Biography of Wilson Lumpkin Mills, Covington, Alabama http://files.usgwarchives.net/al/covington/bios/wlmills.txt =============================================================================== USGENWEB NOTICE: All documents placed in the USGenWeb Archives remain the property of the contributors, who retain publication rights in accordance with US Copyright Laws and Regulations. In keeping with our policy of providing free information on the Internet, these documents may be used by anyone for their personal research. They may be used by non-commercial entities so long as all notices and submitter information is included. These electronic pages may NOT be reproduced in any format for profit. Any other use, including copying files to other sites, requires permission from the contributors PRIOR to uploading to the other sites. The submitter has given permission to the USGenWeb Archives to store the file permanently for free access. This file was contributed and copyrighted by: Ralph Mills, Jr. ================================================================================= November 1999 Wilson Lumpkin Mills A Biographical Sketch Wilson Lumpkin Mills was born on May 26, 1828 in Georgia. He died on October 25, 1902 in Covington County, Alabama. He married Mahala Latham (?) about 1854 in Alabama. Mahala was born in January of 1835 in Alabama and died on November 8, 1910 in Covington County, Alabama. Wilson and Mahala are buried in the Harmony Baptist Church cemetery in Covington County, Alabama. Wilson's father was Jacob Mills who was born in North Carolina. Jacob migrated to Jones County, Georgia where he died in 1847 leaving a will. He had ten children, seven boys and three girls. Wilson stayed on the homestead in Jones County after his father's death with two of his older brothers, Morgan Malberry and Robert Jacob Mills. They were found on the 1850 census in Jones County. He must have migrated to Alabama shortly after that because he patented 40 acres of land in Pike County, Alabama on January 1, 1852. Again on September 1, 1858, Wilson patented 80 acres of land in Pike County, Alabama. Wilson was next located in Alabama on the 1860 census in Coffee County. It was for precinct Number 8 and the Buzbeeville Postoffice. His family was now a wife, Mahala, and three children, Mary E., John W. and Martha Mills. Wilson Mills served the Confederate States of America. He enlisted in March of 1862 at Victoria, Alabama. He was a Private in Company D, 10th Regiment, Alabama Volunteers. He was wounded in the battle of Cumberland Gap, Tennessee (or Kentucky). He was discharged in May of 1865 and returned to his family. By the 1880 census, Wilson is locate in the Leon Community of Crenshaw County, Alabama. His family now is a wife and eight children. The oldest boy, John W. Mills is no longer living at home but also is not listed as a head of household. The new children are Wilson Thomas, Laura, Lena, William J, Benjamin F. and Ellen Lee Mills. In 1900, Wilson had moved into Covington County, Alabama near the Straughn Community. The census states that Mahala was the mother of nine children and that all were still living at that time. One additional family member was listed, a grandson named Walter. By the census of 1910, Wilson had died and Mahala is found living with her youngest son Benjamin F. Mills. Ben was listed as a School Teacher on the 1900 census but is now shown as a farmer in the Straughn Community. He must have taken over the family farm when his father died. Wilson L. Mills was a farmer and landowner all of his life. Having started with his portion of his father's estate settlement in Georgia, he raised and cared for a large family. He moved about seeking his "Eden" to tend and nourish so he could provide for his family a better life.