Chapter 13- Mitchell Family of Chester County SC

There were several persons surnamed Mitchell living in the immediate vicinity and interacting with various members of the Atterbury family in Chester County SC in the latter part of the 18th century, leaving us to ponder whether these Mitchells may have been kinsmen of these Atterburys.  Keeping in mind that the mother of these Atterbury men was Sarah Mitchell, daughter of John Mitchell II of Prince George’s County, MD, it is not too difficult to imagine a kinship connection between the Atterburys and Mitchells of Chester County.  Several Atterbury and Mitchell family genealogists have pondered this question, but the author has yet to discover anyone that has actually made a direct connection.  For example, Henry C. Peden, Jr. offered the following thought:

“From the foregoing information [having cited several Chester County land records involving both Mitchells and Atterburys] it becomes evident that there was an Atterbury-Mitchell connection in early Maryland prior to the migration to Loudoun County, Virginia, and subsequently to Chester County, South Carolina.”[1]

Although Mr. Peden does not venture an opinion on the exact genealogical connection between these Chester County Atterburys and Mitchells, he was at least sufficiently knowledgeable of the Maryland history of these families to recognize the possibility of an extension of that connection from Maryland into South Carolina.  Let’s see whether we can unravel this mystery. 

For starters Tables 13-1 and 13-2 contain the listing of Mitchells found in Chester County in the 1790 and 1800 census records, respectively.  In the 1790 census there were four Mitchell households, but because of the limited breakdown of the age range for household members, it is nearly impossible to draw any conclusions about their possible kinships, with the exception of David Mitchell Jr., who presumably would have been a son of David Mitchell Sr.  Similarly, the presence of only one male and one female in David Mitchell Jr.’s household and no males under the age of 16 years suggests a husband and wife, perhaps too recently married to have had any children.  Further, given the presence of males under age 16 in the Isaiah Mitchell and James Mitchell households in 1790, it might be concluded that David Mitchell Jr. was younger than Isaiah and James.  Lastly, the presence of what appears to have been six children in James Mitchell’s household suggests a person much older than both David Jr. and Isaiah, perhaps a peer of David Mitchell [Sr.]. 

One further test of the probable kinship connections between these four Mitchells in the 1790 census may be derived from the fact that David [Sr.], David Jr. and Isaiah were all listed in succession in the census register, suggesting that David Jr. and Isaiah were sons of David [Sr.].  The fact that James Mitchell was also listed on the same register page with David [Sr.], David Jr. and Isaiah (but separated by four households) suggests a close kinship with James.  It should further be pointed out that none of these Mitchells were listed in this census record in close proximity to any of the Atterburys or their known associates.  Spatial proximity in the census lists is generally indicative of geographic proximity on the ground, but not always.  Census records were typically gathered by traveling from household to household sequentially and longitudinally along the main corridors of transportation within a community, resulting in lists reflective of geographic proximity.

In the 1800 census the David Mitchell Sr. household is no longer shown, suggesting perhaps that he may have died between 1790 and 1800.  There was still a listing of a David Mitchell household.  The age range for the head of this household and his presumed wife of 16 thru 25 almost comports with the 1790 age range of >16, but were David Mitchell Jr. and this David Mitchell the same persons?  There were also a young male under age 10, and three young females under age 10, presumably the children of this David Mitchell and his wife.  Additionally, there were also two young females aged 10 thru 15 and one older female over age 45.  It seems probable that the older female was David Mitchell’s mother, Mary [Molly] Mitchell.  It also seems probable that the two young females aged 10 to 15 were the same two females reported in David Mitchell Sr.’s household in 1790 (probably younger sisters of this David Mitchell).  We will present later in this chapter a court record from 1789 for a person identified as David Mitchell Jr., which clearly would not fit with the age of the David Mitchell in this 1800 census record.  From that record, it would appear that we had two separate David Mitchells in Chester County in addition to David Mitchell Sr.  One of those David Mitchells was twice referred to as David Mitchell Jr.  The younger David Mitchell from the 1800 census record was only identified in the records as David Mitchell, without any title of Jr. or otherwise.

Also reported in the 1800 census was a household headed by John Mitchell and an apparent wife, both aged 10 to 15.  This would have been a very young age for marriage, but possible.  It seems possible that this John Mitchell may have been one of the two young males reported in David Mitchell Sr.’s household in 1790, possibly a younger brother of David Mitchell [The Younger].  But, John Mitchell may also have been a son of either Elias or James Mitchell.

When the author first looked at these Chester County Mitchells, he initially concluded that David Mitchell Sr. was the father of David Mitchell Jr., James Mitchell, Isaiah Mitchell, Thomas Mitchell, John Mitchell and Elias Mitchell, and that David Mitchell Sr. was the son of John and Elizabeth Mitchell, born in Prince Georges County MD on 14Feb1722.  Now, having taken a closer look at the household compositions for David Mitchell Sr., David Mitchell Jr. and David Mitchell [sans title, aka The Younger], the author is more inclined to believe that David Mitchell [Sr.] may have been a brother or cousin of James and Elias.  We have now excluded Isaiah, Thomas and John Mitchell as brothers of David Mitchell Sr., James Mitchell and Elias Mitchell for reasons that will be documented later in this section  This change in opinion was substantially based on the fact that David Mitchell [sans title], aged 16 thru 25 in 1800 (born about 1774-5) does not comport with a father born in 1722, certainly not of the same mother as John Mitchell, who was born in 1741 to David and Mary Mitchell in Prince Georges County MD, or even of David Mitchell, who was born in 1752 to John and Elizabeth [Riley] Mitchell.

Then we have the rather confusing grave memorial record for David Mitchell Sr. taken from Find-A-Grave, abstracted as follows:

“Name:   David Mitchell Sr

Birth Date:             1741

Death Date:           Feb 1803??

Cemetery:              Old Shaw Baptist Church Cemetery

Burial or Cremation Place:   Chester County, South Carolina, United States of America”[2]

Dora Brown is reported as the source for this grave record, which was posted on 2Aug2013.  The author has made several attempts to contact Ms. Brown to ascertain her source and the level of confidence she places in this record, but has yet to receive a reply.  Since it is listed as a “memorial” record, it seems probable that no actual grave marker has been located.  In fact, no actual record can be found for the location of the Old Shaw Baptist Church Cemetery.  On the Find-A-Grave site this cemetery is described as follows:

“Situated on a knoll near Broad River in the Sandy River area. This church burned and the congregation moved to the present site, Brushy Fork; April 28, 1957..”

and, from Interment.net:

“Located in west Chester County, South Carolina, on the Broad River, near the Woods Ferry area of the Sumpter National Forest.”

Consequently, the author must place a very low reliability value on this memorial record.  On the surface, it would appear that someone has cobbled together a grave memorial based on bits of information extracted from a variety of sources, i.e., census records, church registry records, land records, estate records, etc.  That being said, it may be noteworthy that David Mitchell Sr.’s purported year of birth is given as 1741.  That date just happens to coincide with the year of birth for John Mitchell, eldest son of David and Mary Mitchell, born 3Jun1741.  However, if we assume that this memorial was for John [David?] Mitchell, then the date of death does not compute with other records in evidence.  Assuming that this grave memorial record was for David Mitchell [Sr.?], who appeared in the 1790 census, it is more likely that he died sometime between 1790 and 1800 (probably around 1794-5).  This date of death is based on the following deed record:

1. Deed Book E, pp 203-4 – 19Mar1796 – David Hopkins of Chester County to David Mitchell, son of Mary Mitchell, for ₤20 sterling, part of larger tract on the drains of Wilsons Creek, including the plantation whereon the said David Mitchell and his mother now lives, 124-1/4 acres.  Wit.: Mashack Willis and William Clark.[3]

The foregoing deed indicates that David Mitchell [sans title] was living on a tract of land with his mother, Mary Mitchell, described as being situated on Wilsons Creek, tributary to Broad River, part of a larger tract purchased from David Hopkins in 1796.  The fact that Mary Mitchell was living with her presumed son, David Mitchell, is a clear indication David Mitchell Sr. had died earlier.  One further factor which lends to confusion over the identity of David Mitchell Sr. is his wife’s name, Mary Mitchell.  At first blush, it was very tempting to identify David Mitchell Sr. and Mary as the same persons whose children were recorded born in Prince Georges County MD in the mid-18^th century.  After more sober consideration, it seems simply a coincidence that these two David Mitchell’s just happened to marry women named Mary.

From the 1800 census we find listings of two Mitchell men aged over 45 years (born before 1765): namely James Mitchell and Elias Mitchell.  Although there appears to have been persons over age 45 in Isaiah Mitchell’s household, he and his wife would appear to have been aged 25 thru 44.  Additionally, there is a listing of a Thomas Mitchell’s household, aged 25 to 44, with an apparent son aged 16 to 25.  Given this apparent son’s age (over 16 years old) it may be reasonable to conclude that Thomas Mitchell very likely was born around 1766-7 or earlier.  This more precise age for Thomas Mitchell would appear to place him as a peer of Isaiah Mitchell.  The close placement of these Mitchell men within the census records aside, we will soon learn that they each acquired land along the drains of Brushy Fork Creek in relatively close proximity to one another.  Consequently, it seems highly suggestive that these five Mitchell men may have been very close kinsmen. 

That being said, is there anything else in the records that might allow us to connect these presumed Mitchell kinsmen to the Prince George’s County MD Mitchells?  Matter of fact there might just be such a record.  Following is a birth record abstracted from the The Maryland, U.S., Births and Christenings Index, 1662-1911 on Ancestry.com:

Name:     Elias Mitchell

Gender:  Male

Birth Date:             12 Mar 1761

Birth Place:            Frederick, Maryland

Father’s Name:      David Mitchell

Mother’s Name:    Mary

FHL Film Number:                14081

Given the parent’s names, date, and location in Frederick County Maryland, there is very strong reason for believing that this was the birth of another son to David and Mary Mitchell, formerly of Prince George’s County, and the same Elias Mitchell listed in the 1800 census of Chester County SC.  Assuming that to be the case, we present all of the Mitchell family birth records from St. Barnabas Church, Prince Georges County during the 18^th Century in the table below for further scrutiny.  The families of two of Sarah Mitchell Yacksley Atterberry’s brothers have been included for analysis: John Mitchell (highlighted in yellow), and David Mitchell (highlighted in blue).  We have added Elias Mitchell to this table for a more comprehensive comparison.  In this table David and Mary Mitchell are shown to have had three sons born prior to 1861: John, James and Elias.  From the cluster of assumed male Mitchell kinsmen in the 1800 Chester County census, we identified potential brothers named James and Elias, who match the names of two sons born to David and Mary.  While this fact alone is not absolutely compelling evidence that the Mitchell brothers of Chester County were all sons of David and Mary, it must be recognized as strong circumstantial evidence, nonetheless.

When we add the grave memorial record of David Mitchell Sr. to the mix, this circumstantial evidence becomes even stronger.  How, might you ask, is David Mitchell Sr.’s grave memorial even relevant to this analysis?  Although totally undocumented, this grave memorial does contain one vital piece of information, David’s purported birth year of 1741.  From the birth records accorded to David and Mary Mitchell we have a listing for a son named John Mitchell born in 1741.  David Mitchell’s father and grandfather were named John Mitchell, so we might reasonably expect that David would name his firstborn son for the father or grandfather, John Mitchell.  Might it not be equally reasonable to expect David and Mary to christen their firstborn son “John David” Mitchell in honor of both his father and grandfather?  Might it not also be possible that that firstborn son would later in life opt in favor of his father’s name of “David” in deference to a grandfather of whom he would have very little recollection?

All things considered, the author believes it highly probable that David Mitchell Sr. would have been the eldest of his assumed brothers, and the same person as the son, John Mitchell, born to David and Mary Mitchell in Prince Georges County on 12Apr1741.  An older age for David Mitchell Sr. will be further supported by land and military records from Chester County presented later in this chapter.  Assuming the author’s analysis and conclusions regarding the identity of David Mitchell Sr. to be correct, then this would seemingly have greatly increased the probability James and Elias Mitchell of Chester County were also descended from David and Mary Mitchell of Prince George’s County MD.

But, we are not ready to rest our case, there is even more evidence to be found in Maryland records to support this argument.  While in this realm of speculation, let’s add on further variable to the equation.  Many Atterberry and Mitchell genealogical researchers have posited the notion that two of the Atterberry brothers intermarried with two of their Mitchell 1^st cousins: Edward Atterberry and Keziah Mitchell, and Charles Atterberry and Sarah Mitchell.  Little or no documentary evidence has been offered by these “researchers” to support their claims of these intermarriages.  The author would at this point in time posit yet one more such intermarriage with a 1^st cousin: Michael Atterberry and Elizabeth Mitchell.  Again, the author can offer no direct evidence to support an intermarriage of Michael Atterberry with his 1^st cousin, but there is a myriad of circumstantial evidence to consider.  At this juncture, we will present only one piece of “evidence”, if evidence it be.  Michael, Edward and Charles were the first of the Atterberry brothers to migrate to South Carolina, first appearing on patent applications starting in 1771.  From those records it would appear that Michael Atterberry was already married with a wife and three children on arrival, whereas Edward and Charles appear to have been unmarried (based on an analysis of their patent filings).  If Michael Atterberry was already married to his 1^st cousin, Elizabeth Mitchell, when they traveled from Loudoun County VA to Camden District SC, how might they have had the opportunity to meet one another?  We also have the records for a Michael Mitchell Atterberry in Hardin County KY in the 19^th Century, a strong suggestion of a Michael Atterberry and a Mitchell union.

In the author’s earlier research into the life of William Atterberry in America, no evidence was found to suggest that any of William Atterberry’s Mitchell kinsmen ever lived in Loudoun County.  In fact, the last records he had found for his Mitchell family members were still back in Prince George’s County.  But what of the birth record for Elias Mitchell in Frederick County?  Might not that record suggest that at least David and Mary Mitchell may have moved away from Prince George’s County by 1761?  The author is always cognizant of applying a Time and Place Convergence test as a primary means of verifying family connections.  If any of these Atterberry brothers had married a Mitchell 1^st cousin, there would need to have been a point in time at which these two respective families would have been in relatively close geographic proximity for an attachment to have occurred.  The Atterberrys lived in the western part of Loudoun County, nearby to West’s Ordinary.  Frederick County from its formation in 1748 covered a vast area of northwest Maryland, and remained so until 1776.  The David and Mary Mitchell family could have resided virtually anywhere within Frederick County, conceivably 100 miles or more apart from West’s Ordinary. 

It might be helpful to our investigation to be better informed as to the whereabouts of the David Mitchell family within Maryland.  To establish the location of David Mitchell’s family we offer the following land/property records:

1. 1Jul1723 – Patent issued to James Ford, Prince Georges County, 53 acres, called Friends Good Will, situated on east side of Northeast Branch of Eastern Branch of Potomac, abutting 2^nd line of tract called Friendship.  This would appear to have been the same tract of land which was conveyed from David Mitchell to James Lee of Albemarle County VA on 23Apr1747 (see Item No. 4, below).  Note that this tract of land was reported to have been situated on Northeast Branch of Eastern Branch of the Potomac River.  The Eastern Branch of the Potomac is a well known waterway, and is called by the name of Anacostia River at present.  Its confluence with the Potomac is just downstream from Washington D.C.  This stream extends roughly 8.5 miles inland from the Potomac where it separates into two main branches near Bladensburg: Northwest Branch and Northeast Branch.  The Northeast Branch extends roughly another 3 miles upstream, where it separates into two branches: Paint Branch and Indian Creek.  This appears to have been the same waterway (drainage) as Prince Spring plantation patented by William Atterberry (surveyed on 25Apr1747).  Every effort was exhausted to ascertain how this tract transferred from James Ford to David Mitchell, but no transfer records could be located.  Also, efforts to locate the abutting tract called Friendship met with failure.  There were several tracts of that name patented during this time period, but none appear to have been associated with the Eastern Branch.  Since this patent is described as having been on a Northeast Branch of Eastern Branch, it seems reasonable to assume that it was situated somewhere upstream from Bladensburg to the northeast, possibly within the drainage of Indian Creek.
2. 25Nov1741 – Lib. Y, p. 412:  John Mitchell Sr. gift deeded to son, John Mitchell Jr. part of Mitchell’s Addition containing 122 acres.  John Mitchell Jr. was the eldest son of John and Elizabeth (mnu) Mitchell, born 28Feb1717.  It is curious that John Mitchell Sr. would have chosen this date to grant this gift deed to his eldest son.  John Mitchell Jr. may have been married by this date (Elizabeth Riley), but did not record his first child until 12Apr1746.  So it may not have been in anticipation of his eldest son’s new family, but possibly.  It is also noteworthy that John Mitchell Jr. sold this tract of land to William Waters, brother-in-law of Lewis Duvall, the same person to whom David and Mary Mitchell sold David’s inheritance, parts of Mitchell’s Addition and Tyler’s Pasture.
3. 23Apr1747 – Lib. EE, p. 461:  Deed of conveyance (Gift Deed) John Mitchell Sr. to his son, David Mitchell, 70 acres in Prince George’s County, being part of two tracts: Tylers Pasture and Mitchells Addition.  John Mitchell Sr. conveyed by gift deed parts of these two tracts (Tylers Pasture and Mitchell‘s Addition) to his son, David Mitchell.  He penned his LWT about 14 months later on 4Jun1748.  He may have been sickly, and thought it the appropriate time to begin settling his estate.  It may be significant that David Mitchell divested his interest in Friends Good Will on this same date, and that William Atterberry recorded his survey on Prince Spring just two days later.  John Mitchell Sr. had already conveyed by gift 122 acres of Mitchell’s Addition to his eldest son, John Jr. on 25Nov1741.  These further transactions would seemingly settle lands on three more of John Mitchell Sr.’s children: Sarah Mitchell (wife of William Atterberry), David Mitchell, and Mary Mitchell (presumed wife of James Lee).
4. 23Apr1747 – Lib. BB, p. 477:  Deed of conveyance David Mitchell, planter of Prince Georges County MD to James Lee of Albemarle County VA for £15, 53 acre tract called Friends Good Will, situated on east side of the Northeast Branch of Eastern Branch of Potomac in Prince George’s County.  Mary Mitchell relinquished her dower right.  David Mitchell transferred Friends Good Will to James Lee of Albemarle VA.  Note that Mary Mitchell relinquished her dower right, virtually assuring the identity of this David Mitchell as a son of John Mitchell Sr.  James Lee is believed by many researchers to have been the husband of Mary Mitchell (sister of David Mitchell, not his wife), and brother-in-law of David Mitchell.  It seems possible to the author that the combination of the transactions involved in Items 3, 4 and 5 may have been orchestrated by John Mitchell Sr. in an effort to insure that each of his children owned there own parcels of land, including the filing by William Atterberry (husband of Sarah Mitchell).
5. 25Apr1747 – Tract surveyed for William Atterberry of Prince Georges County, 50 acres, called Prince Spring, situated on the north side of White Marsh, being a draught of the Eastern Branch of Potomac River.  Search as he might, the author has been unable to identify the location of White Marsh as a draught of the Eastern Branch of the Potomac.  Regardless, from their associated land records, it would seem that Friends Good Will and Prince Spring were both situated on the same drainage.  The actual location of these tracts has not been established with any degree of certainty, but it seems possible that they were within relatively close geographic proximity of each other.  That being the case, then it would appear that the families of David Mitchell, Mary Mitchell-Lee and William Atterberry would have been near neighbors (within a few miles) for almost ten years between about 1745 and 1755.
6. 18Sep1852 – Lib. NN, p. 69: Bill of sale of various livestock from John Mitchell [Jr.] to Samuel Busey in amount of £6.  Apparently John Mitchell Jr. was encountering financial difficulties, and was mortgaging his livestock for ready monies.
7. 1Nov1752 – “At the request of William Arterberry the following marks of a stray (horse) was recorded in Prince George’s County.  Then William Atterberry brought before me… a large bay horse as a trespasser and stray, seems to be a natural pacer, branded on the near buttock and shoulder, not plain, he says the horse hath been about his plantation about two months.”  This record would seem to suggest that William Atterberry’s family was still residing on Prince Spring Plantation in Nov1752.
8. 15Dec1753 – “At the request of William Atterberrie the following certificate of a stray was recorded in Prince Georges County… a trespasser and stray sorrel bay mare branded on the near buttock w/ “C”, her hind feet white, one walleye, a star in the forehead, and a snip on her nose, and a small bell on…”  Ditto, above, Item No. 7.
9. 23Jul1754 – Lib. NN, p. 294: David Mitchell of Prince Georges County reported stray horse in Prince Georges County.  This record would seem to confirm that David Mitchell’s family was still residing in Prince Georges County, probably on the land inherited from his father.
10. 16Aug1754 – Lib. NN, p. 274:  Deed of conveyance from William Atterberry of Frederick County, planter to John Riddle Jr. for 3,000 pounds tobacco, sold Prince Spring Plantation, then in the occupation of John Riddle Sr., situated on White Marsh on the north side of the Eastern Branch of Potomac River, containing 50 acres.  Sarah (Mitchell) Atterberry, wife of William, relinquished her dower right.  From this deed of conveyance, it would appear that William Atterberry had moved his family northward into Frederick County (probably after 12Dec1753), and that the John Riddle Sr. family was already in residence on Prince Spring plantation at the time of this transaction.  It is the author’s belief that John Riddle Jr. may have married William Atterberry’s step-daughter, Elizabeth Yacksley.  Just where within Frederick County William Atterberry may have resided is unknown.  After this record, no further recording of William Atterberry was found until he appeared in the tax rolls of Loudoun County VA in about 1758.
11. 15Mar1759 – Lib. PP, p. 285: Deed of Conveyance from David Mitchell of Frederick County MD, planter to Lewis Duvall for £50, parts of tracts called Tylers Pasture and Mitchell’s Addition, situated in Prince Georges County.  Mary Mitchell relinquished dower rights.  David Mitchell sold his inherited tracts in Prince Georges County on 15Dec1759 to Lewis Duvall, the brother-in-law of the person who purchased part of Mitchell’s Addition from John Mitchell Jr. in 1779.
12. 12Mar1759 – BC & GS No. 12, folio 96:  David Mitchell received patent for a 19 acre tract of land in Frederick County on Seneca Creek called Mitchell’s Garden, abutting 2^nd line of Promise Fullfilled, held of Conococheague Manor.  Just three days before David and Mary Mitchell sold their interest in Tylers Pasture and Mitchells Addition to Lewis Duvall, David Mitchell filed patents on two tracts of land in Frederick County situated on a small branch near its confluence with Seneca Creek, one called Mitchells Garden containing 19 acres and another called Mitchells Range containing 81 acres  In the warrant issued 15Nov1758 David Mitchell was described as being of Prince Georges County, so David Mitchell apparently moved his family from Prince Georges County into Frederick County sometime between Nov1758 and Mar1759.  From its description, this tract probably was situated on the upper reaches of Seneca Creek in the vicinity of present day Gaithersburg.
13. 12Mar1759 – BC & GS No. 10, folio 292:  David Mitchell of Prince Georges County received a patent for 50 acres of land in Frederick County on 31Oct1758, and for 31 acres, part of a warrant issued for 50 acres on 15Nov1758, for a tract called Mitchells Range beginning in the 1^st line of Promise Fulfilled, containing 81 acres, held of Concocheague Manor.  Ditto, Item No. 12, above.
14. Birth Record:

