HERBERT RAPHAEL MILLS, elected an Associate of the American Ornithologists' Union in 1949, died in Tampa, Florida, June 27, 1952. He was born in Albion, Michigan, October 19, 1882. His father was Dean of Arts at DePauw University. Schools that he attended were Ulster Academy, Kingston, New York; Cornell College, Mt. Vernon, Iowa; and Baker University, Baldwin, Kansas, where his uncle Dr. Lemuel Herbert Murlin was president. A pathologist by profession, he received his degree at Rush Medical College in 1910. While at Cornell College he studied birds under Prof. Charles R. Keyes. In 1910 he organized the Audubon Junior Clubs in the public schools of Jacksonville, the first in this state. Active interest in conservation won for him the Gold Medal for Conservation awarded by the Florida State Chamber of Commerce for the year 1946. In 1951 he became an honorary founder of the Society for the Protection of the Flamingo in the Bahamas. The rookeries in Tampa Bay received his special attention. He began furnishing financial aid for their protection in 1934 and made provision for its continuance after his death. The National Audubon Society, on October 19, 1952, dedicated a bronze marker [see photo album] to him on the island of Whiskey Stump, Tampa Bay, as a tribute to his work in conservation. Articles by him appeared in Bird-Lore (1920) and Audubon Magazine (1952). His reports (Florida Naturalist, 1934; 1935; 1939; 1944) show an amazing increase in the bird populations as a result of protection. A.W. Schorger
From the April, 1954 issue of The Auk, the journal of the American Ornithologists' Union.
In her groundbreaking book on environmental conservation, Silent Spring (1962), the author Rachel Carson quoted Dr. Mills concerning the deleterious effects of pesticides on the fiddler crabs and the ecology of the salt marshes. Here is a short excerpt from Chapter 9 of that book, titled "Rivers of Death:"
"The same melancholy picture was painted by the late Dr. Herbert R. Mills from his observations in Tampa Bay on the opposite coast of Florida, where the National Audubon Society operates a sanctuary for seabirds in the area including Whiskey Stump Key. The sanctuary ironically became a poor refuge after the local health authorities undertook a campaign to wipe out the salt-marsh mosquitoes. Again fishes and crabs were the principal victims. The fiddler crab, that small and picturesque crustacean whose hordes move over mud flats or sand flats like grazing cattle, has no defense against the sprayers. After successive sprayings during the summer and fall months (some areas were sprayed as many as 16 times), the state of the fiddler crabs was summed up by Dr. Mills: 'A progressive scarcity of fiddlers had by this time become apparent. Where there should have been in the neighborhood of 100,000 fiddlers under the tide and weather conditions of the day [October 12] there were not over 100 which could be seen anywhere on the beach, and these were all dead or sick, quivering, twitching, stumbling, scarcely able to crawl; although in neighboring unsprayed areas fiddlers were plentiful.' "
1900 United States Federal Census
Name: Herbert R Milles
[Herbet R Milles]
Home in 1900: Ulster, Ulster, New York
Age: 17
Birth Date: Oct 1882
Birthplace: Michigan
Race: White
Gender: Male
Relationship to Head of House: Son
Father's Name: Henry R
Father's Birthplace: Michigan
Mother's Name: Ella F
Mother's Birthplace: Michigan
Marital Status: Single
Residence : Ulster Township, Election Districts 2-3, Ulster, New York
Occupation: View on Image
Household Members: Name Age
Henry R Milles 49
Ella F Milles 41
Roy F Milles 19
Herbert R Milles 17
Ermine Milles 5
Iowa State Census Collection, 1836-1925
Name: Herbert R Mills
Census Date: 1905
Residence state: Iowa
Residence County: Linn
Locality: Mount Vernon
Roll: IA_96
Line: 546
Neighbors: View others on page
Household Members: Name Age
Herbert R Mills
Iowa State Census Collection, 1836-1925
Name: Herbert Granger [Mary's brother "Bert"]
Census Date: 1905
Residence state: Iowa
Residence County: Linn
Locality: Marion
Roll: IA_96
Line: 616
Neighbors: View others on page
Household Members: Name Age
Herbert Granger
Iowa Marriages, 1809-1992
Groom's Name: Herbert R Mills
Groom's Birth Date:
Groom's Birthplace: Albion, Mich
Groom's Age:
Bride's Name: Mary Bessie Granger
Bride's Birth Date: 1884
Bride's Birthplace: Marion, Ia
Bride's Age: 26
Marriage Date: 22 Jun 1910
Marriage Place: Marion, Linn, Iowa
