Archives of American Art

A Finding Aid to the Robert Mills Family Letters, 1813-1847, in the Archives of American Art

Summary

Collection ID:
AAA.millfami
Creators:
Mills Family
Dates:
1813-1827
Languages:
English
.
Physical Description:
0.2 Linear feet
Repository:
This small collection of Robert Mills family letters date from 1813 to 1847 and measure 0.2 linear feet. Found here are 38 letters between architect Robert Mills and his wife Eliza, two letters to Mills from other family, and nine letters to Mills from business acquaintances, including architect John Skirving and engineer Louis Wernwag. Also found are six letters to Mills' daughter Anna from various family members.

Scope and Content Note

Scope and Content Note
This small collection of Robert Mills family letters date from 1813 to 1847 and measure 0.2 linear feet. Found here are 38 letters between architect Robert Mills and his wife Eliza, the majority of which were written between 1813 and 1819, and generally discuss family news and health, his travels, finances, and their affection for each other. Also found are a fragment of a letter to Mills from his sister, Sarah, a letter to Mills from his mother-in-law, Ann Smith, and nine letters to Mills from business acquaintances, including architect John Skirving and engineer Louis Wernwag, regarding building projects. The collection also includes six letters to Mills' daughter Anna from her mother, Eliza, and cousins.

Arrangement

Arrangement
The collection is arranged into 1 series:
  • Missing Title
  • Series 1: Robert Mills Family Letters, 1813-1847 (Box 1; 12 folders)

Biographical Note

Biographical Note
Robert Mills (1781-1855) was born in 1781 in Charleston, South Carolina. As a teenager he studied pattern-books and learned the basics of drafting, and in 1800 he moved to Washington, DC, to work in the office of architect James Hoban. There he met President Thomas Jefferson who recommended Mills to Benjamin Latrobe. He was a pupil and assistant to Latrobe in Philadelphia until 1808, working on many architectural and engineering projects.
In 1808 Mills married Eliza Barnwell Smith and established his architectural practice in Philadelphia, receiving many major commissions. From 1815 to 1819 Mills lived with his family in Baltimore, Maryland, overseeing the construction of his commission for the Washington Monument in Baltimore. He also worked on several engineering projects in the city. After construction halted in 1819 due to an economic depression, he moved to South Carolina to become the Acting Commissioner of the Board of Public Works. In 1823 his position was abolished due to rising project costs, but he continued to work on individual commissions, and also published several books and pamphlets on South Carolina and engineering.
In 1830 Mills and his family moved to Washington, DC. There he directed alterations and restorations of the White House, Executive Offices, and the Capitol. After establishing himself with these projects he received many more commissions and was appointed Architect of the Federal Buildings. During this time his design for the Treasury Building was adopted, and he oversaw the construction of the U. S. Patent Office - now the Smithsonian Institution's Donald W. Reynolds Center for American Art and Portraiture - and the Old Post Office, among other projects. His federal office was abolished in 1842, but Mills continued to work on independent building projects. In 1845 his plan for the Washington Monument in Washington, DC, which he had designed in 1833, was adopted and construction began in 1848. He lived in Washington, DC, until his death in 1855.

Administration

Author
Erin Corley
Sponsor
Funding for the processing and digitization of this collection was provided by the Terra Foundation for American Art
Provenance
These letters were purchased from Robert S. Gamble of the Alabama Historical Society in 1985.
Alternative Forms Available
The letters of the Robert Mills Family in the Archives of American Art were digitized in
2009
, and total
187
images.
Processing Information
The collection was microfilmed upon receipt on reel 3612. The collection was fully processed, arranged, and described by Erin Corley in 2008 and digitized in 2009 with funding provided by the Terra Foundation for American Art.

Using the Collection

Preferred Citation
Robert Mills family letters, 1813-1847. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Restrictions on Access
Use of the original papers requires an appointment.
Terms of Use
The Archives of American Art makes its archival collections available for non-commercial, educational and personal use unless restricted by copyright and/or donor restrictions, including but not limited to access and publication restrictions. AAA makes no representations concerning such rights and restrictions and it is the user's responsibility to determine whether rights or restrictions exist and to obtain any necessary permission to access, use, reproduce and publish the collections. Please refer to the Smithsonian's Terms of Use for additional information.

Related Material
Additional Robert Mills papers are available at the South Carolina Historical Society and the Library of Congress. Also available are the Records of the Robert Mills Paper Project at the Archives Center, National Museum of American History.

Keywords

Keywords table of terms and types.
Keyword Terms Keyword Types
Architects -- Washington (D.C.) Occupation Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Architects -- Maryland -- Baltimore Occupation Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Architects -- South Carolina Occupation Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Mills, Robert, 1781-1855 Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Mills, Eliza Barnwell Smith, 1784-1865 Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Wernwag, Louis Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Skirving, John Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid

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