Name:     Elias Mitchell

Gender:  Male

Birth Date:             12 Mar 1761

Birth Place:            Frederick, Maryland

Father’s Name:      David Mitchell

Mother’s Name:    Mary

Given the names of the parents, and the date of this birth recording juxtaposed with the forgoing patent records presented in Items 12 and 13, above, there seems little doubt but that this was the birth of a son to David Mitchell Sr., son of John Mitchell Sr.  This Elias Mitchell almost certainly was the Rev. Elias Mitchell, recorded several years later in Chester County SC.

15. Birth Record:

Name:     Thomas Mitchell

Gender:  Male

Birth Date:             6 Aug 1762

Birth Place:            Frederick, Maryland

Father’s Name:      James Mitchell

Mother’s Name:    Charity

The timing and location of this birth record strongly suggests that this James Mitchell may have been the son of David Mitchell Sr.  However, the reported birth year for James Mitchell from the Ancestry database: “All Maryland, U.S., Births and Christenings Index, 1662-1911”, is transcribed as 28Feb1753.  Clearly, if that birth date for James Mitchell were correct, he could not have been the father listed in this birth record of Thomas Mitchell.  Yet, in that same database is reported a birth record for James’ assumed sister, Keziah, of Mar1753.  The conflicting birthdates reported for James and Keziah casts doubt on the accuracy of one or the other’s birthdate.  All things considered, the author is inclined to believe that the birthdate for James Mitchell has been transcribed in error, and that it more likely should have been 1743, not 1753.  Assuming the foregoing conclusion to be correct, then it is entirely possible that the foregoing birth record of Thomas Mitchell was for a son of James Mitchell, son of David Mitchell Sr.  (more analysis to follow, later in this chapter)

16. 19Jun1764 – Lib. J, p. 558:  Deed of conveyance from David Mitchell, planter of Frederick County MD, to Edward Gaither, son of Benjamin, Planter of same, for £50 sterling, two tracts of land: (1) tract called Mitchells Range, bearing patent date of 12Mar1759 and beginning on 1^st line of Promise Fulfilled, containing 81 acres, and (2) tract called Mitchells Garden, bearing patent date of 12Mar1759 and beginning on a small branch of Seneca Creek, as small distance from Promise Fulfilled, containing 19 acres.  Mary Mitchell relinquished her right of dower.  From the fact that David Mitchell’s wife was named Mary, it seems a virtual certainty that this was David Mitchell, son of John and Elizabeth Mitchell of Prince Georges County MD.  Just five years after having taken out patents on these two tracts, David and Mary Mitchell sold the land to Edward Gaither.  The Gaither family originated from Ann Arundel County MD, and one branch of that family (Edward’s brother, Henry Gaither) is credited with the founding of Gaithersburg Maryland.

KINSHIPS: Whenever we study a land sale, we should automatically consider the possibility of a kinship connection between the parties,  In the instance of this sale from David Mitchell to Edward Gaither there is a strong possibility of these parties having a shared kinship connection, albeit somewhat tenuous.  Edward Gaither is believed by the author to have been a son of Benjamin Gaither and Sarah Burgess.  Sarah Burgess was a daughter of Edward Burgess, who was a brother of Susannah Burgess.  Susannah Burgess is believed to have been the 2^nd wife of John Mitchell I, David Mitchell’s grandfather.  So, there may have been a kinship connection between David Mitchell and Edward Gaither, but that connection was not by blood (only by marriage), and two generations removed.  Edward Gaither was a grand-nephew of David Mitchell’s Great-grand step-mother.  However, it should not be discounted that there may have been a closer kinship connection than Susannah and Edward Burgess.  The identity of David Mitchell’s mother is not known.  Benjamin Gaither inherited a tract of land from his brother, John Gaither on 29Mar1703, called Pole Catt Hill, which was situated in Ann Arundel County on the south side of the northern fork of Patuxent River, in relatively close proximity to the Mitchell family in Prince George’s County.  Did John Mitchell Sr. marry a daughter of Benjamin Gaither?

Whether Edward Gaither’s purchase of these tracts from David Mitchell was in any manner the result of a kinship connection, aside from the already described connection through intermarriages with members of the Burgess family, cannot be proven from the limited information available.  It seems more likely that Edward Gaither chose this property because of its relatively close proximity to his brother, Henry Gaither, who had been in this part of Frederick County since about 1750.

17. 20Mar1770 – Lib. N, p. 30 (Frederick County):  James Mitchell from Joseph Perry, both of Frederick County, rents part of a tract called Resurvey on James and Mary, containing 198 acres, excepting 21 acres, for the term of 19 years or the arrival at age 21 years of Joseph’s son, James Wilson Perry, for rents of 1900 pounds of crop tobacco annually.  Mitchell to build one Tobacco House, 40’x22’.  It is conceivable that this James Mitchell could have been the son of David Mitchell Sr.  The tract, James and Mary, was originally patented by James Beall.
18. 1Feb1771 – Lib. O, p. 33:  David Mitchell and Joseph Gaither recorded deed of conveyance from Jonathan Hagar [namesake of Hagerstown], for consideration of one shilling, purchased Lot No. 111, measuring 88’ x 240’, situated in Elizabeth Town [future Hagerstown], dated 9Jan1771.  There was a seven year gap between this record and the deed of conveyance (Item 14, above) from David and Mary Mitchell to Edward Gaither of the two tracts called Mitchells Range and Mitchells Garden.  From the fact that the partners named in this deed of conveyance of Lot No. 111 were a David Mitchell and Joseph Gaither, there is good reason to believe that this David Mitchell may have been David Mitchell Sr., son of John Mitchell Sr.  David Mitchell Sr. would have been about 49 years old in 1771.  David’s eldest son, John [David] Mitchell, would have been almost 30 years old, James Mitchell about 28, and Elias Mitchell about 10 years old.  David Mitchell’s daughters: Sarah, Elizabeth and Keziah may have married their 1^st cousins, Charles, Michael and Edward Atterberry, respectively.  Michael, Charles and Edward began appearing on patent records in Chester County SC in 1772.  So, if these Atterberry brothers did marry their Mitchell 1^st cousins, it seems probable that those marriages would have occurred before the migration to South Carolina.  Ergo, these marriages would probably have occurred at around the same time as this deed conveyance in 1771.  The Atterberrys were living across the Potomac River from the Gaithersburg MD area, only about 35 miles distant.  There could have been frequent and close communications between these families, which could have led to these supposed intermarriages.

Efforts to identify this Joseph Gaither were only marginally successful.  Given the connections with a person(s) named David Mitchell, it is reasonable to assume that Joseph Gaither was a close kinsman of Edward Gaither.  Search as he might, the author was unable to find anyone who claims this Joseph Gaither.  It is the author’s belief that Joseph Gaither may have been a son of Edward Gaither and Eleanor [Davis?], who died sometime before 1777 when Edward penned his LWT.  Most Gaither genealogists rely on Edward’s LWT for the identification of his children.  If Joseph had died before his father wrote his Will, then there is a good chance that there would be no reference to Joseph in that Will.  All things considered, the author is inclined to believe that Joseph Gaither was a son of Edward Gaither, and that David Mitchell and Joseph Gaither had entered a partnership as fellow merchants.  The identity of this David Mitchell is not certain, but possibly could have been David Mitchell Sr., son of John Mitchell Sr.

19. 19Mar1773 – Lib. P, p. 689: corrected deed of conveyance on Lot No. 111 was recorded to rectify an error in the original deed.  All parties, terms, etc. the same.  David Mitchell and Joseph Gaither identified as “Merchants”.  Ditto, Item 18, above.
20. 29Mar1773 – Lib. P. p. 292:  Levy Cohen and Samuel Beall, and David Mitchell and Joseph Gaither, recorded a Bill of Sale from Peter Consola (all of Frederick County) for sum of £100, secured by various livestock.  In this record David Mitchell and Joseph Gaither have joined with another partnership consisting of Levy Cohen and Samuel Beall in lending money to Peter Consola, secured by livestock.  Efforts to identify Levy Cohen met with failure.  However, there are several possibilities for the identity of Cohen’s partner, Samuel Beall.  The most likely is Colonel Samuel Beall or his son.  Col. Samuel Beall was born about 1713 in Prince Georges County, and died in 1778 in Washington County MD.  He was the Sheriff of Frederick County for over a decade in the 1750’s and 60’s.
21. 17Apr1773 – Lib. S, p. 53 (Frederick County):  Deed of conveyance from David Mitchell and Joseph Gaither both of Frederick County, and John Swan of Hagerstown, Merchant, for £45, sold one moiety, or half of Lot No. 111 in Elizabethtown, including the house where Joseph Gaither lives.  From the description provided in this deed of conveyance it would appear that Joseph Gaither had established a house on one half of Lot No. 111 in Elizabeth Town prior to 1773.  This deed conveyed ownership of that half-lot to John Swan, including Joseph Gaither’s home.  David Mitchell was still being recorded as a resident of Frederick County at this time.  Both Mitchell and Gaither conveyed this property, as if they shared equally in its title.  FWIW: A John Swan married Elizabeth Vanmeter, daughter of Jacob Vanmeter [aka Valley Jake].
22. 23Nov1773 – Lib. U, p. 335 (Frederick County):  Bill of Sale was recorded at request of Mitchell and Gaither; whereas Nathan Barnes of Frederick County, farmer, was indebted to Mitchell and Gaither, Merchants of Baltimore and Frederick Counties for the sum of £11, 15s and 2p, secured by various livestock.  In this Bill of Sale David Mitchell and Joseph Gaither were described as of Frederick County, but also as Merchants in both Baltimore and Frederick Counties.  From the previous deed it would appear that Joseph Gaither may have been living in Elizabeth Town, but there is no indication of where David Mitchell was residing, other than in Frederick County.
23. 24Aug1778 – Lib. A, p. 291 (Washington County): Deed of conveyance from David Mitchell of Hampshire County VA to Samuel Hughes of Washington County, in consideration of £750 common currency, sold one half of Lot No, 111 situated in Elizabeth Town.  In this deed of conveyance David Mitchell was now described as being a resident of Hampshire County [West] Virginia.  It seems possible that David Mitchell may have relocated to Hampshire County (WV) to be further removed from the impacts of the Revolutionary War.  In this transaction David Mitchell conveyed the remaining half of Lot No. 111, with no reference to Joseph Gaither.  In the earlier conveyance of the 1^st half, both David Mitchell and Joseph Gaither appear to have been equal partners.  The fact that Joseph Gaither was not mentioned in this transaction as having any involvement in its sale suggests that Joseph Gaither may have been deceased, and that David Mitchell was the surviving partner.  This possibility would coincide with the author’s earlier speculation regarding Joseph Gaither having been a son of Edward Gaither.  In 1778 David Mitchell Sr. would have been about 56 years old, and his son, Elias Mitchell, would have been only 17 years old and probably still living at home with his father. 
24. 4Sep1784 – Lib. D, p. 43 (Washington County):  Deed of conveyance from Henry Shryock of Washington County to David Mitchell of Hampshire County VA for and in consideration of £75 sold Lot No. 5 and half of Lot No. 6, situated in the town of Chipton?? in Washington County.  Although living in Hampshire County VA, David Mitchell was still growing his business interests in Washington County MD.  The location of the town lots purchased from Henry Shryock is unclear, as the name of the town is blurred in the record.  It appears to read as “Chipton”, but no such town can be found in the records of Washington County.
25. 18Jul1786 – Lib. D, p. 800 (Washington County):  Deed of conveyance was recorded from Elie Williams of Washington County to David Mitchell of Hampshire County VA, for and in consideration of £400, sold the northernmost half of Lot No. 109 in Elizabeth Town, Washington County.  Ditto, Item No. 24, above.
26. 7Apr1787 – Lib. E, p. 358 [368] (Washington County):  Mortgage/Deed from Yost Engleman, butcher of Elizabeth Town to David Mitchell of Hampshire County VA and Rezin Davis of Washington County, for and in consideration of £63, 4s, 6p, sold westernmost half of Lot No. 113 in Elizabeth Town.  In margin was following note:  “I, Rezin Davis (surviving partner of the copartnership of David Mitchell and Rezin Davis) doth acknowledge full satisfaction for the money for which this mortgage was given, and doth release the house and half lot therein mentioned… signed 26Mar1804”.  In this record David Mitchell was recorded still living in Hampshire County, but appears to have formed a partnership with Rezin Davis of Washington County.  So, David Mitchell still had strong business ties to Washington County MD, although living across the Potomac in Hampshire County VA.  This lot would have been only about 160 feet down the street from Lot No. 111.  The identity of Rezin Davis is uncertain to the author, but very possibly could have been a son of Col. Richard Davis.  For what it’s worth, Edward Gaither is believed to have been married to Eleanor Davis-Whittle.  It seems possible that there may have been a kinship connection between Rezin Davis and Edward and Eleanor Gaither.  Also note that an Elijah Gaither witnessed the LWT of Col. Richard Davis.  Also, the marginal note by Rezin Davis clearly indicates that his partner, David Mitchell, was deceased by26Mar1804.
27. 1782 – Hampshire County Tax List:  From a compilation of the taxable property owners for Virginia in the years 1782-5 is a listing tabulated by David Mitchell, Gentleman, for his neighborhood, an excerpt of which is displayed in Figure 13-1.[4]  In this list David Mitchell was described as a “Gentleman”, with only one white soul in his household, owner of a single dwelling house and four outbuildings.  If this were a listing of David Mitchell Sr., son of John Mitchell Sr., then he would have been about 56 years old.  It seems possible that he may have been widowed, and all of his presumed children would have been adults, likely living outside his household.
28. 10Oct1779 – Lib. CC, p. 676 (Prince Georges County):  Deed of conveyance from John Mitchell Sr. of Prince Georges County, farmer, to William Waters of same, carpenter, for and in consideration of £775, sold a tract of land called Mitchells Addition, beginning at the end of the 2^nd line of a tract formerly sold by David Mitchell to Lewis Duvall, whereof a certain Joseph Boyd is now seized, running various courses, and containing 118 acres.  Elizabeth [Riley] Mitchell did not relinquish dower, suggesting that she may have been deceased.  Although a bit out of chronological order, we present this deed of conveyance for the transfer of a part of Mitchell’s Addition from John Mitchell Sr. to William Waters (kinsman of Lewis Duvall) in Oct 1779.  This John Mitchell Sr. was the older brother of David Mitchell Sr.  This record was inserted into this list of records to illustrate that John Mitchell Sr. was still residing in Princes Georges County MD in 1779.  Per the birth records listed in the Ancestry Database of compiled Maryland Births and Christenings, John and Elizabeth [Riley] Mitchell had only two sons: Hugh and David.  Later records provide evidence that Hugh Mitchell survived to adulthood and appeared in the 1800 census of Anne Arundel County MD.  Also, there is a census record in 1800 in Prince George’s County MD of a John Mitchell, over age 45 (probably John Mitchell Sr., widowed husband of Elizabeth Riley).  No trailing records were found in or around Prince George’s County for David Mitchell, son of John Mitchell, reportedly born 9Fep1752.  Some Mitchell genealogists report this David Mitchell as the David Mitchell Sr., recorded in Chester County SC in 1790.  The author cannot yet verify or concur/dispute this identification of the Chester County SC David Mitchell Sr., but thinks it improbable.

