All My Ancestors

I’ve written about my Mitchell quest before.

This is a tough search because it’s a common name, the given names are also common (John, James, Mary, Martha), the family was apparently quite mobile, and most of what I want to know occurred before 1850 so the luxury of the every-name census records are not available.   Add that this family was often in territory before statehood (e.g., probably Mississippi) and in a state I have not extensively researched, and the result is a family that drives me a little mad.

Plus, I also have to question the sanity of a man 56 years of age (according to his service record) who joins up to fight in the Mexican War.

So while I’ve written quite a bit recently about this family, it still fits the Monday Madness meme for Geneabloggers–both because they drive me mad and I do think John Mitchell, Sr. might have been a little off his rocker. 

Here is the latest information I’ve received on a person named John Mitchell, Jr.  I’m still not certain that he is the brother of my 4th great-grandfather, Ephraim Miles Mitchell, son of John Mitchell and probably Martha “Patsy” McClain.  I’ve mentioned before that I have a copy of a letter written by John Mitchell from Austin, Texas, as he is awaiting deployment to Mexico.  He mentions his brother “D. R.,” and his horse Charley, but no mention of a son in the same unit.

He does enlist on the same day in the same place as John Mitchell, Sr–20 May 1847 in Rusk County, Texas.

He enlists in the same unit–1st Texas Mounted Volunteers, Co. I.

Unlike John Sr., he apparently survives the war and he one muster roll card indicates he was mustered out 1 May 1848 by Captain Washington near Vera Cruz, Mexico.

His service record gives no other clues that I can see.  Do you?

I posted most of this info in my 20 Dec post, but by writing about it again, I guess I think I’m emphasizing how frustrated I am with these guys.

Through the years I have found pieces of information on this family that all started from my trying to search for info on my mysterious great-great grandmother, Ephraim’s daughter Mary.  I knew nothing about her family when I started, so with some perspective, I have learned quite a bit about this mysterious bunch–I knew her grandchildren but they knew practically nothing about her.  John B. and Mary are a bit of the “lost generation” in my family since both Mary and her husband John B. Cooper died young–he in the Civil War and she shortly thereafter.

Here’s hoping . . .

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I know, I know.  We’re supposed to be blogging about Christmas.

But I received the second Mexican War service record I’ve ordered.  Ever.  And I’ve written before about my lack of confidence in dealing with military records–mostly because of my ignorance of them, particularly any record other than ones from the Civil War.

This one is for a man named John Mitchell, Jr.  He enlisted in Rusk County, Texas on 20 May 1847.  He is 30 years of age and he enlists in what becomes Co. I, 1st Regiment Texas Mounted Volunteers.  The commander for this unit is the colorful Capt. John “Jack” Coffee Hays.

In this same unit, also as previously posted, is John Mitchell, Sr.  Because of a copy of a letter passed down through the family, I am relatively certain John Mitchell Sr. is my ancestor.

But who is John Mitchell, Jr.  Can I safely assume he is the son of John, Sr.?  They enlist on the same day in the same place into the same unit and for the same length of time.  John Sr.’s horse was evidently of better quality as it is valued at $130.  Jr.’s is valued at $75, goes up to $100 by November and then at the time of mustering out, May 1848, is valued at $50.  Wonder what the process is of valuing the horses?

I looked for a John Mitchell, born about 1817, in Rusk County, Texas in the 1850 census.  I did not find anyone who fit this description.  So I went back to  Mississippi looking for such a person.  There is J. B. Mitchell who is the right age in DeSoto County in both 1850 and 1860.  The Mitchells are variously in DeSoto and Marshall Counties in northern Mississippi–I suspect they came into Mississippi from neighboring Tennessee.  I am stymied by the initials the census taker used for this family–John Mitchell is way too common a name to depend on initials.  I was hoping for a wife’s name that might help me track this John Mitchell.  It appears that J.B.’s wife’s name was Susan–in 1860, the oldest child in the household is Martha.  Wife Susan is not in the household by 1860.  Martha is the name of John Mitchell Sr’s wife.

