WHITESIDE COUNTY BIOGRAPHIES - 1885
DAVID MCMILLAN, of the firm of McMillan and Wylie, lumber dealers and merchants, at Tampico, was born Jan. 31, 1834, in Fayette Co., Pa. Thomas McMillan, his father, was a native of the same state. He was a man of scholarly attainments and passed the years of his early business life in teaching. Later he became interested in farming. He was Commissioner of Fayette a number of years. He married Priscilla Arnold, the daughter of a farmer, and who was one of the earliest settlers, of Western Pennsylvania, and belonged to the nationality known as English descent. The father died in Fayette County in 1853, and the mother died about ten years later.

Mr. McMillan was the second oldest child in order of birth, and he had one brother and two sisters. His father died when he was about 18 years old. Previous to that time he attended the common school. Subsequently he took charge of the homestead, living with his mother until her death. After that event he came to Illinois,making his first location near Buda. Bureau County, settling on a farm of 200 acres. He continued its management for four years. He spent a year prospecting in various Western States for the purpose of selecting a suitable location, and finally bough 160 acres of land in Montgomery Co., Iowa, near the village of Red Oak. Later on he came to Whiteside County and entered into the business relations in which he has since been interested. He is the owner of 160 acres of land in Tampico Township, which is under partial improvement. The firm owns a considerable amount of property in the village of Tampico.Their business covers the transactions common to trade in lumber, general merchandise, hardware, agricultural implements, coal, etc.

Mr. McMillan was married Oct. 21, 1879, in Lyndon, to Mollie Patterson. James and  Mary Pannell Patterson, her parents, were natives of Pennsylvania, where they belonged to the agricultural class. They were early settlers in Lyndon and were connected with the pioneer history. Their farm was located in the vicinity of the village of Lyndon, where Mrs. McMillan was born She was brought up and educated in the district schools and in the village schools at Lyndon. She became a teacher and followed that vocation for some years. Leroy and Clark are the names of the children of Mr. and Mrs. McMillan. The mother is a zealous member of the Congregational Church.

Mr. McMillan has served the interests of his township as Supervisor, and is at present School Treasurer. He has also acted in the capacity of Village Trustee. He experienced a sever loss of property in the destruction of dwellings in the tornado of June 6, 1874.