This concludes our presentation of Mitchell family records in Maryland and it is time to summarize our findings and conclusions at this juncture in our analysis:

1. David Mitchell Sr. was married to a woman named Mary, and they are on record as having had at least seven children: John [David?], Sarah, James, Elizabeth, Mary, Keziah, and Elias.
2. John Mitchell Sr. appears to have had a guiding hand in assuring that four of his children owned land of their own: Mary (wife of James Lee), John, David, and Sarah (wife of William Atterberry).
3. David Mitchell, Mary Mitchell-Lee and William Atterberry lived in close geographic proximity to one another along the drains of the Eastern Branch of the Potomac for almost five years in the 1740’s and 50’s.
4. William Atterberry sold his Prince Spring tract and relocated to somewhere within Frederick County in 1754.  By 1760 William had moved his family across the Potomac into Loudoun County.
5. In Mar1759 David Mitchell was identified as being of Frederick County, when he sold his inherited tracts in Prince George’s County to Lewis Duvall.  In that same month/year David Mitchell filed two patents totaling 100 acres situated on Seneca Creek nearby to future Gaithersburg.
6. Mar1761 David and Mary Mitchell recorded the birth of their presumed son, Elias Mitchell in Frederick County.
7. Aug1762 a James and Charity Mitchell recorded the birth of a son named Thomas in Frederick County.  The author believes it possible that this James Mitchell was the son of David and Mary Mitchell, and that he likely was born in about 1743, not 1753.  Also, that Thomas Mitchell may have been the person appearing in the 1800 census records of Chester County SC, and reportedly having married a daughter of William Hill, named Hepsabeth.
8. Jun1764 David and Mary Mitchell sold their Seneca Creek tracts to Edward Gaither.  David Mitchell and Edward Gaither are believed to have been kinsmen, each related to members of the Burgess family.  So, David and Mary Mitchell would appear to have lived in Frederick County on Seneca Creek for almost five years, during which the William Atterberry family was living across the Potomac River in Loudoun County, only about 35 miles apart.
9. Mar1770 James Mitchell leased a 198 acre tract (excepting 21 acres) from Joseph Perry in Frederick County for the purpose of tobacco farming.  This may have been the son of David and Mary Mitchell.  If so, it would appear that he had continued to live in Frederick County after the birth of his presumed son, Thomas in Aug1762.
10. Feb1771 David Mitchell and Joseph Gaither purchased Lot No. 111 in Elizabeth Town, Frederick County.  The author believes that this may have been David Mitchell Sr., and that he had formed a partnership with a son of Edward Gaither, conducting business as merchants in Frederick and Baltimore Counties, a partnership which appears to have endured for about five years.
11. By Aug1778 David Mitchell appears to have been in sole possession of the remaining half Lot. No. 111, and had relocated from Frederick County MD to Hampshire County VA, where he likely continued to live until his death, sometime between 1787 and 1804.
12. Oct1779 John Mitchell (son of John Mitchell Sr. and brother of David Mitchell) sold his part of Mitchell’s Addition, the tract gift deeded from his father.  So, John Mitchell (III) appears to have never resided outside of Prince George’s County.

David Mitchell Sr. appears to have lived in relatively close geographic proximity to the William Atterberry family for at least 15 years between about 1740 and 1755 in Prince George’s County, and may have continued to live in relatively close geographic proximity in Frederick County between 1759 and about 1773-5.  Such close living proximity would have given ample opportunity for attachments to develop between David and Mary’s children and their Atterberry 1^st cousins, including the possibility of intermarriages.  Although not absolutely certain, it would appear that David Mitchell may have transitioned from a tobacco farmer in his early years into a relatively successful merchant in his later life, even to being referred to as a “gentleman” in his Hampshire County VA neighborhood.  It seems possible that David and Mary Mitchell may have both died and were buried in Hampshire County VA, never having set foot in South Carolina.  However, it seems probable that it was the strong bonds between David’s children and their Atterberry 1^st cousins that drew many of them to migrate to Camden District SC in the 1770’s and 80’s.

There was record evidence found which suggests that David’s son, James Mitchell, may have been almost 10 years older than previously thought.  That same evidence suggests that James Mitchell’s first wife may have been named Charity, and that his eldest child may have been named Thomas, possibly the same Thomas Mitchell who was recorded in the 1800 census in Chester County SC.

The earliest record that could be found by the author for any of these Mitchells in South Carolina was that of a Revolutionary War record for a David Mitchell, which is summarized as follows:

Indent No. 148T, by order of Capt. Lewis Duvall:

According to Bobby Gilmer Moss, David Mitchell enlisted in the 5^th Regiment on 9Mar1776, and that he served on active duty following the reduction of Charleston in 1800[5]  This indent authorized payment to Private David Mitchell for militia service amounting to £41, plus £5,17s,11p, interest, based on the written request of David Mitchell, Pvt. As follows:

“Gentlemen:  Please to deliver money out to Capt. Lewis Duvall, and receipt shall be good for same from as it be sent to [unreadable] treasure of this state.  Signed David Mitchell, 21Aug1785, appeared before William Melcherson, J.P.”

Capt. Duvall signed for monies as follows:

“Received … full satisfaction for this account in an indent No. 148T by order.  Signed: Lewis Duvall.”

The author has good reason to believe that the David Mitchell named in the above indent was a kinsperson of the Chester County SC Mitchell family, but just which member may be difficult to deduce.  There are several reasons for making this connection:

1. There were no other David Mitchells listed in the 1790 census of South Carolina other than the two from Chester County.
2. Capt. Lewis Duvall resided in Old Ninety-Six District near Greenville, not too distant from Chester County.
3. The families of David Mitchell Sr. and Capt. Lewis Duvall are believed to have originated from Prince George’s County/Anne Arundel County MD.
4. David Mitchell Sr. sold his inherited lands in Prince George’s County to Lewis Duvall, almost certainly an ancestor of Capt. Lewis Duvall, possibly his father.
5. The fact that David Mitchell authorized Capt. Lewis Duvall to collect his militia service payout suggests a very close association between these two men, perhaps suggesting that David Mitchell served under Capt. Duvall.

If Bobby Gilmer Moss’s account of Private David Mitchell’s service record is correct, this could be confirmation that this David Mitchell was in South Carolina much earlier than suggested by the other known records for the Chester County Mitchells, i.e. “enlisted in the 5^th Regiment on 9Mar1776”.  Michael, Edward and Charles Atterberry first appeared in Camden District SC in 1772-3, when they filed for patents on Little River.  It is conceivable that, if any of these Atterberry brothers were married to a Mitchell 1^st cousin, it was their migration that attracted other members of the Mitchell family to also migrate to the Camden District region.

In addition to the military service record for Private David Mitchell, there is another War indent on record as follows:

Indent No. 581W, certified by Capt. John McCool:

David Mitchaell requested reimbursement for the cost of a bay horse, impressed for militia use as follows:

“Broad River, 20Jun1785:  Gentlemen: please to pay Mr. Thomas Lehre such indent or indents as may appear to be due to me from the State of South Carolina or from the United States and this shall be your sufficient receipt for the same.  Signed: David Mitchell, Witnessed by David Hopkins, J.P.”

There would appear to be little doubt about the identity of this David Mitchell as David Mitchell Sr., who appeared in the 1790 census records of Chester County SC.  There are several factors that would support this identification and connection:

1. The location of Broad River would coincide with David Mitchell Sr. as a land owner along the drains of Brushy Fork, tributary of Sandy River of Broad River.
2. The witness, David Hopkins, J.P. was a justice of peace from Chester County, and a near neighbor of David Mitchell Sr. on Brushy Fork, and the same person who sold the 125.25 acres tract to David Mitchell (The Younger) in 1796.
3. John McCool was a land owner along Little Turkey Creek, and near neighbor of both Elias Mitchell and Thomas Mitchell Sr. in later years.

The foregoing Revolutionary War indents are bundled together in the same packet on file at the South Carolina Department of Archives and History, implying that they were for the same individual.  If Bobby Gilmer Moss’s reported enlistment date for Private David Mitchell of 9Mar1776 is correct, then it would seem possible that the service record and the reimbursement for the impressment of a bay horse may have been filed by the same individual.  However, there are other factors to be considered before arriving at that conclusion.  First, it should be recognized that there is record evidence which supports the probable existence of three different persons named David Mitchell, who resided in Chester County in the latter part of the 18^th century.  For sake of distinction and clarity, we will refer to these men as David Mitchell Sr., David Davidson Mitchell [aka Jr.], and David Mitchell [The Younger] 

Let’s cut right to the chase.  It is the author’s belief that David Mitchell Sr. (whoever he may have been) was the father of both David Davidson Mitchell [aka Jr.] and David Mitchell [The Younger].  It is further the author’s belief that the David Mitchell Jun. listed in the 1790 census of Chester County was a son of the elder David Mitchell [Sr.] recorded on that same census page.  Further yet, we only know of the existence of David Davidson Mitchell by those given names in Chester County through various land records, which we will be presenting and discussing momentarily.  In fact, we will introduce each of these David Mitchells as they appeared in land records through the following chronological listing (see Figure 13-2, plat compilation map):

1. 21Jan1785 – Grant Book 1, p. 457, District of Camden:  David Mitchell, for £3, s10 received a State grant for 150 acres situated on the waters of Brushy Fork of Sandy River.  Plat certified 13Sep1784.[6]  This was the earliest land record found for any of the Mitchells of Chester County.  This David Mitchell was almost certainly the person we are calling David Mitchell Sr.  This tract was situated on both sides of Brushy Fork generally as shown in Figure 13-2.  This figure contains a plat compilation map compiled by the author of the lands situated along Brushy Fork and its tributaries, and including the Wilson Creek and Little Turkey Creek areas to the west and north.  Most of the lands owned by members of the Atterberrys, Mitchells, Mayfields, Rodens, Hills and other allied families will appear on this map, and be referenced throughout this document.  There is a reference on the plat map to an abutting property identified as “Big Survey Line” along its eastern boundary, which possibly had reference to the 641 acre tract filed by James Atterberry.  It may also have had reference to an even larger tract filed by David Hopkins several years earlier for more than 3,000.
2. Deed book D, pp. 237-41 – 7 & 8Jul1786, David Mitchell of Chester County, farmer, to David Davidson Mitchell of same, for 20 schillings, part of 150 acres granted to said David Mitchell 21Jan1785 lying on east side of the Brushy Fork of Sandy River.  Signed David Mitchell and Mary Mitchell.  Wit.: John White, Isaiah Mitchell.  Proved by oath of both witnesses 23Feb1789.[7]  Roughly eighteen months after filing a patent for 150 acres on Brushy Fork, David Mitchell and his wife, Mary, transferred the part of said tract lying east of Brushy Fork to David Davidson Mitchell [aka Jr,] on 8Jul1786, in consideration of the sum of 20 shillings.  This part of this tract included Mitchell’s Spring Branch, which was likely a valuable asset to the property.  The precise amount of land conveyed in this deed is not specified, but is believed to have been roughly one-half of the 150 acre tract, viz. about 75 acres.  It is important to note that this deed of conveyance was witnessed by Isaiah Mitchell, since Isaiah Mitchell was conveyed the remaining part of this same tract, which lay to the west of the creek for the sum of 10 shillings (see Item No. 3, below).

Although not stated in these deeds of conveyance, the token amount of consideration in each case suggests that these were the equivalent of gift deeds.  Given the fact that this David Mitchell’s wife was named Mary, it is a virtual certainty that this David Mitchell was David Mitchell Sr.

Why, might you reasonably ask, would David and Mary Mitchell convey their only known tract of land in Chester County to David Davidson Mitchell and Isaiah Mitchell for such an insignificant sum of money?  Well, the author has a theory that could supply an answer to that question.  It seems probable that David Mitchell Sr. would only perform such an act for members of his own blood, namely his sons.  Yes, the author believes it highly probable that David Davidson Mitchell [aka Jr.] and Isaiah Mitchell were elder sons of David Mitchell Sr., probably born of an earlier wife, before David married Mary.  It also seems probable that David Mitchell [The Younger] was the son of David Mitchell Sr. and Mary, his presumed 2^nd wife, and half-brother of David Davidson Mitchell [aka Jr.] and Isaiah Mitchell.  It also seems probable that David Mitchell Sr. and Mary were allowed to continue living on this land until David Sr.’s death in about 1794-5.

If the author’s interpretation of these deed records and the implied familial connections is correct, then David Davidson Mitchell and Isaiah Mitchell very likely had reached their majority before Jul1786, which would imply that David Mitchell Sr. was, himself, above 40 years old (born before 1746).  If David Mitchell Sr. was descended from the Prince George’s County MD Mitchells, then there would appear to be only one possible candidate for this David Mitchell Sr.  He would have to be the son named John Mitchell, born to David and Mary Mitchell on 3Jun1741.  The David Mitchell born to John Mitchell and Elizabeth Riley on 9Feb1752 probably would have been too young to have been David Mitchell Sr. of Chester County.  It seems probable to the author that David Mitchell Sr. was christened “John David [poss. Davidson]” as a tribute to both his father and grandfather, and his mother.  This theory is further supported by the fact that Elias Mitchell appears to have christened a son with the “David Davidson” appellation (more to follow).  James Mitchell also christened a son David C.  If David Davidson Mitchell was at least 21 years old in 1786 (born before 1761), then he could have been the Private David Mitchell claimed by Bobby Gilmer Moss to have enlisted by 1776, but he would have been only 15 years old, whereas his father would have been about 35 years old.  Either scenario seems possible.

3. Deed Book J, pp. 269-73, 22Jul1786:  David and Mary Mitchell of Chester County to Isaiah Mitchell of same, that part of 150 acre tract granted to said David Mitchell on 21Jan1785, lying and situated on west side of Brushy Fork.  Recorded 18Jan1804.  Wit, John White and David Davidson Mitchell.  Ditto, Item No. 2, above.  It is curious that Isaiah did not record this deed until 18 years after its writing.  It is also important to note that Isaiah’s presumed brother was identified as David Davidson Mitchell in both of these records, yet in the 1790 census he is believed to have been recorded as David Mitchell Jun.
4. Deed Book B, pp. 102-3, 5Oct1789:  William Clark to James Mitchell, both of Chester County, for ₤100 sterling, 300 acres on a branch of Broad River called William Wilsons Creek, granted to Jeremiah McDaniel in 1772 and conveyed by the said Mcdaniel to said Clark 29dec1772.  Wit.: Alexander Stevenson and Samuel Lacey.  (holcomb, p. 40)  This was the first land record found for this James Mitchell in South Carolina.  This tract is believed to have been situated on Wilson’s Creek [aka Clark’s Creek on current maps], about midway between Broad River and Brushy Fork as illustrated in Figure 13-2.  This James Mitchell is believed by the author to have been a younger brother of John David Mitchell, born about 1743 in Prince George’s County MD.
5. Deed Book C, p. 364, 18May1793:  David Hopkins to Elias Mitchell, both of Chester County SC, for and in consideration of £100, sold a tract of land situated on the north side of Broad River, being part of a larger tract granted to Hopkins 16Jul1784, beginning at mouth of Little Turkey Creek, various courses up Little Turkey Creek, thence north and west of Creek to rejoin Broad River at McCool’s corner, thence down River to beginning, containing 447 acres.  Witnessed: Thomas Mitchell, Ferdinand Hopkins and H, Anderson.  This was the earliest land record found for Elias Mitchell in South Carolina.  Elias Mitchell is believed to have been a brother of John David Mitchell and James Mitchell, the same Elias Mitchell recorded born to David and Mary Mitchell in Frederick County MD on 12Mar1761.  Elias is believed to have married Permelia Hill, daughter of William Hill, who lived on a 100 acre tract along the west side of Brushy Fork abutted by James Mitchell’s lands to the west and north, and Isaiah’s land to the east.  Elias Mitchell would become a Baptist Minister and frequent preacher to the Brushy Fork congregation.  This tract was located on the north bank of Little Turkey Creek at Broad River.  The witness, Thomas Mitchell, is believed to have also married a daughter of William Hill, named Hepsabeth.  Consequently, through their marriages, Elias and Thomas Mitchell would have been brothers-in-law, as well as uncle and nephew.
6. Deed Book C, p. 366, 16May1793: Ferdinand Hopkins to Thomas Mitchell, both of Chester County SC, for and in consideration of £100, sold a tract of land containing 202 acres, being part of a tract granted to James O’Neal, 26Aug1774, situated on the north bank of Broad River, on an unnamed branch thereof, abutting Thomas Hughey’s line and a place called Wilcoxes Boat Landing.  Witnessed: Elias Mitchell and Isaiah Mitchell.  This was the first land record found for Thomas Mitchell in South Carolina.  The identity of Thomas Mitchell is uncertain, but possibly an eldest son of James Mitchell, per the birth record from Frederick County MD dated 6Aug1762.  If that identification is correct, then it is probable that Thomas Mitchell had arrived in South Carolina with his father sometime before Oct1789.  In the 1800 census Thomas Mitchell was reported as being aged 26 thru 44 years, which would comport with a birth year of 1762 (aged 38 in 1800).  If Thomas were a son of James Mitchell, it is curious that James was not a witness to this deed.  But, Elias and Thomas are believed to have been brothers-in-law.
7. Deed Book C, p. 336, 10Aug1793:  Thomas Mitchell and his wife, Hepsabeth [Hill], to Elizabeth Moore, for and in consideration of £100, sold a tract of land containing 190 acres, it being a tract of land granted to Edward Atterberry on 7Aug1786, as shown on original plat (situated on ridge between Brushy Fork and Wilson’s Creek).  Witnessed: Elias Mitchell, Isaiah Mitchell and David Mitchell. (see Figure 13-2)  Try as he might, the author was unable to locate the deed of conveyance of this tract from Edward Atterberry to Thomas Mitchell.  So it could not be established just when and how Thomas Mitchell acquired this tract.  From its original plat map the location of this tract was approximated as shown on Figure 13-2, on the ridge line between Brushy Fork and Broad River.  It is particularly noteworthy that David Mitchell [Sr.] witnessed this deed.  This record would seem to establish that David Sr. was still alive in Aug1793, but appears to be dead by Mar1796, when his son, David The Younger and his widow [Mary] recorded a deed for a tract on Wilson’s Creek.
8. Deed Book D, p. 233, 25Mar1794: James Atterberry and his wife, Darcus, to David Davidson Mitchell, all of Chester County, for and in consideration of £100 sterling, sold a tract containing 150 acres, being part of a larger tract granted to James Atterberry on 4Sep1786, situated in the northwest corner of said larger tract (see Figure 13-2).  Witnessed: William Norwood and James Wilkinson, testimony of William Atterberry.  David Davidson Mitchell purchased 150 acres from James and Darcus Atterberry.  This tract was part of a larger 641 acre tract patented by James Atterberry.  This tract was located in the northwest corner of James Atterberry’s tract, and abutted the tract deeded by David Mitchell Sr. to David Davidson Mitchell on 8Jul1786.  Note that the grantee is identified as David Davidson, yet in the 1790 census he was identified as David Mitchell Jr.
9. Deed Book D, p. 235, 17Jul1794:  John White and his wife, Sarah, to David Davidson Mitchell, all of Chester County, for and in consideration of £100 sterling, sold a tract of land whereon said White lives, containing 103 acres, situated and lying on both sides of Brushy Fork, originally granted to said White on 4Jan1790, beginning at a corner on David Mitchell’s line, running various courses, abutting David Hopkins line.  Witnessed: William Norwood and Isaiah Mitchell.  (see Figure 13-2).  The description of this tract is a bit confusing.  First, it is described as being on both sides of Brushy Fork, yet the author was unable to place this tract on a topo base that would overlap Brushy Fork.  Secondly, the tract was described as abutting a corner of a tract owned by David Mitchell.  It seems possible that the reference to a corner of David Mitchell’s tract may have been to the 125.25 acre tract purchased by David Mitchell [The Younger] from David Hopkins on 19Mar1796.  The author has approximated the location of this tract based on other known tracts in its vicinity as shown in Figure 13-2.  Again, note that Isaiah Mitchell witnessed this deed as he did several other deeds in this time period.
10. Deed Book E, p. 73, 11Jan1796: David Hopkins to James Mitchell, both of Chester County, for and in consideration of £40, sterling, sold a tract of land containing 117 acres, situated on Wilson’s Creek of Broad River.  Witnessed: Ferdinand Hopkins and William Davenport.  (see Figure 13-2).  This tract is believed to have been situated on the upper reaches of Wilson’s Creek, upstream from the 300 acre tract James Mitchell purchased from William Clark.  (see Figure 13-2)
11. Deed Book E, p. 69, 17Jan1796:  James Mitchell and his wife, Nancy, to David Stephens, all of Chester County SC, for and in consideration of £20 sterling, sold a tract of land, situated on a bank of Wilson’s Creek and running various courses, containing 60 acres, it being part of a larger tract.  Witnessed: Abner Stephens and Mary Stephens.  This is the first record found in which James Mitchell’s wife’s name was given [Nancy].  Many researchers report James’ wife to have been Nancy Colclough, whose marriage was recorded in Bute County NC on 20Nov1778.  It is the author’s belief that those researchers have associated the wrong James Mitchell with this James Mitchell of Chester County.  The reason for this belief is based on the fact that there was a household of a James Mitchell recorded in the 1790 census in Warren County NC, the composition of which would very closely match someone having married in about 1778.  There are also land records of a James Mitchell in Warren County between 1783 and 1788, one of which was witnessed by a John Colclough.  It seems a virtual certainty that those land records were for the James Mitchell, who was recorded marrying Nancy Colclough in Bute County in 1778.  James Mitchell is recorded in the Minute Books of Chester County in 1786 and in the census record in 1790.  From these facts it would seems fairly certain that the James Mitchell of Bute-Warren County NC was not the same person as the James Mitchell of Chester County.

