VERY astute observations Pat IN my efforts to research the Southern Maryland Mills line that I descend forth from, I learned early on that William Mills, bn 1628 migrated from Cratfield, Suffolk Co, England in 1651. Cratfield Parish as it was referred to in the 1600's is located about 20 miles from Lavenham, England. I have long wondered if the John Mills whose name was included in the Winthrop Fleet list was a member of the Cratfield line of Mills. Further, I learned that Thomas Mills was a somewhat infamous person during the 1670's in Framlingham, England which nearby to Cratfield and Lavanham, as he was highly educated and a successful merchant in that town. As I recall, sometime during the mid to later part of the 1600's, the Treasures records for Ipswich England notes that Thomas and Richard Mills applied for monies from the parish account (Ipswich is County Seat for Suffolk County). No record of payment was recorded. There is a school in Lavenham named for Thomas Mills. If you search But insofar as there does not appear to be a listed FTDNA Mills Project contributor, it is difficult to determine if the Winthrop Fleet John, Thomas of Lavenham and the Cratfield Mills line are related. Note also that the Groome surname is often found among the records of Southern, MD during the mid 1600's and up to the current day. Also of note, Thomas was a staunch supporter of religious freedom and worship and perhaps no coincidence Maryland was nicknamed the toleration state as it welcomed persons of all faiths and religions. Part of the Calvert family legacy! Look forward to hearing more on this line in the future and you "right-on" to conclude as you have that there may be a relationship. Time will tell. SEE BRIEF HISTORY OF THOMAS MILLS BELOW AND A LINK TO THE SCHOOL SITE _http://www.thomasmills.suffolk.sch.uk/main%20menu/index.htm_ (http://www.thomasmills.suffolk.sch.uk/main%20menu/index.htm) A Suffolk man, but not a native of Framlingham, Thomas came to the town in 1640 when he became an apprentice to one Edward Smith, wheelwright. Thomas obviously impressed his master, for in due course he inherited the business (1660). In 1662 he increased his fortune considerably by marrying Alice Groome, the widow of a wealthy Pettistree landowner. The marriage appears to have been a happy one: Alice died in 1691, leaving all her estate to her husband. Thomas was a prominent member of the local Baptist congregation. In those days of religious persecution, this was a dangerous course and he narrowly escaped imprisonment on a number of occasions. Clearly, he was a man of principle as well as a man of business. When he died, Thomas left his fortune for good causes in Framlingham and other locations where he had had business interests. His Will ordered the building of Almshouses for the elderly poor which still stand - Pevsner calls them "a stately range". Unlike Hitcham's Almshouses, Thomas wanted people to be accepted whatever their religious convictions - a remarkable thing at that time. Any money left over was to be spent on "the education of the children in Framlingham." Thomas Mills High School is the third to bear his name and still benefits from Thomas's estate: in 1998, the Mills Charity Mathematics Centre was built, in part, with Mills money. Michael A. Mills, Michael A. Mills, CPI Director of Operations THE LEGAL RESOURCE GROUP COMPANIES RESOURCE REPORTING, INC. & PROCESS SERVICE UNLIMITED OF MD., INC. 30 Courthouse Square Suite 206 Rockville, Maryland 20850 301.838.9200 Fax: 301.838.7095 Email: [email protected]_ (mailto:[email protected]) Providing * Service of Process * Skip-Tracing * Transmitter Detection Document Retrieval and Information Reporting * Will and Land Record Abstracts * Private Investigations Since 1983 THE INFORMATION CONTAINED IN THIS ELECTRONIC COMMUNICATION TRANSFER IS CONSIDERED CONFIDENTIAL AND IS INTENDED ONLY FOR THE PERSON NAMED AND SHOULD NOT BE READ OR DISSEMINATED BY ANY PERSON OTHER THEN THE PERSON NAMED. IF THIS NOTICE WAS RECEIVED IN ERROR PLEASE NOTIFY THE NAMED SENDER AT THE APPLICABLE NUMBER WHICH APPEARS IN THE HEADER OF THIS NOTICE **************Get fantasy football with free live scoring. Sign up for FanHouse Fantasy Football today. (http://www.fanhouse.com/fantasyaffair?ncid=aolspr00050000000020)