Fanny Mills

𝙊𝙝𝙞𝙤 𝘽𝙞𝙜 𝙁𝙤𝙤𝙩 𝙂𝙞𝙧𝙡

Fanny Mills was born in Pullborough, Sussex in 1860, to George Mills and Sarah Ansell. In 1861 the family were living in Mace Hill, in the village and her father was working as a grocer. She had two older siblings, Fred and Henry. In 1871 George was absent from the household. Sarah was head of the house, she is listed as a pauper (grocers wife). They have had two more children, Albert and Frances. Also living with the family was Sarah's father William and her brother Clement.

The family emigrated to America in June 1871. They arrived in New York and made there way to Ohio, where they settled in Perkins, Erie, Ohio. On the 1880 census her father was now working as a dairyman. One thing stands out on the record, that is, the fact it says 'Deformed feet' next to Fanny's name. She began to display symptoms of Milroy’s Disease, a condition which primarily affects women causes swelling in the lower limbs.

In 1886 Fanny married William Brown.

In 1899 the Hartlepool Northern DailyMail wrote, "The Big-Footed Woman - One of the most interesting cases of the rise of a freak from poverty to affluence is that of Fanny Mills, the big-footed woman, who was discovered by Frank Stone, the Boston showman. He heard of her through the postmaster Sandusky, Ohio, and after a little correspondence determined to go out and see if she was all that she was represented to be."

"The farm on which she was living with her parents was found to be the most miserable place imaginable, the house and building out of repair, the ground poor, and very thing indicating hard struggle for bare existence. The girl herself was half-clothed and fearfully thin and worn-looking. Her work was to milk the cows and then carry the milk for distance of five miles to the houses along the road. She carried two large pails slung on yoke across her shoulders, and with her huge feet the daily toil was severe that, coupled with miserable food, it had worn her almost to a skeleton."

"Mr. Stone took her to Boston on salary of £2O week, and billed her the big-footed woman from Chicago.” She created great sensation, and was a drawing card for a long time. When she arrived she had on her feet pair of boots that showed how primitive bad been her mode of life. They were made throughout of the tops of farmers' heavy cowhide boots, and had been manufactured at home cutting out of combined bootlegs a piece large enough for the sole, and then sewing more bootlegs over from side to side until the foot was covered. A shoe-dealer took these boots to place in his window as an advertisement, and in return made for her two of the finest pairs that he could turn out."

"Fanny’s salary was steadily increased as it became evident what drawing card she was, and when she left Mr Stone was to fill an engagement at £1OO a week. She was simple and careful in her manner of living, and in fact her living expenses were just about paid by what she made through the sale of her pictures. She went back to Sandusky as soon she had made enough money, bought the finest farm all that part the country, and is the entire support her parents."

Other accouts say she was known primarily as the "Ohio Big Foot Girl" and that she toured the East Coast with her sister-in-law Mary Brown who assisted her wherever she went. She toured between 1885 and 1892, and could sometimes earn $150 a week, the equivalent of $4000 today.

Fanny died on the 3rd of May 1899, aged 39.