Raymond Isaac Mills Former Mayor of Des Moines, Iowa 1956-1957

 Raymond Isaac Mills (1899–1987)

While tracing the line from Peter Mills and Mary Stanley through their sons Elias and Isaac, I discovered that Raymond Isaac Mills—Elias’s son and my 2nd grandmother Sarah Elizabeth Mills’s cousin—had almost no recorded family story.

It moved me to realize that a man who served his city so faithfully had not yet had his life shared within our family history. I felt strongly that his story needed to be written so future generations of the Mills family would know him and honor his life.

Raymond Isaac Mills (1899–1987), son of Elias Mills and Mary Jane Breece of Warren County, Iowa, was the nephew of Isaac Josephe Mills. Isaac Josephe Mills was the father of Sarah Elizabeth Mills, my 2nd grandmother. Therefore, Raymond Isaac Mills was my 2nd grandmother’s first cousin.

Raymond's Story: 

Raymond Isaac Mills was born April 2, 1899, near Liberty Center in Warren County, Iowa, the son of Elias Mills and Mary Jane Breece. He came from a long line of Midwestern pioneers. His grandfather, Peter Mills—known as “Peter Mills the hatter”—was born about 1796 and moved from Warren County, Indiana, to Iowa in 1847. Peter’s son Elias grew up in Jefferson County, Iowa, bound out to a Quaker farmer named Joel Paxton, and later fought bravely in the Civil War with the 13th Iowa Infantry, serving at Shiloh and marching with Sherman to the sea.

After the war Elias became a successful farmer, stockman, banker, and civic leader in Warren County. He married Mary Jane Breece, and among their children was Raymond Isaac Mills. Thus Raymond was born into a family known for hard work, military service, and public responsibility.

Raymond grew up on Iowa farmland but moved to Des Moines as a young man. During the Great Depression he joined the bakery drivers‑salesmen’s union and quickly rose through the labor movement, eventually becoming President of Teamsters Joint Council No. 45 and administrator of the Iowa State Federation of Labor.

In 1950 he was elected to the Des Moines City Council, and in 1956 he became Mayor. He represented working families during a period of rapid growth in the city.

In August 1952 Raymond was struck with polio and was paralyzed. Doctors feared he would die, but after months of therapy at Warm Springs, Georgia, he learned to walk again with braces and crutches. Friends sometimes carried his wheelchair up City Council steps, but he never let his disability stop him.

Raymond married Rose, and they had one son, Eugene Ramon Mills, a World War II Navy veteran and civil engineer, who married Colleen Shugart and raised daughters Vickie, Janet, and Debra.

In 1961 declining health forced Raymond to retire from politics. He moved to Florida and worked as an information officer for the U.S. Department of Labor, later returning to Iowa to live in Jewell. He died June 6, 1987, at age 88 and was buried in Ames Municipal Cemetery.

Raymond Isaac Mills carried forward the legacy of Peter Mills the hatter and Civil War veteran Elias Mills. His life of labor leadership, public service, perseverance, and devotion to family stands as an important chapter in the Mills family history of Iowa.

Mills Meets New Grandchild
(photo caption)
Ray Mills, 50, president of the Iowa State Federation of Labor and Des Moines city councilman, has arms full of grandchildren as he gets acquainted with month-old Janet Jean, whom he had not seen before, and reacquainted with Vickie Lynn, 3½, daughters of Mr. and Mrs. Eugene Mills. Mr. Mills a victim of polio, arrived home Saturday after four months as a patient at Warm Springs, Ga.