It is not clear from this deed description just which of James Mitchell’s tracts this was a part (it could have been from either the 117 acre tract or the 300 acre tract, both of which were on Wilson’s Creek).  It should be noted that this deed was witnessed by Abner Stephens.  Abner Stephens was a near neighbor of Molly Mitchell [aka Mary Mitchell, widow of David Mitchell Sr.] in the 1810 census, plus he acted as the appraiser/administrator for Mary [Molly] Mitchell’s estate.  It seems possible that Abner Stephens was a kinsperson of the Mitchells, possibly having married a daughter of David and Mary Mitchell, or Mary Mitchell may have been born a Stephens.

12. Deed Book E, p. 203, 19Mar1796:  David Hopkins and wife, Mary, to David Mitchell, son of Mary Mitchell, all of Chester County for and in consideration of £20 sterling, sold a tract of land containing 125 acres, situated on the drains of Wilson’s Creek, whereon the said David Mitchell and his mother Mary were living.  Witnessed: Mishack Willis and William Clark.  This David Mitchell is believed to have been David Mitchell, The Younger, son of David Mitchell Sr. and Mary (mnu, possibly Stephens).  This tract is believed to have abutted James Mitchell’s 117 acre tract to the northeast as illustrated in Figure 13-2.  Given the fact that there was no mention of David Mitchell Sr. in the deed, it is reasonable to assume that he had died sometime in the recent past.  David Mitchell, the Younger was reported as being under the age of 25 years in the 1800 census, so he probably had just reached his majority when this deed was written.  This was the only tract found to have been acquired by David Mitchell, The Younger in South Carolina, so it seems probable that he and his mother lived on this tract of land until her death in 1812-3.
13. Deed Book F, p. 205, 3Aug1795:  Thomas Mitchell to John White, both of Chester County SC, for and in consideration of £100, sold a tract of land situated on the north side of Broad River, on a branch thereof, north corner on River at a place called Wilcoxes Boat Landing, various courses up branch and up River, abutting line of William Boyd, Deputy Surveyor, containing 199 acres.  Hepsabeth Mitchell relinquished dower.  Witnessed: Ferdinand Hopkins and George Washington Hopkins.  Thomas Mitchell was the presumed son of James Mitchell and Charity (mnu), born in Frederick County MD in 1762.  In this conveyance Thomas and Hepsabeth sold the same tract of land purchased from Ferdinand Hopkins on 16May1793.  Original tract contained 202 acres, this sale conveyed only 199 acres.  John White was involved with several land transactions with Mitchells, leaving us to ponder whether there may have been a kinship connection through marriage.
14. Deed Book J, p. 274, 19Oct1803:  David Davidson Mitchell and his wife, Dicey, to Isaiah Mitchell, all of Chester County, in and for the consideration of £100 sterling, sold a tract of land containing 125 acres, originally granted to James Atterberry 4Sep1786, running various courses, abutting Edward Atterberry’s line.  Witnessed: Jesse Scaife and Edward Atterberry.  This was the first instance of David Davison Mitchell’s wife being named (Dicey).  Keep this record firmly in mind, as Dicey Mitchell will be vital to our tracing the migration path of the David Davidson Mitchell family out of South Carolina and into Kentucky and Tennessee.  This deed conveyed 125 acres of an original tract containing 150 acres, situated in the northwest corner of James Atterberry’s large grant of 641 acres.  Again, we have a transaction involving David Davidson Mitchell and Isaiah Mitchell further reinforcing the author’s speculation that they were brothers.  Edward Atterberry may have been an uncle of these Mitchells, his possibly having married his 1^st cousin, Keziah Mitchell.  Jesse Scaife purchased a 75 acre tract from Priscilla (Mayfield) Atterberry, widow of Nathan Atterberry, son of Michael and Elizabeth Atterberry.
15. Deed Book L, p. 56, 12Jul1800:  David D. [Davidson] Mitchell of Chester County to Abraham Myers of same, for and in consideration of £20, sold a tract of land containing 100 acres, situated on Brushy Fork and David Mitchell’s Spring Branch, various courses, abutting Thomas Mitchell, John Cowsert, James Atterberry, formerly laid out by said Mitchell to Edward Atterberry, it being part of two tracts formerly granted to David Mitchell Sr. and James Atterberry.  This conveyance appears to have consisted of two tracts: (1) 25 acre remainder of 150 acres purchased of James Atterberry, and (2) 75 acres on east side of Brushy Fork conveyed from David Mitchell Sr. to David Davidson Mitchell on 8Jul1786.  It should be noted that the grantor in this deed is simply identified as “David Mitchell”, and was signed “David Mitchell”, yet in the land description it makes reference to a tract laid out by David D. Mitchell to Edward Atterberry.  Further, note that Dicey Mitchell did not relinquish her dower.  Yet, clearly from the land descriptions, these tracts had been previously conveyed to David Davidson Mitchell by David Mitchell Sr. and James Atterberry.  Abraham Myers was a near neighbor of the Mitchells, Atterberrys, Mayfields and Rodins in the vicinity of Brushy Fork, and is believed to have married Patty Atterberry, widow of Nathan Atterberry, in Hardin County KY.
16. Deed Book L, p. 58, 10Jan1801:  Abraham Myers to Jesse Scaife, both of Chester County, for and in consideration of £20, sold same tract as Item 15, above.  Sarah Myers relinquished dower.  Ditto, above descriptions.
17. Deed Book M, p. 88, 21Dec1805:  Jesse Scaife to Isaac Mitchell, both of Chester County, for and in consideration of $150, sold a tract of land lying on waters of Brushy Fork, abutting land of Thomas Mitchell, John Cowserts and James Mitchell, containing 100 acres, and including the land formerly laid out by David Mitchell to Edward Atterberry, it being part of a tract formerly granted to David Mitchell Sr. and James Atterberry.  This was the first and only instance found by the author of a land record involving Isaac Mitchell in South Carolina.  His identity is uncertain, but clearly a kinsmen of the other Mitchells from the Brushy Fork area.  Isaac Mitchell purchased the same tract that was originally in possession of David Davidson Mitchell, which he sold to Abraham Myers, who in turn sold to Jesse Scaife.  Given that Isaiah Mitchell had purchased the 125 acre part of the 150 acres purchased by David Davidson Mitchell from James Atterberry, it seems possible that the grantee in this record possibly was also Isaiah, not Isaac.
18. Deed Book M, p. 150, 3Feb1806:  Dorothea Moore of Chester County did grant for love and affection to her grandchildren of same, viz: James Mitchell one feather bed and furniture, and Dorothea F. Mitchell one black walnut chest iron pot rack, and smoothing iron.  Witnessed: Moses Gresham and Elijah Atterberry.  The identity of the Mitchell grandchildren of Dorothea Moore is unknown to the author.  But, because of the names, dates and location, they were almost certainly descended from the Brushy Fork Mitchells.
19. Deed Book N, p. 71, 27Dec1806:  Samuel Wilmoth to Isaiah Mitchell, both of Chester County, for and in consideration of $55, sold that tract of land purchased of Edward Atterberry, lying on Brushy Fork.  Witnessed Henry Hill and Sarah Hill.  This Isaiah Mitchell is believed to have been the same person previously mentioned as a son of David Mitchell Sr.  The tract of land involved in this conveyance was subdivided from a 200 acre tract granted to Edward Atterberry, and which abutted David Mitchell Sr.’s tract to the south as shown in Figure 13-2.  The Hills, who witnessed this deed, probably were kinsmen of Elias Mitchell, who married Permelia Hill, and Thomas Mitchell, who married Hepsabeth Hill.
20. Deed Book N, p. 361, 19Mar1808:  James [Sr.] and Nancy Mitchell of Chester County to James Handcock, late of Fairfield County, for and in consideration of $750, sold two tracts of land: (1) containing 253-1/2 acres, situated on Wilson’s Creek, purchased from William Clark, and (2) an abutting tract containing 117-1/4 acres, also situated on Wilson’s Creek, part of a larger tract, purchased from David Hopkins.  Nancy Mitchell relinquished dower.  These were the only two tracts known to have been owned by James Mitchell in Chester County.  He and Nancy had sold 60 acres to David Stephens on 17Jun1796, presumably part of the 300 acres purchased from William Clark.  James Mitchell and several of his children are believed to have been recorded in Christian County KY in 1810, so presumably they moved to Kentucky not long after selling their property in Chester County.
21. Deed Book P, p. 221, 4May1812:  Ferdinand Hopkins to John Mitchell, both of Chester County, for and in consideration of $147, sold a tract of land containing 84 acres, on which said John Mitchell formerly had plantation, situated on McCool’s Road, of Broad River, now under occupancy of Mr. McCane, various courses, abutting William Love and Ferdinand Hopkins.  The identity of John Mitchell is uncertain, but surely a kinsman of the Prince George’s County Mitchells.  This tract is believed to have been nearby to the 247 acre tract purchased by Elias Mitchell from David Hopkins along the north side of Little Turkey Creek.  
22. Deed Book P, p. 220, May1812: John Mitchell and his wife, Jannet [Jane?], to James McCain, all of Chester County, for and in consideration of £.. sold 84 acres described in Item 20, above)  Ditto, Item No. 21, above.
23. Deed Book Q, p. 132, 12Feb1813:  David Mitchell of Franklin County GA to Elias Mitchell of Chester County SC, for and in consideration of £300, sold a tract of land containing 124.25 acres, on which David Mitchell formerly lived, situated on Wilson’s Creek and abutting William Clark and James Mitchell.  Witnessed: Moses Alverson and David D. Mitchell.  This David Mitchell was David Mitchel, The Younger.  His mother, Mary Mitchell, had died sometime before 22Jan1813, when her estate was administered in Chester County.  It seems unlikely that David, The Younger would have left his aging mother on her own, so it seems probable that she had died sometime in late-1812, before David, the Younger moved to Franklin County GA.  The land involved in this conveyance was the tract purchased by David, The Younger from David Hopkins on 19Mar1796, and was situated on Wilson’s Creek upstream of James Mitchell’s tracts.  He appears to have sold this old plantation to his uncle, Rev. Elias Mitchell.  It may be particularly noteworthy that David D [Davidson?] Mitchell witnessed this transaction.  It seems probable that this David D. Mitchell was not the David Davidson Mitchell [aka Jr.], who appeared in many earlier land records, rather likely was a son of Elias Mitchell, who enlisted for a five-year stint with the Army in 1813. 
24. Probate Court Book E, pp. 222-4, 22Jan1813:  Abner Stephens, Joseph Brown Jr. and William Prat were issued letters of administration on the estate of Mary Mitchell in Chester County on bond of $2,000.
25. Probate Book E, pp. 243-4, 2Jul1813:  Inventory of the estate of Mary Mitchell was entered in Record:

Appraisal:  Various and sundry items, including: Corn and sack, Spinning Wheel, Flat irons, bottles, pewter, crockery, bedstead, chairs, rack, wash tub, chest, clothes, meal grain tray and sifter, farming tools, gears, cow hide, bay horse, mare, barrow, sow, pigs, cattle, geese, Nancy Clark bed…  Value: $171.12.5

List of Sales from Estate: various items to: David Mitchell, John Beasley, John Foote, Elias Mitchell, Abner Stephens, John Mitchell, M. Worthey, Lewis Morris, Joel Triplett, Stephen Kirk, Nancy Shearhain.

NOTE:  David Mitchell appears to have made the most purchases, including furniture, livestock, tools, etc.  Value of Sales: $109.81.  This was the estate account record for Mary [aka Molly] Mitchell [mnu, possibly Stephens], widow of David Mitchell Sr.  The David Mitchell, who purchased items from her estate may have been her son, even though he reportedly was already a resident of Franklin County GA.  He may also have been David Davidson Mitchell, the son of Elias Mitchell.  Elias Mitchell would have been the Rev. Elias Mitchell, brother-in-law of Mary Mitchell.  This John Mitchell almost certainly was the same person, who purchased and sold tracts in Item No.s 21 and 22, above, and may also have been a son of Elias Mitchell.

There are a myriad of other land and court records from Chester County for the various members of the Mitchell family between about 1785 and 1815, which we will not present for this analysis.  Others may wish to dig them out in order to fill-in the full record of this family.  The author believes that a sufficiency of those records have been presented in order to achieve our principal purpose, that being to establish the place of origin and kinship connections between these Mitchells and the Atterberry brothers of Chester County.  Also, it is hoped that these records and their attendant analysis will be useful in establishing possible migration paths out of South Carolina for these Mitchells.  That being said, we will sprinkle a bit more color and texture on the character and nature of these Mitchells by presenting excerpts from the records of the Chester County Court of Ordinary Minute Books, which commenced in Apr1785:

1. 17Jan1786 – Chester County Minute Book, p. 8-9:  “John Adair, being sworn as a garnishee in an attachment brought by James Michell against William Ward Burton, declares he hath in his possession a negro, the property the said Burton…  This was the first record found in the Minute Books for anyone named Mitchell.  It would appear that James Mitchell was already an established resident of Chester County in early 1786, probably for two or more years.  This fact would seem to distinguish this James Mitchell from the James Mitchell of Warren County NC, who is recorded having married a woman named Nancy Colclough in Bute County NC in 1778.  That James Mitchell was recorded selling a 265 acre tract in Warren County in 1788, and also appears in the census record of Warren County in 1790.  Almost certainly a different person from this James Mitchell of Chester County.
2. 21Jan1786 – Minute Book, p 14:  Various road orders, including John Mills to Sandy River, Motts Old Place, Hugh Stewart from thence to where it intersects the road at Mitchell’s…  Roads to be cut to 30-feet wide…   Edward Lacey appointed to build a jail and stocks…  temporary jail to be built a home of John Walker.  This road order record suggests that there was a Mitchell long enough established to be recognized as a geographic landmark.  This could have been in reference to David Mitchell Sr., who is believed to have been in the Chester County area as early as 1775.
3. 4Jul1786, p. 22:  Patrick McGriff vs. John Walker (Miller) and John Cusey for slander: by consent of the parties and assent of Court, all matters of controversy is referred to Joseph Brown, Esq., James Johnston, James Mitchell and James Moore, with their umpire, George Gill…  James Mitchell had already established himself of sufficient reputation to serve as an officer of the Court.
4. Same Court, p. 23: Stewart Brown vs. Thomas Mitchell, continued…  This is a very important record in that Thomas Mitchell [Sr.] did not appear in the census records until 1800, but apparently was already present as an adult in Chester County in 1786-7.  He may still have been residing in James Mitchell’s household in 1790, but there was no indication of any males over age 16, other than the head of household.  He did not appear in any land records until May1793.
5. 1Jan1787 – Petit Jury: James Mitchell, Nathan Jaggers, David Jaggers, etal…  James Mitchell was the first member of the Mitchell family to be selected for Jury Duty in Chester County.
6. 4Apr1787 – Petit Jury commissioned for July term including Elias Mitchell, David Mitchell, Edward Arterbury, , etal…  In the next session of Court we have Elias and David Mitchell being selected as Petit Jurors in Apr1787.  From our earlier analysis of land records we had deduced (rightly or wrongly) that David Mitchell Sr., James Mitchell and Elias Mitchell were brothers, the sons of David Mitchell and Mary [Davidson?].  Edward Atterberry is believed by the author to have been an uncle of these Mitchell brothers.  This was the earliest record found for Elias Mitchell in Chester County.  He did not appear in the 1790 census for Chester County, but clearly he was present in that county for several years prior to 1790.
7. 2Jul1787 – Petit Jury was called, all appeared except following delinquents: James Strong, James McChesney, William Worthy, David Weir, David Grissom, Hugh McCown, John Grissom, James Young, Elias Mitchell, Thomas Gater [Gaither?], Edward Arterbury, George Head, Hugh Murdock and David Mitchell, who were ordered to be dealt with according to what the law in that case requires…  Ditto.  David and Elias Mitchell and Edward Atterberry were near neighbors along the drains of Brushy Fork/Wilsons Creek, and did not show for jury duty.
8. 10Apr1788 – Power of Attorney from James Mitchell to Thomas Raney…  Was James Mitchell preparing to absent himself from Chester County, hence the need for a POA?
9. 7Jul1788 – Grand Jury drawn: including Elias Mitchell… Petit Jury drawn: including James Mitchell, etal.  Elias Mitchell was selected for Grand Jury, James Mitchell for Petit Jury.
10. 5Oct1788 – Petit Jury drawn to be impaneled in Jan1789 Term: including Thomas Arterbury, James Arterbury, David Mitchell Jr., Moses Grissom, etal.  This is a particularly significant record, in that it specifically identifies David Mitchell Jr. as a member of a Petit Jury.  From the 1800 census we have an indication that David Mitchell was under the age of 25, suggesting that he was born around 1775.  Such age is further supported by the 1850 census record of David Mitchell in Franklin County GA.  That being the case, then he would have been only 13 years old in 1788, far too young to serve on a petit jury.  It seems probable to the author that this record was actually for David Davidson Mitchell, who is believed to already have reached his majority in 1786 when David Mitchell Sr. granted land to David Davidson Mitchell.
11. 7Oct1788 – Petit Jury was impaneled, including James Mitchell, etal.  If James Mitchell was planning on being absent from the County, he either had not yet departed, or his absence was of short duration.
12. 6Jan1789 – Petit Jury impaneled, including Thomas Arterbury, James Arterbury, David Mitchell, Moses Grissom, etal.  This David Mitchell very likely was David Mitchell Sr.
13. 6Oct1789 – Deed of conveyance recorded from William Clark to James Mitchell.  Also, Bill of Sale from Clark to Mitchell…  This deed recording was for the 300 acre tract purchased by James Mitchell on Wilson’s Creek.
14. 5Jul1890 – A Bill of Sale from William Clark to James Mitchell, that was ordered to be recorded, said parties retracting from the same order that the former order for the same be excused, and the same ordered to be committed to record.  Ditto.
15. 4Oct1790 – Petit Jury drawn for Jan1791 Court, including Edmund Mayfield, David Mitchell, etal…  Ditto, Item No. 12, above.
16. 5Jan1791 – Petit Jurors drawn for Apr1791 term, including James Mitchell, Thomas Rodin,, etal.
17. 24Jun1791 – Grand and Petit Juries drawn to serve Jan1792:  Grand Jury included Nathan Jaggers…  Petit Jurors included Elias Mitchell, Charles Arterbury, etal…
18. 24Jun1791 – Petit Jury impaneled, including Thomas Rodin, James Mitchell, etal…
19. 27Jan1794 – All matters of controversy subsisting between the parties is referred to the determination of Joseph Brown, Esq. and James Mitchell, with their umpire, if they do not agree whose award returnable to next Court shall be the judgment of the Court…  James Mitchell appears to have been an officer of the Court, but in what capacity is unclear.
20. 29Jan1794 – …will be exonerated from the above sum upon his paying the said sum, or by producing horseflesh that is ordered to be sold should he have enough in his hands that will amount to the same, and according to this record the horses are to be appraised by James Mitchell…  James Mitchell acting as a court-appointed appraiser.
21. 24Jan1795 – Petit Jurors drawn for Jun1795 Term, including Edward Arterbury, Thomas Mitchell, John Cowsert, etal…  Thomas Mitchell, Edward Atterberry and John Cowsert were all near neighbors on the upper Brushy Fork.
22. 25Jun1795 – Petit Jury called, those appearing included Edward Arterbury, Thomas Mitchell, John Cowsert, etal…  Those impaneled included Thomas Mitchell, Edward Arterbury, John Cosert, etal…  Apparently Mitchell and Atterberry appeared for jury duty.
23. 25Jan1796 – Capt. James Mitchell vs. Peter Robinson and Daniel Cook, petitioner, in debt judgment confessed for the contents of this note with interest and costs, and stay of execution until next July Court…  From this record it would appear that James Mitchell had been appointed Captain of a militia company in his district along Wilson’s Creek. (or was there another James Mitchell?)
24. 25Jul1796 – Petit Jury drawn for Jan1797 Term, including George Blessed [Blissett], James Mitchell, etal..
25. 26Jan1798 – State vs. David Mitchell, assault and battery, true bill John McCreary…  It seems possible that this was a record for David Davidson Mitchell [aka Jr.].  David Mitchell Sr. is believed to have died sometime between 1793 and 1796.  If the 1800 census record is accurate, David Mitchell The Younger may have been only about 23 years old.  David Davidson Mitchell was not found by name in the 1800 census, but he and his wife may have been living in the household of his brother, Isaiah Mitchell.  This was the first of several court filings against various members of the Mitchell family for assault.  None of these records indicate the nature or impetus for those assaults.  Were they just getting drunk and rowdy, or was there something else going on in their community that led to physical altercations?
26. 24Jul1798 – Petit Jury was drawn for Jan1799 term, including James Atterberry, John Peoples [Peebles], John Cowsart, Moses Grisham, etal…
27. 25Jul1798 – State vs. David Mitchell, assault and battery committed on his wife, Ann Mitchell, came a Petit Jury to wit, David Neely, foreman, etal., who returned their verdict as follows, viz., “We find him guilty.” Whereupon the Court ordered that the defendant make his fine by paying the sum of £5 sterling with costs and that the sheriff commit him to prison there to remain without bail or main price until the said fine and cost are paid.  26Jul1798 – On reconsideration of the above, the Court having considered the above David Mitchell is a dangerous person who ought to be bound to his good behaviour, therefore orders that he be confined in prison til he find sufficient security for his good behaviour for one year…  This record is a bit more specific about the nature of David Mitchell’s assault.  Apparently he was charged and convicted of having committed battery upon his wife, Ann.  For that offense, he was determined to be a threat to the community and was required to post a bond for his good behavior for one year.  Again, for the reasons already stated, the author believes this David Mitchell to have been David Davidson Mitchell [aka Jr.], rather than David Mitchell [The Younger].  In the LWT in Franklin County GA of David Mitchell [The Younger] his wife was named Sarah. 

As will be discussed later in this chapter, David Davidson Mitchell’s wife may have been named Dicy Anna.  So, it may have been David Davidson Mitchell, who beat his wife, and not David Mitchell The Younger.  (More on David Davidson Mitchell later in this chapter)

• 25Jul1798 – State vs. James Mitchell, John Mitchell and David Mitchell, assault and battery whereon the Grand Jury returned true bill…  The date of this court record was on the same calendar as the assault by David Mitchell on his wife, Ann.  Whether there was any connection between that assault and this case involving James, John and David is unknown, but possible.  This was the first recorded instance of John Mitchell.  His identity is uncertain, but possibly a son of James or Elias Mitchell.
• 1Feb1799 – State vs. David Mitchell, John Mitchell and James Mitchell, assault and battery, nolle prosique [no contest] entered by leave of the court on payment of cost…  The defendants pled no contest, and were released on payment of costs.
• 24Jul1799 – Petit Jury was drawn for Jan1800 Term, including David Mitchell, George Obryant, William Hill, etal…  This may have been a record of David Davidson Mitchell.  Apparently his conviction for assaulting his wife did not preclude him from serving as a juror.
• 15Apr1800 – State vs. Abraham Myres and John Myres, indicted for assault and battery; witnesses: James Murphey, Janet Young, Jonathan Mayfield, Thomas Mitchell and James Morris, no bill…  Abraham Myres and his son, John, were indicted for assault, to which Jonathan Mayfield, Thomas Mitchell, etal. were witnesses.
• 16Apr1800 – State vs. John Michel [Mitchell?]. breach of peace ordered that his recognizance be discharged…  The identity of John Mitchell is uncertain to the author.  He may have been a younger son of David Mitchell Sr. and Mary, who appeared in David Mitchell Sr.’s household in 1790 as one of two males under age 16.  Both Elias and James Mitchell are believed to have had sons named John Mitchell, but born after 1780.  They may have been too young to have been charged with assault in 1798.  There is a household headed by a John Mitchell in the 1800 census of Chester County, who was identified as aged 16 thru 25, living next door to Abner Stephens. 
• 13Apr1801 – State vs. John Mitchell, indictment for horse stealing, ordered that a scaire fascia do issue, vs. James Mitchell who was bound in recognizance to give evidence in behalf of State in this case, and did not appear.  It seems probable that this John Mitchell was the same person charged with assault and battery and breach of the peace in the preceding records.  The fact that James Mitchell was bound to give evidence suggests that John could have been his son, rather than a son of David Mitchell Sr.
• 14Apr1801 – The following bills were given out to the Grand Jury:  State vs. John Mitchell, indictment for assault and battery…  Ditto, Item Nos. 28, 32 and 33, above.
• 14Apr1801 – Grand Jury returned no bill against John Mitchell on indictment for horse stealing, Also State vs. John Mitchell indictment for larceny, a true bill…, Also State vs. John Mitchell indictment for larceny, on motion of Mr. Solicitor, prisoner was brought to the Bar, and upon his arraignment pleaded not guilty, and put himself on his Country and upon the jury being called, he objected to the six following persons: William Gaston, John McAllulley?, John Moore, William Neeley, John Dye and James Stone, the prisoner at the Bar having objected to six persons in the former jury.  Whereupon the Court ordered the aforesaid jurors to be drawn and he objected to the five persons following: viz., Andrew Graham, Josiah Porter, Stephen Hermon, Thomas White and John Graham.  The following jury were impaneled and sworn and charged with the trial, viz., (jurors named), and they returned the following verdict: guilty of petit larceny…  Petit larceny?  Was that really the penalty for stealing a horse in Chester County in 1801?  There are cases recorded prior to the War in which the perpetrators were hung.
• 14Apr1801 – State vs. John Mitchell, indictment for assault and battery, I appear in my own and proper person, and plead guilty to this indictment, Signed: John (his mark) Mitchell.  Ordered that the defendant pay fine of $1…  Ditto.
• 15Apr1801 – State vs. John Mitchell, petit larceny, Court ordered prisoner be brought to the Bar and being asked by the Clerk if he had anything to say why judgment should not be pronounced against him, nothing was offered, whereupon the Court pronounced the following sentence: “I sentence you, John Mitchell, to receive 20 lashes on the bare back and to be executed in course of an hour…”  It would appear that all six of the preceding court entries were involving the same person, viz. John Mitchell.  A conviction for horse-stealing could have been a very serious offense, but somehow John Mitchell managed to get his conviction reduced to petit larceny, sentence being administration of 20 lashes to the bare back.  Because of James Mitchell’s involvement in this case as a witness, it may be that John was accused of stealing a horse from his father.  That relationship, and James’ apparent reluctance to give testimony may have resulted in a lighter sentence.
• 18Nov1801 – State vs. James Mitchell, the defendant in this case was excused on affidavit…  Possibly a continuation of the horse-stealing case against John Mitchell.
• 12Apr1802 – Grand Jurors were drawn for Nov1802 term, including Richard Arterberry, etal…  Also, Petit Jurors were drawn, including Zadock Roden, Isaiah Mitchell, etal…  Although Isaiah Mitchell had been an adult resident of Chester County from before 1786, this was the first recorded instance of his having been selected for jury duty.  Isaiah Mitchell is believed by the author to have been an elder son of David Mitchell Sr., and brother of David Davidson Mitchell.
• 18Nov1802 – Thomas Mitchell was committed for swearing and exclaiming with a loud voice near the front of the courthouse to the disturbance of the Court…  Possibly the elder son of James Mitchell.
• 14Nov1803 – Petit Jurors were drawn for Apr1804 term, including Moses Arterberry, Daniel Jaggers, Thomas Mitchell, etal…  Ditto.
• 16Nov1803 – A great riot having taken place last night in this village (Chester) and the Court being informed that one Mitchell, a Murphy, a Mr. Boyd, and a Mr. Wallace were concerned in it, it is therefore ordered that Elijah Nunn Esq. do cause the said persons to be brought before him…  Identity of this Mitchell was not given, but almost certainly a member of our Chester County Mitchells.
• 12Nov1804 – On recommendation of James Anderson, John Mitchell was appointed constable…  Apparently all was forgiven for his youthful transgressions (disturbance of peace, horse-stealing and assault and battery), as it would appear that John Mitchell had mended his ways and was appointed constable.
• 4Nov1805 – Petit Jurors drawn for Apr1806 term, including Edward Arterberry, Nathan Jaggers, David Mitchell, etal…  This very likely was David Mitchell The Younger.
• 4Nov1805 – State vs. James Mitchell, assault and battery, witness Robert Kelsey…  There was only one James Mitchell recorded in the 1800 census in Chester County, so it seems possible that this person was the elder James Mitchell.  However, the elder James Mitchell would have been between 58 and 68 years old in 1806.  Moreover, there is record evidence of a James Mitchell filing for a land grant on Dry Fork of Muddy Fork in Christian County KY on 29Dec1798, which many researchers have concluded was the senior James Mitchell.  That being the case, then it seems more probable that this James Mitchell was of the next generation of Mitchells.
• 5Nov1805 – State vs. James Mitchell, assault and battery, true bill, Zachariah A. Thompson, Foreman…  Ditto.
• 8Nov1805 – Upon the affidavit of Joshua Palmer and Mark Jackson, it appearing to the Court that David Mitchell, blacksmith, had on the night of the 5th instant made an assault on the said Mark Jackson and behaved himself otherwise in a riotous and disorderly manner on motion of the Mr. Solicitor ordered that a bench warrant do issue against the said Mitchell…  In this record David Mitchell was identified as a Blacksmith, raising uncertainty as to his identity.  There was only one David Mitchell known to have been at large in Chester County during this time period.  It seems probable that this was David Mitchell The Younger.
• 8Nov1805 – State vs. James Mitchell, indictment for assault and battery.  The Grand Jury having returned in this case a true bill and the defendant not having appeared to take his trial or to traverse the indictment the said defendant not being bound in recognizance to appear on motion of Mr. Solicitor ordered a bench warrant do issue…  Ditto.
• 31Mar1806 – State vs. James Mitchell, assault and battery, Jury No. 2 found him guilty, Nathan Jaggers, Foreman…  Ditto.
• 1Apr1806 – State vs. John Mitchell, larceny, witnesses: John Madyon, John Love, Polly Read, James Sample, Philip Noland, John Cowsart, and James Anderson…  In spite of having been appointed a constable, it would appear that John Mitchell was still running afoul of the law.  Or, were there two John Mitchells?
• 1Apr1806 – State vs. James Mitchell, assault and battery.  The defendant in the case was called and appeared and on motion of Mr. Solicitor that sentence should be passed against him, he was asked if he had any reason to offer why sentence should not be passed against him and he could offer none; whereupon the Court passed the following sentence, to wit.: that he, the said James Mitchell, be confined to the common jail of this District without bail or main prize for the term of two months and that he pay the fine of $1 and give security for his good behaviour for the next year, and that he stand committed til the costs are paid…    Ditto.
• 1Apr1806 – State vs. John Mitchell, larceny, GJ returned no bill…  Ditto.
• 3Nov1806 – State vs. John Mitchell, petit larceny, and State vs. John Mitchell, hog stealing given to GJ…  Returned true bill indictments in both cases…  Ditto.  Somehow, hog stealing does not seem to fit with an appointed constable.  Perhaps there were two John Mitchells.
• 7Nov1806 – State vs. John Mitchell, hog stealing, PJ No. 1 heard case, including Elisha Mayfield, returned verdict of not guilty…  He escapes prosecution again.
• 7Nov1806 – State vs. John Mitchell, petit larceny, PJ No. 2 heard case, including Abraham Mayfield, returned verdict of guilty…  Ditto.
• 8Nov1806 – State vs. John Mitchell, found guilty of petit larceny, sentenced to receive 10 lashes on his bare back at public whipping post in village of Chester…  John Mitchell is sentenced to a public lashing for a 2^nd time.
• 30Mar1807 – Petit Jurors were drawn to serve at next term, including Josiah Mitchell, William Rainey, , etal…  The identity of Josiah Mitchell is unknown to the author.  He may not have been related to the David and Mary [Davidson] Mitchell family.
• 31Mar1807 – State vs. Elias Mitchell, Thomas Mitchell Sr., James Mitchell, Thomas Mitchell Jr., John Mitchell, James Shaw and John Shaw, indictment for forcible entry, witnesses: A. DeGraffenreid and H. Foote…  GJ returned finding of true bill…  This is a rather curious case involving numerous members of the Mitchell family.  Forcible entry into what?  Would the Reverend Elias Mitchell knowingly commit an illegal act?
• 31Mar1807 – State vs. John Mitchell, dealing with a negro, witnesses: J. S. Rice and Mary Pendergrass…  GJ returned finding of no bill…  Was this case somehow connected to the preceding record?  Did this case somehow involve an attempt by the Mitchells and Shaws to intercede in a case involving abuse of a negro slave?
• 3Nov1807 – Constables appointed to serve current term, including John Mitchell…  John Mitchell was once again appointed constable, in spite of several brushes with the law.  Are we dealing with two different John Mitchells?
• 3Nov1807 – Cases referred to GJ for indictments: State vs. David Mitchell, returned true bill, assault and battery, State vs. Edward Atteberry (returned true bill), assault, State vs. James Mitchell, assault (returned no bill)…  This very likely was a record involving David Mitchell Jr.  Who was he assaulting this time?  Edward Atterberry would have been almost 65 years old, and James Mitchell almost 55 (possibly 65) in 1807.  You would think that they would be too long in the tooth to be assaulting someone.  Perhaps this was Edward Atterberry Jr.?
• 3Nov1807 – State vs. Elias Mitchell, etal., forcible entry, referred to PJ No. 1, returned verdict of not guilty, William Lewis, Foreman…  At least the record of the Reverend was kept inviolate.
• 31Oct1808 – State vs. Thomas Mitchell, indicted for assault and battery, found guilty.
• 2Nov1808 – State vs. Thomas Mitchell, assault and battery, sentenced to serve 15 days and pay costs…
• 29Oct1810 – Constables were appointed for current term, including John Mitchell, etal…  John Mitchell still serving as constable, in spite of his convictions for assault and larceny and his public lashings??

The foregoing Minute Book records were extracted by the author from the original record microfilms.  This was a rather tedious and lengthy process, since the original records are handwritten and mostly not indexed.  It required skimming every page for the names of likely suspects.  Consequently, it may not be a complete record, but probably captures the bulk of Mitchell, Atterberry, Mayfield, Rodin, Blissett, etal, entries spanning roughly a 25 year period.

These records are quite revealing regarding the dates at which many of these Mitchells first appeared in Chester County.  This information is important to establishing or supporting inferred or implied kinships.  For example, the author has hypothesized that Thomas Mitchell Sr. of Chester County was the son recorded born to James Mitchell and his wife, Charity, in Frederick County MD on 6Aug1762.  Yet, from the land records, the earliest that Thomas Mitchell appeared was when he purchased 202 acres near Wilcoxes Boat Landing on the Broad River on 16May1793.  Whereas, from the Minute Book records we find the suit of Stewart Brown vs. Thomas Mitchell dated 4Jul1786.  From that court record it can be established that Thomas Mitchell was in Chester County sometime before probably 1783-4.  Similarly, the earliest land record of James Mitchell was dated 5Oct1789 when he purchased 300 acres from William Clark on Wilson’s Creek.  Yet, from the court records we find James Mitchell serving as an officer of the court on 4Jul1786.  So, from the court records it can be established that both James and Thomas Mitchell were in Chester County well before 1786, possibly arriving at the same time.  Also, from those same court records we find that Elias Mitchell served as a petit juror on 4Apr1787, six years before his earliest appearance in a land record.  Since these court records only commence in 1785, they cannot tell us whether these Mitchells were in Chester County before that date.

