The father of Samuel J.Mills was a very eccentric man and anecdotes of him have been repeatedly told.

I attended his church the summer I was in Torringford.

He was the strangest man I ever saw, and would say so many laughable things in his sermon that it was next to impossible for me to keep from laughing out loud.

His congregation was composed mostly of farmers, and in hot weather they appeared to be very sleepy.

The boys would sometimes play and make a good deal of noise, and one Sunday he stopped in the middle of his sermon and looking around in the gallery, said in a loud voice, "boys, if you don't stop your noise and play, you will certainly wake your parents that are asleep below!" I think by this time the good people were all awake; it amused me very much and I have often seen the story printed.