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Raymond Mills President of the Iowa State Federation of Labor 

and Des Moines city councilman

The Des Moines Register

Des Moines, Iowa

Sun, May 3, 1953 · Page 16

“I’m Over the Hump,” Mills Says of His Polio Battle
By Nick Lamberto
A 50-year-old labor leader and city councilman came back home Saturday, confident he is winning his battle against polio—a battle that began 8 months ago.
It was last Aug. 18 when Ray Mills, president of the Iowa State Federation of Labor and Des Moines city councilman, was stricken by polio.
He was paralyzed from the neck down.
“Over the Hump.”
But Saturday, Ray relaxed in an easy chair at his home at 1519 Osceola ave., and recounted the progress made during his more than four months at Warm Springs, Ga. He can walk with crutches now.
“I’m over the hump,” Mills said. “I’ll be able to do everything I did before.”
Mills and his wife drove from Warm Springs to Des Moines, a 1,000-mile trip, in four days. Mrs. Mills did all the driving.
One of the persons Mills was most eager to see was his new granddaughter, Janet Jean Mills, just a month old.
Ray’s only son, Eugene, and his family are living at the Mills’ residence temporarily. Eugene just went to work a week ago for the state highway commission at Ames. Before that he lived at Topeka, Kan.
On Hand.
Ray’s other granddaughter, Vickie Lynn, 3½, was also on hand to welcome her granddad.
“I’m eager to attend my first council meeting next Monday,” Mills said. “I haven’t got anything to raise a stink about yet—guess that’ll be new if I don’t. I haven’t any comment on the present building trade strike—I don’t know enough about the situation.”
“I do have some opinions about the proposed zoning ordinance before the city council.”
“Out of Business.”
“According to what I’ve read about an entire section owns a grocery store and the store burns down, he’s out of business for life. He can’t remodel, he can’t anything.”
“It seems like a slow process of elimination. There’s no union involved (Mills paused and chuckled) but it just doesn’t seem right.”
“I’m not against a zoning ordinance, just parts of it that can be modified.”
Strict Diet.
Mills was put on a strict diet by the doctors at Warm Springs.
He has lost a pound and a half a week and now weighs 170 pounds.
“I’m still supposed to lose another 10 pounds,” Mills said. “Every pound I take off it’s that much easier to walk.”
“It’s still awfully slow walking. I just barely hobble. But it’s so much better than when I started.”
Mills uses special crutches and braces made of aluminum and leather. The braces weigh 7 pounds.
“I have no knee muscles,” Mills explained. “These braces help keep my knees locked and protect what muscles I have.”
Really Strong.
“My arm muscles are really strong now and first my arm and stomach muscles were paralyzed—everything from the neck down. You keep improving with time, I guess.”
“Several muscles that help keep my balance were gone, so I had to develop new muscles. That’s where underwater therapy and muscle stretching exercises help.”
Mills was hospitalized last Aug. 25 after being ill 10 weeks before. He left Des Moines for Warm Springs Dec. 20, the trip arranged by the National Foundation for Infantile Paralysis.
“Des Moines looked wonderful when we hit town,” Mills said. “I’m eager for the council meeting. I’m not going to confine myself to the back yard.”

“And I’m running for re-election as state labor president.”

Visit to Chariton Iowa

A Journey Through Time in Lucas County, Iowa

On a recent road trip with my father, we took a detour through memory lane—quite literally. Our destination was Chariton, Iowa, but first, we made a meaningful stop in the quiet mining town of Lucas County, where my dad spent his early childhood in the 1940s.

We wound our way down narrow gravel roads, bordered by simple homes and rolling hills, in search of the place where he once lived. Though the original house was no longer standing—replaced by a newer dwelling—the landscape around it remained uncannily familiar. As if time had paused for his return, everything was just as he remembered it: the home of his childhood friend Donnie Stover still sat just below, and the old schoolhouse still stood, silent and dignified on the hill.

Driving through that small town with my dad was like watching a sepia-toned reel of his youth come alive. It wasn’t hard to imagine a young Jacky Brower running barefoot on those gravel roads, walking to school, or playing near the railroad tracks. His stories took on new life as we stood in the very spots they once unfolded.

Dad lived in Lucas until around 1956, when his mother, Edna Lois Lovell-Brower, and his brother Mack (short for James Howard McClelland Brower) moved the family to Des Moines, Iowa—a new chapter in a life already rich with small-town adventure and close-knit community memories.

