MITCHELL, JOHN, Jr.

MITCHELL, BURR, HUMPHREYS, SNOWDEN, BREWSTER, STONE, MURDOCK, ROSS, HOUSTON

Posted By: County Coordinator
Date: 5/12/2019 at 22:42:36

WASHINGTON TOWNSHIP

MITCHELL, JOHN, Jr., farmer, Sec. 10 ; P. O. Fort Madison ; his father. John M., Sr., was born in County Derry, Ireland, in 1794. In 1816, married Miss Mattie Burr, born in the same county in 1795 ; they had six children, four of whom came to this country ; the eldest, Margaret, born in 1818, married Nathaniel Humphreys, came to America in 1841, settled in Philadelphia, where she died in April, 1874; Hannah, born October, 1820, came over to Philadelphia in 1848, where she married Francis Snowden and still resides ; John was born in May, 1823, learned the trade of linen-weaver of his father ; in 1844, came to America, remained thirteen months in New York City. weaving carpets ; went to Philadelphia, where he married Jane Brewster July 3, 1849 ; she was also a native of County Derry, Ireland ; lost her parents when young, and, with a brother and two sisters, came to America in 1846; in 1851, they came to Van Buren Co., Iowa ; a year after, Mr. Mitchell left his family with a brother-in-law, and went over land to California, with a company of twenty-six men, four women and six children, with thirteen wagons ; they organized under the leadership of Capt. Stone, of Illinois, and left Council Bluffs May 17, 1852. The cholera prevailed to an alarming extent all along their road until they passed the mountains, but owing to the good care of Dr. Murdock, of Fort Des Moines, they passed through safely ; reached their destination Sept. 13 ; Mr. M. remained four years engaged in mining with moderate success ; returned via Panama, N. Y., and Philadelphia ; reached home in May, 1856, and, a year after, settled at their present residence, the farm first settled by Cy. Ross, who brought the first rat to this township in a box of fruit-trees from Kentucky ; the farm now consists of 150 acres, valued at $60 per acre, with brick residence which cost $3,500, and is well improved ; they have five children—John, Jr., born July 3, 1851 ; Mattie J., March 25, 1857; Charles B., Aug. 4, 1859; Mary A., Dec. 16, 1865 ; Maggie H., June 13, 1870 ; Mr. M.'s youngest brother, Benjamin, was born in County Derry in 1825 ; came to America with his sister Hannah, and settled in Philadelphia ; worked as a laborer, then as a carpet-weaver : in 1854, went to California in 1865, and turned to Philadelphia; in 1866, married Jane Houston, and died in November, 1870. Their mother died in 1828 ; father in 1845.

Source: BIOGRAPHICAL DIRECTORY
HISTORY OF LEE COUNTY IOWA
CHICAGO: WESTERN HISTORICAL COMPANY, 1879

Transcription typed/proofed as article was originally published in 1879