Groom's Father's Name: Henry A Mills
Groom's Mother's Name: Ellen Elizabeth Follass
Bride's Father's Name: Joseph Granger
Bride's Mother's Name: Carrie White Cooper
Groom's Race: White
Groom's Marital Status: Single
Groom's Previous Wife's Name:
Bride's Race: White
Bride's Marital Status: Single
Bride's Previous Husband's Name:
Indexing Project (Batch) Number: M86662-6
System Origin: Iowa-VR
Source Film Number: 1703999
Reference Number: 2:3HMXL9W
1920 United States Federal Census
Name: Dr Herbert R Mills
Home in 1920: Precinct 50, Hillsborough, Florida
Age: 37 years
Estimated birth year: abt 1883
Birthplace: Michigan
Relation to Head of House: Head
Spouse's name: Mary G
Father's Birth Place: Michigan
Mother's Birth Place: Michigan
Marital Status: Married
Race: White
Sex: Male
Home owned: Rent
Able to read: Yes
Able to Write: Yes
Image: 602
Neighbors: View others on page
Household Members: Name Age
Herbert R Mills 37
Mary G Mills 36
New Orleans Passenger Lists, 1820-1945
Name: Herbert R Mills
Arrival Date: 30 Jun 1928
Age: 45
Gender: Male
Port of Departure: Progreso, Mexico [This may have been the occasion of Herbert securing a "Mexican divorce" from his wife Mary (Granger) Mills.]
Ship Name: Fritzoe
Port of Arrival: New Orleans, Louisiana
Birthplace: Michigan,Albio
National Archives' Series Number: T905_123
There is some question concerning the legality of divorces secured by non-resident Americans in Mexico. Dr. Mills apparently attempted this in the late 1920s. Legal or not, it seems that Dr. Mills' first wife did not "accept" the legality of the divorce and continued to report him as her cohabitational husband in all post-1920 census enumerations. T.N.
1930 United States Federal Census
Name: Herbert R Mills
Home in 1930: Precinct 73, Hillsborough, Florida
View Map
Age: 47
Estimated birth year: abt 1883
Birthplace: Michigan
Relation to Head of House: Head
Spouse's name: Mary G
Race: White
Household Members: Name Age
Herbert R Mills 47
Mary G Mills 46 [his first wife]
1930 United States Federal Census
Name: Herbert R Mills
Home in 1930: St Petersburg, Pinellas, Florida
View Map
Age: 47
Estimated birth year: abt 1883
Birthplace: Michigan
Relation to Head of House: Head
Spouse's name: Mary L
Race: White
Household Members: Name Age
Herbert R Mills 47
Mary L Mills 31 [his second wife, Mary Lou Mills]
Robin Mills 3 [his son with Mary Lou]
1940 United States Federal Census
Name: Herbert R Mills
Age: 57
Estimated Birth Year: abt 1883
Gender: Male
Race: White
Birthplace: Michigan
Marital Status: Married
Relation to Head of House: Head
Home in 1940: Hillsborough, Florida
View Map
Street: Tacon Street
House Number: 3214
Farm: No
Inferred Residence in 1935: Hillsborough, Florida
Residence in 1935: Same House
Sheet Number: 66B
Number of Household in Order of Visitation: 325
Neighbors: View others on page
Household Members: Name Age
Herbert R Mills 57
Mary Mills 56 [his first wife]
1940 United States Federal Census
Name: Herbert M Mills
Respondent: Yes
Age: 57
Estimated Birth Year: abt 1883
Gender: Male
Race: White
Birthplace: Michigan
Marital Status: Married
Relation to Head of House: Head
Home in 1940: St Petersburg, Pinellas, Florida
View Map
House Number: 5863 [Bayou Grande Blvd.]
Farm: No
Inferred Residence in 1935: St Petersburg, Pinellas, Florida
Residence in 1935: Same House
Sheet Number: 6B
Number of Household in Order of Visitation: 159
Neighbors: View others on page
Household Members: Name Age
Herbert M Mills 57
Mary L Mills 41 [his second wife]
H Robin Mills 13
Florida State Census, 1867-1945
Name: Herbert R Mills
Age: 62
Gender: Male
Race: White
Birth Place: Michigan
Est. Birth Year: abt 1883
Census Year: 1945
Locality: Precinct 45
County: Hillsborough [where his first wife lived]
Page: 89
Line: 1
Archive Series #: S1371, Roll 22
Household Members: Name Age
Herbert R Mills 62
Florida State Census, 1867-1945
Name: Herbert R.Phy Mills [sic; "physician"]
Age: 62
Gender: Male
Race: White
Birth Place: Michigan
Est. Birth Year: abt 1883
Census Year: 1945
Locality: Precinct 20
County: Pinellas [where he lived with his second wife]
Page: 8
Line: 34
Archive Series #: S1371, Roll 34
Household Members: Name Age
Herbert R.Phy Mills 62
Florida Death Index, 1877-1998
Name: Herbert R. Mills
Death Date: 1952
County of Death: Hillsborough
State of Death: Florida
Other Death Place Information: Tampa
Race: White
Gender: Male
From the April, 1954 issue of The Auk, the journal of the American Ornithologists' Union.
