52 Ancestors #23: Daniel Mitchell, Jr. (c1786-1872): Miller, Cooper, Farmer

Ancestor: Daniel Mitchell, Jr., three times great grandfather
Haplogroup: R-M269

Daniel Mitchell, Jr., was born in Bedford County, Virginia, to Daniel Mitchell, Sr. and his wife, Margaret Bryan. His birth year is more than a bit problematic based on census records.

Possible birth years for Daniel Mitchell, Jr., based on census records;
created using Microsoft Excel

I love the anti-aging measures he employed starting in 1840! His widow applied for a pension for his service in the War of 1812. In the voluminous file, Daniel's death date was provided. It was 21 October 1872. Therefore, I tend to think his birth year was in the 1786-1790. It's possible he lived to be 102 years old as the Mitchells were known for longevity.

When Daniel was growing up, his parents kept a tavern near the Bedford-Rockbridge county line. Unlike in England, tavern keeping was a respected occupation in the American colonies and after the Revolutionary War. The tavern was the center of a community's activity where visitors exchanged news of the day with local residents.

Daniel's first cousin, James Harvey Beard, married the sister of Matthew McMullin, Jr. Matthew started a stage coach business in Bedford County and I often wonder if the coach stopped at the tavern of Daniel's parents.

War of 1812

On 27 June 1813 Daniel Mitchell enlisted in Capt. Nathaniel Bowe's Company of the 74th Regiment of the Virginia Militia. The company was mustered in Hanover County, just north of Richmond the state capitol. He served for one month and was honorably discharged at Camp Holly, also known as Camp Holly Springs, on 26 July 1813. Camp Holly was one of three defensive forts the governor ordered to be constructed and manned to aid in the defense of Richmond. Since the British blockaded the Chesapeake Bay and made several raids along its coastline, there was a real fear they would sail up the James River and attack the state capitol. During his month of military service Daniel would have drilled and manned the camp's defensive works if a British threat became imminent.

Marriage and Working Life

After Daniel was discharged he returned to Bedford County. On 1 June 1816 he signed a marriage bond and his brother, James H. Mitchell provided surety. He married Sarah "Sally" Wood, thought to be the daughter of Jonathan Wood, on 4 June 1816; the officiant of their marriage was his uncle, Rev. James Mitchell.

In 1828 his brother Stephen filed a bill of complaint in Bedford Chancery Court. In it he stated "some seven years ago his father, Daniel Mitchell, departed this life..." This would put Daniel Mitchell, Sr.'s death date at about 1821, but I suspect he may have died before the 1820 census was enumerated as a woman over 45 years of age lived in Daniel, Jr.'s household. Of course, she could be a relation on his wife's side of the family or no relation at all.

Daniel and Sally would have nine known children who grew to adulthood. According, to an analysis of the 1820, 1830 and 1840 census, when only heads of household were listed, it appears that Sally had at least three children who did not live to adulthood.

Census analysis of the children of Daniel and Sally (Wood) Mitchell;
created using Microsoft Excel

When the 1850 census was enumerated Daniel and his family lived in the Northern Division of Bedford County with six of their children and a 7-month-old boy named Wesley. I am pretty sure Wesley was the son of their daughter, Margaret, who had him two years before she married Chesley Andrews as Wesley was listed in later census records as part of their family with the Andrews surname. Sally was about 58 at the time the census was taken, and I believe too old to have another baby. Daniel's worked as a miller. This leads me to believe they lived near the fall line of a small river or creek as water was required to power the mill.

In 1860 Daniel and Sarah had two children remaining at home and Daniel worked as a cooper and farmer. This is also the first time I have analyzed an ancestor's agricultural census and noticed they must have kept bees based on the honey and beeswax produced.