We do know from other records that David Mitchell Sr. possibly was in Chester County as early as 1775-6.  That arrival date can be deduced from the 1850 census record of his presumed son, David Mitchell (The Younger) of Franklin County GA, indexed as follows:

Name:     David Mitchell

Gender:  Male

Age:       70

Birth Year:             abt 1780

Birthplace:             South Carolina

Home in 1850:       District 32, Franklin, Georgia, USA

Occupation:          Farmer

If this census record is accurate as to place of birth, then it can be established that David Mitchell (The Younger) was likely born in Chester County sometime around 1775.  We also have the Revolutionary War militia record wherein Bobby Gilmer Moss states that David Mitchell enlisted as a private in South Carolina on 9Mar1776.  There may be some uncertainty as to whether Private David Mitchell was David Mitchell Sr., or perhaps David Davidson Mitchell.  But, regardless of which David Mitchell, this would appear to be further evidence that David Mitchell Sr. was in South Carolina around the outset of the War.  The whereabouts of David Mitchell Sr., James Mitchell and Elias Mitchell in the decade prior to the Revolutionary War appears to be a total blank.  Even worse than the Atterberry brothers, these Mitchells appear to have left no record trace of their migration path outside of Frederick County MD after about 1765.  Did they continue to reside in Frederick County until about 1771-5?  That is a possibility.  It also seems possible that they may have migrated to Camden District SC with their Atterberry kinsmen in the early 1770’s.

Some researchers would have us believe that James Mitchell migrated through Pittsylvania VA into Bute County NC, before finally moving into Chester County SC.  However, a closer look at the records of those James Mitchells suggests a different James Mitchell(s).  For example, the marriage of a James Mitchell to a Nancy Colclough in Bute County in 1778 looks promising on the surface, given that James Mitchell’s wife in Chester County is on record having been named Nancy.  However, the 1790 census contains records for a James Mitchell household in both Warren County NC (formerly Bute County) and in Chester County.  The composition of those households clearly indicates two distinctly different James Mitchells.  Also, the James Mitchell of Warren County purchased a tract of 300 acres in 1783, and is on record disposing of a part of that tract as late as 1788.  Our James Mitchell appears in the court records of Chester County as early as 1786.  These dates are clearly indicative of two different James Mitchells.

In addition to the record data already presented, there is one other telling detail which would seem to unequivocally connect David Mitchell Sr., James Mitchell and Elias Mitchell as brothers and the sons of David Mitchell and Mary Davidson of Prince George’s County MD.  In a word, that detail is the given name of “Davidson”.  Clearly this middle name that appears among these Chester County SC Mitchells was unique to that generation of the Mitchell families in America.  Davidson was an uncommon christened name among all Colonial American families.  In the 1790 census there were recorded only three instances of Davidson as a christened name.  Davidson is most commonly recognized as a surname, of which there were 191 instances recorded in the 1790 census of the United States.  Virtually all of the instances of Davidson as a christened name were the result of a practice the author refers to as Maternal Surname Perpetuation.  During colonial times and even in present day America there is an affinity toward perpetuating the mother’s maiden name by conferring it upon a child as either their first name or as a middle name.  Consequently, it seems highly probable that the usage of the middle name of Davidson within this Mitchell family group can be traced to the maiden name of a maternal branch of this family, almost certainly to the mother of David, James and Elias: Mary [Davidson?].

We have already established to a fairly high degree of certainty that David Mitchell Sr. had an older son named David Davidson Mitchell.  This probability was established by the apparent “gift” deed of the eastern part of David Mitchell Sr.’s 150 acre grant situated astraddle Brushy Fork.  The consideration paid for the conveyance of that tract of land by David Davidson Mitchell was 20 shillings.  Similarly, Isaiah Mitchell was conveyed the western portion of that same tract for the sum of 10 shillings.  These conveyances were performed at a time when the average 100 acre tract in that area was selling for around £70 to £100.  The only logical explanation for these transactions is that David Mitchell Sr. wanted to convey the most valuable part of his estate to his two eldest sons.  It also appears from the land records that David Davidson and Isaiah Mitchell were very likely David Mitchell Sr.’s sons from an earlier marriage. 

The purchase of the 125.25 acre tract by David Mitchell [The Younger] from David Hopkins in 1796 describes that being the land on which David and his mother, Mary, were already living.  This record, when coupled with the records of households in the 1790 and 1800 census of David Mitchell Jr. and David Mitchell, respectively, make it fairly certain that David Mitchell Sr. had another younger son, who he also named David Mitchell.  The reason why David Mitchell Sr. may have named two sons by the name of “David” cannot be known, but it seems quite clear from the record that that is exactly what he did do.  David Davidson Mitchell and David Mitchell (The Younger) are quite distinguishable in the land records as two separate individuals.  In the 1790 census David Mitchell Sr. appears to still have had two sons under age 16 and two daughters living in his household.  Assuming that Mary [mnu, possibly Stephens] Mitchell was the mother of David Mitchell (The Younger), then it seems probable that she would also have been the mother of the other three apparent children still living at home in 1790.  In fact, the two apparent daughters might have been the two young females over age 15, reported in David Mitchell’s [The Younger] household in 1800, along with David’s presumed mother, Mary/Molly Mitchell.

So, we have identified with a fairly high level of certainty that David Mitchell Sr. had an older son named David Davidson Mitchell, probably born of a 1^st wife (unknown identity).  Then we have evidence suggesting that David Sr.’s presumed younger brother, Elias, also named a son David Davidson.  Although the proof of the full name of Elias’s son is not absolutely proven, there is clear record evidence of a son named Davidson Mitchell, who appeared in census records in 1830 thru 1860 under the name of Davidson Mitchell in Union County SC.  Likewise, the LWT of Davidson Mitchell is recorded in Union County SC, dated 2Jun1860.  Added to these records is the military service record of one, David D. Mitchell, excerpted in Figure 13-3 below.

This service record was for a person named David D. Mitchell, aged 18 years, who enlisted as a Private in the U.S. Rifles at Chester County on 9Sep1814 for a tour of 5 years.  Having completed his required tour of duty, he was discharged at St. Louis MO on 20Sep1819.  Davidson Mitchell was reported in census records as having been born sometime between 1794 and 1796.  Such birth year would closely comport with the David D. Mitchell described in Figure 13-3, above.  It is the author’s belief that the foregoing military service record was for Davidson Mitchell, the son of Reverend Elias Mitchell.  Assuming that to be correct, then it would appear that Davidson Mitchell, son of Elias Mitchell, was christened David Davidson Mitchell.  So, from the foregoing analysis we have reliably established that Elias Mitchell named one of his sons David Davidson Mitchell, and that that son opted in his later life to adopt his middle name of Davidson as his legal name.

Then we have the case of James Mitchell, presumed brother of David Mitchell Sr. and Elias Mitchell, who apparently also named one of his sons David C. Mitchell.  The proof of that fact is somewhat less conclusive.  Living in the same small community of Hopkinsville KY nearby to the James Mitchell household in the 1810 census was a household headed by a David D. [Davison?] Mitchell.  For evidence, we offer the 1810 census of Hopkinsville District, Christian County KY summarized in Table 13- 5, below.

For what its worth, all five of these households were clustered in relatively close succession on Page 45 of 65.  Such close grouping of these households suggests very close geographic proximity, and a high probability of kinship.  Many Mtichell family researchers have identified the James Mitchell household in this record to have been that of James Mitchell Sr., son of David Mitchell and Mary [Davidson], born in Prince George’s County MD.  The author cannot absolutely verify the accuracy of these claims, but based on the records already presented from Chester County SC, it does seem highly possible.  For better evaluation of these households, the index of each is presented in the following series of extracts:

Name:     James Michals

[James Mitchell]

Home in 1810 (City, County, State): 

Hopkinsville, Christian, Kentucky

Free White Persons – Males – Under 10:          1

Free White Persons – Males – 10 thru 15:         3

Free White Persons – Males – 45 and over:      1

Free White Persons – Females – Under 10:       1

Free White Persons – Females – 16 thru 25:      1

Free White Persons – Females – 45 and over:  1

Name:     David Michals

Home in 1810 (City, County, State): 

Hopkinsville, Christian, Kentucky

Free White Persons – Males – Under 10:          3

Free White Persons – Males – 45 and over:      1

Free White Persons – Females – Under 10:       2

Free White Persons – Females – 26 thru 44:      1

Name:     Elizabeth Michels

Home in 1810 (City, County, State): 

Hopkinsville, Christian, Kentucky

Free White Persons – Males – Under 10:          2

Free White Persons – Females – 26 thru 44:      1

Name:     David D Michals

Home in 1810 (City, County, State): 

Hopkinsville, Christian, Kentucky

Free White Persons – Males – Under 10:          2 [including David D. Jr.]

Free White Persons – Males – 45 and over:      1

Free White Persons – Females – Under 10:       2

Free White Persons – Females – 26 thru 44:      1

Name:     Benjamine Michaels

[Benjamin Mitchell]

Home in 1810 (City, County, State): 

Hopkinsville, Christian, Kentucky

Free White Persons – Males – Under 10:          3

Free White Persons – Males – 26 thru 44:         1

Free White Persons – Females – 16 thru 25:      1

For purposes of our current discussions and analysis, the reader’s attention is drawn specifically to the household headed by David D. Mitchell.  This person is shown to have been over the age of 45, yet the presumed spouse is aged 26 thru 44, and the only apparent children in the household are under the age of 10, suggesting a relatively young family.  On the other hand, the household of James Mitchell is headed by a male over age 45 and a female over age 45, with apparently young children (males and females) aged ranged 10 thru 25.  The age range of the young apparent children in this household suggests a family with much older parents than the household of David D. Mitchell.  In fact, the age of the James Mitchell household head suggests a couple old enough to have been the parents of the heads of the other four Mitchell households, the only possible exception being that of David D. Mitchell.

For basis of comparison, we present a summary of the household of James Mitchell of Chester County from the 1800 census as follows:

Name:     James Mitchel

Home in 1800 (City, County, State): 

Chester, South Carolina

Free White Persons – Males – Under 10:          5

Free White Persons – Males – 16 thru 25:         3

Free White Persons – Males – 45 and over:      1

Free White Persons – Females – Under 10:       5

Free White Persons – Females – 10 thru 15:      2

Free White Persons – Females – 16 thru 25:      2

Free White Persons – Females – 26 thru 44:      1

In 1800 James Mitchell of Chester County reported a total of 17 other young persons in his household in addition to himself and his presumed wife, 10 of whom were under age 10 and five who were aged 16 thru 25.  If we assume that the female, aged 26 thru 44 was James’ wife, Nancy, many of the 10 younger children under age 10 could have been James’ children.  However, it seems possible that at least two of the males aged 16 thru 25 and two of the females aged 16 thru 25 represented married couples, and that several of the young children under age 10 were James’ grandchildren.  Given the assumption of married children plus grandchildren in James’ household in 1800, then his household composition in 1810 in Hopkinsville would seem to fit, with the exception of the two young persons under age 10 in the 1810 household.  Again, those younger children in 1810 probably would have been grandchildren.  James Mitchell would have been aged somewhere between 57 and 67 years in 1810, and his presumed wife, Nancy, would likely have been over the age of 50.

Foregoing a more detailed analysis at this juncture, the author is inclined to accept that the James Mitchell of Christian County in 1810 was the James Mitchell, formerly of Chester County SC.  This acceptance is in part predicated on the household headed by David D. Mitchell.  It seems highly probable to the author that David D. Mitchell was the same person as David Davidson Mitchell of Chester County, whom the author has posited as an elder son of David Mitchell Sr. and nephew of James Mitchell.  Further, that the households headed by David Mitchell and Benjamin Mitchell were sons of James Mitchell.  The household headed by Elizabeth Mitchell probably was a widow of yet another, deceased, son of James Mitchell.  More analysis of the James Mitchell family lineage will be necessary before it can be proven that these neighboring households were headed by children of James Mitchell. 

We believe that it has been reliably shown that both David Mitchell Sr., and Elias Mitchell christened sons named David Davidson Mitchell, and that James Mitchell christened a son named David Mitchell (possibly David C. Mitchell).  We have also posited the hypothesis that the David D. Mitchell, residing nearby to James Mitchell in Hopkinsville KY in 1810, was James’ nephew, David Davidson Mitchell.  Consequently, we believe that we have established to a fairly high level of certainty that the Mitchells of Brushy Fork Chester County SC were descended from David Mitchell and Mary Davidson of Prince George’s County, MD.

The possibility that James Mitchell and several of his children may have settled their affairs in Chester County and packed up their belongings and hit the trail for newly opening Indian Territory in Christian County Kentucky is a reasonable prospect.  After all, many other Chester County families did the very same thing in the first decade of the 19th Century.  Most of the Atterberry brothers and their closest associates moved to Hardin County KY in that same time period.  But how did David Davidson Mitchell and his family wind up in Hopkinsville living nearby to Uncle James?  This story is not quite so straight forward.  In fact, David Davidson Mitchell, himself, is somewhat of an enigma.  For the most part, we only know of David Davidson Mitchell, presumed son of David Mitchell Sr., through a few land records in Chester County, which we have reiterated hereinafter:

1. Deed book D, pp. 237-41 – 7 & 8Jul1786, David Mitchell of Chester County, farmer, to David Davidson Mitchell of same, for 20 schillings, part of 150 acres granted to said David Mitchell 21Jan1785 lying on east side of the Brushy Fork of Sandy River.  Signed David Mitchell and Mary Mitchell.  Wit.: John White, Isaiah Mitchell.  Proved by oath of both witnesses 23Feb1789.[8] 
2. Deed Book D, p. 233, 25Mar1794: James Atterberry and his wife, Darcus, to David Davidson Mitchell, all of Chester County, for and in consideration of £100 sterling, sold a tract containing 150 acres, being part of a larger tract granted to James Atterberry on 4Sep1786, situated in the northwest corner of said larger tract (see Figure 13-2).  Witnessed: William Norwood and James Wilkinson, testimony of William Atterberry. 
3. Deed Book D, p. 235, 17Jul1794:  John White and his wife, Sarah, to David Davidson Mitchell, all of Chester County, for and in consideration of £100 sterling, sold a tract of land whereon said White lives, containing 103 acres, situated and lying on both sides of Brushy Fork, originally granted to said White on 4Jan1790, beginning at a corner on David Mitchell’s line, running various courses, abutting David Hopkins line.  Witnessed: William Norwood and Isaiah Mitchell.  (see Figure 13-2). 
4. Deed Book L, p. 56, 12Jul1800:  David D. [Davidson] Mitchell of Chester County to Abraham Myers of same, for and in consideration of £20, sold a tract of land containing 100 acres, situated on Brushy Fork and David Mitchell’s Spring Branch, various courses, abutting Thomas Mitchell, John Cowsert, James Atterberry, formerly laid out by said Mitchell to Edward Atterberry, it being part of two tracts formerly granted to David Mitchell Sr. and James Atterberry.  It is important to note that David Davidson’s wife, Dicey, did not relinquish dower rights associated with this land sale.  This suggests that David Davidson and Dicey may have married sometime between 12Jul1800 and 19Oct1803.
5. Deed Book J, p. 274, 19Oct1803:  David Davidson Mitchell and his wife, Dicey, to Isaiah Mitchell, all of Chester County, in and for the consideration of £100 sterling, sold a tract of land containing 125 acres, originally granted to James Atterberry 4Sep1786, running various courses, abutting Edward Atterberry’s line.  Witnessed: Jesse Scaife and Edward Atterberry. 

From the foregoing records it appears that David Davidson Mitchell acquired three separate tracts of land between 8Jul1786 and 17Jul1794.  He is on record having sold two of those tracts: (1) 125 acres, part of 150 acres purchased from James Atterberry to his presumed brother, Isaiah Mitchell on 10Oct1803, and (2) 25 acres, the remainder of the 150 acres purchased from James Atterberry, and 75 acres, the land he was gifted by his presumed father, David Mitchell Sr.  No conveyance record could be found whereby David Davidson Mitchell disposed of the 103 acres acquired from John White.  All three of these tracts are believed to have abutted each other along the upper Brushy Fork.  It may be that David Davidson Mitchell died before having had the opportunity to dispose of his remaining property in Chester County.

Nobody named David Davidson Mitchell was recorded as a head of household anywhere in the 1790 or 1800 census, nor did anyone appear by that name in the court records of Chester County.  However, on closer scrutiny there do appear to have been records of David Davidson Mitchell under the name of David Mitchell Jr. or simply David Mitchell.  In order to identify those records it is necessary to pay close attention to dates in order to distinguish David Davidson Mitchell from David Mitchell Sr. and his half-brother, David Mitchell, The Younger.  The author believes that the person recorded in the 1790 census in Chester County as David Mitchell Jun. was actually David Davidson Mitchell, not David Mitchell, The Younger, as had been initially supposed.  If that interpretation in correct, David Mitchell Jun. [aka David Davidson Mitchell] would have been over the age of 25 and married without children.  That age is deduced from the “gift deed” from David Mitchell Sr. to David Davidson Mitchell in 1786.  David Davidson Mitchell likely would have to have been an adult in order to receive land.  David Mitchell,

The Younger, probably would have been only about 15 years old in 1790, if we accept his recorded age of 16 thru 25 in the 1800 census.  So, by process of elimination, David Mitchell Jun. in the 1790 census must have been David Davidson Mitchell.

There are also a few court records for a David Mitchell, which the author believes may have been for David Davidson Mitchell.  These court records are abstracted as follows:

• 5Oct1788 – Petit Jury drawn to be impaneled in Jan1789 Term: including Thomas Arterbury, James Arterbury, David Mitchell Jr., Moses Grissom, etal.  For the same reasons already discussed herein above, this David Mitchell Jr. almost certainly was the same person as David Davidson Mitchell. 
• 26Jan1798 – State vs. David Mitchell, assault and battery, true bill John McCreary…  It seems probable that this was a record for David Davidson Mitchell.  David Mitchell, the Younger, would have been about 23 years old in 1798, so this could have been him.  But, the identity of the wife as “Ann Mitchell” in the following record would seem to suggest otherwise.
• 25Jul1798 – State vs. David Mitchell, assault and battery committed on his wife, Ann Mitchell, came a Petit Jury to wit, David Neely, foreman, etal., who returned their verdict as follows, viz., “We find him guilty.” Whereupon the Court ordered that the defendant make his fine by paying the sum of £5 sterling with costs and that the sheriff commit him to prison there to remain without bail or main price until the said fine and cost are paid.  26Jul1798 – On reconsideration of the above, the Court having considered the above David Mitchell is a dangerous person who ought to be bound to his good behaviour, therefore orders that he be confined in prison til he find sufficient security for his good behaviour for one year…  This record is a bit more specific about the nature of David Mitchell’s assault.  Apparently he was charged and convicted of having committed battery upon his wife, Ann.  For that offense, he was determined to be a threat to the community and was required to post a bond for his good behavior for one year.  We have already established in the deed record in which David Davidson Mitchell conveyed 125 acres to his brother Isaiah Mitchell on 19Oct1803 (see Item No. 5, above), that David Davidson’s wife was named Dicey.  But, we also have the record of David Davidson Mitchell disposing of the 100 acre tract to Abraham Myres on 12Jul1800, in which there was no record of a wife relinquishing her dower interest.  Now we have this court record is Jul1798 in which this David Mitchell’s wife appears to have been named “Ann”.  Are these the same persons, and was David Davidson Mitchell’s wife possibly named Dicey Ann?  From the compilation of the 1790 census, the Jul1798 court record, the Jul1800 land record, and the 1803 land record, it seems possible that these were all records of David Davidson Mitchell.  If we assume that these were all records for the same person, how might we reconcile the apparent inconsistencies?  The 1790 census seems to clearly suggest that David Davidson Mitchell was married, but without children.  The 1798 Court record suggests that David Davidson was still married, but to a woman named “Ann”.  The Jul1800 deed of conveyance suggests that David Davidson was without a wife.  The 1803 deed conveyance clearly shows David Davidson Mitchell with a wife named Dicey.  The author offers the following scenario for David Davidson and his wife(s):  David Davidson was married to his 1^st wife named Ann sometime shortly before 1790, but she was deceased sometime between 1798 and 1800, and, by 1803 David Davidson had taken a 2^nd wife named Dicey.  The relevance of the possible wives of David Davidson Mitchell will become more apparent when we attempt to trace David Davidson Mitchell’s migration outside of Chester County SC after 1803.

