THE FAMILY OF VIOLET MILLS (1901-1954)

The following information was derived from the 1901 Census for the United Kingdom

Dwelling: 268 Dunlop Street Carbrook Sheffield Yorkshire  - Reference RG13/4382 Page7 

The main factor to emerge from the census is that they were staying at the house of Violet's Uncle ADOLPHUS OTTER. As his status is given as widower, his wife and Ellen's sister must have died prior to 1901 leaving Adolphus with a young daughter Libby to bring up. His sister in law ELLEN MILLS and her husband ADAM obviously helped in this task by moving in with Adolphus.

VIOLET was my wife's grandmother and is in the 1911 Census as

Name Violet Mills Relationship to Head of Household Daughter Gender F Age 11 Estimated Year of Birth 1900 Occupation Juvenile Employed N Working at Home N Place of Birth Yorkshire Carbrook Enumerator Information Address 7 Carbrook Place Parish Sheffield Type of Building Rpivate House Number of Rooms 4 Inhabited Y Reference RG14PN27991 RG78PN1600 RD510 SD7 ED3 SN123 Administrative County Yorkshire (West Riding) Registration District Sheffield Registration Sub District Attercliffe Enumeration District 3

VIOLET was the eldest child as CYRIL had died in 1901 aged just three years old. He is buried in Sheffield's Tinsley Park Cemetery

MILLS Cyril 1 Dec 1901 3 son of Adam Marshall 268 Dunlop St Attercliffe FB48nc

Also sharing the same grave is

MILLS Thomas 18 Nov 1903 11m son of Adan Marshall 7 Carbrook Place Carbrook FB48nc 

and 17 years later their father

MILLS Aldam Marshall 29 Dec 1920 43 horsekeeper 222 Bright St Carbrook FB48nc

1921 Census

Ellen Mills Head Female 1878 42 Sheffield, Yorkshire, England Home Duties -
Violet Mills Daughter Female 1900 20 Sheffield, Yorkshire, England Private (Out Of Work) -
Edith Annie Mills Daughter Female 1904 17 Sheffield, Yorkshire, England Making Joints Lloyds Silversmiths
Blanche Mills Daughter Female 1906 15 Sheffield, Yorkshire, England Errand Girl Lloyeds Silversmith
Aldam Marshall Mills Son Male 1908 12 Sheffield, Yorkshire, England - -

First name(s) Violet
Registration district Sheffield
Last name Mills
Registration district number 510
Sex Female
Sub-district Attercliffe
Birth year 1900
Sub-district number 7
Census date 19 June 1921
Enumeration district number 3
Age in years 20
County Yorkshire (West Riding)
Age in months 11
Country England
Age as transcribed 20 y 11 m
Ward of borough or urban district Attercliffe
Relationship to head Daughter
Parliamentary borough or division Sheffield PB, Attercliffe Div.
Marital status Single
Birth place Sheffield, Yorkshire, England
Archive series RG 15 Piece number 23120 Schedule number 201
District reference RD 510 RS 7 ED 3
Birth place as transcribed Yorkshire, Sheffield
Schedule type code E Occupation Private (Out Of Work)
Schedule type England household, single page, 10 entries
Other household member's first name(s) Aldem Marshall, Blanche, Charles Henry, Edith Annie, Ellen, Grace, Thomas Barlow
Person making return Mrs Mills
Other household member's last name Mills
House number 222
Record set 1921 Census Of England & Wales
Street Bright Street
Category Census, land & surveys
Address 222 Bright Street

In June 2004, I checked with the FREE BMD website regarding the marriage of Adolphus Otter. There was an entry for the September quarter of 1892 that showed that ADOLPHUS OTTER had married an ELIZABETH RODDIS (GRO Vol 9c Page 527). We know that Adolphus was a widower at the time of the 1901 Census and the FREE BMD website gave confirmation of this when it recorded the death in the March quarter of 1899 of an ELIZABETH OTTER (GRO Vol 9c Page 264). Elizabeth was only 25 at the time of her death and so must have only been 17 at the time of her marriage to Adolphus. The 1881 Census shows an Elizabeth Roddis (born 1874) as a pauper age 7 in the Sheffield Union Workhouse at Pitsmoor, Sheffield. (PRO ref RG11 Piece/Folio4664/153 page9). There must be every possibility that this is the same person who ten years later married Adolphus but I was unable to confirm this until I accessed the burial records for Tinsley Park Cemetery in Sheffield where I found these entries