Analysis of the 1860 agricultural schedule for Daniel
Mitchell, Jr.; created using Microsoft Excel

Civil War

At least three of Daniel and Sally's sons fought for the Confederate States Army in the Civil War. Each son survived the war and went on to receive a pension for their service:

• Reese Daniel Mitchell -- served with the Virginia Reserve Forces from autumn 1864 until the end of the war
• Burwell David Mitchell -- enlisted in Co. A, Virginia 2nd Cavalry on 26 March 1862. He was wounded in November of that year and captured in Westminster, Maryland, on 3 July 1863 (about 40 miles south of Gettysburg on the final day of the battle). He was sent first to Fort McHenry in Baltimore and then on to Fort Delaware, which had become a prisoner of war camp. He was exchanged on 31 July 1863 at City Point, Virginia. He spent three weeks in Chimborazo Hospital No. 4 in 1864 for a gunshot wound in his leg.
• Charles Edward Mitchell -- enlisted in Co. A, Virginia 2nd Cavalry on the same day as his brother Burwell. He was a cadet when he enlisted and served as an aide-de-camp for a period of time. He was wounded in May 1862, then sick and sent to a hospital in Liberty near his parents. He was discharged 1 July 1863 by the medical board for physical disabilities.

As if worrying about the safety of three sons during the war wasn't enough to deal with, Daniel and Sally's daughter Harriet died sometime after her youngest son Thomas C. Hodges was born about 1864, but before 23 January 1865 when her widower, Thomas Calvin Hodges remarried.

Later Life

I have not yet found Daniel Mitchell, Jr. and his wife in the 1870 census, though both were still alive. I'm starting to think a portion of Bedford County was simply not enumerated as several of my ancestors and their families are also missing.

Daniel Mitchell died on 21 October 1872. As mentioned before his widow applied for a pension in 1879, which became effective in April 1878. After her husband died, his widow, Sally lived with her step-grandson, Williamson Lee Wade and his wife, Ava Belle (Foster) Wade. They had married the previous year.

Sally died sometime before 12 November 1884. The burial locations of Daniel and Sally are not known.

This is my entry for Amy Johnson Crow's 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks. The theme for this week was "Going to the Chapel," which I did not follow.

Using the Ancestral Reference Numbering System, Daniel Mitchell, Jr., is Ancestor number 38 on my family tree:

38 Daniel Mitchell, Jr., born between 1781 and 1794 in Bedford County; died on 21 October 1872 in Bedford County; married Sarah "Sally" Wood, thought to be a daughter of Jonathan Wood, on 4 June 1816 in Bedford County.

38.1 Emily C. Mitchell, born about 1817 in Bedford County; died between 1880 and 1886; married widower Isaac Samuel Wade, son of Jeremiah Wade and Margaret "Peggy" Weeks, on 24 December 1865 in Bedford County. No issue.

38.2 Samuel M. Mitchell, born about 1818 in Bedford County; died 2 December 1891 in Otter, Virginia; married Mary "Polly" Woodford, daughter of William and Elizabeth Woodford, on 22 December 1836.

38.3 Reese Daniel Mitchell, born about 1821 in Bedford County; died 5 July 1905 in Bedford County; married Elizabeth Ann Wood, daughter of John Joshua Wood and Jenette Howard, on 30 March 1858 in Bedford County.

38.4 Margaret Mitchell, born about 1822 in Bedford County; died 10 May 1894 in Bedford County; married widower Chesley Andrews on 21 June 1851.

38.5 Harriet S. Mitchell, born about 1828 in Bedford County; died between 1864 and 1865; married Thomas Calvin Hodges, son of Jesse Hodges, on 5 November 1849 in Bedford County.

38.6 Burwell David Mitchell, born about 1828 in Bedford County; died in March 1905; married 1) Susan Mildred Powell on 28 October 1856, 2) Martha Virginia Beard, daughter of David Fleming Beard, Sr., and Ann Dooley, on 15 December 1864. (His sister, Barbara Ann Mitchell, would later marry his father-in-law), and 3) Nannie M. Gills, daughter of Anderson and Missouri Gills, on 13 September 1903 in Bedford County.

38.7 Charles Edward Mitchell, born in 1836 in Bedford County; died 5 September 1892; married Sarah Elizabeth Wood, daughter of Charles Wood and Elizabeth Dent Turner, on 26 November 1861 in Bedford County.

38.8 Susan Mitchell, born about 1838 in Virginia; died on an unknown date after the 1850 census was enumerated.

19 Barbara Ann Mitchell, born in 1841 in Bedford County; died in 1890 in Bedford County; married widower David Fleming Beard, Sr., son of James Harvey Beard and Mary McMullin, on 6 December 1866 in Bedford County.

