More Mitchell Musings
After wondering about the use of the term “nephew” in an 1875 letter to Ephraim M. Mitchell on behalf of Hiram Reed Mitchell, a nephew of Ephraim’s father John Mitchell, I have more questions than answers. I cannot find a link between Hiram Reed Mitchell’s father David to John Mitchell, though I have not looked in primary or original resources. Maybe the term is not used literally in the letter, or as we would think of its usage today.
There is another interesting twist in the letter, however. The letter mentions that the transaction in question was the trade of 100 acres of John’s headright land in Texas for H. R.’s sorrel horse named Charley. There was a title to the land given over to H. R., according to the letter, but the title had been lost in a fire. The letter states that John MItchell went to Mississippi “many years before before the War.” My assumption is that this reference is to the Civil War, but since the letter is authored in Texas, might it not also have referred to the Texas Revolution (1835-36) or perhaps the Mexican War (1846-1848)? The trade did take place, however, before the Mexican War because another letter exists that mentions Charley the sorrel horse.
In a letter dated 14 July 1847, John Mitchell writes his son Ephraim in Shelby County from Travis County. John is in Austin awaiting deployment to Mexico. He refers to Captains Ferguson, Johnson and Rap and Lieutenant Wills. These names match the leaders of the units where John Mitchell is indexed in Spurlin’s index. And then he mentions Charley–”Charley is fat we get plenty for ourselves and horses . . “ So there’s another confirmation of the connections between John and Ephraim and Hiram R. Mitchell.
This letter also contains the only mention I’ve seen anywhere to his wife. John tells Ephraim that if any of his pay gets sent to Ephraim’s, he should “send it to your mother”. I had made the assumption that John was a widower given that he was in the Mexican War at a fairly advanced age–he is listed as both aged 45 and 56 in the Spurlin book. I believe the 56 is more accurate–it matches more of the info I’ve found on John. But evidently he was not a widower and the other clue that this letter provides is that he mentions a brother “D.R.” (assuming his meaning of brother is the same as our meaning of brother) 
So is this David, Hiram’s father? and could the R stand for Reed in both Hiram and David’s names? And what does he mean by “I have not seen him he sent me word he was so engaged he could not leave his office”? What type of office did D. R. have? and where?*
The version of the 1847 letter I have is a typescript–I’d love to see the original as much of the letter is marked “illegible” or “missing words.” I’d like to have a shot at translating what is illegible.
So back to the search–who is the John’s wife and who is his brother D. R.? This family is a challenge because the name is common and I have no idea where to find original records. But I’ll keep working and narrowing the focus–I’m grateful to have copies of these letters as places to begin. I don’t have much experience researching in Mississippi records, but this is the third family I’ve discovered as having spent some time there on their way to Texas, so it will be another “learning opportunity.” And I also see a trip to East Texas in my future. Any advice?
*update: I found a David Reed Mitchell, born about 1797 in North Carolina, in Corsicana, Navarro County, Texas. There’s a historical marker for him–says he was married to Mary Ann Higgins and that they had 5 children. This David Reed Mitchell was a surveyor and a land speculator, which might account for his having an office. Other resources say consistently that Hiram Reed Mitchell’s parents were David Reed MItchell and Mary Susannah Buchannan. Was there more than one David Reed Mitchell born in this time period? Was there only one and he had more than one wife? (I’ve also seen his wife listed as Lucy Higgins) AND, is this the same David R. Mitchell writing Andrew Jackson in 1829 from Alabama, talking about needing to get home to Tennessee?
I certainly possible that he had three wives. You’re researching a time period where records are tough to come by. I haven’t done any research in the south so I can’t offer any advice there. I’m am looking forward to how things play out. Good luck!
D. R. Mitchell is David Reed Mitchell, and John is his brother. Ephraim Miles Mitchell is a known son of John.
David Reed Mitchell was the one which wrote A. J.. He had made a deal with his brother, James, for slaves and land to raise James’s children when he died in Montgomery Co, AL.
David and James both originally lived in Maury Co, Tenn.
Hitam Reed Mitchell was apparently a nephew of John, but it is not known who his father was, George – James – or David Reed Mitchell.
I am seeking the ancestry of my gr grandfather, John Reed Mitchell b. ca1814 AL-d. 1891 Parker Co., TX. DNA proves my line is distantly related to Andrew Tate Mitchell and a connection to David Reed Mitchell. Have you found any info concerning my John Reed Mitchell. Will gladly exchange info.