Norman Milliken
{{Infobox person
| name = Norman Milliken
| birth_date = July 11, 1771
| birth_place = Trenton, Province of Massachusetts Bay, British America
| death_date = February 2, 1843
| death_place = Markham, Province of Canada
| resting_place = Hagerman Cemetery, Markham
| spouse = Susannah Walton
| children = 12
| parents = Benjamin Milliken, Phebe Milliken
}}
Norman Milliken (July 11, 1771 Trenton, Province of Massachusetts Bay – February 2, 1843 Markham, Province of Canada) was a loyalist, farmer, lumber mill owner and hotel/tavern keeper in York County, Ontario. The community of Milliken Mills in Markham, Ontario is named after him.
Biography
= Early life =
Norman Milliken was one of 7 children born to Benjamin and Phebe Milliken. He moved to Bocabec, New Brunswick with his father American Loyalist Benjamin Milliken in 1782-1791 after the American War of Independence. In 1803, he left Bocabec and moved to Pennsylvania. He returned to Bocabec in 1805, and then moved to York, Upper Canada and began milling.{{Cite web|url=https://archive.org/stream/historyoffamilie01ridl#page/208/mode/2up/search/norman|title="History of the families Millingas and Millanges of Saxony and Normandy" 1907 p.66.|last=Ridlon|first=G.T|website=archive.org|access-date=2017-08-18}}
He married Susannah Walton in Bocebec, New Brunswick, Canada. In 1794, his son, Benjamin Milliken II was born in New Brunswick.{{Cite web|url=http://www.ourroots.ca/page.aspx?id=4109138&qryID=9de28d53-90e6-4411-be66-e9a41d1823b8|title=Our Roots - Page view|last1=Calgary|first1=University of|last2=Laval|first2=Université|language=en|access-date=2017-08-18}} He had twelve children.
== Milliken's Corners ==
The rural hamlet of "Milliken's Corners" was first settled in 1798 by William Dumont. Norman Milliken settled in the area around 1807.{{cite web | title = Archaeological Assessmen | publisher = R.J. Burnside & Associates Ltd. | date = January 8, 2014 | url = http://www.gotransit.com/public/en/improve/stouffville/Stouffville_Corridor_Rail_Service_Expansion_ESR-Volume_2-Appendix_B6.pdf | access-date = November 3, 2015 | archive-date = November 17, 2015 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20151117031617/http://www.gotransit.com/public/en/improve/stouffville/Stouffville_Corridor_Rail_Service_Expansion_ESR-Volume_2-Appendix_B6.pdf | url-status = dead }}
In 1807, he founded a small hamlet in Markham, Ontario. Norman, along with two of his brothers established a lumbering business with a contract that supplied the Royal Navy with ship's planking and lumber. For mill work, he used one of the first lumber Mills in the Township of Markham known as "German Mills" and also rented a flour mill on the west side of Yonge Street for milling lumber."History of Toronto and County of York, Ontario:Biographical Notices", 1885, p. 299 {{cite web |url=http://www.ourroots.ca/e/page.aspx?id=716554 |title=Our Roots / Nos Racines |access-date=2015-03-01 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402135328/http://www.ourroots.ca/e/page.aspx?id=716554 |archive-date=2015-04-02 }}{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=LKYrQN8MbKUC&q=mount+pleasant+guide+158+milliken&pg=PA158|title=Mount Pleasant Cemetery: An Illustrated Guide|first=Mike|last=Filey|date=1 June 1999|publisher=Dundurn|isbn=9781550023220|access-date=18 August 2017|via=Google Books}} He subsequently purchased a share in a lumber mill located at Markham Village.
Miiliken and his brothers also built a hotel, reputedly to control the drinking habits of the lumbermen, and livery stables.{{Cite web|url=http://schoolweb.tdsb.on.ca/milliken/History|title=Milliken Public School > History|website=schoolweb.tdsb.on.ca|language=en-US|access-date=2017-08-18}} Norman's daughter Charlotte ran the hotel for her father.
