke's ancestors.

An editorial note that appears in the William and Mary College Quarterly article noted above flatly disputes Luke could possibly be the son of Mark Mills of Jamestown, as Mark Mills, even if he was a babe in arms in 1636 when he arrived in Virginia, could not possibly have fathered Luke Mills (b. 1713).

What research has been done amongst early Virginia records has been thwarted by the loss of documents from the parish Luke was believed to have lived in Northampton, VA.

Research on the MILLS family in VA: "I had done a search in Northampton Co. involving the Hungars parish where most all children at that time were registered. What I found was the due to wars and fires records between 1700-1740 were destroyed. Other items I found are a book in the later day saints library in Salt Lake City, that mentions a Capt. Luke Mills with no info at all. Also I found another note that mentioned a Luke Mills on the third boat from England to Virginia. I have not been able to prove any of this. If Mark was the first, you'd think you would find that name somewhere else in the line?" (Hiram Mills) ; "Complete or near complete records of Luke Mills and his father as well as records of many other early settlers in the Virginia area were probably destroyed thru the years due to fire, Indian Wars, and the Civil War." (Phil Murphy)

An article entitled "Luke Mills of Northampton County, Virginia, and Portsmouth, New Hampshire" by Barbara Vines Little (published April 2013 in the New England Historical and Genealogical Register v. 167 pp. 105-117) provides additional insights from a careful study of Virginia and Delaware records commissioned by a descendant, Duane Mills. Below is an outline of the results of her research.

1. John¹ MILLS. He first appears in records for Northampton Co. VA in 1660 and died ca. January 1711 presumably in Northampton Co. VA.

	2	i.	Edward2 MILLS (b. 1671)

2. Edward² MILLS(John¹). He was born ca. 1671 in Northampton Co. VA. He died in Sussex Co. DE (then part of PA) between 1750 (the date of his will) and 14 Oct 1751 (the date his will was recorded.

Edward first married Grace -, most likely widow of Jeremiah Wood sometime before 1702 and had at least two children:

	3	i.	Ann3 MILLS (b. before 1702)
	4	ii.	John3 MILLS (b. before 1700)

Edward second married Agnes MOORE, daughter of Thomas and Eleanor nee Gelding Moore Jr., ca. 1704 (and in any event before 18 Sep 1716 when she is referred to in a legal document by her married name). She was born ca. 1678-1690 in Sussex Co. DE. Agnes appears to have died by 2 Aug 1744, as she is not mentioned in another legal document in which, if she were alive, she would have released her dower interest. Edward and Agnes nee MOORE MILLS appear to have had several children, the first two of whom are conjectured to be by Agnes because of a gap in time between the birth of GraceÕs first two children and the rest of EdwardÕs children.

	5	iii.	Edward3 MILLS (b. before 1706)
	6	iv.	Jacob3 MILLS (b. before 1707)
	7	v.	Luke3 MILLS (b. 1713 d. 1764)
	8	vi.	Southy3 MILLS (b. ca. 1714 d. 1749)
	9	vii.	Littleton3 MILLS (b. ca. 1715)
	10	viii.	Nathan3 MILLS (b. before 1721)
	11	ix.	Bowman3 MILLS (b. before 1724)
	12	x.	Susannah3 MILLS 
	13	xi.	Agnes3 MILLS 

3. Ann³ MILLS (Edward², John¹). Ann was born ca. 1702-4 in either Sussex Co. DE or Northampton, VA. She married Jonas WEBB Sr. ca. 1720 in Sussex, DE. He was born ca. 1700 and died ca. 1748. They had the following children:

		i.	Jonas4 Webb Jr. (b. ca. 1725 in Sussex DE and d. 1782 in Monongalia Co. VA (now WV))
		ii.	Littleton4 Webb Jr. (b. ca. 1726 in Sussex DE)
		iii.	Benjamin4 Webb Jr. (b. ca. 1729 in Sussex DE)
		iv.	John4 Webb Jr. (b. ca. 1731 in Sussex DE)

Jonas Webb Jr. second married Elizabeth Nutter b. 1739. She died Harrison Co VA They had 11 children. Jonas Webb Jr. third married Elizabeth Castrow. Jonas died sometime after 19 Jul 1748 in Sussex Co. DE.

4. John³ MILLS (Edward², John¹). John is described as leaving the county to avoid prosecution for a debt in 1721. He is not mentioned in his father's will.

5. Edward³ MILLS (Edward², John¹). Edward was born before 1706. He was not mentioned in his father's will.

6. Jacob³ MILLS (Edward², John¹). Jacob was born before 1707. He married Elizabeth nee FRESHWATER, daughter of George Freshwater. Jacob was living on 27 May 1750, but presumably died shortly thereafter. He is not mentioned in his father's will.

7. Luke³ MILLS (Edward², John¹). According to family records was born 20 Jun 1713, presumably in either Sussex Co. DE or Northampton, VA. He may have been born as early as 1710, as suggested by tobacco lists in which he worked for Richard Elligood and later Benjamin Elligood. He is mentioned in his father's will. More information about Luke and his descendants is located here.

8. Southy³ MILLS (Edward², John¹). Southy was born ca. 1714. He married Tabitha -. He died before 9 May 1749, leaving a wife and an unnamed child.

9. Littleton³ MILLS (Edward², John¹). Littleton was born ca. 1715 in either Sussex Co. DE or Northampton, VA. He married Ann MOORE, daughter of Matthew Moore. He is mentioned in his father's will.

10. Nathan³ MILLS (Edward², John¹). Nathan was born before 1721 in either Sussex Co. DE or Northampton, VA and is mentioned in his father's will.

11. Bowman³ MILLS (Edward², John¹). Bowman was born before 1724 in either Sussex Co. DE or Northampton, VA. and is mentioned in his father's will.

12. Susannah³ MILLS (Edward², John¹). She was born ca. 1720 in either Sussex Co. DE or Northampton, VA. Susannah married James JONES and is mentioned in her father's will.

13. Agnes³ MILLS (Edward², John¹). She was born ca. 1722 in either Sussex Co. DE or Northampton, VA. Agnes married William RICKARDS and is mentioned in her father's will.

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Last updated on 18 Aug 2013