Ware-Screven-Liberty County GaArchives Biographies.....Mitchell, Henry 1841 - living in 1913 ************************************************ Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/ga/gafiles.htm ************************************************ File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by: Joy Fisher http://www.genrecords.net/emailregistry/vols/00001.html#0000031 October 17, 2004, 7:04 pm Author: William Harden p. 737-739 HENRY MITCHELL. For many years identified with the development and promotion of the lumber interests of Georgia, Henry Mitchell is now living retired from active pursuits in Waycross, enjoying to the utmost the well-merited reward of his long-continued and unremitting toil. Coming on both sides of the house from a long and honored line of pure Scotch ancestry, he was born, November 11, 1841, in the parish of Abernethy, Perthshire, Scotland, a son of William Mitchell. His Grandfather Mitchell, a tiller of the soil, for many years operated the farm known at "Bartlett field," which was located about six miles north of Perth. He and his wife were both life-long residents of Scotland. They reared five children, one daughter and four sons. The daughter, Helen, married a Mr. White, and spent her entire life in her native country. All of the sons left Scotland, one of them, Henry, settling in London, England; Robert located permanently in Ireland; George came to America, settling in Wellington county, Ontario, Canada; and William also immigrated to America. Born in the parish of Dron, Stirlingshire, Scotland, William Mitchell learned the trade of a tailor when young, and followed it for a number of years in Abernethy, Perthshire. Immigrating to America in 1848, he opened a merchant tailoring establishment in Guelph, province of Ontario, Canada, where he spent his remaining years, passing away at the advanced age of seventy-nine years. He married Jane Kinghorn, who was born in Perthshire, Scotland, of Scotch ancestry, and was there reared and married. Her brother, Joseph Kinghorn, was an expert steamboat engineer, and when the Turks bought steamships in Scotland he went to Turkey on board one of the vessels, and was for several years in the employ of the sultan, teaching the Turks how to operate the ships. Another of her brothers, Henry Kinghorn, immigrated to the United States, and served as foreman of the shipyard in New York when the steamers Atlantic, Pacific, Adriatic and Baltic were under process of construction. He continued a resident of New York until his death, and many of his descendants are still living there. Mrs. William Mitchell survived her husband about a year, dying at the age of seventy-nine years. Seven children were born of their union, as follows: William, deceased; Jane, wife of Richard Waldron, of Guelph, Ontario; Henry, the subject of the sketch; David, deceased; Robert, who was for many years a merchant in Guelph, and is now the postmaster; John, a carriage top manufacturer in Guelph; Helen, wife of Myron W. Burr, of Guelph, a furniture manufacturer, now retired. In 1849 Henry Mitchell came with his mother, brothers and sisters to America, joining his father, who had emigrated from Scotland the previous year, in Canada, the ocean voyage in a sailing vessel having covered a period of six weeks. Landing in New York, the family went by way of the Hudson river and the Erie canal to Rochester, New York, thence by way of the Genesee river and Lake Ontario to Hamilton, Canada, where, there being no railroads, they took teams to convey them to Guelph. Continuing his education, which he had begun in Scotland, Henry Mitchell attended the schools of Guelph regularly until seventeen years old, in the meantime earning a little ready money by clerking during his leisure time in a store. Anxious then to secure congenial and remunerative employment, he bade good-bye to home and friends, and journeyed to New York City, where he expected to find his uncle, Henry Kinghorn. The uncle, however, had died. Concluding therefore to go farther south, Mr. Mitchell went to Charleston, South Carolina, where he hoped to have an opportunity to develop his mechanical ability by learning the machinist's trade. Finding no favorable opening in that city, he sought other employment, applying for work to Mr. James M. Rahb, who was the master mechanic and superintendent in the building of the Charleston & Savannah Railroad, of which a few miles only had then been completed. He began work as a common laborer, but after two days was given clerical work, later becoming first a fireman, and then a railroad engineer. On the breaking out of the Civil war Mr. Mitchell was made