In her groundbreaking book on environmental conservation, Silent Spring (1962), the author Rachel Carson quoted Dr. Mills concerning the deleterious effects of pesticides on the fiddler crabs and the ecology of the salt marshes. Here is a short excerpt from Chapter 9 of that book, titled "Rivers of Death:"
"The same melancholy picture was painted by the late Dr. Herbert R. Mills from his observations in Tampa Bay on the opposite coast of Florida, where the National Audubon Society operates a sanctuary for seabirds in the area including Whiskey Stump Key. The sanctuary ironically became a poor refuge after the local health authorities undertook a campaign to wipe out the salt-marsh mosquitoes. Again fishes and crabs were the principal victims. The fiddler crab, that small and picturesque crustacean whose hordes move over mud flats or sand flats like grazing cattle, has no defense against the sprayers. After successive sprayings during the summer and fall months (some areas were sprayed as many as 16 times), the state of the fiddler crabs was summed up by Dr. Mills: 'A progressive scarcity of fiddlers had by this time become apparent. Where there should have been in the neighborhood of 100,000 fiddlers under the tide and weather conditions of the day [October 12] there were not over 100 which could be seen anywhere on the beach, and these were all dead or sick, quivering, twitching, stumbling, scarcely able to crawl; although in neighboring unsprayed areas fiddlers were plentiful.' "
1900 United States Federal Census
Name: Herbert R Milles
[Herbet R Milles]
Home in 1900: Ulster, Ulster, New York
Age: 17
Birth Date: Oct 1882
Birthplace: Michigan
Race: White
Gender: Male
Relationship to Head of House: Son
Father's Name: Henry R
Father's Birthplace: Michigan
Mother's Name: Ella F
Mother's Birthplace: Michigan
Marital Status: Single
Residence : Ulster Township, Election Districts 2-3, Ulster, New York
Occupation: View on Image
Household Members: Name Age
Henry R Milles 49
Ella F Milles 41
Roy F Milles 19
Herbert R Milles 17
Ermine Milles 5
Iowa State Census Collection, 1836-1925
Name: Herbert R Mills
Census Date: 1905
Residence state: Iowa
Residence County: Linn
Locality: Mount Vernon
Roll: IA_96
Line: 546
Neighbors: View others on page
Household Members: Name Age
Herbert R Mills
Iowa State Census Collection, 1836-1925
Name: Herbert Granger [Mary's brother "Bert"]
Census Date: 1905
Residence state: Iowa
Residence County: Linn
Locality: Marion
Roll: IA_96
Line: 616
Neighbors: View others on page
Household Members: Name Age
Herbert Granger
Iowa Marriages, 1809-1992
Groom's Name: Herbert R Mills
Groom's Birth Date:
Groom's Birthplace: Albion, Mich
Groom's Age:
Bride's Name: Mary Bessie Granger
Bride's Birth Date: 1884
Bride's Birthplace: Marion, Ia
Bride's Age: 26
Marriage Date: 22 Jun 1910
Marriage Place: Marion, Linn, Iowa
Groom's Father's Name: Henry A Mills
Groom's Mother's Name: Ellen Elizabeth Follass
Bride's Father's Name: Joseph Granger
Bride's Mother's Name: Carrie White Cooper
Groom's Race: White
Groom's Marital Status: Single
Groom's Previous Wife's Name:
Bride's Race: White
Bride's Marital Status: Single
Bride's Previous Husband's Name:
Indexing Project (Batch) Number: M86662-6
System Origin: Iowa-VR
Source Film Number: 1703999
Reference Number: 2:3HMXL9W
1920 United States Federal Census
Name: Dr Herbert R Mills
Home in 1920: Precinct 50, Hillsborough, Florida
Age: 37 years
Estimated birth year: abt 1883
Birthplace: Michigan
Relation to Head of House: Head
Spouse's name: Mary G
Father's Birth Place: Michigan
Mother's Birth Place: Michigan
Marital Status: Married
Race: White
Sex: Male
Home owned: Rent
Able to read: Yes
Able to Write: Yes
Image: 602
Neighbors: View others on page
Household Members: Name Age
Herbert R Mills 37
Mary G Mills 36
New Orleans Passenger Lists, 1820-1945
Name: Herbert R Mills
Arrival Date: 30 Jun 1928
Age: 45
Gender: Male
Port of Departure: Progreso, Mexico [This may have been the occasion of Herbert securing a "Mexican divorce" from his wife Mary (Granger) Mills.]
