Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1918-11-19

DEATH OF B. F. MMILLAN.
Passed Away of Influenza at His Home
i'm Mcmillan, November
IL, 1918.

B. F. Mcmillan, for many years one
of the very able and wealthy men of
our county, passed away at his home
in Mcmillan on Tuesday evening at
Z o'clock. Mr.. Mcmillan was just as
active in the business and social life
of Wausau as he was in Marshfield as
the scene of his activities was only
short distances from the latter city.
He however visited here often and had
warm place in the hearts of all who
knew him. He was a great friend of
the late Neal Brown and would come
over and spend days at a time with
Mr.. Brown. He was an unusual man,
having built up a colossal business
by careful management and ability to
handle large enterprises. Lumber
ing had been his principal business
He started at Mcmillan in 1873, with
his brother, G. V. Mcmillan. They
purchased large tracts of timber on
the Eau Plaine river and built a saw
mill capable of saving 100000 per
annum. They were both practical
lumbermen, their father, before them
having been extensively engaged in
the business. They were thoroughly
conversant with numbering from the
standing timber to the finished product
and knew no superior when it came to
the selling end of it. They built rail-
roads into their timber tracts, sue
ceeded in getting the Northwestern Ry.
Co. to build to their village. The bust
ness increased with leaps and bounds,
until they had lands in the south and
west and large holdings in various
parts of Wisconsin.
In 1885 they established a cold and
warm storage house in Ashland Wis,
under the firm name of Mcmillan Bros.
& Co., which they managed four years,
the last year handling produce to the
value of 100000. In 1890 Mcmillan
Bros. purchased the plant formerly
owned by c. j. L. Meyer, at Fond du
Lac, Wis, and incorporated it as the
Winnebago Transfer Manufacturing
Co., with a capital of 100000, and with
c. V. Mcmillan as president, and E. r.
Herren, as secretary and treasurer. In
1892 the brothers incorporated the vii
lage of Mcmillan, and during the same
year he erected his present palatial
residence, one of the finest in the coun-
ty. In 1899 he began the breeding of
fine horses, and had valuable stable
of thorobreds
When the Wausau Sulphite and
Paper Mill was started at Mosinee,
Mr.. Mcmillan became largely inter-
ested and elected one of the directors
OF the plant. He had been postmaster
OF his town since it was established
up to time of his death.
Mr.. Mcmillan was a representative
of an old and prominent family in
American history. He was born at
Fort Covington, Franklin Co., N. Y,
October II, 1845, son of David S. and
Harriet (Barbour) Mcmillan.
The father of David S. was David
Mcmillan, native of Washington
county, N. Y, and the latter's father,
also named David, was of Scotch
descent, and a native of the North
of Ireland, whence he emigrated to
America, settling in Washington coun-
ty, N. Y. David Mcmillan, father of
David S., settled in Fort Covington,
N. Y, where he helped to found the
Presbyterian Church, and where for
many years he followed farming and
lumber-manufacturing pursuits. He
died in 1847, having survived his wife
number Of years.
Benjamin F. Mcmillan attended
school until he was eighteen years of
age, and then assisted in his fathers
business until the latter's retirement
in 1878. He came west in 1865, and
from 1868 to 1870 had charge of the
lumber yards in Keokuk, Iowa. On
April 30 1873, he was married to Ada
M. Beebee, who was born at East Con-
stable, N. Y, daughter of Amander
and Laura (BelD Beebee, both natives
of New York. Amander Beebee was
the son of Simeon Beebee, a farmer,
a native of Connecticut, and soldier
in the war of 1912, participating in the
battle of Plattsburg. His father i'm
migrated from England, in what year
is not known.
To Benjamin F. and Ada M. Nc
MILAN one child was born, in 1876,
Laura Bell, who died in 1877, age six
months.
The funeral services were held from
the home at Mcmillan on Thursday
afternoon, and were conducted by
Father Masse of the Episcopal Church.
lnterment was in Forest Cemetery,
Stevens Point. Among those who at
tended from Wausau were B. Heine-
mann, F. P. Stone, M. G. Ewing, and
A. L. Kreutzer, B. T. Wilson, Walter
Alexander, l.. A. Pradt, c.. S. Willard
and 0'ROche- Wig of MOSinea