Abel Mills Papers, 1836-1919 | Illinois History and Lincoln Collections

Scope and Contents:

The collection contains a large amount of correspondence to and from Abel and Elizabeth Mills concerning the meetings of the Religious Society of Friends. Also included are business papers, bills and receipts, cancelled checks, account books, land records of Mills and his customers, insurance policies, guardianship papers, birth and death records. In addition, there are publications and clippings on religious matters, prohibition, and politics.

Biographical/Historical Context:

Abel Mills (1829-1919) was active in the formation, in 1841, of Clear Creek Monthly Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers), in Putnam County, Illinois. He was widely known among Friends for his visiting and for his ministry. He often held the office of Clerk of Illinois Yearly Meeting, and served on the committee that built the Yearly Meeting house in 1875. He also served on various committees of Clear Creek Monthly Meeting. Mills was a land agent and was engaged in the insurance business.

Acquisition Source: Mills's granddaughter, Elizabeth M. Simpson of Barrington, Ill., donated the collection to the Library in 1979. See Albert T. Mills, ed., "Autobiography of Abel Mills," Journal of the Illinois State Historical Society, 19, nos. 1-2 (Apr.-July, 1926), 94-239.