Mildred "Milly" Banks 1762-1847 My 4th Great Grandmother on My Father's Side

Grace Episcopal Church in Goochland where Milly was born

Mildred “Milly” Banks was the daughter of William Banks and Elizabeth Martin Banks. She was their youngest child born on January 14, 1762 in Goochland, British America - now a county in the middle of Virginia. The county was formed in 1728 and in 2020 had a population of fewer than 22,000 residents. Milly’s siblings were William born in 1755, Betty 1758, and Ralph 1759.

Records for Milly are sparse. Others have posted a christening record for Milly that shows that she was christened at St. James Northam Parish in Goochland on April 12, 1762. Similar records are available online for each of her siblings. I have found two sources for her marriage to William Shanklin Gaines. Both indicate they were married in July of 1785 but one source says the date of their marriage was the 10^th and the other shows the 13^th. It is likely that one date refers to their marriage banns and the other the actual wedding date. Marriage banns were the public announcement in a Christian parish church or in the town council of an impending marriage. The custom of needing banns is most commonly associated with the Catholic Church and the Church of England.

Map showing the location of Goochland in Virginia

Milly and William had five or six children. The eldest was a daughter named Susannah born October 20, 1788 in Albemarle, Virginia. Albemarle, where William was from is about 45 miles northwest of Goochland. Next, Milly had a daughter that she named Martha but most records indicate that she was called Patsy - go figure. Patsy was born in 1790. Next was Hiram, my 3rd great grandfather who was born about 1791. Another son, Ralph was born March 7, 1797, after the family had moved to Elbert, Georgia. He was nicknamed Rafe. There was a daughter Sarah "Sally" born in 1803, and on some family trees another son named John.

History marker for Goochland

Milly and William moved to Elbert County in Georgia in about 1792 when Milly was 30. They were farmers who owned slaves to do most of the work. Milly would have been responsible for overseeing the household, taking care of their children, and for the family's social life.

Milly lived a long life. Records show that she died in 1847 at the age of 85. Most likely she is buried in the Coldwater Cemetery in Elberton - the same place where William was buried the year before though I have yet to find documentation of this.

Map of Elbert County showing the town of Elberton and
the location of Coldwater Creek where Milly and William Lived, 1818

Tuckahoe Plantation in Goochland. Milly's family likely lived
in a house of similar style.

Sources for this Post: Christening records for Milly and her siblings; MyHeritage, Ancestry and FamilySearch websites; news article in The Andalusia Star News "Gaines Family Has Royalty in Heritage" by Curtis Thomasson.