Photo of young Jack Brower (photo enhanced) 

Donnie Stover and Jack Brower (photo enhanced) 

A Sacred Stop at Arnold Cemetery

One of the most meaningful moments of our road trip through Lucas County, Iowa was visiting the Arnold Cemetery, the final resting place of several of my ancestors. This small, quiet cemetery sits tucked away off a long gravel road branching from 170th Avenue, near Liberty Center, bordering the edges of Lacona.

Surrounded by rolling farmland and open sky, the cemetery feels both secluded and timeless. As we stood among the stones, we paused to pay respects to my grandmother, Edna Lois Lovell-Brower, who rests there. It was a powerful and grounding experience—being in the same land where generations of my family lived, worked, and laid down their roots.

Behind the cemetery, the open land stretches for miles—land that once belonged to Isaac Mills and Lydia Ruble, who lived and farmed there many years ago. According to the 1912 Liberty Township Plat Map of Lucas County, their farm was located near what was then known as Thompson Cemetery, now known as Arnold Cemetery.

Being there—where history, memory, and legacy intersect—was a quiet but profound reminder of where we come from, and the lives that shaped our own. It brought my family's story full circle, from past to present.

If you didn’t already know where to turn, you’d likely miss the narrow gravel road leading to Arnold Cemetery, hidden just off 170th Avenue, near Liberty Center, Iowa. Thankfully, with the help of our cousin Frank Crooks, we found our way. He guided us to the place where so many of our ancestors rest—on a quiet hilltop surrounded by the most breathtaking rolling hills of Chariton.

As we turned in, I was struck by what I hadn’t expected: the cemetery is nestled on a rise, its gravestones scattered like sentinels along the hill, looking out over miles and miles of uninterrupted countryside. The wind carried the scent of rain, and the sky above was stormy, which only deepened the emotion of the visit.

At the very top of the hill stands the tombstone of Elias Mills, surrounded by the resting places of his immediate family. Some of the smaller gravestones nearby are gently hidden beneath overgrown brush, but they are still there—quiet reminders of lives once lived. Elias was the brother of my second great-grandfather, Isaac Mills, who married Lydia Ruble and farmed the land that lies just beyond the cemetery’s edge.

There is something sacred about this place. Despite the wind and the gathering storm clouds, a deep peace settled around us. Acres and acres of lush green hills stretched in every direction—nature’s own tribute to those buried here and the loved ones who once stood in mourning, saying their final goodbyes.

My grandmother, Edna Lois Lovell-Brower, is laid to rest near the end row of the cemetery. Just beside her is my father's headstone—though thankfully, he is still very much alive. Seeing his name already engraved beside hers added a surreal layer to the moment, a reminder of life's circle.

Without a doubt, this is where I, too, would want to be laid to rest someday—beside my grandmother, among generations of family, on this peaceful hill. But hopefully, not for another 50 years or so!

Dad (Jack Brower) and cousin Frank Crooks paying respect to relatives buried here. 

On our way out we made a stop to view what once was the James Brower and Sadie Brower (Mills) farm, which property use to be owned by his mother in law, Lydia Mills (Isaac Mills wife) in 1912, or perhaps J.B. Curtis.

Today's Google map shows the old James Brower farm occupied next to the creek.

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The Red Barn on 170th Avenue

As we left Arnold Cemetery, our path took us further down 170th Avenue, past sweeping green hills and quiet farmland. Not far from the cemetery—just across 570th Avenue and a short way down the road—sits a property that holds deep significance for our family. On the left side, nestled among the rolling fields, stands a home…and the old red barn.

The barn still stands proud, weathered by time but lovingly preserved. Years ago, during a restoration by the previous owners, a single board was discovered with the initials “F.A.C.” carved into the wood. When Frank Crooks, our cousin, visited the site, he immediately recognized those were his own initials—Frank A. Crooks—engraved during his childhood when he used to play in that very barn. The new owners, touched by the story, chose to keep the board with the barn, a tribute to the history held within its walls.

