Wildman Mills

Wildman Mills, 1831-1894
Wildman Mills, of Croswell, farmer and dealer in real estate, was born Sept. 17, 1831 in the township of Portland, Erie Co., Ohio. He has been a resident of Croswell since his removal hither in 1866, and has been and still is one of the most prominent factors in the development of Sanilac County. The characteristic traits of Mr. Mills are of the type which have wrought out within the past half century the most marvelous development known to mankind in the portion of the United States territory designated " The West." His parents were Isaac Augustus Mills and Sophia Lyman Mills. Wildman's grandfather was Judge Isaac Mills, one of the co-founders of the city of Sandusky, Ohio. Wildman Mills moved to Sanilac County, Michigan in the 1860s. He was active in several business ventures, including real estate, lumber, railroads, and farming. The unexpected nomination of Mr. Mills for Governor of Michigan by the Anti-Monopolists in 1884, would imply in him an active interest in politics which is entirely remote from the facts in the case. He has never taken more than a passing interest in politics, as they have been in no sense auxiliary to his purposes in life. The town of Sandusky, Michigan, was named by Wildman Mills, in honor of the place of his birth, Sandusky, Ohio. In 1858, Wildman Mills married Julia Moss, and they had five children. After Wildman Mill died in Croswell, Michigan, his remains were returned to Sandusky, Ohio for burial at Oakland Cemetery.
Source: Portrait and Biographical Album of Sanilac County (Chapman Brothers, 1884), https://archive.org/stream/portraitbiograph09chic#page/n3/mode/2up