Millard Filmore Hotchkiss (1851-1923), Millwright & Architect
dba: M. F. Hotchkiss
Millard Filmore Hotchkiss was born in Jamestown, New York, on June 6, 1851 to Fordyce Hotchkiss, a farmer, and his wife Sarah. He married Sarah Hunt and they had three sons and a daughter. In 1880, he was listed as a carpenter in Poland, New York; by 1885 the family was in Nebraska--first at Bradshaw, then in York. In 1887 and 1888 he advertised in York newspapers as an "Architect & Millwright," although no architectural projects by Hotchkiss have been identified.[6] Millard and Emma moved to Omaha where he was listed in directories as a millwright as early as 1891 and repeatedly until the early 1920s. In the 1890s he also was sporadically employed as an Omaha policeman and in 1901 he was appointed the night watchman of the State Capitol in Lincoln.[10][11] Millard and Sarah moved to Chicago by 1922 and he died there October 20, 1923.[1][2][3][4][5][a]
This page is a contribution to the publication, Place Makers of Nebraska: The Architects. See the format and contents page for more information on the compilation and page organization.
Contents
Compiled Nebraska Directory Listings
Omaha, Nebraska, 1891-1901, 1903-1923; Lincoln, Nebraska, 1903
Educational & Professional Associations
1889: Advertised "choice grafted nursery trees" at South York (Nebraska) Nursery.[7]
1894-1903: City of Omaha policeman.[11]
Buildings & Projects
Appraiser of Thayer Flouring Mills (1888), Thayer, Nebraska.[8][b]
Superintended improvements of West Point Flouring Mills (1904), West Point, Nebraska.[9][c]
Claimed a homestead in Utah (1911) and made "five year proof" in 1917.[12]
Notes
a. M. F. Hotchkiss' will identifies his heirs as his wife Emma (nee Hunt) and their children as sons Fordyce M., Hugey N., and Harry, and daughter Beulah King. [2]
b. Hotchkiss was one of three listed appraisers of Thayer Flouring Mills prior to its sale for indebtedness.[8]
c. A West Point newspaper referred to Hotchkiss as an "expert millwright."[9]
References
1. Ancestry.com. Illinois, U.S., Deaths and Stillbirths Index, 1916-1947, s.v. "Millard F. Hotchkiss," [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2011.
2. Ancestry.com. Illinois, U.S., Wills and Probate Records, 1772-1999, s.v. “Millard F. Hotchkiss,” Chicago, Cook County, IL, [database on-line]. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2015.
3. Ancestry.com. 1870 United States Federal Census, s.v. "Millard Hotchkis [sic]," [database on-line]. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2009.
4. Ancestry.com and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. 1880 United States Federal Census, s.v. "Millard Hotchkiss," [database on-line]. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2010.
5. Ancestry.com. Nebraska, State Census Collection, 1860-1885, s.v. "Wm. [sic] F. Hotchkiss," Bradshaw, Nebraska, [database on-line]. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2009.
6. "M. F. Hotchkiss, Architect & Millwright" (advertisement), The York (Nebraska) Republican (December 21, 1887), 1.
7. "Farmers Attention" (advertisement), The York (Nebraska) Republican (December 25, 1889), 3.
8. McCool Junction (Nebraska) Record (citing York Star) (October 25, 1888), 5.
9. "A Worthy Enterprise. The West Point Flouring Mills," Cuming County Democrat (West Point, Nebraska) (June 17, 1904), 1.
10. Omaha (Nebraska) Evening Bee (January 9, 1901), 8.
11. "Eight New Policemen," Omaha (Nebraska) Evening Bee (May 1, 1894), 5; Omaha (Nebraska) Daily Bee (January 20, 1903), 5; and (January 22, 1903), 10.
12. "Notice of intention," Iron County Record (Cedar City, Utah) (March 20, 1917).
Page Citation
E. F. Zimmer & D. Murphy, “Millard Filmore Hotchkiss (1851-1923), Millwright & Architect,” in David Murphy, Edward F. Zimmer, and Lynn Meyer, comps. Place Makers of Nebraska: The Architects. Lincoln: Nebraska State Historical Society, April 4, 2023 http://www.e-nebraskahistory.org/index.php?title=Place_Makers_of_Nebraska:_The_Architects Accessed, May 23, 2024.
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