May Mills

30 June 1899 - 1973

May was the youngest of 11 children born to John Mills (31/8/1857 - 6/7/1909, Rookwood) and Annie Finn (9/4/1858, Blackbrook - 1/7/1953, Chatswood). Annie is pictured at right. John and Annie married on 20/1/1876 at Newcastle. May was only 11 when her father died and was put out to work at 14, supporting her mother.

Annie taught herself to read but never learned to write. The Finn family began with Mary Ellen (b.1877), Elizabeth A (1879) and Rose (1881), all born in Newcastle. Then the family moved to Sydney, settling at Newtown, where were born Ann (1883), Ethel (1885), John (1887), Christina (1890), twins Pearl and Ruby who died as babies in 1894, Maud (1895) and of course May.

May's grandparents were William Mills = Prudence Blackwell (d.20/1/1876 at Newcastle NSW RegNo 3532) and John Finn = Ann King.

Ann King was born 18/1/1826 in Great Chesterton Oxfordshire and emigrated to Australia, arriving 27/8/1844 (fare of £18/14/-). She was employed as a house servant. With her second husband John (10/6/1803 - 13/5/1876), whom she married at Eldon on 5/12/1853, she raised seven children on a farm on the Williams River in the vicinity of Eldon (Raymond Terrace/Morpeth). Her seven children were Ann, Margaret (d.28/11/1875 aged 22), Sarah, John, Bridget, Mary Anne and Jane (d.28/9/1874 aged 7). It was impossible for the children to attend school.
There is no child known from her first marriage to Michael Finnigan (b.15/5/1822 Kerry, Killarney). Not much is known about her third marriage on 31/12/1878 in Newcastle to John Saunders (b.1828 in Cornwall, d.5/10/1899 at Mt View, Cessnock). Ann died 27/11/1895 at Mt View.
Ann King's parents were Charles King and Sarah Bowden.

I am indebted to my aunt Margaret (Maunder), Jenny Lamond of Merriganowry, the Raymond Terrace & District Historical Society for their assistance here, as well as the NSW Births Deaths & Marriages CD-ROMs.

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