Melvin Whitson Mills
Encyclopedia
His Life
Melvin Whitson Mills was a descendant of the Mills and Chase families, who were quakers that immigrated during early part of 18th Century from CanadaCanada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
to The United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
They formed a part of a colony and established themselves on the north shore of Lake Erie
Lake Erie
Lake Erie is the fourth largest lake of the five Great Lakes in North America, and the tenth largest globally. It is the southernmost, shallowest, and smallest by volume of the Great Lakes and therefore also has the shortest average water residence time. It is bounded on the north by the...
.
The parents of Melvin W. Mills after a brief residence in Canada, moved to Michigan
Michigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. In 1860 his father immigrated to the west and nine years later, his wife and child followed.
Mr. Mills graduated from Ann Arbor Law School at University of Michigan
University of Michigan
The University of Michigan is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan...
, his academic education having been attained through his own unaided efforts.
He joined his father at the Moreno Mines, Colfax County
Colfax County, New Mexico
-2010:Whereas according to the 2010 U.S. Census Bureau:*83.8% White*0.5% Black*1.5% Native American*0.4% Asian*0.1% Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander*3.6% Two or more races*10.1% Other races*47.2% Hispanic or Latino -2000:...
, New Mexico
New Mexico
New Mexico is a state located in the southwest and western regions of the United States. New Mexico is also usually considered one of the Mountain States. With a population density of 16 per square mile, New Mexico is the sixth-most sparsely inhabited U.S...
, and there began the practice of his perfection and has successfully continued the same ever since.
Colfax County, New Mexico
Colfax County, New Mexico
-2010:Whereas according to the 2010 U.S. Census Bureau:*83.8% White*0.5% Black*1.5% Native American*0.4% Asian*0.1% Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander*3.6% Two or more races*10.1% Other races*47.2% Hispanic or Latino -2000:...
, in which spent his later years, had been the seek of many internal insurrections, and hundreds of people had been hung, shot, and killed in various ways over local difficulties. The law could not be enforced at times; the courts could not be held in the civil authorities where often at the mercy of the outlaws and worst types of desperados. It required courage and determination to contend against such characters, and M. W. Mills was among the very few who attempted to preserve peace, law, and order. In so doing, he fell into the hands of the mob several times, but was rescued by good citizens and government soldiers. The soldiers being obtained through his efforts. While in Cimarron, New Mexico
Cimarron, New Mexico
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 917 people, 382 households, and 255 families residing in the village. The population density was 479.5 people per square mile . There were 449 housing units at an average density of 234.8 per square mile...
he was twice elected to the territorial legislature, and has held various other offices such as county and city attorney for Elizabethtown, and was District Attorney for a number of counties, and during his twenty years residence he had been in office most of the time. Melvin Mills owned a large ranch in Springer, New Mexico while a cattle owner and was in control of one of the largest Mercantile and Banking Co at the time.