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9" beech boxed bead with a relieved notch on finial, a feature typically found in the CT River Valley. The imprint was recorded (but not shown) in BARS's PlaneTalk issue 5-3 pg 8 on a complex 8 1/2" long molder with the imprint I Mills as an owner's mark.
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Daniel Mills (1773-1835), a carpenter in a 1820 deed where he's living in Plymouth, CT and buying land from his son in Berkshire Co., MA.
New imprint / photographs courtesy of Mike Wyckoff.
D Mills
D Mills
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9" beech boxed bead with a relieved notch on finial, a feature typically found in the CT River Valley. The imprint was recorded (but not shown) in BARS's PlaneTalk issue 5-3 pg 8 on a complex 8 1/2" long molder with the imprint I Mills as an owner's mark.
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Daniel Mills (1773-1835), a carpenter in a 1820 deed where he's living in Plymouth, CT and buying land from his son in Berkshire Co., MA.
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New imprint and photographs courtesy of Mike Wyckoff.
The D Mills plane and imprint.
D Mills and I Mills entry in BAR's PlaneTalk 5-3 pg 8. (Only the wedges and toe/profiles are considered representative ... the "imprints" are not considered representative.) The editor assumes that 1) D Mills is the likely maker of the 8 1/2" complex molder with the earlier reverse chamfer stop, 2) I Mills is the likely maker of the 9" complex molder with the somewhat later styled reverse chamfer stop, and that 3) the I Mills stamp on the D Mills plane is likely an owner's mark. Based on the similarities between the planes, the editor assumes that it is likely that D Mills and I Mills were related.
Since the BAR's D Mills wedge profile and reverse-side end chamfers match those found on the 9" boxed bead, it is assumed the planes were made by the common craftsman, Daniel Mills.
The BAR's D Mills information is not included in GAWPS. An I Mills imprint is given in GAWP5. However, the GAWP5 I Mills wedge profile is different than the one shown in BAR's (no relief notch) and as a result, it is assumed that the two I Mills planes were made by different craftsmen.
D Mills, the craftsman.
A search using the online Full-Text tool of FamilySearch yielded a strong candidate and a weak candidate. No other candidates were found in the search.
The strong candidate is Daniel Mills from Plymouth and Burlington, CT (1773 - 1835). His location in CT matches the likely location associated with the wedge relief notch feature ... the CT River Valley. His assumed early working date of ca 1793 matches well with the 9" boxed bead's features ... especially the wedge and the reverse-side chamfer stops. His 1835 probate inventory includes chisels, augers, saws, a set of planes and moulding tools.
The weak candidate is David Mills of NYC, deceased by 1783. The date is too early for the 9" boxed bead and the location of NYC does not fit with the plane's details ... especially the wedge.
Daniel Mills (born 2-1773 in CT / Plymouth, CT 1796 to at least 1820 / died 7-20-1835 in Burlington, CT)
parents were Ebenezer and Abigail Mills.
married Mary Dunbar in 1796 in Plymouth, CT.
children Albin (1796), Leavet (1800), Leavet (1813), Norman (1821)
1820 deed where Daniel's a carpenter in Plymouth, CT
1835 probate inventory with chisels, augers, saws, shaving knives, gouges, a set of planes and moulding tools
1820 deed where Daniel, a carpenter in Plymouth, CT, buys 100A of land in Berkshire Co., MA from his son Albin.
Daniel's 1835 probate inventory includes chisels, saws, augers, a set of planes and moulding tools.
Daniel and Mary Mills