OTTER Elizabeth 26 Feb 1899 25 wife of Adolphus 268 Dunlop St Attercliffe FB119nc

OTTER Adolphus 10 Sep 1905 35 steel worker 7 Carbrook Place Carbrook  FB119nc

OTTER Frederick 24 Mar 1897 1+ son of Adolphus 268 Dunlop St Attercliffe FB119nc - I was unaware of Frederick

They are buried together in the same grave

There are indications that ADOLPHUS remarried in the March quarter of 1902 (PRO REF Ecclesall Brierlow Vol 9c Page 508) but I've yet to confirm the name of his second wife

Whilst the 1881 Census shows Elizabeth as a inmate of the local workhouse, ADOLPHUS OTTER is shown as a ten year old scholar

Living at the same address was his two year old sister ELLEN OTTER (1879 - )

Adolphus and Ellen were the children of WILLIAM OTTER my wife's great great grandfather. The entry is

The FULL entry in the 1881 census for the family is as follows

Dwelling: 222 Bright Street
Census Place: Attercliffe Cum Darnall, York, England
Source: FHL Film 1342128 PRO Ref RG11 Piece 4665 Folio 43 Page 80

For a number of years I had difficulty in locating the family but in April 2012, I had a breakthrough. Whilst checking the burial registers for I came across the following entries for Tinsley Park Cemetery in Sheffield

OTTER William 2 Nov 1911 75 general salesman 222 Bright St Carbrook HB62nc

OTTER Ellen 27 Apr 1920 81 widow 222 Bright St Carbrook HB62nc

OTTER Harry 11 Oct 1938 80 grocery branch manager 62 Dobcroft Avenue Sheffield HB62gp - also in the same grave was his wife MARIA - OTTER Maria 17 Jul 1942 78 widow 62 Dobcroft Ave Sheffield HB62gp

OTTER Charles Henry 3 Sep 1930 71 retired 12 Herries Rd / 4-6 Colwall S Sheffield B39c - also in the same grave was his wife JANE - OTTER Jane 8 Feb 1916 65 wife of Charles 4-6 Chapel St Attercliffe B39c

OTTER William B (Berridge) 30 Apr 1927 63 labourer Royal Infirmary/116 Bright St Sheffield UA176gp also in the same grave was his wife MARY - OTTER Mary Ann 18 Feb 1950 86 widow 111 Cottingham St/2 Herries Rd Sheffield UA176gp

OTTER Fred 7 Dec 1890 18 son of Wm. 222 Bright St Attercliffe ZA151nc

OTTER Matthew 18 May 1904 30 labourer 12 Wreakin Place Carbrook AB2nc

MILLS Ellen 30 Dec 1953 78 widow 11 Alfred Rd/2 Herries Rd Sheffield FB48gp

For further details of the OTTER FAMILY, please follow the link

I must admit that I was surprised by the size of the family given the nature of William's employment but large families were not uncommon in late nineteenth century Britain  The other important fact to arise out of the census is the date that the family moved to Sheffield. The two eldest sons were born in Nottinghamshire, circa 1860 but the third William was born in Sheffield in1863-4 and so the move must have been made in the period 1860 - 63. 

The main problem I had when obtained the information from the 1901 Census was that I could find no trace of ADAM H MILLS and his family in earlier records. Two years later whilst researching the FREE BMD, website, I entered the name ELLEN OTTER and found that in the March quarter of 1899  - Sheffield - an Ellen Otter had married a ALDAM, MARSHALL MILLS. The search was finally over and I soon found out that ALDAM was the third son of THOMAS and MARY MILLS.  

Notes

The building consisted of 8 houses. (still standing 1934) A date over the passage door reads 1652 See Newspaper Cuttings Relating to Sheffield Ref: 942.74 SF Vol 39 

William Otter - Nottinghamshire Sheffield

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This page was last updated on 01/12/24 15:17

MILLS Aldam Marshall 29 Dec 1920 43 horsekeeper 222 Bright St Carbrook FB48nc

MILLS Albert 7 May 1917 1m son of Violet 222 Bright Street Carbrook HB75nc

Births Mar 1917
Mills Albert Mills Sheffield 9c 1061

Deaths Jun 1917
Mills Albert 0 Sheffield 9c 745