Ohio History Journal

WILLIAM     CORLESS MILLS

IN MEMORIAM

The founder of an institution of merit with an as-

sured future is peculiarly fortunate. Through the

early years of its growth he may struggle onward with

meager means to overcome indifference and more

serious obstacles, but when success at last crowns a

life devoted to a worthy purpose, when the founder lives

to see his work recognized and on every side accorded

the meed of praise, the satisfaction of such a triumph is

more gratifying than a temporal political or financial

achievement. Such was the good fortune of Dr. Wil-

liam Corless Mills. The institution that he established

on a secure foundation is his enduring monument.

Like many of the conspicuously successful men of

the generation that is passing, Dr. Mills began life on a

farm. He was born near the village of Pyrmont, Mont-

gomery County, Ohio, January 2, 1860. He was of

English-German ancestry.

His great-grandfather, Joshua Mills, Sr., was born

at Mt. Holly, Monmouth County, New Jersey, Febru-

ary 17, 1776. He married Lucy Corless, who was born

March 10, 1775. Of this union nine children were born:

Ann, March 4, 1798; Jane, August 27, 1800; John, April

7, 1802; Rebecca, July 12, 1804; William, January 26,

1806; Rachel, September 15, 1807; Sarah, May 27,

1809; Grace, September 20, 1812; May, November 3,

(205)

206      Ohio Arch. and Hist. Society Publications

1814. Rachel died at Mt. Holly in November, 1817. In

1818, the family, except two daughters, moved to War-

ren County, Ohio, where they lived one year. They

then moved to Perry Township, Montgomery County,

Ohio, where the family permanently settled. The two

daughters who remained in New Jersey were Ann and

Jane. The former married Isaiah Johnson and the lat-

ter William Garwood. Immediately after their mar-

riage they came to Ohio. Joshua Mills, Sr., had a fair

education and when he was a young man taught school

for a time.

John Mills, grandfather of the subject of this sketch,

did not at first feel at home in the Ohio wilderness and

begged permission to return to New Jersey. This was

granted and he walked all of the way back, going as

far as Baltimore with a farmer who was taking a drove

of cattle. He soon missed his parents, however, and

returned to his Ohio home, walking all the way. Here

he married Mary A. Singer, April 24, 1827. They

moved to Lewisburg, Preble County, Ohio, where four

children were born to them: Elizabeth, Joshua, Joseph

and John Singer. In 1835, the family moved to the

parental home in Montgomery County, and here four

more children were born: Lucy, Henry, Rebecca Jane

and William Corless. John Mills was a carpenter and

a farmer.

Joshua Mills, Jr., son of John and Mary A. (Singer)

Mills, was born at Lewisburg, Preble County, Ohio,

February 6, 1831. He went with the family to Pyrmont,

Montgomery County, Ohio, four years later. He

worked at the blacksmith trade at different periods in

southwestern Ohio and at Ogden, Indiana. On January

208      Ohio Arch. and Hist. Society Publications

4, 1857, he married Mary Ann Mundhenk and shortly

afterward moved to Greencastle Township, Marshall

County, Iowa. Here he and his wife remained until

late in the year of 1858. Their first child, Elizabeth,

was born here March 22, 1858, and died October 15 of

the same year. Joshua Mills, Jr., and his wife returned

to the old home at Pyrmont, Ohio, a few days before

Christmas, 1858. Here the subject of this sketch was

born, as were his two sisters, Clara (Mills) Loy,

February 28, 1863, and Mary Ann (Mills) Baker, Oc-

tober 26, 1869.

Joshua Mills, Jr., died July 1, 1921. His wife, Mary

Ann (Mundhenk) Mills died October 27, 1923. She

was the daughter of Augustus Mundhenk who came

with his parents to America from Germany when he

was three years old. His father, Daniel Mundhenk, first

settled in Philadelphia and later came to Montgomery

County, Ohio, and founded Pyrmont village, giving it the

name of his home town in Germany.

Dr. Mills worked on his father's farm, attended the

district schools and taught in them for a few years. He

studied law a short time in Dayton. In 1881, he en-

tered Ohio State University where he continued until his

junior year when he left, studied medicine for a few

months and then took a course in the Cincinnati School

of Pharmacy from which he was graduated. In 1885,

he was married and established a drug store in Pyrmont.

