Hello all, I have spent the better part of my research time in the last two years familiarizing myself with the branch of the John MILLS Quaker line from John>Henry>Aaron down to Seth and Charity THORNBURG MILLS that went from NC>KY>Wayne Co., IN>Washington CO., AR. You can see what I have documented on my website: <http://homepages.rootsweb.com/~jmbhome/2martha.html#John> Most of Seth and Charity's 13 children went to AR with the parents abt. 1837-ish, then in the 1840's at least four lived awhile in Dade Co., MO. First Aaron L. Mills & Pamelia SAMUELS MILLS and Henry & Millie (Permilla) REED MILLS settled 35 miles of Springfield west on the head of Limestone Creek. Later Enos & Edith MANKINS MILLS followed as did John and Sarah MILLS CAMP. In Nov. 1848, Henry died intestate, then in Nov. 1849, Enos died intestate as well. Henry's estate was settled by wife Millie's relative, Jacob REED - I don't know the relationship here, father brother or cousin, I assume). Enos MILLS' estate was settled by Sylvester MASSEY, son of Enos' elder sister Mary Ann MILLS MASSEY. Mary Ann's husband has died and she is married to 2nd husband, Joseph THOMPSON and they have settled in Belton, Bell Co., TX. In 1850, Aaron with brother Seth went to CA after gold and Aaron died on the return trip. In the 1850 Dade Co., MO census, both widows of the brothers and their children show up in the Census (Edith's children are Martha Jane [I am 99.9% sure this will prove to be my gg grandmother, but I want the proof!], Lydia, William Riley, Henry, Lucinda Charity & Enos - Millie's children are Seth, Phineas, Cristena, Rebecca and Thomas). Edith's young son Enos is 5 mos. old, born after his father died and named for his deceased father. By 1852, a letter from Seth states that "Out of seven brothers there is but two of us left." Those two are Seth and Jacob. By 1860 Henry's wife had gone back to Washington Co., AR and may have married James Dickinson (found a record, but haven't verified it is the same woman - too many repeated names;]). By 1853, Sylvester & Perlina SKEEN MASSEY have settled a land claim in Oregon. Jacob was "killed by bushwhackers" in 1862 and Seth also died in the Civil War, but of measles, not combat. Seth and Charity THORNBURG MILLS remain all this time in Washington Co., AR and do not die until the mid-1870s. Their lives are very well documented. Mary Ann MILLS MASSEY THOMPSON dies in 1884 in TX. At this point, of the 13 children, only Rachel MILLS VAN HOOSE and Lettie Elizabeth MILLS LEWIS survive and both live until their deaths in Washington Co., AR. Rachel dies in 1886 and Lettie in 1913. Stories of both of these families are very well documented locally. MY QUESTION: What happened to the wives and children of the brothers? I am specifically interested in what happened to EDITH MANKINS MILLS and her children, but am curious about the others as well to round out the whole story of this family. I can find no traces of them after that 1850 Census. Edith is the daughter of John Bracken & Mary "Polly" SLOAN MANKINS (she is sometimes confused with her Aunt Edith who is 11 years older and the daughter of Peter MANKINS Sr.). I know Mary "Polly" Sloan had died and John had remarried Matilda GIBSON MANKINS by 1839 and they were also in Washington Co., AR. By 1864, John marries a third wife, Lydia BOYD MILLS in Tulare Co., CA. Then in 1869 he marries a 4th time, to Jane WOOD MILLS. He dies in 1876. His other children were Rachel (m. FINE), Lydia, Elizabeth (m. FINE and YOSE), Peter P., Walter W., John Bracken, Jr., & Samuel Walter Mankins. I know Rachel MANKINS FINE went to Bosque Co., TX, but I don't know much about the rest of them and wonder if any of you do - it seems someone emailed me not to long ago about the FINEs and YOSE/YOES families, but I'll be durned if I can find it.... My suppositions from all this are: 1) It is possible that Edith remarried (the chances of a 28 year old woman with 6 children ages 0-10 surviving on her own in the 1850's are slim) 2) It is possible she went to TX or OR or CA (but I can find no evidence) with members of either the Mankins, Massey or Mills lines 3) It is also possible that all the boys died in the Civil War as they would have been fighting age by then. I know there are folks on these lists with ties to these families. I would appreciate you taking a look through what you have for any clues! The only child so far whose line is documented to have survived is that of Lucinda Charity MILLS who married James Marion RAMEY. They stayed in Washington Co., AR. You can see all the children of this marriage on my website. I have recently met a descendant of this line however, she is struggling with me to learn what happened to Edith and the rest of the children along with me. I have one more clue. I found an Obit in Washington Co., AR for 1885 for a Mrs. E.A. MILLS. It reads: Fayetteville Democrat, 23 July 1885 lists: "MILLS, Mrs. E.A. - Mrs. E.A. Mills committed suicide last Sunday by jumping on front of the train while crossing the high trestle just beyond Avoca in Benton county. She had been to Texas and before starting back wrote a letter to Mr. A. S. GREGG in regard to some land in this county which she had disposed of in which she expressed the opinion that she and her children would not live to get home. She was raised in this county, was a highly respectable lady and her unfortunate death is mourned by many friends." I suspect this is Edith MANKINS MILLS, daughter of John BRACKEN MANKINS & Mary "Polly" SLOAN. She was the widow of Enos MILLS (son of Seth and Charity THORNBURG MILLS who died intestate in Dade Co., MO in 1849). The Gregg family owned a mill (known later as the Lee Mill) at the shoals north of "Perry Hole" near Middle Fork River, in the White River Township/Sulphur City area. It was in this area that Seth MILLS donated part of his farmland to build the Primitive Baptist Church, a school and a cemetery. Carter's Store, affiliated with the RAMEY family is in the same area. If anyone has information to support or dismiss this, please let me know! TIA.... Jana Black