Jane Ann MILLS   (This article was Supplied by Carlene and Tom Farmer).

Jane Ann was the third child of the eldest daughter of Charles and Olivia Mills.
As a young girl, Jane liked to stay in bed in the mornings, but her sister Olivia was one to rise early.  One day Olivia called to Jane to get up, she was in the kitchen and Jane's bedroom was immediately above.  She said, "If you don't get up I'll shoot you", and playfully seized her father's gun and pointed at the ceiling.  Unknown to her, it was loaded and when she pulled the trigger, the shot shattered pieces off the heavy wooden ceiling beam, thus saving Jane's life.

One day Jane was standing in the doorway of a house when a young man walked past. He said "that's the girl for me, I'm going to marry her," and asked to be introduced.  His name was Henry Manly, and they did marry.

Jane and Henry and family travelled from Port Fairy to Portland by the ship "Julia Percy", in August 1878, and from there travelled overland by horse drawn conveyance known as a "Three-in-hand" which overturned once on the way.  Jane followed in her mother's tradition and became a midwife in Mount Gambier.

Charles Mills and his family were very happy and prosperous on their farm near Port Fairy.  They grew wheat, potatoes, their own vegetables and also fattened bullocks and sheep.  Olivia baked her own bread, and made clothes for herself and her children.  As there were no sewing machines all the family helped with the sewing.  The boys hemmed the kitchen towels, and if we look at their photographs, we see all the girls were beautifully dressed with their satin dresses for best and their lilac print dresses for the house.  They were skilled at embroidery, and on every bed in the house there was to be seen a beautifully hand sewn patchwork quilt.  Charles promised his daughters gold brooches, as soon as they could iron his white shirts.  This was, because of his early death, a joy that could never come to them.

On one occasion Jane manly made the trip back to Gippsland, where her brother William lived from 1877, to visit her mothers relatives.  She took her daughter Olivia (Mrs. W. McGregor) with her and also her granddaughter Limbry McGregor then aged 17 years.  The trip was long, travelling by train to Trafalga, and then for hours in a cart to reach their destination.

Jane and Henry enjoyed attending the Melbourne Cup Races, and her granddaughter Jane Olivia McGregor (Mrs. A. Kuhl) gave this description of one of her "Cup" dresses.  All Jane's granddaughters were professional dressmakers.  The dress was made of grey silk with a long train on the skirt.  The long sleeves were of silk to above the wrist, then net, trimmed with rows and rows of cream lace, and gathered into a black velvet cuff.  The front of the bodice had an inset of rows of frilled lace, and a high frilled neckline.  It was trimmed with about 6 rows of black velvet ribbon with a tiny pearl buckle in the centre of each. "Gran's" bonnet was made of black straw with black velvet ribbon tied into a bow and a bunch of violets to trim it.  She also wore flannel bloomers drawn into a band below the knee, and flannel petticoats.  When she died, her bonnet and clothes were given to her sister Olivia, Mrs. Pat Griffin, who lived at Mittiarma near Bendigo, Victoria.

Jane had many uses for the things around her, such as boiling up stinging nettles or gathering up cob webs to make a poultice.  Her cure for warts was as follows: Melt a small piece of washing sods in vinegar and dab the wart several times a day.

Her son-in-law William McGregor was a noted jockey and was the first man to ride over the hurdles on the Mt. Gambier race course.  The course had been planned and laid out by Jane's husband Henry Manly, with the help of his wife and family clearing the thistles etc. for the track.  Jane's grand daughters well remember "Gran" going off in her bonnet and shawl to deliver babies in the Mt. Gambier district.

Jane died at Mt. Gambier on the 23rd December 1919 aged 77 years and 5 months.

The following is a cutting placed in a scrapbook.

Mr. P. Griffin, of Mitiamo.

The death of Mr. Patrick Griffin, 88 years, at his home at Mitiamo removes another link with early Victoria.  Born in County Clare, Ireland, he arrived in Australia by the ship Donald McKay when he was aged 18 years.  He disembarked at Geelong and followed harvesting operations and the shearing sheds, where he was often the ringer.  After his marriage to Olivia Mills, of Mills Farm, Rosebrook, Port Fairy, Mr. Griffin selected land at Mitiamo where he built a fine home.

That was more than 60 years ago, and he had to hew his way into dense scrub in order to make a home.  Mrs. Griffin, who predeceased her husband by 10 years was also a pioneer.  Her father was a son of Lieutenant Mills, R.N. and was deputy surveyor of lands and inspector of stock at Dalrymple.  He was later harbour master at Launceston.  A large gathering paid their respects to the late Mr. Griffin at the Bendigo funeral, and eulogies were made by the Rev. Father Heffernan.  He is survived by three daughters, Mary Ellen (Mrs. R.J. Haig of Lorne) Olivia Jane (Mrs. O.J. Williams of Flemington) and Sarah Ann (Mrs. M.J. Russell, Glen Forbes) and two sons (James George of Richmond) and Patrick Myles (Mitiamo). One son Michael John, and two daughters, Jane Ann and Lucy Ellen Predeceased him......

Jane and Henry had two daughters (Annie and Olivia) and one son Henry who died young.
Annie married Sandy Campbell and Olivia married William McGregor (these two were Tom Farmers grandparents and their daughter Claire was his mother) a wonderful dressmaker. See page 139 of
"A NATION WITHIN A NATION"