In the spring of the year following, he moved to Co-

lumbus and continued in the drug business. In 1887,

he moved to Greensburg, Kansas, where he owned and

operated a drug store for about eighteen months. In

1888, he returned to Ohio where he owned and con-

William Corless Mills              209

ducted drug stores and resided at the following places:

Newcomerstown, 1888-1890; Mt. Vernon, 1890-1893;

Chicago Junction (now Willard), 1893-1897. In 1897,

he returned to Ohio State University, completed his

course, received the degree of Bachelor of Science in

1898 and the degree of Master of Science in 1902.

When Dr. Mills was a boy he became interested in

Indian arrow-heads found on his father's farm and in

its vicinity, and in early life evinced a fondness for arch-

aeology. He made a collection of prehistoric relics and

early began to study the meager literature available on

the Moundbuilders of his native state. While he was

living in Newcomerstown, he made a discovery of un-

usual importance. At that time he was secretary of the

local archaeological society. In describing this rare find

before a meeting of the Western Reserve Historical So-

ciety, at Cleveland, Ohio, on December 12, 1890, he said:

New Comerstown is a small village of 1,500 inhabitants,

situated on the right bank of the Tuscarawas River, about 90

miles west of Pittsburgh and 100 miles south of Cleveland, and

near the confluence of the Tuscarawas and a small stream known

as Buckhorn Creek, and from 30 to 35 miles south of the glacial

boundary, which extends into the northern part of the county

in Wayne Township.

In the northern part of the town and within its corporate

limits is a large gravel terrace, deposited in a recess near the

mouth of Buckhorn Creek and derived from the northern drift.

For several years past the Cleveland and Marietta Railroad Com-

pany have been taking out this gravel in large quantities, which

they have used in ballasting their railroad, and so have kept the

gravel exposed to the depth of about 23 feet. The top of the ter-

race is about 35 feet above the flood plain of the Tuscarawas and

extends up the Buckhorn about a quarter of a mile, gradually di-

minishing in height as it recedes from the main line of deposition.

In this gravel bank, on the 27th day of October, 1889, while

examining the different strata of gravel, I found the specimen

Vol. XXXVII-14.

210        Ohio Arch. and Hist. Society Publications

that you have before you, 15 feet from the surface of the terrace.

The bank was almost perpendicular at this time, exposing a front

of about 20 feet. The small part of the bank was in place in the

side of the terrace, until I struck it with my walking cane, when

a space of about 6 feet in length by 2 feet in height tumbled down,

exposing to view the specimen.

At first sight I recognized the peculiar shape and glossy ap-

pearance of the specimen, such as were characteristic of palaeo-

lithic specimens described to me by Prof. Edward Orton, while I

was a student at the Ohio State University.

I at once compared the specimen with other flint implements

which I had collected in this valley, which at present number up-

wards of 3,000 chipped specimens of flint found on the surface

and in mounds, and I found that I had none that resembled it. I

communicated these facts to Mr. A. A. Graham, Secretary of the

Ohio Archaeological and Historical Society. Mr. Graham sent the

specimen to Prof. Wright, who wrote me for a detailed account

of the circumstances connected with the find, which I furnished

him, at the same time inviting him to visit New Comerstown and

satisfy himself in reference to my statements. I will leave him

to tell the rest of the story.

It will be noted that this discovery had been made

almost ten years before he finished his course at the

State University. His interest in what became his major

life-work continued and when on June 1, 1898, he was

elected Curator of the Museum of the Ohio State Arch-

aeological and Historical Society, he entered upon a work

in which he was not only deeply interested but with

which he was already thoroughly familiar.

His compensation at the outset was assuredly very

modest. A letter¹ bearing the date of 1898 contains the

1 Following is the letter from E. O. Randall, Secretary of the Society,

under date of June 8, 1898, notifying Dr. Mills of his election:

Dr. W. C. Mills,

O. S. U.,

City.

My Dear Sir:--

I am directed to inform you that on Wednesday, June 1, the Executive

Committee of our Society elected you Curator, from June 1, 1898 to Febru-

212      Ohio Arch. and Hist. Society Publications

from the Ohio State University and $2 a day while

engaged in field work. The payment from the Uni-

versity was compensation for teaching a class of stu-

dents which he had organized in archeology.

At the outset, the collection in the Museum was small.

It was housed on the gallery floor of Orton Hall on the

University grounds, where it remained until the winter

of 1902-1903 when it was moved to the rooms in Page

Hall on the University grounds. A full account of this

transfer occurs in the report of Dr. Mills which was

presented at the Annual Meeting of the Society, June 5,

1903.

On Decoration Day, May 30, 1914, the new Museum

and Library Building of the Ohio State Archaeological

and Historical Society, at the east entrance of the Ohio

State University, was dedicated with proper ceremonies.