Ship Name: Fritzoe
Port of Arrival: New Orleans, Louisiana
Birthplace: Michigan,Albio
National Archives' Series Number: T905_123
There is some question concerning the legality of divorces secured by non-resident Americans in Mexico. Dr. Mills apparently attempted this in the late 1920s. Legal or not, it seems that Dr. Mills' first wife did not "accept" the legality of the divorce and continued to report him as her cohabitational husband in all post-1920 census enumerations. T.N.
1930 United States Federal Census
Name: Herbert R Mills
Home in 1930: Precinct 73, Hillsborough, Florida
View Map
Age: 47
Estimated birth year: abt 1883
Birthplace: Michigan
Relation to Head of House: Head
Spouse's name: Mary G
Race: White
Household Members: Name Age
Herbert R Mills 47
Mary G Mills 46 [his first wife]
1930 United States Federal Census
Name: Herbert R Mills
Home in 1930: St Petersburg, Pinellas, Florida
View Map
Age: 47
Estimated birth year: abt 1883
Birthplace: Michigan
Relation to Head of House: Head
Spouse's name: Mary L
Race: White
Household Members: Name Age
Herbert R Mills 47
Mary L Mills 31 [his second wife, Mary Lou Mills]
Robin Mills 3 [his son with Mary Lou]
1940 United States Federal Census
Name: Herbert R Mills
Age: 57
Estimated Birth Year: abt 1883
Gender: Male
Race: White
Birthplace: Michigan
Marital Status: Married
Relation to Head of House: Head
Home in 1940: Hillsborough, Florida
View Map
Street: Tacon Street
House Number: 3214
Farm: No
Inferred Residence in 1935: Hillsborough, Florida
Residence in 1935: Same House
Sheet Number: 66B
Number of Household in Order of Visitation: 325
Neighbors: View others on page
Household Members: Name Age
Herbert R Mills 57
Mary Mills 56 [his first wife]
1940 United States Federal Census
Name: Herbert M Mills
Respondent: Yes
Age: 57
Estimated Birth Year: abt 1883
Gender: Male
Race: White
Birthplace: Michigan
Marital Status: Married
Relation to Head of House: Head
Home in 1940: St Petersburg, Pinellas, Florida
View Map
House Number: 5863 [Bayou Grande Blvd.]
Farm: No
Inferred Residence in 1935: St Petersburg, Pinellas, Florida
Residence in 1935: Same House
Sheet Number: 6B
Number of Household in Order of Visitation: 159
Neighbors: View others on page
Household Members: Name Age
Herbert M Mills 57
Mary L Mills 41 [his second wife]
H Robin Mills 13
Florida State Census, 1867-1945
Name: Herbert R Mills
Age: 62
Gender: Male
Race: White
Birth Place: Michigan
Est. Birth Year: abt 1883
Census Year: 1945
Locality: Precinct 45
County: Hillsborough [where his first wife lived]
Page: 89
Line: 1
Archive Series #: S1371, Roll 22
Household Members: Name Age
Herbert R Mills 62
Florida State Census, 1867-1945
Name: Herbert R.Phy Mills [sic; "physician"]
Age: 62
Gender: Male
Race: White
Birth Place: Michigan
Est. Birth Year: abt 1883
Census Year: 1945
Locality: Precinct 20
County: Pinellas [where he lived with his second wife]
Page: 8
Line: 34
Archive Series #: S1371, Roll 34
Household Members: Name Age
Herbert R.Phy Mills 62
Florida Death Index, 1877-1998
Name: Herbert R. Mills
Death Date: 1952
County of Death: Hillsborough
State of Death: Florida
Other Death Place Information: Tampa
Race: White
Gender: Male
HERBERT RAPHAEL MILLS, elected an Associate of the American Ornithologists' Union in 1949, died in Tampa, Florida, June 27, 1952. He was born in Albion, Michigan, October 19, 1882. His father was Dean of Arts at DePauw University. Schools that he attended were Ulster Academy, Kingston, New York; Cornell College, Mt. Vernon, Iowa; and Baker University, Baldwin, Kansas, where his uncle Dr. Lemuel Herbert Murlin was president. A pathologist by profession, he received his degree at Rush Medical College in 1910. While at Cornell College he studied birds under Prof. Charles R. Keyes. In 1910 he organized the Audubon Junior Clubs in the public schools of Jacksonville, the first in this state. Active interest in conservation won for him the Gold Medal for Conservation awarded by the Florida State Chamber of Commerce for the year 1946. In 1951 he became an honorary founder of the Society for the Protection of the Flamingo in the Bahamas. The rookeries in Tampa Bay received his special attention. He began furnishing financial aid for their protection in 1934 and made provision for its continuance after his death. The National Audubon Society, on October 19, 1952, dedicated a bronze marker [see photo album] to him on the island of Whiskey Stump, Tampa Bay, as a tribute to his work in conservation. Articles by him appeared in Bird-Lore (1920) and Audubon Magazine (1952). His reports (Florida Naturalist, 1934; 1935; 1939; 1944) show an amazing increase in the bird populations as a result of protection. A.W. Schorger
From the April, 1954 issue of The Auk, the journal of the American Ornithologists' Union.