As I stood gazing at the barn, I couldn’t help but feel a mixture of wonder and sorrow. It was here, in this very place, that my great-grandfather ended his life in 1920—a tragic chapter that still echoes through generations. I thought of my great-grandmother, Sadie, suddenly widowed, left to run the farm and raise her children—John Howard Brower, Mae Brower, and Anna Brower—on her own.

The hardship she must have faced is hard to imagine. And yet, despite the heavy past, the land itself seems to radiate strength and peace. These hills are among the most beautiful I’ve seen in Iowa, stretching out like a patchwork of endurance and grace.

The farm, passed through time and hands, now belongs to new owners, but the spirit of those who came before still lingers in the quiet rustle of the wind and the sturdy red barn standing watch over it all.

A visit to Goshen Cemetery

Our final stop was to Goshen Cemetery—this quiet resting place where our Brower family originally settled in Iowa in the mid-1800s. The cemetery lies just beneath the old Goshen Church, nestled peacefully in the rolling hills.

As I made my way to Jeremiah Brower’s tombstone, I passed the graves of the Stumbaugh family. These were the same Stumbaughs who traveled by covered wagon alongside my 2nd great-grandfather Jeremiah Brower, eventually settling on a neighboring farm. Also nearby rests Sarah’s uncle, James Quincy Buffington. Sarah Woods, Jeremiah’s wife, was the sister of Barbara Woods, wife of James Stumbaugh. Their mother, Susanna Buffington, was the daughter of Joseph X. Buffington and Chloe Harvey—another thread in the fabric of our ancestry.

Finally, I reached the tombstone of Jeremiah Brower. To my surprise, and contrary to the digital images found on websites like FindAGrave, there is only one tall, shared monument for Jeremiah John Brower, his wife Sarah Jane, and their daughter Eliza. Each side of the stone is engraved, and Jeremiah’s age is clearly marked: 71 years, 7 months, and 6 days. In old photos, this detail is hard to see, but in person, it’s perfectly legible.

Next to Jeremiah’s marker is a very small stone that simply reads "Mother." I can only assume this marks the resting place of his wife, Sarah Jane Woods. The small stone lies between Jeremiah’s monument and a standalone tombstone for their daughter Martha.

The most touching moment came when I watched my father gently clear moss from Jeremiah's stone—a quiet gesture of connection across the generations. A priceless moment.

If only Jeremiah could speak from the grave , may he would tell us who his parents were!

Lydia Ruble Obituary

Lydia Ruble born 04 Aug 1827, Warren County, Ohio. Daughter to Henry Ruble and Mahala Martin, wife to Isaac Joseph Mills. 

Obituary

of

Mrs. Lydia Mills

Chariton Herald Newspaper

Thu, Feb 14, 1918 Chariton Iowa Page : 4

Lydia Ruble was born in Warren County, Ohio, August 4th, 1827 and died at the home of her daughter, Mrs. Sadie Brower, near Lacona, February 11th, 1918, her age being 90 years, 6 months and 7 days. 

She moved when quite young to Warren County, Indiana, where she grew to womanhood. In September, 1844, she was united in marriage to Isaac Mills, brother of Elias Mills of Liberty Center. To this union were born eleven children, all but one preceding her to the Great Beyond. Mrs. Sadie Brower is the surviving daughter, with whom she made her home and who was the only child left to comfort her. She has five living grandchildren and six great grandchildren. 

Mr. and Mrs Mills came to Iowa in 1851 and settled on a farm, four miles southwest of Lacona. Her husband passed away on July 5th, 1873. She with her family, resided on the farm until the spring of 1902, when with her son and his wife she moved to Lacona, where she made her home after her sons death with her daughter in law, Mrs. May Mills, until in December, 1916. Since then her home has been with her daughter Mrs. Brower, where she went peacefully to rest. Everyone who knew her loved her. She professed faith in Christ when young and became a member of the United Brethren church. She gave cheerfully to the support of the gospel. The funeral services were held at the home on Tuesday and were conducted by Rev. E. W. Curtis with interment in the Arnold Cemetery. 

