Anyone remember Ernest and Ellen Mills?

[samssong 10]

This is very interesting. Ernest Mills the Olympic cyclist was Ernest Victor Mills, born in Croydon in 1913 - see here for the Wikipedia article. As he lived at 58 Gleadless Crescent from the 1940s to the 1960s he was presumably related to the householder Charles Ernest Mills - perhaps a nephew or cousin. As samssong wrote, Ernest had relations called Taylor, one of whom was a Keith Taylor who would now be 73. The births index shows that a Keith R. Taylor was born in Sheffield in 1943, and the index gives his mother's maiden name as Heathcote. This was also Gertrude Mills' maiden name, and so it tallies with what we know.

 

In this thread, cuttsie confirms that Ernest was a committed communist and also a 'little mester' with his own workshop in Sheffield.

Some smashing stuff on the Forum int thi;)

[Monkeynuts21 10]

So... Doing the calculations..My 'potential' Grandfather Ernest Victor Mills was in fact aged 7 when his relative 'Charles Ernest' married Gertrude Heathcote.. and considering my father was born in 1929..that would make Ernest Victor 16 years old!! Hence the reason for the adoption?? I mean he was classed as a minor as in those days you were not classed as an adult until you reached the age of 21..

It was said and recognized that Ernest and Ellen Mills lived until the 1960's at 58 Gleadless Terrace.. and I had initial belief that my father's birth parents were called Ernest and Ellen Mills (nee Walker)...so that given they must have had my father at a very early age, had him adopted, but later married and stayed together..Hmmmm?

 

---------- Post added 13-04-2017 at 13:46 ----------

 

One wonders if they went on to have any more children together?

[samssong 10]

So... Doing the calculations..My 'potential' Grandfather Ernest Victor Mills was in fact aged 7 when his relative 'Charles Ernest' married Gertrude Heathcote.. and considering my father was born in 1929..that would make Ernest Victor 16 years old!! Hence the reason for the adoption?? I mean he was classed as a minor as in those days you were not classed as an adult until you reached the age of 21..

It was said and recognized that Ernest and Ellen Mills lived until the 1960's at 58 Gleadless Terrace.. and I had initial belief that my father's birth parents were called Ernest and Ellen Mills (nee Walker)...so that given they must have had my father at a very early age, had him adopted, but later married and stayed together..Hmmmm?

 

---------- Post added 13-04-2017 at 13:46 ----------

 

One wonders if they went on to have any more children together?

 

I was told that Ernest was a conscientious objector in the wars that where kicking around at that time or earlier .

He used to visit Russia and went all the way to Moscow on his bicycle in the 50's he gave me badges with various leaders faces on them ,he was very fond of Trotsky and would tell me what a great leader he was.

 

I never saw or heard of any children at no 58

Edited April 13, 2017 by samssong

[Monkeynuts21 10]

Crikey...I can't imagine cycling all the way to Moscow..what a feat!!

Would you know if he had any more children Samssong? Its like a good Novel..where you want to get to the end..

[samssong 10]

Crikey...I can't imagine cycling all the way to Moscow..what a feat!!

Would you know if he had any more children Samssong? Its like a good Novel..where you want to get to the end..

I

I never saw any kids at his house except for Keith Taylor who was a pal of mine.

[Monkeynuts21 10]

Thanks Samssong.. I see..so it looks like my quest is to seek out the 'Taylor' family. Once I get my fathers Adoption file (hopefully this was done legally) I should be a little more wiser?

Can I ask..Did you ever visit him at his place of Work as a 'little mester'? and if so where was his place of work?

 

---------- Post added 13-04-2017 at 14:45 ----------

 

Just read the 'wiki' write up about Ernest Mills career as an Olympic cyclist, and on there it states that he lived in the Addiscombe area of Croydon? Doesn't seem to tally Hillsbro? What a tangled web we weave!!

[hillsbro 32]

...One wonders if they went on to have any more children together?

It's something of a mystery as there doesn't seem to be a marriage record for an Ernest V. Mills to an Ellen, or to anyone named Walker. It also turns out that Ernest was a twin - his brother Wilfred A. Mills had the same date of birth, 10 April 1913. The 1939 Register shows them both living in Croydon with their widowed mother Minnie and elder sister Dorothy. Presumably Ernest moved to Sheffield after the war and went into the cutlery trade. Another "twist" to the story is that this forum page mentions (scroll down) a different 'little mester' called Ernest Mills, who was born c. 1900 "..All these knives were made by father and son Willis and Ernest Mills, who both worked at Thos Turner & Co before starting out on their own c. 1922, Willis, once a top man at Brookes & Crookes and Thos Turners retired in 1947, Ernest in 1985 at the age of 85."

[Monkeynuts21 10]

I wonder if the Ernest Mills (Cyclist), and the Ernest Mills (little Mester) are in fact two different people?

 

---------- Post added 13-04-2017 at 15:15 ----------

 

The Ernest Mills (little mester) seems more favourable as I located a old black and White picture of Ernest hard at work on an internet search and was instantly astounded at the resemble he bore to that of my father as my father had got older.

 

---------- Post added 13-04-2017 at 15:39 ----------

 

Been doing a little investigating on the net..Found a site that makes mention that Ernest Mills Aged 18 was called up to the army, and made is own knife with His initials EHM stamped into it..

 

http://www.britishblades.com/forums/showthread.php?51671-Ernest-Mills

 

---------- Post added 13-04-2017 at 15:40 ----------

 

The 'H' could be the big clue?

[hillsbro 32]

I wonder if the Ernest Mills (Cyclist), and the Ernest Mills (little Mester) are in fact two different people?..

Well, it's a tricky one to sort out, but samssong and cuttsie both agree that Ernest Mills the cyclist was also a 'little mester'. The question is whether or not he was "your" Ernest Mills!

... The 'H' could be the big clue?

The Ernest Mills who we know from other sources was a 'little mester', together with his father Willis Mills, was Ernest Henry Mills, born Oct-Dec 1900 - here is a scan from the 1911 census return, and here is a photo I found which I think must be him. He is most likely the Ernest Henry Mills who married Emily Wood at St Mary's Church, Bramall Lane in 1928.

[samssong 10]

Well, it's a tricky one to sort out, but samssong and cuttsie both agree that Ernest Mills the cyclist was also a 'little mester'. The question is whether or not he was "your" Ernest Mills!The Ernest Mills who we know from other sources was a 'little mester', together with his father Willis Mills, was Ernest Henry Mills, born Oct-Dec 1900 - here is a scan from the 1911 census return, and here is a photo I found which I think must be him. He is most likely the Ernest Henry Mills who married Emily Wood at St Mary's Church, Bramall Lane in 1928.

The photo is not the Ernest Mills who I knew

[Monkeynuts21 10]

Right.... This is where I think the confusion is..The little mester pic is more likely to be the 'Ernest' I am looking for..and his initials were EHM..Ernest Henry Mills I presume! He was born I think in 1900..died in 1991 aged 91..retired in 1985 aged 85..his father was called Willis Mills..There has got to be Two separate Ernest Mills..

 

---------- Post added 14-04-2017 at 10:09 ----------

 

Hi hillsbro, I do think your concluding findings are the correct one's. I presume that both of the Ernest's were in fact working in some capacity as a cutler, but one was also an Olympic cyclist.. The clincher' for me is the Photograph. I think I will try and follow this path and see where it leads. Thanks for all your help hillsbro..

[Parkside 0]

Did any one ever find the real Ernest Mills or his relation Kieth Taylor .