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Sources:

1820 US Census (database and images), FamilySearch, Daniel Mitchell, Southern District, Bedford, Virginia, United States; citing p. 87, NARA microfilm publication M33 (Washington, DC: National Archives and Records Administration), roll 133; FHL microfilm 193692 (accessed 25 July 2016).
1830 US Census (database and images), Ancestry, Daniel Mitchell, Bedford, Virginia, United States; citing p. 176, NARA microfilm publication M19 (Washington, DC: National Archives and Records Administration), roll 194; FHL microfilm 0029673 (accessed 25 July 2016).
1840 US Census (database and images), FamilySearch, Daniel Mitchell, Southern District, Bedford, Virginia, United States; citing p. 259, NARA microfilm publication M704 (Washington, DC: National Archives and Records Administration), roll 550; FHL microfilm 29683 (accessed 25 July 2016).
1850 US Census (database and images), FamilySearch, Daniel Mitchell, Bedford county, Bedford, Virginia, United States; citing p. 182B, NARA microfilm publication M432 (Washington, DC: National Archives and Records Administration, roll 935; FHL microfilm image 364 (accessed 25 July 2016).
1860 US Census (database and images), Ancestry, David Mitchell, Northern District, Bedford County, Virginia, United States; citing p. 393, NARA microfilm publication M653 (Washington DC: National Archives and Records Administration), roll 1335; FHL microfilm 805335 (accessed 25 July 2016).
1880 US Census (database and images), FamilySearch, Sallie Mitchell in household of Lee Wade, Charlemont, Bedford, Virginia, USA; citing p. 72B, NARA microfilm publication T9 (Washington, DC: National Archives and Records Administration), roll 1355; FHL microfilm 1255355 (accessed 17 May 2018)
Agricultural Schedules: 1850-1900, U.S. Bureau of the Census (accessed 5 May 2014)
Blizzard, Dennis F. and Hollowak, Thomas L. A Chronical of War of 1812 Soldiers, Seamen and Marines, (Baltimore, MD: Society of War of 1812, 1993), page 26
Compiled Service Records of Confederate Soldiers, 1861-1865 (database and images), Fold3, Mitchell, Burwell D., Second Cavalry, Virginia; citing record group 109, NARA microfilm publication M324 (Washington, DC: National Archives and Records Administration), roll 0021 (accessed 17 May 2018).
Compiled Service Records of Confederate Soldiers, 1861-1865 (database and images), Fold3, Mitchell, Charles E., Second Cavalry, Virginia; citing record group 109, NARA microfilm publication M324 (Washington, DC: National Archives and Records Administration, roll 0021 (accessed 17 May 2018).
Daniel Mitchell, Sr. (c1750-c1821): Tavern Keeper, Tangled Roots and Trees (accessed 31 May 2018).
David Fleming Beard, Sr. (1812-1878): A Man of His Times, Tangled Roots and Trees (accessed 18 May 2018).
LaMoreaux, Philip E. and Tanner, Judy T. Springs and Bottled Waters of the World, (New York, NY: Sringer Science+Business Media, LLC, 2012), page 274.
Camp Holly Springs, Division of Legislative Services (accessed 16 May 2018)
Richmond's War Defensive Camps Marker, V-53, MarkerHistory.com (accessed 16 May 2018)
