I have some questions about listing Polly Millard Wheeler as the daughter of the Heman Millard that was born in Connecticut and lived in PA. It makes more sense to me that Polly's father would be the Heman Millard that lived in Le Ray, Jefferson County, New York. He is actually listed as an early settler there (see "The growth of a century : as illustrated in the history of Jefferson County, New York, from 1793 to 1894"). He is also in Jefferson Co. in the 1820 & 1830 censuses. And there is an H. Millard in the 1850 - 1862 tax lists for Lewis County, NY, which is just south of Jefferson Co. where Polly and Peter Wheeler met, married and lived until their move to Illinois in 1850. Those tax records would conflict with the records that show this Heman Millard in Erie PA at the same time.
Also, in the 1880 census, Polly Millard Wheeler states that she and both of her parents were born in New York.
What is the source for using Heman Millard as the name of her father at all? (Or stating that her actual first name was "Mary"?) In the 1860 census, this Heman is living in PA with a James and Polly Clay. But if you assume that Polly Clay was his daughter, she would have been born in 1828, not 1802, and she was living in PA while our Polly Millard Wheeler was living in Illinois.
If you use the birth date 1785 for this Heman Millard, Polly would have been born when he was just 17, not typical for that time. Also, it would have been nine years before his marriage to Elizabeth.
Finally, there is a Gideon Millard (1773-1852) buried in the same Fiatt, Ill. cemetery as Polly, who was born in Jefferson Co NY and traveled to Fulton Co., Illinois. Why is he not a good candidate to be Polly's father? Polly and Peter Wheeler named one of their sons Gideon Millard Wheeler, which might be a hint...
I don't have the answers yet, but if anyone has any further information, I would love to see it.