In 1814 Norman Milliken received the deed for 200 acres of land at lot 1, concession 5, Markham Township which was the location of Milliken Corners. The rural hamlet of Milliken's Corners eventually consisted of Milliken's Corners Methodist Church (at south east corner of Brimley and Steeles merged to form Ebenezer Presbyterian Church on northwest corner), a post office which was established 1858 (northeast corner of Old Kennedy Road and Steeles), a hotel and a general store.{{Cite web|url=https://krassoc.wordpress.com/2014/12/14/millikens-corners-methodist-church-scarboro-township-york-county/|title=Milliken's Corners Methodist Church – Scarboro Township, York County|date=2014-12-14|website=fadedgenes|access-date=2017-08-18}}{{Cite web|url=http://www.ruralroutes.com/6279.html|title=Ontario Rural Routes|website=www.ruralroutes.com|access-date=2017-08-18}}{{cite web|url=http://schoolweb.tdsb.on.ca/milliken/History.aspx|title=Milliken Public School > History|first=Milliken Public|last=School|website=schoolweb.tdsb.on.ca}}{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Jl54IETKuRoC&q=hotel+%22milliken%27s+corners%22&pg=PA346|title=PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM OF Sanilac County|date=1884|pages=346|language=en}} The hamlet became a postal village in 1858 and was called Milliken after Norman Millken.{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=TwF6AAAAMAAJ&q=%22norman+milliken%22|title=Place Names of Ontario|last=Rayburn|first=Alan|date=1997|publisher=University of Toronto Press|isbn=9780802072078|pages=221|language=en}}{{Cite web|url=http://www.sayitcanada.ca/ontario/markham/city-profile.html|title=Living, Working, and Playing in Markham, Ontario|date=2017-03-30|access-date=2017-08-18|url-status=bot: unknown|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170330223932/http://www.sayitcanada.ca/ontario/markham/city-profile.html|archive-date=2017-03-30}}
Legacy
The communities of Milliken, Ontario and Milliken Mills (likely referencing to mills owned and/or operated by Milliken) in Markham, and Milliken Mills High-school (were named after various mills owned or operated by Milliken).{{Cite web|url=http://www.yrdsb.ca/schools/millikenmills.hs/info/Pages/Principals-Message.aspx|title=Principal's Message|website=www.yrdsb.ca|language=en-us|access-date=2017-08-18}}{{cite web|title=Report entitled Northwest Scarborough Local Immigration Partnership Strategy|date=March 15, 2011|page=9|publisher=Northwest Scarborough Local Immigration Partnership |url=http://www1.toronto.ca/city_of_toronto/social_development_finance__administration/files/pdf/northwestscarborough_strategy.pdf}} The Milliken name is also associated with the Township of Markham.{{Cite web|url=http://www.torontoneighbourhoods.net/neighbourhoods/scarborough/milliken/history|title=Toronto Neighbourhood Guide - Neighbourhoods|website=Torontoneighbourhoods.net|language=en-CA|access-date=2017-08-18}}{{Cite web|url=http://www2.markham.ca/Markham/aspc/heritage/photo/getPDF.aspx?PDFType=70&FolderRsn=887199|date=2015-11-17|access-date=2017-08-18|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151117021428/http://www2.markham.ca/Markham/aspc/heritage/photo/getPDF.aspx?PDFType=70&FolderRsn=887199|archive-date=2015-11-17|title=Untitled Page }} The name surname "Millikin" is likely derived from the double diminutive of 'mael-oc-an' meaning "the little bald or shaved one."{{Cite web|url=http://www.rampantscotland.com/placenames/placename_toronto.htm|title=Scottish Place Names - Toronto, Ontario, Canada|website=Rampantscotland.com|access-date=2017-08-18}} The hamlet remained a rural community until the 1980s. In the 1980s urbanization had developed in the area and farming stopped.{{cite web|title=The People of Scarborough - A History|author=Barbara Myrvold|publisher=City of Scarborough Public Library Board|date=1997|page=38|url=http://static.torontopubliclibrary.ca/da/pdfs/238353.pdf}}"Old Scarboro' in the News; From the Markham Economist, ['Agincourt,' 16 March 1882 (cont'd.)]," Scarborough Historical Notes and Comments 5, no. 4 (November 1981): 13.{{cite web|url=http://www.yorkregion.com/news-story/1462004-milliken-diversity-rich-community/|title=Milliken diversity-rich community - YorkRegion.com|date=13 August 2009|website=Yorkregion.com|access-date=18 August 2017}}