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 enigma309 |
Wm Mills & Son query |
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Posts: 985 01/27/2010 09:09 Moderator |
Wm Mills & Son
A.J. Campbell tells us that Wm Mills & Son was started by the needle and hook making Bate brothers, who were originally from Redditch, England. He goes on to tell us that son-in-law William Mills joined them in 1853. He also says “the company continued to operate it factories in Redditch and Central Valley” Does anyone know what names the Redditch factories
traded under and when they ceased trading? Thanks Brian |
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DoctorFly |
#1 | |||
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Posts: 298 01/27/2010 10:39 |
Hi Brian,
Pigot & Co's National Commercial for 1828/9 shows a Thomas Bate & Company trading as a Needle & Fish Hook Manufacturer at Unicorn Hill Redditch. 
They're not in the later 1835 or 1842 directories, though John and Mathew Mills (either of whom could have been the father of William Mills, who married Bate's daughter) were in all three, as Needle & Fish Hook Manufacturers at Beoley Mill, Redditch. DoctorFly - Classic English Fishing |
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cwfly |
#2 | |||
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Posts: 1265 01/27/2010 10:47 |
The Bate concern did exist in 1840.
On 14 November 1840 Thomas & James Bate (apparently a company) signed at Redditch with a number of other manufacturers a complaint to the Board of Trade, then brought to the House of Commons over the import duty imposed by France on fish hooks.
An 1871 Commercial Directory lists Michael Mills, Jr. of Albert Works, Hunt End, Redditch as a needle manufacturer. No company with the name Bate and I have no idea if the “Mills” were related.
An 1879 Commercial Directory lists “Mills, J. and M” as fish hook manufacturers at Ipsley Mills, Redditch. I have no idea if there is a connection to Thomas Bate Mills or William Mills, but no Bate company or person is listed.
That’s all I could find with a quick search. |
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enigma309 |
Thank you gents, | #3 | ||
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Posts: 986 01/27/2010 11:02 Moderator |
My reading of Campbell was that it was post 1900 he was talking about:
"By 1905 . . . .Mills . . . . moved to 19-21 Park Place . . .the company continued to operate it factories in Redditch . ." I'll dig a bit deeper . . An aside: Doc and I wondered if contemporary Reel Maker 'Garry Mills', who lives very close to Redditch, could be related to William . .so far it seems unlikely . . but?  Brian |
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DoctorFly |
#4 | |||
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Posts: 299 01/27/2010 11:08 |
cwfly wrote:In 1855 Michael Mills sen. and Michael Mills jun., were making needles at Hunt End (which counted as Feckenham then), while Henry Mills was making them in Crab's Cross (Feckenham then again). Regards, Doc DoctorFly - Classic English Fishing |
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DoctorFly |
#5 | |||
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Posts: 300 01/27/2010 11:38 |
enigma309 wrote: Kelly's Directory of 1912 has a J.M. Mills & Co making needles at Washford Mills, which is where Henry Milward & Co were based. Harrison Bartleet had moved there too in 1907 when they were taken over by Milward's. So it would seem that this particular needle making Mills had become part of Milward's. Whether or not it was connected to Wm. Mills is unclear, but, according to Campbell, the New York store stocked Allcock's rather than rival Milward's tackle. Garry's immediate ancestors were farmers at Coughton just outside Redditch. I don't think he has researched back to the last century, but there were a lot of needle making Mills's about! Considering that in the 19th century Needles and Fish Hooks were the major local industry in the Redditch area, probably every family had someone connected to the trade. Regards, Doc DoctorFly - Classic English Fishing |
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cwfly |
#6 | |||
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Posts: 1266 01/27/2010 22:33 |
A bit more research tells, as it should, a bit more.
I consulted Larson, The History of the Fish Hook in America, Whitefish Press (2007). Chapter 8 is titled, “From Bate to Mills, America’s Hookmaking Dynasty.”
Dr. Todd [E.A. Larson] points out the early move by one of the Bate brothers to the United States while the other remained in Redditch sharpening needles and hooks.
He also includes a 1900 letterhead of William Mills referring to Redditch, a 1901 piece of stationary still referring to “T & T.H. Bates Celebrated Needles” and the article mentions an 1876 Mills advertisement as successor to Thomas H. Bate & Co. with a manufacturing facility in Station Road, Redditch. The article (and book) has much more than this but I wanted to point it out.
Charlie |
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pcg |
#7 | |||
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Posts: 3762 01/27/2010 22:47 Admin |
Great research, all. When it all comes down, it's always a small world.
One of us is crazy in fishing and forget time.
And the other take part only in the party at night. --Yoshikazu Fujioka |
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enigma309 |
Rather lateral but | #8 | ||
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Posts: 987 01/28/2010 05:58 Moderator |
. . . . .of interest. Scans from 1892 & 1894 respectively, both from UK Newspapers, - the first shows the relative value of Hook & Needle exports from the West Midlands area (only exceeded by Iron & Steel!,)
[shhhh, but I've not read Dr Todd's book, so when did hook making start in the U.S.?]   Brian
Last Edited By: enigma309 01/28/2010 06:43.
Edited 1 time.
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Trout120 |
#9 | |||
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Posts: 1015 01/29/2010 21:49 |
No mention where in Central Valley NY the factory was located? Could it have been at Leonard?
Great stuff! Trout120 |
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cwfly |
#10 | |||
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Posts: 1272 01/30/2010 15:46 |
T120
The short answer to what you are suggesting is yes. My research is not near me so this is from memory, imperfect as that can be.. The company was Thomas H. Bate & Co. and William Mills was said the be the surviving partner when Bate died. I think that was in the late 1860’s. Bate had some relationship with Henry Hall with respect to Hall using the building in Central Valley. Negotiations between Bate’s Estate and Hall, after Bate’s death over whether Hall would stay were not successful so off he went to build his 400’ long line-making plant. Bate was in debt when he died and although Mills continued he went bankrupt (but kept working while debts were adjusted) and litigation continued well into the 1870’s over Mills’ (and his wife’s) status as debtors or, in her case, creditor. Ultimately, Leonard and his troops moved down to Central Valley from Bangor into what had been the Bate building. Since this is from memory, and without a single citation for any source, feel free to take it for what it cost. Charlie
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cwfly |
a bit more | #11 | ||
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Posts: 1279 02/01/2010 13:09 |
Henry Hall (the elder, since his son was also Henry Hall) is reported to have left Long Island in 1861 (leaving his son in charge of the works there) and came to Woodbury, New York as a partner of Thomas H. Bate. The Woodbury establishment is said to have made “fishing tackle of all kinds, rods, reels, etc.” Thomas Bate died in 1868, Hall, unable to reach terms to continue in Woodbury departed and set up his factory in Highland Mills. Correction:
First source for Bate demise appears to be wrong. Thomas H. Bate’s obituary says he died on Saturday, March 26, 1870, age 50, at his home in Woodbury, New York. In the 1870 census, William Mills described himself, then living in Brooklyn, as a “needle” manufacturer, not a fishing tackle manufacturer. In 1880 he was a self-described “importer” of “sporting goods.” Things would soon change.
Last Edited By: cwfly 02/01/2010 16:10.
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