Selected U.S. Federal Census Non-Population Schedules, 1850-1880 (database and images), Ancestry, Daniel Mitchell, Northern, Bedford, Virginia, USA, 5 Sep 1860; citing p. 21, NARA microfilm publication T1132, (Washington, DC: National Archives and Records Administration), roll 5, Schedule Type Agriculture (accessed 27 July 2016).
Third Auditor's Office (compiler). Virginia Militia in the War of 1812, (Baltimore, MD: Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc., 1999), pages 505-06.
U.S., Encyclopedia of Quaker Genealogy, Vol I-VI, 1607-1943 (database and images), Ancestry, Daniel Mitchell 1 Sixth 1816, Bedford (accessed 15 May 2018)
Virginia Census, 1607-1890 (database), Ancestry, D. Mitchell, Northern Dist., Bedford County; citing 1860 Slave Schedule (accessed 25 July 2016)
Virginia Chancery Court Records, 1761-1969 (database and images), Library of Virginia, Stephen Mitchell v. Margaret Mitchell, Widow Etc, 1831-019 (accessed 9 May 2018)
Virginia Marriages, 1785-1940 (database), FamilySearch, Daniel Mitchell and Sally Wood, 4 Jun 1816; citing Bedford, Virginia, p. 10, FHL microfilm 30591 (accessed 11 February 2018)
Virginia Marriages, 1785-1940 (database), FamilySearch, Daniel Mitchell in entry for Isaac Wade and Emily C. Mitchell, 24 Dec 1865; citing Bedford, Virginia, p. 62, FHL microfilm 30597 (accessed 11 February 2018).
Virginia Marriages, 1785-1940 (database), FamilySearch, Daniel Mitchell in entry for Reese D. Mitchell and Elizabeth A. Wood, 30 Mar 1858; citing Bedford, Virginia, p. 68, FHL microfilm 30597 (accessed 11 February 2018).
Virginia Marriages, 1785-1940 (database), FamilySearch, Daniel Mitchell in entry for Burwill D. Mitchell and Nannie M. Gills, 13 Sep 1903; citing Bedford, Virginia, p. 387, FHL microfilm 30597 (accessed 11 February 2018).
Virginia Marriages, 1785-1940 (database), FamilySearch, Daniel Mitchell in entry for Burwell D. Mitchell and Susan M. Powell, 28 Oct 1856; citing Bedford, Virginia, p. 36, FHL microfilm 30597 (accessed 11 February 2018).
Virginia Marriages, 1785-1940 (database), FamilySearch, Danal. Mitchell in entry for Burwell D. Mitchell and Martha V. Beard, 15 Dec 1864; citing Bedford, Virginia, p. 38, FHL microfilm 30597 (accessed 11 February 2018).
Virginia Marriages, 1785-1940 (database), FamilySearch, Daniel Mitchell in entry for David F. Beard and Barbara A. Mitchell, 6 Dec 1866; citing Bedford, Virginia, p. 6, FHL microfilm 30597 (accessed 11 February 2018).
Virginia Marriages, 1785-1940 (database), FamilySearch, Danl. Mitchell in entry for Chas. E. Mitchell and Sarah Wood, 26 Nov 1861; citing Bedford, Virginia, p. 37, FHL microfilm 30597 (accessed 11 February 2018).
War of 1812 Pension Application Files Index, 1812-1815 (database and images), Ancestry, Soldier: Daniel Mitchell, Widow: Sarah Mitchell; citing Archive number M313, roll 66 (accessed 16 May 2018).
War of 1820 Pension and Bounty Land Application Files, 1812-c1900 (database and images), Fold3, Soldier: Mitchell, Daniel, Widow: Sarah Mitchell; citing record group 15, roll RG15-1812PB-Bx2430 (accessed 17 May 2018).