sergeant of an independent company, and sworn into service, as an expert mechanic being placed on detached duty. He continued as an engineer, and in that capacity formed the acquaintance of General Lee, and was detailed to run his special train, having charge of the engine that drew the general's train while he had charge of the Georgia-Florida district. As previously stated, Mr. Mitchell's great ambition had always been to learn the machinist's trade, and while with General Lee left the train without permission to work in the railroad shops, which were under the supervision of his former employer, Mr. S. S. Haines, who was elected superintendent to take the place of the former superintendent. The commanding officer hearing of this, ordered Mr. Mitchell to headquarters. Mr. Haines accompanied him, pleaded his case most eloquently, telling the officers that as a good mechanic Mr. Mitchell was worth more to the Confederacy in the shops than at the front, putting his side of the case so effectively that Mr. Mitchell was allowed to remain in the shops, where he became familiar with all kinds of work. A few days before the surrender of Fort Sumter, Mr. Mitchell was called there to adjust the sights of the cannon, and was afterwards one of the volunteers that undertook to blow up the Ironsides, and at the close helped to sink the Confederate boats that they might not be of service to the Federals. The close of the war left Mr. Mitchell penniless, but he and a companion, having found a boat adrift, established a ferry across the Ashley river, and for a few days carried on a profitable business, most of their patrons being Union soldiers. Entering then the employ of the United States government, under Bob Hunter, he was for a short time engaged in the construction of bridges, and the raising of sunken vessels. Receiving financial aid then from his home people, Mr. Mitchell returned to Canada, and there served an apprenticeship of three years in the machine shops of F. G. Becket & Company. Returning then to the South, Mr. Mitchell was for a year employed as an engineer on the Fernandina & Cedar Keys Railroad. At the solicitation of Mr. S. S. Haines, he then went to Savannah, Georgia, and from that time until 1877 was an engineer on the Atlanta & Gulf Railroad. Resigning that position, he entered the employ of his father-in-law, for six months having charge of his saw mill in Screven, Georgia. The following two years he operated a saw mill at Ocean Pond, Florida, and subsequently became a partner in the firm of Dale, Dixon & Company, which was operating a planing mill in Savannah, and a saw mill in Liberty county, Georgia. The latter plant Mr. Mitchell operated until it burned, six years later. Captain Dale died about that time, and Mr. Dixon and Mr. Mitchell purchased his interests in the business, and under the firm name of Dixon, Mitchell & Company operated a planing mill in Savannah, and a saw mill in Alexandria, Georgia, for several years. The partnership being dissolved in 1903, and the business disposed of, Mr. Mitchell located in Waycross, and was here profitably engaged in the lumber business until 1911, when he sold out, and has since lived retired from business cares, making his home with his son, Joseph D. Mitchell. Fraternally Mr. Mitchell is a member of Waycross Lodge, No. 305, Ancient Free and Accepted Order of Masons; Waycross Chapter, No. 9, Royal Arch Masons; Damascus Commandery, No. 18, Knights Templar; and also belongs to Golden Rule Lodge of Savannah, Independent Order of Odd Fellows. Mr. Mitchell married, in 1877, Kate Dale, who was born and educated in Savannah, a daughter of Capt. Joseph J. and Delia (White) Dale, the former of whom was a native of England, while the latter was born in the United States. Mrs. Mitchell died in 1883, in early womanhood, leaving two children, one of whom lived but eighteen months. The other child, Joseph Dale Mitchell, born in Wayne county, Georgia, but raised and educated in Savannah, was for many years associated in business with his father. He married Minnie Jones, and they have five children, namely: Katie Dale, Minnie, Joseph Dale, Jr., Nellie Burr, and William Bruce. He, too, stands high in the Ancient Free and Accepted Order of Masons, being eminent commander of Damascus Commandery, No. 18, Knights Templar. Additional Comments: From: A HISTORY OF SAVANNAH AND SOUTH GEORGIA BY WILLIAM HARDEN VOLUME II ILLUSTRATED THE LEWIS PUBLISHING COMPANY CHICAGO AND NEW YORK 1913 File at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/ga/ware/bios/gbs270mitchell.txt This file has been created by a form at http://www.genrecords.org/gafiles/ File size: 9.3 Kb