d. 15 August 1821
| | Mitchell family records state that John was born in Ireland and was a sailor in his youth and captain of a merchant ship as an adult. A narrative written by a great grandchild holds that John Mitchell met Elizabeth King on one of his ocean crossings and was so taken with her he followed her to Abingdon [Washington Co., Virginia] where she planned to visit her brother William King.2,3 |
Marriage | 14 May 1794 | John Mitchell married first Elizabeth King, daughter of Thomas King, on 14 May 1794.4 |
| | John became the manager of the Washington County salt works belonging to Elizabeth's brother, William King. It was a lucrative position which by 1806 paid John $1,000 per year. William King's will written in March 1806 also left John a $10,000 legacy to be paid 5 years after William's death. In addition William left $1,000 each to John and Elizabeth's children when they reached maturity. At the time John and Elizabeth had 4 living children.5 |
Widowed | 13 May 1806 | However two months later Elizabeth died at the age of 29. John's Bible entry suggests she had given birth to twins who did not survive and who were buried on either side of their mother.4 |
Marriage | 26 Jul 1808 | He married second Nancy Craig, daughter of Robert Craig and Jane Denny, on 26 Jul 1808.4 |
| | William King died in October, 1808. His widow and business partners decided John's salary was too high and released him from management of the salt works.5 |
Court Record | | William King's will was a complicated document, open to considerable interpretation. His estate was one of the largest to be probated in southwest Virginia at the time. Several lawsuits resulted, including one involving John Mitchell and the family of William King's sister Nancy (King) Findlay on the one side, and William King, son of William King Sr.'s brother James on the other side. The US Supreme Court ruled on portions of the will some years after John Mitchell's death. However the high court returned the case to the local Chancery courts to determine the actual settlement of the estate.5 |
Guardian | 21 Mar 1810 | John's 4 surviving children with Elizabeth King were all underage so on 21 March 1810 John was appointed their guardian. Depending on the outcome of the law suit the children stood to inherit a considerable sum of money. Hence John's guardianship bond was set at $60,000.6 |
Children | | John and and his second wife Nancy Craig added 7 more children to the family. They named their firstborn son William King Mitchell, no doubt in memory of John's former brother-in-law. John and his first wife Elizabeth King had also named a son William King Mitchell, but the infant had died young. |
Death | 15 Aug 1821 | John died on 15 Aug 1821.4 |
| | Nancy had given birth to the couple's youngest child less than two months earlier. |