Mary Mills                                      Sept 28th 

Mary was born Mary Nesbitt in 1791, in Alnwick. She married John Mills, a clog maker, on 14th July 1805. They were living in Clayport when their children were baptised in the Green Batt Meeting House or Scotch Church. The children were: Ann born 27/3 and baptised 27/4/1806: Mary born 1809 but died age 1 on 8/7/1810: a second Mary born 14/1 and baptised on 14th February 1813: and John born 16/6 and baptised 21/7/1819.  Ann died on 3rd June 1825, just after her 19th birthday.

By the 1841 census for Clayport Street, John was a 60 year old clog maker. Wife Mary was 55, and son John was still at home age 20,  a saddler by trade.
John  was a clog maker all his working life, but did not advertise in a trade directory, so was probably working for someone else. Robert Bell advertised his clog making business in Clayport, so John could have worked for him. (advertisement below).

John died in January 1844, so Mary was a widow when she died aged 58 of cholera on 28th September 1849.  She was buried to the rear of St. Michael’s Church in a mass grave.

Before the 1851 census son John had married  an Elizabeth and they had three children, under four, John, Mary and Margaret. John Jnr. had done well in the saddle making business, as he was an employer of 12 men. Elizabeth had died before the next census in 1861, when John was now 40 and boarding with other saddlers and his children John and Margaret. They were now living in Blyth’s yard off Clayport. Margaret married William Rose and moved to Yorkshire.

By 1871 there was another change as the Johns, father and son were living in Pottergate on the South Side, together with daughter Mary and (illegitimate) grandson John age 4 months. Son John died later that year age 23 and his father outlived him by 10 years, dying January 1881.

An advertisement for a

footwear manufacturer                                             

in Clayport St. at the time

John Mills Snr was working.