Mills family c 1938

This photograph of the Mills family was taken about 1938. William Henry Mills and Glader Mae Johnson Mills are posing with their two children, Paul and Vera Mae.

Aren't the children cute?

Henry was named after his two grandfathers - William Orville Mills and Henry Randolph. He was the son of Jesse Thomas Mills and Onady Randolph.

We are not sure where Glader got her name. Surprisingly, I've found another Glader Johnson in the area and about the same age, but her name was spelled Glada Johnson. Maybe Glader Mae was actually Glada Mae, pronounced Glader Mae. Our Itawamba families are prone to put an "er" on most anything. Glader was the daughter of Fisher Demarcus Johnson and Nora Thornton.

Although Henry died well before I met Mike, Glader died in 2007 so I knew her. She was a very sweet person. And multi-talented. She could play piano by ear, having had no formal training, but perhaps her greatest talent - and her legacy - was sewing. Glader made dozens of beautiful quilts many of which are in the possession of her grandchildren and great-grandchildren today. She could crochet and embroider too. I wish I knew what happened to that black and gold crocheted toboggan that she did for Mike one Christmas.