And here’s another big question–what were the Mitchell men doing in Texas, signing up for the Army, when their homes and families were in Mississippi? Granted, one of John Sr.’s sons, Ephraim Miles Mitchell, had come to Texas by this date, but why were his father and perhaps his brother there as well?  This family seemed to move as land opened up in various places–but unlike Ephraim, these two men do not appear to have brought their families with them.  At least John Sr. did not–his wife Martha/Patsy is found back in Mississippi living in the household of her daughter Mary E. Boyd, wife of Robert Louis Boyd.

I still don’t have enough information to unravel the Mitchells.  But I’ll keep working.  I’ve put off working on this family–a common surname, common given names and much movement prior to 1850.  I keep trying to collect bits to fill in the puzzle, but so far, I don’t even have enough to build the outside edges.

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December 3 – Christmas Tree Ornaments
Did your family have heirloom or cherished ornaments? Did you ever string popcorn and cranberries? Did your family or ancestors make Christmas ornaments?
(Note: this post can be used for Treasure Chest Thursday as well)

So I’m late joining this exercise, but maybe it will serve the purpose of getting me started writing again.  And help take me away from the frantic-ness that is too often part of these holidays.

I’d love to say we have some heirloom or cherished ornaments.  I think we have some that are on their way to cherished status, but not a lot.  A few years ago, I purchased some retro ornament that reminded me of those smaller glass ornaments of my childhood (1950s)–there are lots of blues and purples and stripes and some sort of rough white glitter “snow.”  They aren’t circular like today’s bulbs–I’ve enjoyed putting them among our other ornaments the past few years.

My favorite ornament that I kept for many many years was a Santa Claus head I made as a first grader.  We were assigned to make or bring an ornament for our classroom tree.  As I recall, Mrs. Price put up some sort of painted twiggy looking tree at the back of the classroom on the counter next to the sink–as I recall, it got decorated for each season so it wasn’t a true Christmas tree in the sense that it was not evergreen.

To make my ornament, my mom blew out an egg and I drew on the face.  He was a little cross-eyed as I recall.   Mom helped me further by sewing a red hat–I remember we had a time making it big enough to fit over the egg–and I glued on some cotton for the white fur.  I loved putting this ornament on the tree for years–first at my parents’ home and then on my own tree.  However, egg-head Santa suffered a crushing blow–someone stepped on him.  I don’t even remember who now but I do remember it was a very sad day when I had to do away with my Santa.  I think his scruffy little red hat still fills one of the corners of the Christmas storage boxes.

But we do have another ornament that is taking on the “heirloom” mantle–it is already cherished.  Our oldest son made an ornament one year out of an even more unlikely household item than an egg–a toilet paper roll.  The ornament represents a man dressed as in Biblical times–or a young child’s idea of what that would be, anyway.   Construction paper was used to make a red undergarment with a blue outer robe.  Now-raveling burlap forms the headdress–glued over the top and partway down the back–and the face matches the artwork of my 1st grade Santa–but this one has a very dark beard colored on.  It’s just so primitive and representative of my son at that young age–I love it and love to tuck it into the tree each year.

I don’t remember ever stringing cranberries or popcorn, but one year I did decorate our family tree in the tradition of what I’d read and learned about our Germans from Russia ancestors.  Here in Oklahoma City, there is always a display of trees decorated by various groups who want to participate.  Persons can tour the display and the event earns money for a local charity.  The local Germans from Russia chapter had a beautiful tree up and it made me think about my own ancestors.   My family were Mennonites so I can imagine their choice of decorations as being practical.  I put unshelled walnuts and apples and candles on my tree that year.  I did spray paint the walnuts with gold paint, and the apples were not “real” fruit–the were smaller shiny apple ornaments, and my candles were lights.  It was beautiful to me but I remember my sons being a little puzzled.  It took me back to the year my mom “flocked” (with that spray snow that was available and a staple of 1950′s Christmases) a tumbleweed for our Christmas tree in the Texas panhandle.  Looking back on it, it seems appropriate but I really was embarrassed and thought it was weird at the time.

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Madora McLarty

Ochiltree Cemetery

near Perryton in Ochiltree County, Texas

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My great-grandfather George Charley Cooper 1859 TX – 1935 TX

clipping contains no date or place

probably from the Lubbock Avalanche

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Military records scare me.