Daniel Mitchell, Sr. (c1750-c1821): Tavern Keeper

Mary (Mitchell) Beard (c1755-1843: Another Court Success 
Robert "the Elder" Mitchell (c1714-1799): A Devoted Presbyterian
Robert Mitchell (bef 1689-?): The Immigrant
Peaks of Otter Presbyterian Church Land

Peaks of Otter Presbyterian Church Petition

Why John and Mary (Boyd) Mitchell Are Not the Parents of Robert Mitchell (c1714-1799)

Robert Mitchel, the Elder

Revisiting Daniel Mitchell, Patriot

Kidnapped by Indians

Daniel Mitchell, Patriot

Rev. James Mitchell (1747-1841): "Father of Virginia"

Writing about James Mitchell presents a challenge I do not experience often when writing about my family history, the problem of choosing what to include from available published sources!

Presbyterian Minister

James Mitchell grew up in Bedford County, Virginia, where he attended the Peaks of Otter Church with his family. He made his first public profession of faith at age 17 and was ordained as a Presbyterian minister in October 1781. He remembered preparing for his ordination when new of Cornwallis' surrender became known.

The Presbytery sent him to Kentucky but he was soon recalled to Virginia to take pastoral charge of the congregations at Cub Creek and Hat Creek. In 1785 he returned to Kentucky to become the first teacher at Transylvania Seminary. Attempts to open an institution of higher education began in 1780 when Kentucky was still part of Virginia. Eight thousand acres of land had been escheated, which was formerly owned By British loyalists. In 1783 the Virginia Assembly named the future institution the name Transylvania Seminary and proposed 12,000 acres of additional land be added. Thirteen trustees were appointed, met in November and named Rev. David Rice as Chairman of the seminary. He had removed to Kentucky earlier that year. The first classes were held 1785 in Danville, Kentucky, at the home of Rev. Rice, Rev. Mitchell's father-in-law. Rev. James Mitchell taught at the seminary for a year before being recalled to Virginia again in 1786. When he left, Transylvania Seminary was left without a teacher.

Rev. James Mitchell was installed as the minister of the Peaks of Otter Church in March 1786. This was the church of his youth and he served as its pastor until 1840.

In the spring of 1787 Hampden-Sidney College conferred him a Bachelor of Arts degree.

Hampden-Sydney College in 1787; courtesy of Hampden-Sydney College

About the time Rev. James Mitchell returned to Bedford County, the protestant religious revival which became known as the Second Great Awakening swept the county. The awakening "reflected Romanticism characterized by enthusiasm, emotion, and an appeal to the super natural. It rejected the skepticism and rationalism left over from Enlightenment."[1] Ministers were sent out to the backcountry and held camp revival meetings. The movement spread over a large portion of the Presbyterian congregations in the Shenandoah Valley and beyond the headwaters of the James River, including the Peaks of Otter Church. Several meetings of the ministers of different denominations were held at the church to discover the common bond of Christians and the common ground of fellowship. As a result, Rev. Mitchell became connected in the minds of many clergymen of the period with the revivals of religion and and was considered skillful in cases of conscience and the Christian experience. He was a member of the Commission of the Virginia Synod, an organization which sent missionaries to new settlements and Native Americans on the frontier.

Rev. Mitchell was described in Sketches of Virginia, at the end of his life as "a wrinkled, white-haired man of low stature, with a head and shoulders large enough for a taller frame; his manners simple, his dress approaching the antique, always neat and becoming; whom all called 'Father Mitchell.' ... He loved his God, and loved his fellow men, and loved to preach the Gospel; and in his 'quietness and confidence was his strength.' A laborious old man, he accomplished all through life more than his youth, or his abilities, or his acquirements or physical strength ever promised." John B. Smith, president of Hampden-Sydney, said that Rev. Mitchell preached the greatest sermon he ever heard.[2]

During his lifetime he had educated at the Augusta Academy; was principal of the New London Academy; and a trustee at Liberty Hall Academy, according to S. Bassett French. His last sermon was preached at the house of his sister-in-law, Mrs. Margaret Mitchell[3], on the last Sabbath of December, 1840.

New London Academy main building; from Historical Sketch of Bedford County,
Virginia, 1753-1907

Rev. J. G. Shepperson, who married one of Rev. Mitchell's daughters in 1848, was with James Mitchell the last days of his life wrote, "...Then looking around on the members of his family, who were present, he spoke as nearly as can be remembered -- 'I now affectionately commit to my covenant with God, my wife, my children, my grandchildren, and all connected with me, and all my descendants to the latest generations..."[4]

Personal Life

James Mitchell was born on 29 January 1747 in Pequea, Pennsylvania, to Robert "the Elder" Mitchell and Mary Enos. When James Mitchell was an infant, the family moved to Virginia, where his father first appeared in the deed books of Lunenburg County. The area where the Mitchell family settled became part of newly formed Bedford County in 1753.

He supposedly served for two months in the Virginia Militia during the Revolutionary War but felt camp life was undesirable unless of the greatest necessity. It should be noted that no record of this service has been located and no one has joined the DAR or SAR using James Mitchell as their patriot ancestor.