Elias Mills and Mary Jane Breece

Elias Mills and wife Mary Jane Breece. Original picture provided to me by Frank Crooks, great grandson of Lydia Ruble and Isaac Mills, brother to Elias Mills. 

From the "Mills Family Chronicles by Merelyn J. Cumming

    The first record we find of the Mills family starts with Peter Mills, a hatter from Wales who first settled in North Carolina. He was born in 1800 (three years after George Washington died). He moved to a farm in Lucas County, Iowa, where he met and married Mary Stanley, born 1800. They had four children: Isaac mills, 1825-1873; Elvira (Mills) Powell, 1829-1869, Jane of Allen, Nebraska, and Elias Mills, 1839-1919. It is Peter and Mary's fourth child, Elias, whose descendants are traced in these chronicles.

    Peter's son, Elias, was a rather famous, wealthy and prolific father in southern Iowa and northern Missouri. Elias had 18 children, eleven by his first wife, Elizabeth, and seven by his second wife Mary.

    Following is an excerpt from History of Warren County, pages 990-991:   When ten years of age Elias Mills was "bound out" to a Quaker named Joel Paxton, in Jefferson County, Iowa, to which place the family had removed in 1847. He remained with Mr. Paxton until he had attained his majority and then received two suits of jean clothing, a mare worth eighty dollars in money. Subsequently, in 1860, he operated a farm on shares in Jefferson County, receiving a third share. In December, 1860 he removed to Lucas County, Iowa, locating on the farm of his brother, Isaac Mills, which lay partly in Warren County. There he remained throughout the following spring and summer, raising a crop on a neighboring farm.     In the fall of 1861, at Chariton, Iowa, Mr. Mills enlisted as a member of Company C, Thirteenth Iowa Volunteer Infantry, Seventeenth Army Corps. He participated in many important engagements of the war, including the first battle of Shiloh and the engagement at Atlanta. He was also with Sherman on his famous march to the sea and took part in the grand review at Wasington at the close of hostilities. He was three times wounded and at one time his injuries were so serious that he was compelled to spend four months in a hospital at Rome, Georgia. In 1864 he returned to Lucas County, Iowa, on a furlough and was married, but subsequently again joined his comrades on the battlefields of the south, serving in the army until July 31, 1865. Thus for four years he loyally defended the interest of the Union, having re enlisted at the end of this three year's term.     on once more taking up the pursuits of civil life Mr. mills settled on a farm of eighty acres which he had purchased in Lucas county, Iowa being engaged in its operation until 1872, when he came to Liberty Township, Warren County, and has here been successfully and extensively engaged as a farmer and stockman to the present time. He owns and operates his home farm of about seven hundred acres in Warren and Lucas Counties, while his holdings also comprise two hundred and eighty acres in Virginia Township, a tract of land in Missouri and an entire section (a section is a subdivision of land one-mile square, one thirty-sixth of a township) of solid timber in Dallas County.     In addition to his agricultural interest he has also largely engaged in buying, raising, feeding and shipping cattle, hogs and horses, meeting with a most gratifying and enviable measure of success in his undertakings. Since the reorganization of the Bank of Lacona he has served as president of that institution, and is widely recognized as one of Warren County's most influential, prominent and prosperous citizens.     Mr. Mills was united in marriage to Miss Elizabeth Edwards, who was born in Indiana in 1844, a daughter of Abel and Clarissa (Bennett) Edwards, who resided on the farm on sections 33 and 34, Liberty Township, Warren County, which is now the home of our subject. The Edwards family were comparatively early residents of this county, but the father and mother of Mrs Mills were both deceased, the former passing away in Lucas County in 1895 and the latter in Warren County about 1875. Mrs. Mills was about fifteen years of age when she accompanied her parents on their removal to this county and she acquired her education in the old district school.     By her marriage she became the mother of eleven children, namely: William, of Lincoln Twp. a teacher and coal miner, who is married and has six children; Lucy, who died about 1898, leaving her husband, Ira Stones, and two children to mourn her loss; Eli, who passed away at the age of ten months; Charles Levi who was a farmer of Liberty Twp., and died about 1900, leaving a wife and two children; Laura, who resides at New Virginia, this county, and is the wife of Alva Gripp, by whom she has four children, two who died in infancy; Abel E. of Liberty Twp., who is married and has three children; N. R. (Norvel), an agriculturalist of White Breast Twp., who is likewise married and has three children; Herman, who follows farming near New Virginia and is married and has one child; and Jesse I. of Liberty Center, who is a cashier of the Farmers Savings Bank. Mrs. Elizabeth Mills passed away November 8, 1888, when forty four years of agen, her demise being deeply regretted by many who had come to know and esteem her.  After losing his first wife Mr. Mills was again married, his second union being with Mary J. Breece, of Lucas County. They had seven children, of whom three died in infancy, while those who still survive are Lowell, Zella, Oral and Raymond, aged respectively twelve, ten, eight, and six years.  Mr. Mills has given each of his older children eighteen hundred dollars, thus enabling them to make a good start in life.

