He was the eldest son of William Nelson and Ann Leap Mills, named after his maternal grandfather, Jacob Leap, Sr. We knew of his existence but not his name from the US Census records of 1810, the Alexandria City tax list of 1812. He appeared as a “male child under age 5 years” on the census. These records listed only the name of the head of household (William Nelson Mills); other persons in the household were counted by age group and gender, but not by name. A power of attorney document dated October 22, 1852 was the key to discovering his given name, Jacob Mills. The POA was included in the deed of sale of property originally owned by Jacob Leap, Sr. This property was willed to his grandchildren who were still alive at the time of his death on December 15, 1820, and they were listed by name in the document: Jacob Mills, deceased, William Robert Mills, Thomas M. Mills, Albert N. Mills, and John R. Mills.

It was only by chance we discovered the name of Jacob Mills in the power of attorney document, and that was the only reference we found of him in Alexandria records. Consequently, we do not know the conditions surrounding his death or when he died. We feel certain Jacob Mills is buried in First Presbyterian Cemetery in Alexandria alongside his sister, Adeline Margaret Mills, his parents and grandparents. Our visit to the cemetery revealed there were at least three graves for which tombstones are missing: Ann Leap, wife of Jacob Leap, Sr.; Jacob Leap, Jr., their son; and Jacob Mills, son of William Nelson and Ann Leap Mills. Apparently, the stones were removed, destroyed, or lost over the past two hundred years.

Membership in this prestigious organization was approved only after their professional genealogists validated our lineage all the way back to Richard Nelson of Charles County, MD. He was a planter who in 1689 owned 330 acres of land on Mattawoman Creek near current-day Marbury, MD. His granddaughter, Charity Warden, married William Mills (son of Robert of Fairfax County, VA). A complete lineage chart is included in our new book. You can also view it by going here.

Any female descendant of Richard Nelson is eligible to join the Colonial Dames, based on my approved application. My member number is 37134. Let me know if you are interested in joining. There is a local chapter near to you.

Richard Nelson (died in 1708) married Mary Brett. Richard & Mary Brett Nelson had a daughter, Margaret (died 1755) who married William Warden (died 1735). William & Margaret Nelson Warden had a son, Richard (1714-1773). Richard Warden married Agness [last name unknown]. Richard & Agness [last name unknown] Warden had 8 children, one of whom was a daughter named Charity (1752 – ?) who married William Mills. William & Charity Warden Mills had four children that we know of: Robert Alexander Mills, William Nelson Mills, Agness “Nessey” Mills Violett, and Ann “Nancy” Mills Johnson. You can look at the detailed chart of our descendancy from Richard Nelson of Charles County, MD by visiting this page.

Warden & Nelson families lived on or near the Piscataway River and Mattawoman Creek in Charles County for several generations. This information was found by researching Charles County, MD and Fairfax Co, VA old land records. It proves the information written on the family lineage parchment that states our Warden ancestor “came from Elgin, Scotland and settled near to Mattawoman Creek in Charles Co. in 1698.” This parchment is in the possession of our cousin, Peggy Brennan who lives in Cranbury, NJ.

This new volume has 383 pages of photos, narratives, and maps showing where our ancestors lived and what they did for a living. The first chapter is about Robert Mills, a planter, who lived in Fairfax County, VA in the late 1600s to late 1700s. He had a small plantation outside of Alexandria, VA where he grew cash crops of tobacco, wheat, corn and other farm products. His sons and grandsons attended the College of William and Mary at Williamsburg, VA. His son, William Mills, lived on the small plantation all of his life. Robert Mills’s grandson, William Nelson Mills, was a wheat merchant and grocer in Alexandria, VA. Presidents Van Buren and Polk appointed him as Justice of the Peace in Alexandria in 1840 & 1845. He was “Superintendent of Police” in Alexandria for 17 years before he died in 1852.

William Nelson Mills and his wife, Ann Leap Mills, had four sons:
1) William Robert Mills, became a Methodist minister who traveled by horseback throughout the Pennsylvania countryside preaching in small towns that had a Methodist congregation;
2)Thomas M. Mills (our branch of the Mills family) was a carpenter and chair maker who lived in Alexandria, VA all his life;
3) Albert N. Mills, a lawyer who was a member of the Mount Vernon Guard and settled in Galveston, TX after the Civil War; and, 4) John R. Mills who with his wife, Rachel, spent their lives in Frederick County, MD farming the land.

You will be pleased to know there is new information on the Montgomery and Cox families in the “Robert Mills of Fairfax County, VA volume. These chapters have been revised to include numerous Montgomery family photos dating back to 1865 that Adrienna Montgomery Wieroniey gave us before she passed away. Such as, photos of Robert W. Montgomery in his police uniform, his wife, Anna McElhenny Montgomery, and some of their grown children & grandchildren. You have not seen these photos before. A copy of this book is now in the Library of Congress, genealogy department.