In her groundbreaking book on environmental conservation, Silent Spring (1962), the author Rachel Carson quoted Dr. Mills concerning the deleterious effects of pesticides on the fiddler crabs and the ecology of the salt marshes. Here is a short excerpt from Chapter 9 of that book, titled "Rivers of Death:"
"The same melancholy picture was painted by the late Dr. Herbert R. Mills from his observations in Tampa Bay on the opposite coast of Florida, where the National Audubon Society operates a sanctuary for seabirds in the area including Whiskey Stump Key. The sanctuary ironically became a poor refuge after the local health authorities undertook a campaign to wipe out the salt-marsh mosquitoes. Again fishes and crabs were the principal victims. The fiddler crab, that small and picturesque crustacean whose hordes move over mud flats or sand flats like grazing cattle, has no defense against the sprayers. After successive sprayings during the summer and fall months (some areas were sprayed as many as 16 times), the state of the fiddler crabs was summed up by Dr. Mills: 'A progressive scarcity of fiddlers had by this time become apparent. Where there should have been in the neighborhood of 100,000 fiddlers under the tide and weather conditions of the day [October 12] there were not over 100 which could be seen anywhere on the beach, and these were all dead or sick, quivering, twitching, stumbling, scarcely able to crawl; although in neighboring unsprayed areas fiddlers were plentiful.' "
1900 United States Federal Census
Name: Herbert R Milles
[Herbet R Milles]
Home in 1900: Ulster, Ulster, New York
Age: 17
Birth Date: Oct 1882
Birthplace: Michigan
Race: White
Gender: Male
Relationship to Head of House: Son
Father's Name: Henry R
Father's Birthplace: Michigan
Mother's Name: Ella F
Mother's Birthplace: Michigan
Marital Status: Single
Residence : Ulster Township, Election Districts 2-3, Ulster, New York
Occupation: View on Image
Household Members: Name Age
Henry R Milles 49
Ella F Milles 41
Roy F Milles 19
Herbert R Milles 17
Ermine Milles 5
Iowa State Census Collection, 1836-1925
Name: Herbert R Mills
Census Date: 1905
Residence state: Iowa
Residence County: Linn
Locality: Mount Vernon
Roll: IA_96
Line: 546
Neighbors: View others on page
Household Members: Name Age
Herbert R Mills
Iowa State Census Collection, 1836-1925
Name: Herbert Granger [Mary's brother "Bert"]
Census Date: 1905
Residence state: Iowa
Residence County: Linn
Locality: Marion
Roll: IA_96
Line: 616
Neighbors: View others on page
Household Members: Name Age
Herbert Granger
Iowa Marriages, 1809-1992
Groom's Name: Herbert R Mills
Groom's Birth Date:
Groom's Birthplace: Albion, Mich
Groom's Age:
Bride's Name: Mary Bessie Granger
Bride's Birth Date: 1884
Bride's Birthplace: Marion, Ia
Bride's Age: 26
Marriage Date: 22 Jun 1910
Marriage Place: Marion, Linn, Iowa
Groom's Father's Name: Henry A Mills
Groom's Mother's Name: Ellen Elizabeth Follass
Bride's Father's Name: Joseph Granger
Bride's Mother's Name: Carrie White Cooper
Groom's Race: White
Groom's Marital Status: Single
Groom's Previous Wife's Name:
Bride's Race: White
Bride's Marital Status: Single
Bride's Previous Husband's Name:
Indexing Project (Batch) Number: M86662-6
System Origin: Iowa-VR
Source Film Number: 1703999
Reference Number: 2:3HMXL9W
1920 United States Federal Census
Name: Dr Herbert R Mills
Home in 1920: Precinct 50, Hillsborough, Florida
Age: 37 years
Estimated birth year: abt 1883
Birthplace: Michigan
Relation to Head of House: Head
Spouse's name: Mary G
Father's Birth Place: Michigan
Mother's Birth Place: Michigan
Marital Status: Married
Race: White
Sex: Male
Home owned: Rent
Able to read: Yes
Able to Write: Yes
Image: 602
Neighbors: View others on page
Household Members: Name Age
Herbert R Mills 37
Mary G Mills 36
New Orleans Passenger Lists, 1820-1945
Name: Herbert R Mills
Arrival Date: 30 Jun 1928
Age: 45
Gender: Male
Port of Departure: Progreso, Mexico [This may have been the occasion of Herbert securing a "Mexican divorce" from his wife Mary (Granger) Mills.]
