Bethia Mills

Abt 1640 - Aft 1658  (~ 18 years)

• Name	Bethia Mills
  Born	Abt 1640	of Jamaica, Queens, New York, United States
  Gender	Female
  Died	Aft 2 Sep 1658	of Jamaica, Queens, New York, United States
  Person ID	I573	Petersen-de Lanskoy
  Last Modified	27 May 2021

  
  

  Father	George Mills,   b. Abt 1605, , , England ,   d. 17 Oct 1694, Jamaica, Queens, New York, United States  (Age ~ 89 years)
  Mother	Rebecca,   b. Bef 1612, , , England ,   d. Aft 24/24 Mar 1681/2, of Jamaica, Queens, New York, United States  (Age > 71 years)
  Married	Bef 1632	of, , , United States
  Family ID	F460	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

• Notes

  RESEARCH_NOTES: 1. FHL book 929.273 M625u "A Mills and Kendall Family History…," by Helen Schatvet Ullmann (Boston, 2002), pp. 3-9: "Bethia Mills. Cook lists her, based on Nicholas Tanner's will dated Sept. 2, 1658. It seems reasonable to include her." Endnotes: 6. Tanner's will reads: September 2, 1658. The last Will and testament of Nicholas TANNER, of Rustdorp (Jamaica), made the day and date above written. Imprimis, my will is yf it please God to take me away, yf I doe not otherwise alter in ye meantime, that my son, John Tanner, living in Tolspidle, within Dorsetshire, England, shall have ₤30 sterling out of my estate. And my will is that if my son cannot be procured to come over, or not heard of, the town where I live shall have the use of it for their general good. Provided they put in Securitie to send it to my sonn or as he shall come over to fetch it. 2. My will is that Thomas Ireland shall have five pounds. And Richard Everard's children, and Roger Lynn his boy, and John Rodes his youngest boy shall have ten pounds amongst them. 3. My will is that Bethia Mills shall have a cow and a calfe, and that she and her mother shall have ten pounds more betwixt them, to buy them clothes with. 4. My will is that Henry Pearsall's children shall have 5 shillings a peice. My will is that John Eazor shall have my share of the tackling and cart that is betwixt us, and my share of the hollowes. Henry Pearsall shall have my cloak, and Daniel Denton my suit of cloathes. Zacharias Mills shall have a calf. My will is that a beast shall be sold to buy some linnen to bury me in, and also a sheete and other things that shall be needfull; And the white faced cow killed at my burial and given to the neighbours. My will is that yf God take me away, and that I doe not otherwise alter in the mean time, that Henry Pearsall, of Hempstead, and Daniel Denton, of Rustdorp, shall be my executors. George Mills is to have all my cloathing except as above given. Witnesses, George Mills, Timothy Halstead, Henry Pearsall, Daniel Denton. Quietus granted, June 23, 1666 ("Collections of the New York Historical Society: Abstracts of Wills on file in the Surrogate's Office, City of New York, vol. II (1893), Appendix, 415-16). On 2 July 1660 the following was entered on Jamaica town records: "Whereas there was a certaine parsell off mony Amounting to thirty pounds was left By Nicolas Tanner deceased for the use of his sonn and the Towne to have the use of it after Inquirie made for his sonn till he shall come and fetch it or send for it. These underwritten doe protest against having any thing to doe with the saide Mony either themselves or heirs or executors for beneffit or damage." John Townsend and George Mills made their marks on this (Josephine C. Frost, ed., "Records of the Town of Jamaica, 1656-1751" [Brooklyn: Long Island Historical Society, 1914], 1:8-9, from the original 1:10). A second copy, "taken out of the owld booke by mee Nath Denton Town Clerk," does not mention the marks. On 24 January 1664 the town, having spent the money, agreed that they would pay it if lawfiilly demanded. (Frost 1:170-711, from the original 2:3-4). Many have claimed, presumably based on this will, that George's wife Rebecca must have been surnamed Tanner. However, if so, it seems odd that Tanner referred to her, not by name, but as Bethia's mother. If one assumes his daughter was deceased the omission seems plausible; George might already have married again. On the other hand, the fact that the town, rather than heirs, was to have the ₤30 if John didn't claim it, suggests that Tanner left no heirs in America. On the other hand, George's disclaimer does suggest that at least some thought he and Townsend might claim a right to it. Cook lists Bethia and Zachariah as George's children, but does not suggest that Rebecca's maiden name was Tanner. Actually, Bethia could even be George's wife. There was another Nicholas Tanner at Swansea, Mass., in 1663 and Rehoboth in 1666 (James Savage, "A Genealogical Dictionary of the First Settlers of New England [Boston, 1860-62; reprint, Baltimore, 1965, 1981] 4:253), but no connection with Nicholas of Long Island has been found.