We will begin our search for David Davidson Mitchell after 1803 by studying the records of Kentucky and Tennessee in later years.  In the 1850 census record from Trigg County KY we have the following listing of a David D. Mitchell household.

Name:     David D Mitchell

Gender:  Male

Age:       43

Birth Year:             abt 1807

Birthplace:             Tennessee

Home in 1850:      

District 1, Trigg, Kentucky, USA

Occupation:          Farmer

Industry:                Agriculture

Real Estate:           455

Line Number:        41

Dwelling Number:                523

Family Number:    524

Household Members           Age

David D Mitchell                  43

Celia Mitchell                        35

David D H Mitchell              16

James M Mitchell 15

Blake B Mitchell                   13

Sally A Mitchell                   12

Fruy Mitchell                        10

Josiah H Mitchell                 8

Nathan B Mitchell                6

George W Mitchell              3

Mary A Mitchell                  1

Eliza Wadlington                  22

Also, we have the death record for David D. [Davidson?] Mitchell from Trigg County shown in the following extract contained in Figure 13-4.  The two preceding records are believed to have been for the same person named David D. Mitchell.  The census record indicates that this David D. Mitchell was born in Tennessee in about 1807.  The death record indicates that his parents were named David D. Mitchell and Anna, and that he died in Trigg County, a widower, on 4Jul1853 at the age of 50 years.  Given the matching names, the author believes it highly probable that this David D. Mitchell was a son of the David D. Mitchell, who appeared in Hopkinsville as head of a household living nearby to James Mitchell in 1810.  If that were the case, then this family of David D. Mitchell would have lived in Tennessee sometime prior to 1810 (between about 1803 and 1807, based on David D. Mitchell Jr.’s census and death records).  Since there is only fragmentary and very limited census data for Tennessee prior to 1820, it is not likely that any trace of David D. Mitchell or any near family members could be located in the 1810 census records of Tennessee.  However, there are fairly comprehensive census records from 1820 and later.  Interestingly, there is a census record for the household of a Dicy Mitchell and an Isaiah Mitchell in Jackson County TN in 1820, summarized as follows:

Name:     Dicy Mitchel

Home in 1820 (City, County, State): 

Jackson, Tennessee

Enumeration Date:               August 7, 1820

Free White Persons – Males – 10 thru 15:         1

Free White Persons – Males – 16 thru 25:         1

Free White Persons – Females – over 45:`       1[9]

Number of Persons – Engaged in Agriculture:                3

Name:     Isaiah Mitchel

Home in 1820 (City, County, State): 

Jackson, Tennessee

Enumeration Date:               August 7, 1820

Free White Persons – Males – 26 thru 44:         1

Free White Persons – Females – Under 10:       4

Free White Persons – Females – 26 thru 44:      1

First, let it be understood that the author did not just randomly chance upon these records.  These records were discovered as the direct result of a targeted search for records in Jackson County and Overton County TN for persons associated with the Chester County Atterberry family.  That search was initiated in an effort to determine the means whereby Priscilla [Mayfield] Atterberry, a widow with two young daughters, managed to migrate from Chester County SC to the wilderness of Jackson County TN around 1805-7.  Clearly, a widow and her young daughters would not have made that perilous journey alone.  They almost certainly would have been part of a much larger group, consisting of several families of close kinsmen.  Naturally, that effort led to searches for Mitchells, Mayfields, Rodins, Atterberrys, etc. in the Jackson-Overton County area during the first couple of decades into the 19^th Century.  This targeted search led to the discovery of the Dicy Mitchell and Isaiah Mitchell households in Jackson County TN in 1820.  Unfortunately, because the 1820 census is ordered alphabetically, it is not possible to assign any particular geographic proximity between listed parties, but the given name of Isaiah Mitchell has already been shown to have an important relationship to the Chester County Mitchell families.

Of course, the name of Dicy Mitchell as the head of a household was particularly familiar.  We had already discovered from a deed record in Chester County in 1803 that David Davidson Mitchell appeared to have married a woman named Dicey, possibly sometime between 1800 and 1803.  Is it just coincidence that we should find a household headed by a person named Dicey Mitchell in Jackson County TN in 1820?  We think not!  The odds are strongly in favor of this Dicy Mitchell having been the widow of David Davidson Mitchell.  Dicy’s name match aside, the two young males in her household match with the two young males in David D. Mitchell’s household in Christian County KY in 1810.  It also seems possible that Isaiah Mitchell may have been a son of David Davidson Mitchell by his first wife, Ann, whoever she may have been.

A bit of statistical analysis will tell us just how great the odds were for this Dicy Mitchell to have been someone other than the widow of David Davidson Mitchell.  First, it should be recognized that the given name of Dicy is almost exclusively a feminine appellation, and rather rare, at that.  Of the approximately 9,775,678 females listed in the 1850 US census, only 2522 were named either Dicy or Dicey.  This means that only one in every 3,876 females was named Dicy.  Likewise, there were only about 16,421 females with the surname of Mitchell.  Given these facts, the probability of a woman being named Dicy Mitchell was only about one in 2.3 million females.  Given the relatively short timeframe of about 17 years and close geographic proximity of Chester County SC to Jackson County TN, the chance of two Dicy Mitchells existing simultaneously within this limited sphere is a virtual impossibility.  The author is quite satisfied that the Dicy Mitchell of Jackson County TN was the widow of David Davidson Mitchell.

Dicy Mitchell could not be located in the 1830 census records, but there is a record of a Dicy Mitchell in Jackson County TN in 1840 summarized as follows:

Name:     Dicy Mitchel

Home in 1840 (City, County, State): 

District 6, Jackson, Tennessee

Free White Persons – Females – 60 thru 69:      1

Given the name, age and location, there seems no doubt but that this was the same Dicy Mitchell recorded in the 1820 census of Jackson County.  Given her reported age range, Dicy would have been born between 1770 and 1780, the correct age for David Davidson Mitchell’s widow.  Since the 1820 census was reported in alphabetical order, there was no opportunity to infer geographic location or proximity of the households reported in that year, other than being somewhere within Jackson County.  However, the 1840 census was not reported in alphabetical order, so location and proximity can be inferred.  Both location and proximity are often strong indicators of kinship connections.  There are two very important factors found in this 1840 census which might be useful to determining location and proximity.  First, as to proximity, the names of Dicy’s immediate neighbors are listed as follows:

William Foster                      District 6                Jackson  Tennessee

Thompson Atterbury          District 6                Jackson  Tennessee

Moses Atterberry                                District 6                Jackson  Tennessee

Dicy Mitchel                         District 6                Jackson  Tennessee

Wm Griscom                         District 6                Jackson  Tennessee

Filding Rogers                      District 6                Jackson  Tennessee

Moses Atterberry was the son of Nathan Atterberry and Patty [mnu].  Patty Atterberry, widow of Nathan Atterberry, married Abraham Myres in Hardin County KY on 2Aug1805.  It was this same Abraham Myres, who purchased the 100 acre tract from David Davidson Mitchell on 12Jul1800, including the 75 acres gifted to David Davidson Mitchell from his father, David Mitchell Sr. in 1786.  Thompson Atterberry was the eldest son of Moses Atterberry.  William Grissom was the husband of Dicy Atterberry, daughter of Moses Atterberry.  Didn’t we just perform a statistical analysis which showed that the given name of Dicy was very rare in 1850, occurring in only about 0.026% of the female population?  Why would Moses Atterberry have bestowed such a rare appellation on his daughter?  Does this suggest some sort of kinship connection between Dicy Mitchell and Moses Atterberry?  More on this in a moment.

Then we have the location of Civil District No. 6.  By an act of the Tennessee General Assembly on 3Dec1835, Jackson County was divided into 15 separate civil districts, the boundaries of which were generally as shown in Figure 13-5.  As seen in this figure, District 6 was located in the extreme northeastern corner of the County, abutting the Kentucky-Tennessee state line to the north and Overton County to the east.  By delineating their district of residence, we have pinpointed the households of Dicy Mitchell and her near neighbors as having been situated in the northeast corner of Jackson County.  In order to place the location of District 6 into its proper geographic setting, the author has overlaid a portion of District 6 onto a copy of the 1968 Celina Quad USGS Topographic Map as shown in Figure 13-6.

The reader will note that two waterways have been emphasized in Figure 13-6: McFarland Creek and Knob Creek.  These streams have been given extra emphasis because it was on these two streams that we will locate the lands of David D. [Davidson] Mitchell and Moses Atterberry in the early part of the 19^th Century and later.  We will begin with the Knob Creek area.  Just by chance, the author stumbled upon a patent for a tract issued to a John Smith, abstracted as follows:

1. 16Jun1808: By virtue of a duplicate Military land Warrant No. 5142 for 640 acres, enters 101 acres of land, part of said warrant, in Jackson County on Nob Creek, north waters of Cumberland River, beginning 46 poles east of Thomas Lee’s improvement on a black walnut, running west 64 poles to a sugar tree, thence down the meanders of the bluff, 328 poles to a sycamore on David D. Mitchell’s north boundary line, then east 60 poles to a hackberry and sugar tree, thence to the beginning.  Issued to John Smith.[10]

This was a truly serendipitous discovery.  These patents are indexed mainly by the patentee’s name, and no record could be located for a tract patented to David Mitchell in this area around 1808.  In fact, no record was found for a patent taken out by a David Mitchell in Jackson County at any time.  It seems probable that David D. Mitchell purchased his tract from someone, who had patented the land originally in their name.  The Jackson County courthouse was burned in 1875, so no deed records are extant prior to that date.  Regardless, the author stumbled upon this tract on Nob Creek patented to John Smith while searching for an entirely unrelated property.  What good fortune!  It was only after the fact that the author found a book entitled Building Neighborhoods: JacksonCounty, Tennessee Prior to 1820, compiled by Betty Huff Bryant.  In Ms. Bryant’s book, she has assembled abstracts of patent records for Jackson County prior to 1820 in which she has indexed the names of virtually every proper noun appearing in the records.  Through Ms. Bryant’s book the reader can locate David D. Mitchell’s citation for Book 24, Page12, No. 1906, Bryant, p. 42.  This record would seem to clearly establish the presence of a person named David D. Mitchell in possession of a tract of land on Knob Creek sometime around Jun1808.  The only stream bearing the name of Knob Creek or near facsimile in Jackson County is that waterway emphasized in Figure 13-6.  It is the author’s belief that David D. Mitchell’s tract was situated within the drainage of this stream.

Then we have the patents issued to Moses Atterberry abstracted as follows:

2. 6Apr1819: Moses Attleberry [sic] assignee of ___ by virtue of Certificate No. 3413 for 20 acres, enters the same in Jackson County on the north side of Cumberland River, beginning near a bluff on a Beech, runs west 15 poles, thence south to James McColgin’s line for complement.
3. 7Nov1827: Grant No. 7230, Jackson County:  Moses Atterberry received grant of 50 acres situated on the north side of Cumberland River, on both sides of the road leading from Bennetts Ferry to Glasgow, beginning at a Chestnut, the northeast corner of a 25 acre survey granted to John Baker by the State of Tennessee, running thence north 64 poles, west 125 poles, south (crossing road) 64 poles, east to the northwest corner and with the north boundary thereof (crossing road) 125 poles to beginning, including part of said Atterberry’s improvement.
4. 7Nov1827: Grant No. 7231, Jackson County:  Moses Atterberry received grant of 50 acres situated on the north side of Cumberland River on both sides of the road leading from Bennett’s Ferry to Glasgow and bounded as follows: beginning at a Beech on the top of a ridge on the east side of said road, running west 68 poles, ro a stake in a field, south (crossing road and a branch [Knob Creek?] At 28 poles) 117.6 poles to a stake in the north boundary of James McColgan’s 640 acre tract, east with said line 68 poles (crossing road and branch) to a Beech in said line, north 117.6 poles to the beginning, including part of said Atterberry’s improvement.

These patents do not specify their location any more precisely than having been situated on the north side of the Cumberland River and astraddle the road from Bennett’s Ferry to Glasgow [Kentucky, County seat of Barren County].  However, the following patent issued to James McColgin does provide a better geographic location:

5. 30Nov1812:  James McColgan, assigned originally of the heirs of William Blacklaw… by virtue of a Certificate Warrant No. 577 issued by the Commission of West Tennessee for 640 acres, enters one acre of land in Jackson County on the west fork of Knob Creek, beginning and running agreeable to Law so as to include a saltpeter cave in the center of a square, formerly worked at by James Anderson.

This was the only patent located for a James McColgin in Jackson County around this time period.  Given the name, location and date match, the author is inclined to believe that this was the same tract that abutted the patents filed by Moses Atterberry.  Based on that correlation, it would appear that Moses Atterberry’s tract was situated on the drainage of the west fork of Knob Creek, the same stream on which David Davidson Mitchell is believed to have possessed a tract.  So, by extrapolation David Davidson Mitchell and Moses Atterberry both had tracts situated on the waters of Knob Creek during the same time period, probably in very close proximity.  The reference to the road from Bennett’s Ferry would appear to place Moses Atterberry’s lands astraddle the Moss-Arcot Road.  This location is predicated on the fact that Bennett’s Ferry was situated on the Cumberland River at the location where the Moss-Arcot Road joins the Cumberland River.  The nearest settlement to this area is the small community of Richville near the intersection of Moss-Arcot Road and Midway Road, just west of the headwaters of Knob Creek.  The reader is also referred to Figure 13-6 on which it is noted that the “Road to Bennett’s Ferry” was along the boundary between Civil Districts 6 and 7.

We also have tax records from Jackson County that would seem to place Moses Atterberry, Isaiah Mitchell, and other possible Chester County SC emigrants in Jackson County at a much earlier date:

Name:     Moses Arterberry

Year:       1803

Residence:             Jackson, Tennessee

Name:     Isaiah Mitchet [sic]

Year:       1803

Residence:             Jackson, Tennessee

Name:     David Mitchel

Year:       1803

Residence:             Jackson, Tennessee

Also,

Name:     Ezikiel Roden

Year:       1803

Residence:             Jackson, Tennessee

Name:     Jeremiah Roden

Year:       1803

Residence:             Jackson, Tennessee

Name:     Nathanial Rodin

Year:       1803

Residence:             Jackson, Tennessee

Name:     Stephen Mayfield

Year:       1803

Residence:             Jackson, Tennessee

Name:     Luke Mayfield

Year:       1803

Residence:             Jackson, Tennessee

Name:     Stephen Mayfield

Year:       1802

Residence:             Jackson, Tennessee

Name:     Notley Goar

Year:       1803

Residence:             Jackson, Tennessee

Name:     Thomas Goar

Year:       1803

Residence:             Jackson, Tennessee

Name:     John McDaniel

Year:       1803

Residence:             Jackson, Tennessee

It is the author’s belief that most, if not all of the foregoing listed taxpayers in Jackson County TN were originally from Chester County SC, and possibly migrated in unison as a group.  It is curious that these parties should appear on an 1803 tax list, as several of them were still being recorded in land and court records in Chester County as late as 1806/7.  It is possible that some of these people made more than one trip from Chester County to Jackson County.  They may have made exploratory trips, before returning to Chester County to settle their business affairs.  Not contained in this record is a listing for Priscilla Mayfield-Atterberry, who is also believed to have migrated from Chester County as a member of this Chester County migratory movement to the backwoods of Jackson County TN.  The Isaiah Mitchell listed in these tax records is believed to have married Permelia Atterberry, eldest daughter of Nathan Atterberry and Priscilla Mayfield.  Isaiah Mitchell could have been a son of David Davidson Mitchell and his 1^st wife, Ann, although in order to have been recorded on the 1803 tax list, this Isaiah Mitchell would likely have been born before 1782.  It is possible that there were two different Isaiah Mitchells in Jackson County.

Before continuing with our analysis of these Chester County transplants to Jackson County, we will briefly introduce a unique mineralogical phenomenon that may have been part of the attraction for early settlers along the tributaries of the upper Cumberland River, aside from its obvious abundance of game and other wildlife, its fertile soils and open lands.  The following patent records suggest the presence of a fairly extensive salt peter mining activity in this area:

6. 30Nov1812:  James McColgan, assigned originally of the heirs of William Blacklaw… by virtue of a Certificate Warrant No. 577 issued by the Commission of West Tennessee for 640 acres, enters one acre of land in Jackson County on the west fork of Knob Creek, beginning and running agreeable to Law so as to include a saltpeter cave in the center of a square, formerly worked at by James Anderson.
7. 30Nov1812:  Thomas McColgan and John Rowland, assignees originally of the heirs of William Blacklaw, by virtue of a Certificate Warrant No. 577 issued by the Commission of West Tennessee for 640 acres, enters two acres of land in Jackson County on the waters of Knob Creek, beginning at a Beech, marked “FF”, thence running north, thence east for the complement so as to include a saltpeter cave, formerly worked at by a man by the name of Murray, on the north side of said creek.
8. 30Nov1812:  Thomas McColgan and John Rowland, assignees originally of the heirs of William Blacklaw, by virtue of a Certificate Warrant No. 577 issued by the Commission of West Tennessee for 640 acres, enters two acres of land in Jackson County on the waters of Knob Creek, beginning at a White Oak, marked “GH”, thence running south, thence west for the complement so as to include a saltpeter cave, on the south side of said creek, lately found by said Rowland.
9. 30Nov1812:  Thomas McColgan and John Rowland, assignees originally of the heirs of William Blacklaw, by virtue of a Certificate Warrant No. 577 issued by the Commission of West Tennessee for 640 acres, enters two acres of land in Jackson County on the waters of Dry Creek, beginning at a Sugar Tree, marked “MRF”, thence running north, thence west for the complement so as to include a saltpeter cave, lately found by the said Rowland.
10. 21Oct1814:  Luke Mayfield by virtue of Entry No. 11458 dated 20Sep1813 founded on a Certificate Warrant No. 1591 issued by the Register of West Tennessee for 500 acres, I have surveyed for Luke Mayfield, assignee of Robert Searcy, two acres of land in Jackson County on Lick Creek of Roaring River, beginning at a Sugar Tree marked “LM”… including a saltpeter cave about ¼ mile above where Daniel Shipman formerly lived.  Witnessed: Thomas Goar [aka Gore], and Notly Warnall.
11. 23Mar1814:  Luke Mayfield and William Gray assignees originally of the heirs of William T. Lewis, by virtue of a Certificate Warrant No. 1728 issued by the Register of West Tennessee for 250 acres, enters two acres of land in Jackson County on a branch known by the name of The Crib Branch, waters of Roaring River, beginning on a Sugar Tree marked “LM”, running south then east for complement so as to include a saltpeter cave found by the said Mayfield, between the forks of said branch.
12. 26Sep1812: Thomas Gore, assignee of John C. McLemore and James Vaulx, by virtue of a warrant No. 1191 issued by the Register of West Tennessee for 800 acres, enters one acre of land in Jackson County on the forks between Blackberry Fork and Roaring River, beginning at a Poplar running E, then N, etc., including a saltpeter cave, lately worked at by said Gore and James McDaniel.  Thomas Gore: Locator.
13. 2Mar1814: Ezra Bushnell, John Murray, Notley Wornall, and John C. McLemore, assignees of John C. McLemore, by virtue of a certificate Warrant No. 1713 issued by the Register of West Tennessee for 500 acres, enters four acres of land in Jackson County on the Crib Hollow, waters of Roaring River, beginning and running agreeable to law so as to include the mouth of a saltpeter cave, lately found by said Wornall about a half mile nearly north from a cave worked by John Payton Sr. in the center of a square.  Ezra Bushnell, Locator.

