John Mills

  Noted events in his life were:

• source. Brian & Lee-Anne Kenane (nee Moloney)
& http://www.easystreetretreat.com.au/australianroyalty where it is noted:
On 19 Mar 1813 the Lent Assizes held at Maidstone, Kent, England heard a case involving John Mills 'the elder' forty three late of the Parish of Allington in the County of Kent, a labourer) John Mills 'the younger' (aged fourteen also of the Parish of Allington, a labourer) and James Wells aged twenty seven, again of the Parish of Allington, a labourer.
All three were charged with stealing pigs valued at 12 pounds, the property of Robert Fauchon. John Mills the elder was acquitted.
John Mills the younger and James Wells were both sentenced to seven years commuted to transportation.
Following the trial John was sent to the hulk 'Zealand' which was moored as Sheerness, to await transportation. He was held on the 'Zealand' from 19 April to 13 August 1813. He was then transferred to the convict ship 'General Hewart' (often called General Hewitt).
The 'General Hewitt/Hewart' departed England on 26 Aug 1813 and arrived in Sydney on 7 Feb 1814 under the master Percy Earl.
The convict indent showed John as being a 16 year old 'Farmer's boy' from Kent who was 5 feet 3 and a quarter inches tall with a fair/pale complexion, light brown hair and hazel eyes.
The 1814 Muster lists John as residing in the Parramatta district and working for George Best, to whom he must have been assigned as a convict labourer. (George Best was also a convict who arrived in Sydney in 1791 and received a conditional pardon in 1800).
On 15 Dec 1817, John Petitioned for a Ticket of Leave which, although he would still be a convict, would allow him to work for himself. His request was granted.
John's sentence expired on 15 March 1820 and on 25 May 1820 he petitioned the Governor for a grant of land and was duly granted 50 acres.
John was tried in the Criminal Court on 14 Aug 1821. He was charged with being part of a gang of bushrangers led by William Geary which had been robbing people on the Windsor Road north of Parramatta. One of the other alleged members of the gang was Samuel Beckett, the brother of Thomas Best's wife.
Samuel Beckett was acquitted but John, along with several others, was found guilty and on 18 Aug 1821 was sentenced to death by hanging.
Sydney Gazette, 25 August 1821
Executions. On Wednesday morning August 1821] last were executed, pursuant to their sentence, the following unfortunate men, condemned to die at the present criminal sessions; viz. Francis Pasco, Pasco Haddycott, Miles Jordan, and John Ryan. Also, yesterday morning, the following started the awful sentence: William Geary, Thomas Smith, John Whiteman, John Cochrane, Charles Young, John Mills, and William Kennedy.
On the verge of eternity, Geary solemnly exculpated George Bowerman (one of the three brothers that were executed some months since for a robbery on the Windsor-road) from all knowledge of the transaction for which he had innocently paid the forfeit of his life. He (Geary) declared himself to have been the man, in company with the other Bowermans that had perpetrated the robbery; and that George Bowerman was the unhappy man identified in the place of Geary. We must leave the Public to judgement, at so awful a period; but, it may be remembered, that the deceased George Bowerman positively asserted his innocence to the last moment of existence. During his trial, Geary alleged, and in fact it was proved, that he had committed no violence, no act of inhumanity; but at the place of execution, he declared that he had committed an innocent man (the father of a family) to become a sacrifice to his wanton rapacity!

John married Mary Best, daughter of George Best and Martha Chamberlain, on 22 Jun 1818 in St Johns, Parramatta, Sydney, NSW Australia.²⁴⁷ (Mary Best was born on 3 Oct 1803 in Castle Hill, Sydney, NSW Australia and died on 13 Feb 1870 in Seven Hills, Sydney, NSW Australia ²⁵⁰.)