Ship Name: Fritzoe
Port of Arrival: New Orleans, Louisiana
Birthplace: Michigan,Albio
National Archives' Series Number: T905_123
There is some question concerning the legality of divorces secured by non-resident Americans in Mexico. Dr. Mills apparently attempted this in the late 1920s. Legal or not, it seems that Dr. Mills' first wife did not "accept" the legality of the divorce and continued to report him as her cohabitational husband in all post-1920 census enumerations. T.N.
1930 United States Federal Census
Name: Herbert R Mills
Home in 1930: Precinct 73, Hillsborough, Florida
View Map
Age: 47
Estimated birth year: abt 1883
Birthplace: Michigan
Relation to Head of House: Head
Spouse's name: Mary G
Race: White
Household Members: Name Age
Herbert R Mills 47
Mary G Mills 46 [his first wife]
1930 United States Federal Census
Name: Herbert R Mills
Home in 1930: St Petersburg, Pinellas, Florida
View Map
Age: 47
Estimated birth year: abt 1883
Birthplace: Michigan
Relation to Head of House: Head
Spouse's name: Mary L
Race: White
Household Members: Name Age
Herbert R Mills 47
Mary L Mills 31 [his second wife, Mary Lou Mills]
Robin Mills 3 [his son with Mary Lou]
1940 United States Federal Census
Name: Herbert R Mills
Age: 57
Estimated Birth Year: abt 1883
Gender: Male
Race: White
Birthplace: Michigan
Marital Status: Married
Relation to Head of House: Head
Home in 1940: Hillsborough, Florida
View Map
Street: Tacon Street
House Number: 3214
Farm: No
Inferred Residence in 1935: Hillsborough, Florida
Residence in 1935: Same House
Sheet Number: 66B
Number of Household in Order of Visitation: 325
Neighbors: View others on page
Household Members: Name Age
Herbert R Mills 57
Mary Mills 56 [his first wife]
1940 United States Federal Census
Name: Herbert M Mills
Respondent: Yes
Age: 57
Estimated Birth Year: abt 1883
Gender: Male
Race: White
Birthplace: Michigan
Marital Status: Married
Relation to Head of House: Head
Home in 1940: St Petersburg, Pinellas, Florida
View Map
House Number: 5863 [Bayou Grande Blvd.]
Farm: No
Inferred Residence in 1935: St Petersburg, Pinellas, Florida
Residence in 1935: Same House
Sheet Number: 6B
Number of Household in Order of Visitation: 159
Neighbors: View others on page
Household Members: Name Age
Herbert M Mills 57
Mary L Mills 41 [his second wife]
H Robin Mills 13
Florida State Census, 1867-1945
Name: Herbert R Mills
Age: 62
Gender: Male
Race: White
Birth Place: Michigan
Est. Birth Year: abt 1883
Census Year: 1945
Locality: Precinct 45
County: Hillsborough [where his first wife lived]
Page: 89
Line: 1
Archive Series #: S1371, Roll 22
Household Members: Name Age
Herbert R Mills 62
Florida State Census, 1867-1945
Name: Herbert R.Phy Mills [sic; "physician"]
Age: 62
Gender: Male
Race: White
Birth Place: Michigan
Est. Birth Year: abt 1883
Census Year: 1945
Locality: Precinct 20
County: Pinellas [where he lived with his second wife]
Page: 8
Line: 34
Archive Series #: S1371, Roll 34
Household Members: Name Age
Herbert R.Phy Mills 62
Florida Death Index, 1877-1998
Name: Herbert R. Mills
Death Date: 1952
County of Death: Hillsborough
State of Death: Florida
Other Death Place Information: Tampa
Race: White
Gender: Male
From the April, 1954 issue of The Auk, the journal of the American Ornithologists' Union.
