John Mitchell was married to Samantha Gates, a daughter of my Henry
Gates. The bio states that her mother was Ellen Best, but I believe
this to be an error. Henry Gates was married in 1819 to Eleanor Rock in
Clark Co., OH. No record has been found of a marriage to an Ellen Best
and several other pieces of evidence seem to indicate that Henry Gates
was only married once, and that Eleanor (a.k.a "Ellen"?) Rock and Ellen
Best were one and the same. I'd love to hear from others related to
this family - I'm always in search of other GATES researchers! Adina
Contributed by Charlene Saunders:
JOHN L. MITCHELL, farmer and stockraiser, section 17, Shelby Township,
and an active and enterprising citizen, is a native of Indiana, born in
Decatur County, June 4, 1845, a son of LEWIS and ELIZA ANN (MANLOPE)
MITCHELL, natives of Kentucky, the father born in Carrollton, Carroll
County, that State, and the mother in Georgetown. They came to Indiana
in 1825, settling first in Decatur County, and some time later removed
to Tipton County, same State, where they were among the first settlers.
The father died at Green Hill, Warren County, in 1872, and his widow,
the mother of our subject, now makes her home in La Fayette, this
county. JOHN L. MITCHELL, the subject of this sketch, was seventeen
years of age when his parents settled at Green Hill.
He was a soldier in the war of the Rebellion, enlisting July 30, 1864,
in Company A, Fifth Indiana Cavalry or Nineteenth Regiment, and
participated in the battles of Franklin, Nashville and Huntsville. He
received injuries near Florence, Alabama, by his horse falling on him,
from the effects of which he has never recovered, and while swimming
across Sugar Creek in Tennessee he received injuries from which he still
suffers. He was honorably discharged September 14, 1865, receiving his
pay and being mustered out September 26 following. July 7, 1867, he was
married to MISS SAMANTHA E. GATES, a daughter of HENRY and ELLEN (BEST)
GATES, who were natives of Virginia. Her parents were married in Ohio,
in 1829, and came to Tippecanoe County, Indiana, about 1830. In that
year they settled on section 17, Shelby Township, where they lived until
their death, MR. GATES dying December 21, 1861, and MRS. GATES dying
June 19, 1870.
To MR. and MRS. MITCHELL have been born four children, as
follows--LIZZIE ELLEN, born April 1, 1868; THOMAS NEWTON, born October
19, 1869, died September 7, 1870; WALLACE ERASTUS, born September 1,
1873, and CARRIE M., born December 22, 1878. MR. MITCHELL has always
followed agricultural pursuits, and in his chosen vocation has met with
good success. He is now the owner of a well-improved farm of 137 acres,
a fine residence and farm buildings, his barn being one of the best
constructed and most conveniently arranged in his township. He is a man
of strict integrity, fair and honorable in all his dealings, and stands
well in the community in which he resides.
Politically he is a Democrat. He is a member of the Grand Taylor Post
at Chauncey, Indiana. He and his wife and two of their children are
members of the Methodist Episcopal church, and he is superintendent of
the Sunday-school, which entitles him to a seat in the quarterly
conference. In connection with his general farming MR. MITCHELL is a
traveling salesman for agricultural implements, making a specialty of
the Deering harvester and the Queen windmill, the latter being
manufactured at Lima, Indiana.
Biographical Record and Portrait Album of Tippecanoe County, Indiana
pp. 552-553