James Franklin Mills

James Franklin Mills was born 14 Oct 1847 in possibly Warren County, Indiana or Penn, Jefferson Iowa. He is the son of Isaac Joseph Mills born 03 Mar 1825 in North Carolina and Lydia M. Ruble born 04 Aug 1827 in Belmont, Ohio. James Franklin Mills married Lydia Nyswonger on 12 Mar 1871 in Lucas County, Iowa. His wife Lydia Nyswonger was the daughter of James Nyswonger and Elizabeth Lowery. 

I do not have a death date for James Franklin Mills at this time. I found his wife remarried and living in King County, California after 1878.  I believe she remarried twice, once to a Mr. Bush and the other to a Mr. Crye. 

James had two children with Lydia; Elizabeth Lydia 'Eliza' Mills born Abt. 1871 and Joseph Mills b. Abt. 1874. 

This framed picture of James Franklin Mills was given to my father as is with a small note tucked up in the back of the frame. It appears to read that James was presenting this photo to his baby sister Sadie (Sarah Elizabeth Mills who was born 1866), but it could read Lydia Ruble who was his mother. He was 19 years old in this picture and it's dated 1866. 

Vermilion County, Illinois and North Carolina Quakers - Possible Mills relative

The back of this picture does not say who this man is, but the photography studio stamp on the back reads "Vermilion County, Illinois". The photo may have been passed down to Sarah Elizabeth Mills who was the daughter of Lydia Ruble-Mills born 04 Aug 1827, daughter of Henry Ruble and Mahaila Martin. Lydia was married to Isaac Joseph Mills born 03 Mar 1825 in North Carolina, he is the son of Peter Mills born 02 Mar 1800 in North Carolina and Mary Jane Stanley. Peter is the son of Benoni Mills born bt 1760 in Deep River, Guilford County, North Carolina, married to Mary Thompson also born in Deep River, Guilford County, North Carolina. 

My ancestors from these families were New Garden MM Quaker families and found in Guilford County, North Carolina, Perry Twp., Wayne, Indiana and a few of Benoni's children, namely James Mills born 06 Nov 1796 in Deep River, Guilford County, North Carolina, was also found living in Sidell, Vermilion, Illinois after 1840 until his death on 25 Mar 1869 in Sidell, Vermilion, Illinois. 

It is impossible to know who the man is in this picture by doing basic genealogy, but it is most likely a close relative to Sarah Elizabeth Mills, daughter of Isaac Joseph Mills. 

James Allen Brower, wife Sarah Mills and son John Howard Brower.

This is a picture of my Great Grandfather James Allen Brower, who was the son of Jeremiah John Brower and Sarah Jane Woods and with him is his wife Sarah Elizabeth Mills, daughter of Isaac Joseph Mills and Lydia M. Ruble and their son, my Grandfather, John Howard Brower.