In her groundbreaking book on environmental conservation, Silent Spring (1962), the author Rachel Carson quoted Dr. Mills concerning the deleterious effects of pesticides on the fiddler crabs and the ecology of the salt marshes. Here is a short excerpt from Chapter 9 of that book, titled "Rivers of Death:"
"The same melancholy picture was painted by the late Dr. Herbert R. Mills from his observations in Tampa Bay on the opposite coast of Florida, where the National Audubon Society operates a sanctuary for seabirds in the area including Whiskey Stump Key. The sanctuary ironically became a poor refuge after the local health authorities undertook a campaign to wipe out the salt-marsh mosquitoes. Again fishes and crabs were the principal victims. The fiddler crab, that small and picturesque crustacean whose hordes move over mud flats or sand flats like grazing cattle, has no defense against the sprayers. After successive sprayings during the summer and fall months (some areas were sprayed as many as 16 times), the state of the fiddler crabs was summed up by Dr. Mills: 'A progressive scarcity of fiddlers had by this time become apparent. Where there should have been in the neighborhood of 100,000 fiddlers under the tide and weather conditions of the day [October 12] there were not over 100 which could be seen anywhere on the beach, and these were all dead or sick, quivering, twitching, stumbling, scarcely able to crawl; although in neighboring unsprayed areas fiddlers were plentiful.' "
1900 United States Federal Census
Name: Herbert R Milles
[Herbet R Milles]
Home in 1900: Ulster, Ulster, New York
Age: 17
Birth Date: Oct 1882
Birthplace: Michigan
Race: White
Gender: Male
Relationship to Head of House: Son
Father's Name: Henry R
Father's Birthplace: Michigan
Mother's Name: Ella F
Mother's Birthplace: Michigan
Marital Status: Single
Residence : Ulster Township, Election Districts 2-3, Ulster, New York
Occupation: View on Image
Household Members: Name Age
Henry R Milles 49
Ella F Milles 41
Roy F Milles 19
Herbert R Milles 17
Ermine Milles 5
Iowa State Census Collection, 1836-1925
Name: Herbert R Mills
Census Date: 1905
Residence state: Iowa
Residence County: Linn
Locality: Mount Vernon
Roll: IA_96
Line: 546
Neighbors: View others on page
Household Members: Name Age
Herbert R Mills
Iowa State Census Collection, 1836-1925
Name: Herbert Granger [Mary's brother "Bert"]
Census Date: 1905
Residence state: Iowa
Residence County: Linn
Locality: Marion
Roll: IA_96
Line: 616
Neighbors: View others on page
Household Members: Name Age
Herbert Granger
Iowa Marriages, 1809-1992
Groom's Name: Herbert R Mills
Groom's Birth Date:
Groom's Birthplace: Albion, Mich
Groom's Age:
Bride's Name: Mary Bessie Granger
Bride's Birth Date: 1884
Bride's Birthplace: Marion, Ia
Bride's Age: 26
Marriage Date: 22 Jun 1910
Marriage Place: Marion, Linn, Iowa
Groom's Father's Name: Henry A Mills
Groom's Mother's Name: Ellen Elizabeth Follass
Bride's Father's Name: Joseph Granger
Bride's Mother's Name: Carrie White Cooper
Groom's Race: White
Groom's Marital Status: Single
Groom's Previous Wife's Name:
Bride's Race: White
Bride's Marital Status: Single
Bride's Previous Husband's Name:
Indexing Project (Batch) Number: M86662-6
System Origin: Iowa-VR
Source Film Number: 1703999
Reference Number: 2:3HMXL9W
1920 United States Federal Census
Name: Dr Herbert R Mills
Home in 1920: Precinct 50, Hillsborough, Florida
Age: 37 years
Estimated birth year: abt 1883
Birthplace: Michigan
Relation to Head of House: Head
Spouse's name: Mary G
Father's Birth Place: Michigan
Mother's Birth Place: Michigan
Marital Status: Married
Race: White
Sex: Male
Home owned: Rent
Able to read: Yes
Able to Write: Yes
Image: 602
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Household Members: Name Age
Herbert R Mills 37
Mary G Mills 36
New Orleans Passenger Lists, 1820-1945
Name: Herbert R Mills
Arrival Date: 30 Jun 1928
Age: 45
Gender: Male
Port of Departure: Progreso, Mexico [This may have been the occasion of Herbert securing a "Mexican divorce" from his wife Mary (Granger) Mills.]