There.  I said it.

I am finally somewhat comfortable with Civil War service records–more comfortable with Confederate ones than Union, probably because of the number of Rebels I have in my own family than Feds.  I’ve worked more with Civil War records–many of them are now available on Footnote.com and I ordered many of them from NARA before that kind of access was available.

But then comes John Mitchell, born about 1790, probably in Orange County, North Carolina.  His family moves to Tennessee, and I believe to Mississippi, and in May 1847, at the age of 56, John Mitchell joins the army in Rusk County Texas to fight in the Mexican War.  One of my fellow Mitchell researchers shared a letter written by John from Austin, Texas, while he was awaiting deployment.  He mentions his horse Charley and assures his son Ephraim that both he and Charley are getting plenty of food.

I found John Mitchell, Sr. indexed in Charles D. Spurlin‘s Texas Veterans in the Mexican War:  Muster Rolls of Texas Military Units.  The first time I ordered his record from NARA, I got a reply that the record was not found.  (The good news is that I did not get charged for the search and it was all done electronically, so the pain was quickly over.)  I took the opportunity to pick Craig Scott‘s brain a little after his presentation on the Mexican War and its records at FGS in Little Rock.   This conversation convinced me that the record was probably indeed held at NARA, but it also planted the seed of wondering if it might be held in Austin.  So I wrote the Texas State Archives and received a wonderfully educational and thorough response.  The author of the letter notes all the inconsistencies in Spurlin’s abstracts of John Mitchell’s records–not because of Spurlin’s work, but, I suspect, because of the common name AND, perhaps, the enlistment of a Mitchell son also named John.  At any rate, the record was indeed at NARA, and a second attempt with a note that it was the second effect, I finally got the file.

It is slim.  Only 4 muster cards–for June to August,  September and October , and November and December for 1847.  The final card is for January and February 1848.    Spurlin notes that Mitchell died in Carmargo in Mexico.  The muster roll cards confirm that he was left sick in Camargo as of 4 Sep 1847.  None of the cards confirm his death using that actual term.

So what other records might exist for this man?  And what about those other John Mitchells who could also be relatives? or not relatives but from the same general area of Texas?

I’m considering hiring a researcher in DC to look into this.  I think I need someone who can look at all the records at one time and make some decisions.  On the other hand, if I had access to them, I could do it myself.  Dallas Public has good military holdings.  Maybe I’ll try them first–

The search goes on.  A pension record would be so helpful, but as far as I can determine, no one applied for a pension based on John Mitchell’s service.  I believe his wife was in Marshall County, Mississippi, living with daughter Mary E. Mitchell Boyd.  John admonishes son Ephraim to “take care of your mother” in the letter,” but so far, I cannot get beyond this point.

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Charles Winfield Osborne and Gertrude Susanna Mobley Osborne

My great-grandparents

Fairview Cemetery

Pampa, Gray County, Texas

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Here are Randy’s instructions for this week, should we decide to accept.

1) How old is your father now, or how old would he be if he had lived? Divide this number by 4 and round the number off to a whole number. This is your “roulette number.”

September 4 of this month my dad would have turned 80.  Given the Osborne genes, he’d probably still be with us if it hadn’t been for an unfortunate meeting with a staph infection after a hospital stay.  So 80 divided by 4 is 20 and that’s my roulette number for this exercise.

2) Use your pedigree charts or your family tree genealogy software program to find the person with that number in your ahnentafel. Who is that person?

Number 20 on my pedigree chart is my great, great grandfather, John B. Cooper.

[For those of you who read this blog and don't have the faintest what an ahnentafel is, don't worry.  All groups have their own lingo, and I suspect ahnentafel is one that is not all that familiar outside genealogy.  Here's the definition from the Encyclopedia of Genealogy, where you will learn that it translates to "ancestor table."    It is the listing of one's direct ancestors--no aunts, uncles, cousins--just parents, grandparents, great-grandparents, etc.  These folks are numbered, with the males being assigned even numbers--their associated female, usually a wife, has odd number obtained by adding 1 to the male's number.  So on my chart, my dad's number is 2 and my mom's his 3 (2 + 1).  Typically, each male's father's number will be double his number--the numbers double for each generation, in other words.  My paternal grandfather's number is 4 and his wife's, my grandmother's is 5, etc., etc. ]

3) Tell us three facts about that person with the “roulette number.”