On the afternoon of that day the Annual Meeting of the

Society was held. Dr. Mills, who was then Curator and

Librarian, described in his report the transfer of the

museum and library to the new building. He had been

much interested in securing appropriations for this

building and had devoted much time to the supervision

of the details while it was in process of erection.

In the meantime, the exhibits of the Society were

steadily and rapidly growing in number and impor-

tance. Dr. Mills was very active in conducting the field

work of the Society and a number of the mounds ex-

plored under his direction yielded rare and valuable

relics. It soon became evident that the building would

not provide room for the accessions to the Museum and

the Library. When the original building was erected,

plans were drawn providing for additions, which, when

214       Ohio Arch. and Hist. Society Publications

Dr. Mills was deeply interested in these additions to

the building and diligent in the supervision of the details

of their construction.

He served as Curator until October 18, 1921, when

the position of Director of the Museum was created by

the Board of Trustees of the Society.     Dr. Mills was

promoted to this position, which he held to the time of

his death. To him is due the credit for establishing the

Department of Natural History.

At the Annual Meeting of the Society, September

19, 1923, Dr. Mills was honored by the adoption of a

resolution expressive of appreciation of his long and

successful service to the Society. The resolution was

offered by General Edward Orton, Jr., and read as fol-

lows:

WHEREAS, The Director of this Society has completed a

period of twenty-five years' continued labor in the employ of this

Society, and through this period has rendered to the people of the

great commonwealth of Ohio a signal service in his several capaci-

ties as Curator of Archaeology and Director of the Museum, and

WHEREAS, during the period of his incumbency the archae-

ological collection of this Society has risen from a little known

and unimportant stage until it has now become the most repre-

sentative collection of material illustrating the life, habits and his-

tory of the unknown peoples who have inhabited the Mississippi

Valley in centuries past, and his fame, which extends beyond the

limits of Ohio and the United States, has made this collection

known in the museums of the world, and

WHEREAS, Dr. Mills, by his constant and intensified scholar-

ship and his constantly broadening use of other parallel sciences

in explaining relics of these ancient civilizations, has raised this.

museum from a mere collection of curiosities up to a point where

it has become of deep scientific significance and outstanding

human interest, therefore

Be it resolved, That the Trustees and the members of The

Ohio State Archaeological and Historical Society hereby tender

their greetings to Director Mills on this Twenty-fifth Anniversary

William Corless Mills               215

of the beginning of his service and render official acknowledg-

ments for his fidelity and the value of his services in the past,

and bid him Godspeed in his progress on that never ending quest

for knowledge which endows the human breast, of which his own

past furnishes so fine an exemplification.

Be it further resolved, That these resolutions shall be suitably

engrossed, signed by the officers and Trustees of the Society and

presented in permanent form to Director Mills.

Though Dr. Mills had been in failing health for some

months before his death he went courageously about

his work and was in his office often when it required

effort and caused pain to discharge the duties that he

could not consent to lay aside. With waning strength

his spirit seemed to rise and to the last he did not yield

hope that he would win in the fight over a serious mal-

ady. He rallied after an operation in the hospital and

remained quite cheerful. He did not have the strength,

however, to carry him over the crisis, and breathed his

last at midnight, January 17, 1928.

The Trustees of the Ohio State Archaeological and

Historical Society met on the day following his death

to take action expressive of their sense of loss and in

tribute to his memory. After the meeting was called

to order, General Edward Orton, Jr., offered the fol-

lowing resolution, which was unanimously adopted:

WHEREAS, We have heard with deep regret and sorrow of

the death of Dr. William Corless Mills, which occurred at mid-

night, January 17, 1928; therefore

Be it resolved by the Board of Trustees of the Ohio State

Archaeological and Historical Society, That in the death of Dr.

William Corless Mills, for nearly seven years the Director of this

Society, we have suffered an irreparable loss. To the service of

this Society and the science of archaeology, Dr. Mills has given

literally a life-time of the most zealous and unflagging labor.

Beginning in May, 1898, as assistant curator of Archaeology,

216       Ohio Arch. and Hist. Society Publications

with a small and fragmentary collection of artifacts, Dr. Mills

has, often with but poor support from the Society, struggled

along exploring and classifying the more important archaeological

remains of Ohio, until he now leaves behind him as the result of

his labor, a great and impressive museum whose collections in

the special field of the aborigines of the Ohio Valley are beyond

question the richest in the world. He leaves not only his collec-

tions as his monument, but also, and what is perhaps still greater,

the system of exploration which he has developed and which

has enabled him in frequent instances to glean from the worked-

over explorations of others, knowledge and material of even

greater value than the original searchers themselves obtained.

