Mills' Home, Brooktondale

This section explores the historical deeds and the lives of some of the other former owners of the home beginning in the 1860’s, when the property is first sub-divided from the lower grist mill and called “The Wolcott Lot” for the first owner of record, William Benton Wolcott, through to the 1960’s ownership by Jessie (Shurter) Brewer. It is unclear exactly when the Mills family first moved into the home, although I believe the 1880 census strongly suggests that they lived in the home shortly after their move to Mott’s Corners, if not immediately so.

A compilation of information and photographs from the late 1960’s to the mid 2000’s, during the years the home was owned by C. Dalton and Clara B. Jones, then Larry and Janet Lattin, and then by Andrea Talmadge. Each set of owners did much to improve the home and property that is still evident presently.

In the 1860’s, when Brooktondale was called Mott’s Corners, and Brooktondale Road was called Creek Road, the lower grist mill that was known for a time as Personius Flouring Mills sat where Dalebrook Apartments sit presently, almost directly across the street from Mills’ Store, a building better known to many today as “The Old Post Office”. What would later become known as “The Mills’ Place” was sub-divided from the grist mill property, and it was originally referred to as “The Wolcott Lot” for William Benton Wolcott, the first owner of record. The Mill Race Bridge is one of the primary landmarks used to establish the Place of Beginning for the Mills’ Home parcel from the time of its original sub-division from the grist mill to the end of Emily Mills’ life. This section attempts to accurately locate the Mill Race Bridge and describe its shape and size.

This section explores past and present features of the Mills’ Home property, including the Civil War Belt and the Old Oak, as well as an exploration of the stone foundation and its possible builders.