Ship Name: Fritzoe
Port of Arrival: New Orleans, Louisiana
Birthplace: Michigan,Albio
National Archives' Series Number: T905_123
There is some question concerning the legality of divorces secured by non-resident Americans in Mexico. Dr. Mills apparently attempted this in the late 1920s. Legal or not, it seems that Dr. Mills' first wife did not "accept" the legality of the divorce and continued to report him as her cohabitational husband in all post-1920 census enumerations. T.N.
1930 United States Federal Census
Name: Herbert R Mills
Home in 1930: Precinct 73, Hillsborough, Florida
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Age: 47
Estimated birth year: abt 1883
Birthplace: Michigan
Relation to Head of House: Head
Spouse's name: Mary G
Race: White
Household Members: Name Age
Herbert R Mills 47
Mary G Mills 46 [his first wife]
1930 United States Federal Census
Name: Herbert R Mills
Home in 1930: St Petersburg, Pinellas, Florida
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Age: 47
Estimated birth year: abt 1883
Birthplace: Michigan
Relation to Head of House: Head
Spouse's name: Mary L
Race: White
Household Members: Name Age
Herbert R Mills 47
Mary L Mills 31 [his second wife, Mary Lou Mills]
Robin Mills 3 [his son with Mary Lou]
1940 United States Federal Census
Name: Herbert R Mills
Age: 57
Estimated Birth Year: abt 1883
Gender: Male
Race: White
Birthplace: Michigan
Marital Status: Married
Relation to Head of House: Head
Home in 1940: Hillsborough, Florida
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Street: Tacon Street
House Number: 3214
Farm: No
Inferred Residence in 1935: Hillsborough, Florida
Residence in 1935: Same House
Sheet Number: 66B
Number of Household in Order of Visitation: 325
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Household Members: Name Age
Herbert R Mills 57
Mary Mills 56 [his first wife]
1940 United States Federal Census
Name: Herbert M Mills
Respondent: Yes
Age: 57
Estimated Birth Year: abt 1883
Gender: Male
Race: White
Birthplace: Michigan
Marital Status: Married
Relation to Head of House: Head
Home in 1940: St Petersburg, Pinellas, Florida
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House Number: 5863 [Bayou Grande Blvd.]
Farm: No
Inferred Residence in 1935: St Petersburg, Pinellas, Florida
Residence in 1935: Same House
Sheet Number: 6B
Number of Household in Order of Visitation: 159
Neighbors: View others on page
Household Members: Name Age
Herbert M Mills 57
Mary L Mills 41 [his second wife]
H Robin Mills 13
Florida State Census, 1867-1945
Name: Herbert R Mills
Age: 62
Gender: Male
Race: White
Birth Place: Michigan
Est. Birth Year: abt 1883
Census Year: 1945
Locality: Precinct 45
County: Hillsborough [where his first wife lived]
Page: 89
Line: 1
Archive Series #: S1371, Roll 22
Household Members: Name Age
Herbert R Mills 62
Florida State Census, 1867-1945
Name: Herbert R.Phy Mills [sic; "physician"]
Age: 62
Gender: Male
Race: White
Birth Place: Michigan
Est. Birth Year: abt 1883
Census Year: 1945
Locality: Precinct 20
County: Pinellas [where he lived with his second wife]
Page: 8
Line: 34
Archive Series #: S1371, Roll 34
Household Members: Name Age
Herbert R.Phy Mills 62
Florida Death Index, 1877-1998
Name: Herbert R. Mills
Death Date: 1952
County of Death: Hillsborough
State of Death: Florida
Other Death Place Information: Tampa
Race: White
Gender: Male
Inscription
IN MEMORIAM
HERBERT R. MILLS
1882 - 1952
CONSERVATIONIST WHOSE UNTIRING EFFORTS AND GREAT GENEROSITY IN PROTECTING THE ROOKERY BIRDS OF TAMPA BAY ARE COMMEMORATED IN THIS TABLET ERECTED BY
NATIONAL AUDUBON SOCIETY
Gravesite Details
"In a quiet stand of cabbage palms on this natural island stands a monument erected in memory of Dr. H.R. Mills, a Tampa pathologist who was the driving force behind the establishment of the Sanctuary and for many years its strongest supporter."