By his work, our Society has grown in reputation and appre-

ciation in the scientific circles of this country, and of the world.

Resolved, That his singleness of purpose, his indomitable

will, his incessant industry and his scientific insight have made

him famous. His kindness, his spirit of helpfulness and his

regard for others have endeared him to this Board of Trustees,

to all the members of the Society, for whom we speak, and the

Staff of the Museum, of whom he was not only the leader, but

the friend and co-worker.

Resolved, That our grief at his loss is mitigated in that he

no longer is facing the prolonged suffering of an incurable mal-

ady, and in that the enduring memory which he leaves with us

now, is that of a great life worthily lived.

Be it further resolved, That to his sorrowing family, we

offer our sincerest sympathy in their affliction.

Dr. Mills was a member of the American Ornitholog-

ical Union, member and librarian of the Ohio Academy

of Science, member and president of the Wheaton

Ornithological Society, member and treasurer of the

Columbus Horticultural Society, charter member of the

American Association of Museums, member of the Co-

lumbus Iris Society and fellow of the following organi-

zations:   American    Ethnological Society, American

Association for the Advancement of Science, and Amer-

ican Anthropological Society. At the time of his death

he was a member of the National Research Council of

William Corless Mills            217

Archaeology, and for twenty-eight years had been as-

sistant editor of the Ohio Naturalist, and for twelve

years a lecturer in Sociology in the College of Com-

merce and Administration of the Ohio State Univer-

sity. He was a member of Sigma Xi as well as Phi Beta

Kappa. He was a Mason and a Republican.

His scientific papers and contributions rank high in

the field of his special interests.  He was author of

Certain Mounds and Village Sites, Vol. 1--4; Archae-

ological Atlas of Ohio; Map and Guide to Fort Ancient.

His annual "Reports" to the Ohio State Archaeological

and Historical Society constitute a valuable record of

the progress of that institution and his contribution to

its work and growth.

He was in charge of the Society's exhibit at the Pan-

American Exposition at Buffalo, in 1901; honorary

superintendent of Archaeology at the Louisiana Pur-

chase Exposition at St. Louis, in 1904; and superintend-

ent of Archaeology at the Jamestown Ter-Centennial

Exposition, in 1907. In the summary of Ohio's partici-

pation at St. Louis, published in the United States Sen-

ate report of 1906 on the Louisiana Purchase Exposi-

tion, appears the following statement in regard to Ohio's

archaeological exhibit:

In the Department of Anthropology  * * * Ohio took

the grand prize over all competitors. The display consisted prin-

cipally of relics taken from the historical mounds of the state,

which in themselves were very interesting. Not only was the

general prize awarded for the display, but a special gold medal

was presented to Professor W. C. Mills, Librarian and Curator

of the Ohio State Archaeological and Historical Society, for his

untiring efforts in revealing to the public of today the mode of

livelihood and the characteristics of the oldest and most historical

race of this continent.

218       Ohio Arch. and Hist. Society Publications

For a period of six years, Dr. Mills was president of

the Ohio State University Athletic Association and

later was its treasurer. At the close of his service as

treasurer he was urged to continue as graduate man-

ager. This he consented to do for one year on condi-

tion that he be given complete management of all ath-

letics--football, basket-ball, baseball and track work.

This request was granted and at the end of the year

a deficit of about $3,000 was changed to the surplus of

$8,500.

On October 7, 1885, Dr. Mills was married to Olive

Buxton, of Walhonding, Coshocton County, Ohio. He is

survived by Mrs. Mills and one daughter, Helen Marie

Mills.

Numerous editorials of appreciation and resolutions

by organizations to which he belonged have appeared in

public print. We here reproduce an editorial which ap-

peared in the Columbus Evening Dispatch of January

19, 1928:

William C. Mills has a fitting monument in the archaeological

and historical collections gathered under his leadership during

the last 30 years, and housed in the museum and library building

on the grounds of Ohio State University, at the Fifteenth avenue

entrance. He was in charge of the exhibit of our Ohio Archae-

ological and Historical Society at the Buffalo Exposition, in 19O1,

and was superintendent of the department of archaeology at the

Jamestown Exposition, in 1907.

Mr. Mills has been a voluminous contributor to the literature

of archaeology, both in the regular publications of the Ohio So-

ciety and in separate volumes. He was a fellow of the American

Association for the Advancement of Science, the American An-

thropological Association, the American Ethnological Associa-

tion, the American Ornithologists' Union and various other

learned organizations. Nothing in nature or in the life of man

was without its interest for him.