• John B. and 3 of his 4 brothers all died in the Civil War.  He survived Camp Douglas only to die at the end of the war, probably in the Battle of Atlanta.  They were the sons of Job Cooper and Elizabeth Landrum Cooper.
• John B. married Mary Mitchell, daughter of Ephraim Miles Mitchell and Rebecca Jones Mitchell sometime in 1857, probably in Shelby County, Texas.
• He mustered into the 18th Texas Cav, Co. A (Darnell’s)  in Johnson County, Texas on 15 Jan 1862.  The value of his equipment is listed as horse, $125, horse equipment, $20, gun $35, and pistol, $5.

4) Write about it in a blog post on your own blog, in a Facebook note or comment, or as a comment on this blog post.

Done!

5) If you do not have a person’s name for your “roulette number” then spin the wheel again – pick your mother, or yourself, a favorite aunt or cousin, or even your children!

Didn’t have to spin again. 

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About a month ago I visited the cemetery in the Texas panhandle where so many of my family are buried. It was a lovely morning–cool and a breeze and a clear sky.  The end of August in that part of the country can be scorching, so it was a nice way to spend the morning.

I went out to photo some gravestones for FindAGrave and to try out my new camera.  I was surprised to find a new directory installed with some new landscaping as well.

The pages on the display boards have a listing of the burials, the year of death, and the location.  This posting is updated monthly.  It’s a great addition that I know the local genealogy society has provided.  Here’s one of the pages:

I noticed that the printout had come from the County Clerk’s office, and I wanted to know if I could get a copy.  I wanted a copy for a couple of reasons–I thought it would make a wonderful addition to the library where I work.  Even though I work and live in Oklahoma, I know that out in the panhandle, the state lines don’t really matter.  Many of the folks who are buried in the Ochiltree County Cemetery in Ochiltree County, Texas, are from adjoining Beaver County, Oklahoma.  My mother, for example, and her parents, are all buried in Ochiltree though their roots are in Beaver County, Oklahoma.

I have also begun a project that could take me the rest of my life to complete.    I’ve begun entering the family data from the Ochiltree County history books into a database and will also enter the same info from the Beaver County book.  So many of the families are intermarried and related through the generations.  Having the cemetery records would help me know when and where many of those folks died and are buried.

And, I suppose, a third reason is that I feel like I know so many of those folks, I just like having the information.  As I drive through or walk through the cemetery, I recognize most of the names–I know the people or I know their descendants.  I’ve said before–I graduated from a school that my parents graduated from.  That same weekend I attended my 40th high school reunion, and as I looked around, I saw folks that I’d gone to school with for all 12 grades.  In many instances, their parents and my parents had also gone to school together.  So having the cemetery book is just another way to know more about my life and that of my place.

I took photos of some of the folks I’ve entered into that database–some of whom were my neighbors as I was growing up.  But here’s the tombstone that I found most interesting on this trip.

and here’s a photo of the requisite graveyard rabbit under one of the tough cedar trees in that windswept place:

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Here are the scans of the front and back of the postcard I wrote about yesterday. In my excitement at finding it, I didn’t notice at the time that the postmark on the $.01 stamp makes it just a few months over 100 years old. Thomas M. Spindle and his second wife Eliza Harris Spindle, shown in the photo below, ran this inn and a livery stable in the small dusty Texas town of Stamford, Jones County, Texas.

Sometime between 1908 when daughter Angelina was born in Stamford, Texas, and 1917 when son Malcomb was born in Roswell, New Mexico, the family moved out to New Mexico. So this may very well have been made while the Spindles owned and ran the Stamford Inn. I don’t yet have the details of their ownership.

But it was a great find for our family. We do have some other pictures of the family in front of this building, but this photo shows the size of the place.

I can’t imagine being responsible for the laundry of linen for this enterprise.

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