It began with a simple line in a petition for probate of James Mills, deceased, listing sons "James Mills Henry Mills and a Daughter married to John Todd Jr ... all of whom reside in Argyle". The mentioned daughter was my great-great-great grandmother, and I had finally found documentary evidence that confirmed she was Rebecca Mills, daughter of James Mills and Elizabeth McCoy Mills.
With that breakthrough I was able to open up a whole new branch of the Todd family tree. It revealed some fascinating stories involving Ethan Allen and the Green Mountain Boys, Tories vs. Rebels in the early days of the Revolutionary War, and most important it pinpointed from where in Ireland my ancestors hailed. I'll save those stories for another post. Let's learn some more about Rebecca.
Rebecca Mills was born on January 23, 1819 to Joseph T. Mills and Elizabeth McCoy Mills in Argyle, Washington County, New York. She had two brothers, James and William Henry, and two sisters, Eunice and Susan. She married John Todd, Jr. around 1838. John and Rebecca had three children - Jennett Elizabeth (b.1840), Thomas D. (b.1842), and Charles Russell (b.1846, my great great grandfather). They may have lost one unnamed child; the New York State census of 1865 asks "Of how many children the parent" and Rebecca replied "4".
Her husband John died in 1861, age 45. His will of 5 April 1861: "First I give and bequeath to my beloved wife Rebecca after all my honest debts and funeral charges are paid – the use of the farm where she now lives & to be kept as a home for herself & children till the youngest child comes of age... I would then wish my wife to have one third of all my real & personal estate & my three children, Elizabeth Thomas D & Charles R to share equally the remainder."
I was lucky enough to connect with another genealogist related to Rebecca's sister Eunice Mills Lloyd. He shared with me three letters written by Rebecca to her sister Eunice. In 1873, Rebecca had moved from the farm in south Hartford mentioned in the will and was living just south of Argyle with her daughter Elizabeth (Libbie) Nelson. Eunice was living in Cass County, Nebraska.
It is a powerful feeling to see your ancestor's hand writing, to know her thoughts and see what was important to her. I especially smiled at her quilting and requesting "peces" of her sister's dresses to add to the quilt. I am also fascinated by Rebecca's dialectical style - for example the use of a-prefixing as in "a quilting", "a piecen", "a duing"; substituting "y" for "a" (very Irish) at the end of a word as in "got to Nebrasky"; and using the ah sound in place of eh sound, as in "whare" instead of where, "thare" instead of there, "ware" instead of were.
At the end of the letter in a postscript she mentions that her granddaughter's name is Nora.
A few years later, Rebecca moved with her daughter Elizabeth (Libbie) Nelson's family to Waterloo, Nebraska. She died there in 1912 and is buried next to her son Charles Russell Todd in Prospect Hill Cemetery across the river in Elkhorn, where I think she is our oldest Todd ancestor laid to rest there.
Transcript: p.1
South Argyle May the 19 1873
Long Absent Sister I set down to right you a few linse to let you now that I am in the land of the living and in usuell health and hoping this will finde you all well we are all well I have been with Libbie [daughter Elizabeth Nelson] most toe years I was up to the boys to weks a go and staid to weks they ware all well I waited for you to right I thaut you never would Susan told me last fall that you was thare and about your uncle I felt sorow you could not come with her but I dont now as you wanted to come but I would like to see you and all of your family and Will Leonyd George Stewart and Mary Jane has gon to Nebrasky thare Months trip
p.2 Eunice I want you right me what your are a duing we made a rag carpet last fall and are a quilting now have got thrue cleaning house we have a quite nice house but not all furnish I think you now the plase it is the old preast White farm wone mile from South Argyle I want you to right all the news whare Sebra Harker is and the rest of our folks is I would like to hear from them all I am a piecen a blue and white quilt send me some peces of your Dresses if aphanee [??] I thaut I would fill it up right as soon as this lands if ever it dose this from your Sister Rebecca Todd
I have jest heard from Aunt Susan to day she is worst She cant take the Doctors Medison Libbie little girl name Nora [Rebecca's granddaughter]
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