John H. Mitchell Biography


	This biography is from "Memorial and biographical record; an illustrated
 	compendium of biography, containing a compendium of local biography,
	including biographical sketches of prominent old settlers and 
	representative citizens of South Dakota..." Published by G. A. Ogle & 
	Co., Chicago, 1899. Page 260

	Scan, OCR and editing by Maurice Krueger,mkrueger@iw.net, 1998. 

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HON. JOHN H. MITCHELL, an honored early settler and one of the 
representative citizens of Hand county, South Dakota, has made his home 
on section 5, St. Lawrence township, since 1 883, and gives his time 
and attention to agricultural pursuits, in which he is meeting with 
well deserved success. He was born in Franklin county, Ohio, August 19, 
1846, a son of Thomas and Rachel (Houston) Mitchell, natives of 
Pennsylvania. The paternal grandfather was Hugh Mitchell, who aided the 
colonies in their struggle for independence as a soldier of the 
Revolutionary war, and died in Ohio. In 1812 the father of our subject 
moved to the Buckeye state and took up his residence in Franklin 
county, where he engaged in business as a trader and farmer until his 
removal to McLean county, Illinois, in 1853 There he continued to make 
his home until his death, which occurred May 5, 1881. In his family 
were three children, two sons and one daughter. The brother of our 
subject once resided in Hand county, South Dakota. 

John H. Mitchell grew to manhood on his father's farm in McLean county, 
Illinois, and obtained his education in the country schools of the 
neighborhood. After laying aside his text books, In engaged in farming 
and stock raising in that state until coming to Hand county, South 
Dakota in 1882, at which time he took up a claim in York township, but 
only resided thereon for about a year, as in 1883 he located upon his 
present farm in St. Lawrence township. He has continued to successfully 
follow general farming and stock raising, and is now the owner of a 
valuable place of two hundred and thirty acres, which he has placed 
under a high state of cultivation and improved with good buildings. 

In 1881 Mr. Mitchell was united in marriage with Miss Nellie Harrison, 
a native of Illinois and a daughter of Benjamin and Martha (Mason) 
Harrison. Her father was one of the first settlers of McLean county, 
that state, where her parents continued to make their home until called 
from this life. Our subject and his wife have one son, Frank H. In 
political sentiment, Mr. Mitchell is a pronounced Populist, and on his 
party ticket he was elected to the lower house of the state legislature 
in 1896, a position which he filled with credit to himself and to the 
entire satisfaction of his constituents. He is well-known and highly 
respected and has a host of warm and admiring friends in his adopted 
county.