FLORENCE MILLS was born on January 25, 1895, in either Washington, D.C., or Virginia. The facts about her early life are uncertain. She was considered to be a child prodigy and was winning dance contests when she was virtually a toddler. At the age of 4 she was specially featured in "A Trip to Coontown." She made her first stage appearance at the age of eight in Williams and Walker's "Sons of Ham" in Washington, D.C. She was billed as "Baby Florence Mills" and sang "Miss Hannah from Savannah," a song she learned from Aida Overton Walker. Her family moved to New York where she and her two sisters worked in vaudeville as the Mills Trio. Florence played vaudeville until she was 25 years old, teaming up with people like Ada "Bricktop" Smith and Cora Green.Sadly there are no existent audio or film recordings of Florence Mills, but from the numerous playbills, and sheet music portfolios it is clear that she was a sensational performer.