James Mitchell signed a marriage bond on 19 December 1782 to marry Frances Blair Rice, the daughter of Rev. David Rice and Mary Blair. Rev. Rice had given his written permission for the marriage on 13 December. Rev. Rice was the pastor of the Peaks of Otter Church.

Rev. David Rice's permission for the marriage of Frances Blair Rice and
James Mitchell; courtesy of DAR

In 1785 he purchased 500 acres of land from James Hylton, Sr., using a bond his father and brother co-signed as security. James Hylton gave James Mitchell a bond promising to provide clear title to the land, but died before he did so. His widow and executrix of his estate assigned the purchase bond to Jeremiah Hylton. He filed suit in Bedford Chancery Court for collection and received a judgment against Rev. Mitchell. Therefore, James Mitchell file suit in order to get clear title to the land to to receive an injunction against further collection attempts. What the final court decree was, we do not know as it was not included in the case file.

Rev. William Foote in his Sketches of Virginia, said Rev. Mitchell and his wife had 13 children, two sons and 11 daughters. "Of these, one son and four daughters died before him..." And my research revealed two sons and eight daughters, all of whom lived longer than their father. I am missing three of the daughters who predeceased their father. If Rev. Foote is correct, then one of the death dates for a daughter would be incorrect.

Proved Children

• Catherine A. Mitchell, mentioned in James Mitchell's will (1836)
• Nancy D. Mitchell, the Encyclopedia of Quaker Genealogy states she was the daughter of James
• Susan F. Mitchell, mentioned in James Mitchell's will
• Frances Rice Mitchell, named for her mother, Frances Blair Rice; the Encyclopedia of Quaker Genealogy states she was the daughter of James
• Sarah Dodridge Mitchell, the Virginia Deaths and Burials Index, 1853-1917, listed her father as James Mitchell.
• Martha D. Mitchell, mentioned in James Mitchell's will
• Chalia Sarah (Mitchell) Jones, mentioned in James Mitchell's will

Possible Child

• Mary Blair Mitchell, named for her maternal grandmother, Mary (Blair) Rice

No record I have found stated that Mary Blair Mitchell was the daughter of James Mitchell and France Blair Rice. However, Mary Blair was the name of her maternal grandmother and Mary Blair Mitchell's husband was Anderson Farris, who was one of the executors named in her father's will.

I have found no documented proof of a son who survived him as mentioned by Rev. Foote.

Death

James Mitchell wrote his will on 8 March 1838 and mentioned his wife and four daughters, Catherine A., Susan F. Martha D. and Chalia S. (Mitchell) Jones, a widow of Rev. Farwell Jones.

When Rev. Mitchell breathed his last breath he was 95 years old. His wife, Frances Blair (Rice) Mitchell, was 20 years his junior but confined to bed by "bodily weakness" at the time of her husband's death. Rev. James Mitchell was buried in the Peaks of Otter Church cemetery.

According to R. D. Buford, the long-time clerk of Bedford County Court, "Rev. James Mitchel (the orthography he preferred)...left many worthy descendants, was tenderly loved and venerated, and often addressed and spoken of as the "Father of Virginia."

His wife was enumerated in the 1850 census as the head of household with daughters Susan, Catherine, and Martha, as well as her son-in-law John Shepperson. He was the Rev. J. G. Shepperson whose description of his father-in-law's last days were included in Foote's book. 

Rev. Mitchell's widow died in 1861 according to the DAR lineage books. If she was enumerated in the 1860 census, her age was incorrectly listed as 56. An F. R. Mitchell, who could have been Frances (Rice) Mitchell, lived in Rev. John G. Shepperson's household along with two unmarried women listed as S. Mitchell and C. Mitchell. These women were Susan and Catherine Mitchell, two of Rev. Mitchell's unmarried daughters.

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Rev. James Mitchell was my five times great uncle.

[1] Second Great Awakening, Wikipedia (accessed 7 May 2018).
[2] Foote, William Henry, Rev. Sketches of Virginia, (Philadelphia, PA: Lippincott & Co., 1856), pages 133-141.
[3] ibid
[4] This would be Margaret (Bryan) Mitchell, widow of Rev. James Mitchell's brother, Daniel.