In the foregoing patent records we find clear evidence of saltpeter cave mining along the waters of Knob Creek and Dry Creek on the north side of the Cumberland River, and along Lick Creek and The Crib Branch of Roaring River, south of the Cumberland River within Jackson County.  These eight patents were only discovered by the author because of their close association with members of the suspected Chester County migration party to Jackson County.  This is suggestive of a rather widespread mining activity in the Jackson County region in the early part of the 19^th Century.  Saltpeter was a primary ingredient of gunpowder, along with sulfur and charcoal.  It may have been the outbreak of the War of 1812 and the increased demand for gunpowder that triggered the birth of this saltpeter mining industry in middle Tennessee.  There was a gunpowder manufactory established on Lynn Camp Creek in Hart County KY around 1810, so presumably there were similar manufacturing operations established near Jackson County TN at around this same time period.  The following excerpt provides a general description of saltpeter cave mining operations during the early part of the 19^th Century:

“Before the 1870s, caves were the primary source of nitrate used in the manufacture of gunpowder. Saltpeter mining was one of the first major industries of the new frontier, and one of the principle objectives of exploring new territory was to find saltpeter caves. Caves were mined by individuals and also commercially for national defense purposes during the Revolutionary War, the War of 1812, and the Civil War. Cave dirt was tested for its nitrate potential by the following procedure: A footprint or mark was made in the dirt and left for twenty-four hours. If the print was scarcely visible by the next day, then the dirt was deemed high in niter.”[11]

There is no evidence to suggest that either Moses Atterberry or David Davidson Mitchell were engaged in saltpeter mining, but clearly it was actively occurring in their immediate neighborhood.  On the other hand, we have shown evidence which suggests that Luke Mayfield and his near kinsmen: Thomas Gore, Notley Gore and Notley Gore Wornall may have been engaged in saltpeter mining in their youth, before moving on to the more settled industry of farming.  We will hear more about Luke Mayfield and his kinsmen later in this chapter.

Douglas Plenoms has compiled an extensive listing of saltpeter caves across the United States[12].  This listing includes 344 known saltpeter caves in Tennessee, by far the most of any other state.  Jackson, Clay and Overton Counties are reported to collectively contain 39 such caves.  None of the listed caves in those counties appear to match with any of the patent filings listed above.  It seems probable that the Knob Creek saltpeter caves were relatively small deposits, which probably were fairly quickly mined out.  The cave saltpeter or nitrate probably was extracted from the bat guano deposited in layers over centuries.

We will now return to Dicy Mitchell and her presumed associates.  It seems possible that Dicy Mitchell may have lived out her life on the tract acquired by her husband, David Davidson Mitchell, on Knob Creek and that she lived in very close proximity to the Moses Atterberry family.  While there is very strong evidence to suggest that David Davidson Mitchell and Moses Atterberry both originated from the Brushy Fork area of Chester County, nothing heretofore has been discovered to suggest that they had anything further in common.  At least not until we begin to scrutinize the family of Moses Atterberry in greater detail.  We kind of off-handedly made a reference earlier in this work to a marriage between William Grissom and Dicy Atterberry, the eldest daughter of Moses Atterberry.  We also presented the statistical calculations to demonstrate the rarity of the feminine appellation of “Dicy”.  Now we have evidence to suggest that Moses Atterberry named his first-born daughter “Dicy”.  If Dicy was such a rare given name, why would Mose Atterberry have conferred that name upon his eldest daughter?  Drilling down deeper into the Moses Atterberry family, we also find that his son, George Washington Atterberry, named his eldest son Allen Mayfield, and two of his daughters Priscilla and Permelia.  Were these names coincidental, or do they suggest kinship connections to the Chester County Mayfields?  Equally curious, we find that William Franklin Tinsley and Jane Mitchell, daughter of Isaiah Mitchell and Priscilla Mayfield-Atterberry named a daughter Dicy Rose Tinsley.  And, lastly, we have the instance of William Grissom and Dicy Atterberry’s son, Moses, having named a daughter Dicy Grissom.

The daughter of Moses Grissom and Mary Hestand being named Dicy is not that unusual or unexpected.  After all, Moses Grissom’s mother was named Dicy.  But how do we explain the daughter of Moses Atterberry, and the daughter of William Franklin Tinsley and Jane Mitchell?  Neither of these parties had any known recent kinship connection to David Davidson Mitchell, or did they?  The most extraordinary and aberrant occurrence seems to have been Dicy Atterberry, the daughter of Moses Atterberry.  We do know that these Mitchells and Atterberrys had a blood connection, but that connection traces back three generations to the intermarriage between William Arterberry (The Immigrant) and Sarah Mitchell around 1738.  Was that a sufficiently strong connection for Moses Atterberry to have named a daughter in honor of the wife of David Davidson Mitchell?  That hardly seems likely.

Let’s stop dancing around the issue, and get straight to the point.  It is the author’s opinion that the only logical explanation for the “Dicy” phenomenon in the case of the daughter of Moses Atterberry is that the wives of Moses Atterberry and David Davidson Mitchell were close kinspersons, probably sisters.  Absolutely nothing has been discovered by the author that would allow us to establish the ancestry of Dicy Mitchell.  As for the wife of Moses Atterberry, we have several researchers who claim her to have been Mary Alexander, daughter of James Alexander and Mary Lawson, both originally of Spartanburg SC.  There are a total of 172 public trees on Ancestry which show Moses’ wife to have been Mary Alexander, of which less than 15 purport her father and mother to have been James Alexander and/or Mary Lawson.  None of those trees offer one scintilla of proof regarding the name of Moses’ wife, or her parentage.  The author cannot confirm or dispute the accuracy of these claims, but will state that there is substantial circumstantial evidence which runs contrary to these “facts”.

The information regarding the name of Moses Atterberry’s wife probably originated from a book entitled The History of Monroe County, Kentucky, 1820-1988, compiled by Dayton Birdwell (copyright 1992, by William B. Harlan), Library of Tompkinsville, KY, published by Monroe County Press, Inc., Tompkinsville, KY (currently out of print).  Excerpts from this book regarding Moses Atterberry and his descendants were cited by Nova A. Lemons in a post on RootsWeb.[13]  Nova asserted that these biographies came from The History of Monroe County and appeared on pages 164-5 of that publication.  Nova further stated that she believed the source of that information to have been an article (or articles) submitted by Wanda W. Walters.  The relevant part of that citation is as follows:

“Moses Arterberry came to the McFarland Creek [actually Knob Creek] area of Ky by 1811, as listed in local census [tax records?]. He had sold land in Chester co S.C. which had been left to him by his father, Nathan. He moved after the 1800 census of that county. Moses, wife, Mary Alexander, assumed to have been born in S.C…”

It would appear to the author that this article from Wanda W. Walter, whoever she may have been, was the source for the repeated assertions for Moses Atterberry’s wife having been named Mary Alexander.  Not being able to access the original source (History of Monroe County), the author cannot further comment on the origins or the reliability of the information ostensibly submitted by Wanda W. Walter.  Given the paucity of records regarding the family of Moses Atterberry, it seems highly unlikely that Wanda Walter would have had access to any primary sources that might affirm the name of Moses’ wife.  It seems probable to the author that Wanda Walter, or her source(s) extrapolated the name of Moses’ wife from other given names appearing in this family in subsequent generations, in much the same manner that is currently being attempted by the author regarding Dicy Atterberry.  Certainly, no record has surfaced to-date which would allow us to even give a first name to Moses’ wife, let alone a maiden name.

What can be stated regarding Moses and his wife is that at least two of their children believed their mother to have been born in South Carolina.  Both James Atterberry and Wiley C. Atterberry (purported sons of Moses Atterberry) reported in the 1880 census that both their parents were born in South Carolina.  So, from these census records we would seemingly have established the birth place of Moses’ wife having been South Carolina.  We also have James Atterberry and his presumed brother, Thompson Atterberry’s assertion that they, too, were born in South Carolina.  In the 1880 census James reported himself born about 1802, whereas Thompson variously reported himself born about 1805-7.  This suggests that Moses’ wife probably was born about 1780-3, and that she and Moses married in South Carolina around 1800/1.  Such age would place Moses’ wife being born within a few years of Dicy Mitchell.

While exploring the family of Moses Atterberry the author encountered a very peculiar occurrence of the Mayfield name in several descendant generations.  George Washington Atterberry, the 3^rd born son of Moses Atterberry, appears to have named his eldest son Allen Mayfield Atterberry.  This Allen M. Atterberry died at the age of 23, and left no known children.  Truthfully, the author could not find a single document in which the middle name of this Allen M. Atterberry was recorded.  However, by tracing the descendants of George Washington Atterberry we find that his son, James Oliver Atterberry, also named a son Allen M. Atterberry.  This Allen M. Atterberry named a son John M. Atterberry.  This John M. Atterberry reported his full name on his WWI draft card as John Mayfield Atterberry.  Sherrie Atteberry, a descendant of John Mayfield Atterberry, posted the photograph on Ancestry.com as shown in Figure 13-7, and stated this to have been a photo of Allen Mayfield Atteberry, and his son, John “May” [Mayfield] Atteberry, taken around 1929 in Missouri.  Another family photo posted on Ancestry.com by Melaney Shaum and presented in Figure 13-8, purports to depict James Oliver Atteberry, Allen Mayfield Atteberry (son), etal.

There was no hint in the ancestry of any of the spouses of George Washington Atterberry, James Oliver Atterberry, his son Allen M. Atterberry, or John Mayfield Atterberry to suggest any connection to the Mayfield family.  Although the author has been unable to find any documentation to directly support the name of George Washington Atterberry’s first born son as anything other than Allen M. Atterberry, he is inclined to believe that Allen very likely was christened Allen Mayfield Atterberry.  Clearly, the name Allen Mayfield held a position of esteem within the descendant generations of George Washington Atterberry.  It seems probable to the author that the given name of Allen Mayfield could only have been introduced into this family from a maternal branch.  George Washington Atterberry is reported to have fathered thirteen children, all of whom are believed to have survived to adulthood, married, and have had children of their own, with the exception of the eldest son, Allen Mayfield Atterberry.  Although Allen M. Atterberry’s mortality record from Dallas County MO indicates that he was married, there is no record of his wife, or of any children having resulted from that union.  Allen M. Atterberry is reported to have been buried in the Atteberry-Shed Cemetery at Charity, Dallas County, the same cemetery in which his father is interred. 

Allen Mayfield Atterberry is reported to have had a twin sister named Nancy, reportedly born in Jackson County TN in 1827.  The next eldest child of George Washington Atterberry is reportedly William Kanada [aka Kennedy] Atterberry, born 15Jan1829 in Jackson County TN (according to William’s death record).  On William K. Atterberry’s death record he reported his parents as George W. Atterberry and Joanna Olive [Oliver?].  Several other younger children of George Washington Atterberry also reported their mother to have been Joanna Olive/Oliver.  It is the author’s belief that Allen Mayfield and Nancy Atterbery (twins) were born of an earlier wife of George Washington Atterberry, very likely a daughter of Allen Mayfield. 

At this juncture the reader may be saying to themselves, “even if this is true, why is it even relevant to this investigation”?  Well, it probably does not have any direct relevance to the Mitchell family, but does appear to have a connection to the Mayfield family, which we have already spent a considerable amount of time exploring in conjunction with the Chester County Mitchells.  So, if George Washington Atterberry was married to a Miss Mayfield before marrying Joanna Olive or Oliver, then who might she be?  From the Nauvoo proxy baptism records of Elizabeth Atterberry-Edwards, and from the estate settlement of Jonathan Mayfield, we can establish that Jonathan Mayfield had a son named Allen Mayfield.  Also, from the Nauvoo temple records we have Allen Mayfield’s wife as Fanny Mayfield.  From the Minute Book records of Chester County SC we have the following entries for Allen Mayfield:

1. 6Oct1789 – Fanney Mayfield, late widow of Isom [Isham?] Bond, deceased, setting forth the situation of some orphan children, ordered that the children be dealt with according to law, and so much of estate will, and as necessary to support the children, the infant orphans of the deceased.
2. 28Jan1791 – Allen Mayfield is allowed money (18?) for maintaining Moses Bond, Sugar Bond and Isom Bond, the orphans of Ison Bond, deceased, for two years past out of the estate of said decedent, which the said Mayfield is to call on the Executors.

From the foregoing court records we find evidence that Allen Mayfield had married Fanny Bond, the widow of Isom Bond sometime before Oct1789, and that in Jan1791 Allen Mayfield was allowed compensation by the court from the estate of Ison Bond for the maintenance for two years of the orphaned sons of Isom Bond.  Also, from the 1790 and 1810 census we have records of the households of Allen Mayfield in Chester County SC.  In the 1790 census it would appear that Allen’s stepsons: Moses Bond, Sugar Bond and Isom Bond were the only children in his home.  No census record could be located in 1800 for Allen Mayfield, but he did appear several times in the court records of Chester County between 1790 and 1805, including appointment as constable in 1797, witnessing the LWT of his brother-in-law, William Rodin in 1799, and charges of assault and battery in 1805.  So, presumably, the Allen Mayfield family continuously resided in Chester County until his death sometime between 1810 and 1820.

Allen Mayfield was deceased by Nov1824 when distributions were made from his father’s (Jonathan) Estate to the heirs of Allen Mayfield: Elisha, Ferdinand, Sarah, Priscilla, Elizabeth, Francis, Anne and Allen.  Very little appears to be known about the wife or children of Allen Mayfield.  Many Mayfield family researchers report Allen’s wife to have been a woman named Sarah Castles, however, a review of the records would clearly suggest that Sarah Castles was the wife of Allen Mayfield Jr., son of Allen and Fanny Mayfield.  Aside from Fanny’s [Frances] given name, and the fact that she was the widow of Isom Bond, virtually nothing further is known of her.  Given that they christened a son with the name of Ferdinand, it seems possible that she may have been a daughter or kinsperson of Ferdinand Hopkins.  As for a daughter of Allen and Fanny Mayfield having married George Washington Atterberry as his 1^st wife, the author believes that to be a probability.  Just which daughter would be very difficult to prove, but possibly either Sarah or Priscilla.

In fact, there is evidence of the existence of two Mayfield families in Jackson County in 1820: Luke Mayfield and Nelly Mayfield.  The index of each of these households is presented as follows:

Name:     Luke Mayfield

Home in 1820 (City, County, State): 

Jackson, Tennessee

Enumeration Date:               August 7, 1820

Free White Persons – Males – Under 10:          1

Free White Persons – Males – 10 thru 15:         1

Free White Persons – Males – 16 thru 25:         2

Free White Persons – Males – 26 thru 44:         1

Free White Persons – Females – Under 10:       4

Free White Persons – Females – 10 thru 15:      3

Free White Persons – Females – 26 thru 44:      1

Name:     Nelly Mayfield

Home in 1820 (City, County, State): 

Jackson, Tennessee

Enumeration Date:               August 7, 1820

Free White Persons – Males – Under 10:          3

Free White Persons – Females – Under 10:       1

Free White Persons – Females – 10 thru 15:      1

Free White Persons – Females – 26 thru 44:      1

Given the age ranges of the presumed heads of these households, it would appear that Luke Mayfield and Nelly Mayfield were peers.  They were each reportedly aged 26 thru 44, and they each had apparent children aged 10 thru 15.  It seems probable that Nelly Mayfield was the widowed spouse of an unknown Mr. Mayfield.  Perhaps Nelly was a sister-in-law of Luke Mayfield?

In the 1830 census there is only one Mayfield household recorded, indexed as follows:

Name:     Alexander Mayfield

Home in 1830 (City, County, State): 

Jackson, Tennessee

Free White Persons – Males – Under 5:            2

Free White Persons – Males – 20 thru 29:         1

Free White Persons – Females – 5 thru 9:          1

Free White Persons – Females – 20 thru 29:      1

The age range of Alexander Mayfield, aged 20 thru 29, would comport with one of the presumed sons of Luke Mayfield, who may have married and decided to remain behind in Jackson County.  Luke Mayfield had relocated his family to Morgan County IL as abstracted in the following:

Name:     Luke Mayfield

[Luke Maxfield]

Home in 1830 (City, County, State):  Morgan, Illinois

Free White Persons – Males – Under 5:            2

Free White Persons – Males – 5 thru 9:             3

Free White Persons – Males – 15 thru 19:         1

Free White Persons – Males – 30 thru 39:         1

Free White Persons – Males – 50 thru 59:         1

Free White Persons – Females – 10 thru 14:      1

Free White Persons – Females – 15 thru 19:      1

Free White Persons – Females – 30 thru 39:      1

Free White Persons – Females – 50 thru 59:      1

And, in 1840 there was only one Mayfield household in Jackson County TN, indexed as follows:

Name:     Zadock Mayfield

Home in 1840 (City, County, State): 

District 6, Jackson, Tennessee

Free White Persons – Males – Under 5:            1

Free White Persons – Males – 5 thru 9:             1

Free White Persons – Males – 20 thru 29:         1

Free White Persons – Males – 30 thru 39:         1

Free White Persons – Females – Under 5:         2

Free White Persons – Females – 5 thru 9:          1

Free White Persons – Females – 20 thru 29:      1

The identity of Zadock Mayfield is not certain, but may have been a son of William Mayfield, son of Abraham Mayfield, son of Robert Mayfield.  If these kinship connections are correct, then Zadock Mayfield would have been descended from the Chester County Mayfields.  Prior to this census record, Zadock’s family had been residing in Blount County AL.

So, from the 1820 census we have clear indication of the presence of the household of Luke Mayfield, and an apparent Mayfield widow named Nelly Mayfield.  It seems possible that Luke Mayfield and Nelly’s deceased husband may have been kinsmen, possibly brothers.  The next obvious question would be, who was Luke Mayfield, and might he have been related to the wives of David Davidson Mitchell and Moses Atterberry?  Before launching an investigation into the identity of Luke Mayfield, the reader might recall earlier land and tax records already presented heretofore for a Luke Mayfield, who appeared to have had interests in saltpeter mining on the waters of Roaring River.  Those records dated from 1814, so it would appear that Luke Mayfield had been in Jackson County from sometime before that year.  We also had the list of taxpayers in Jackson County from the year 1803 in which we had a listing for Luke Mayfield and a Steven Mayfield.  Given the unique character of the name of Luke Mayfield, it seems highly probable that the Luke Mayfield in the 1803 tax list, the 1814 patent records, and the 1820 census were all the same individual.  Ergo, we can conclude that Luke Mayfield had an established presence in Jackson County TN as early as 1803, and contemporaneous with a person named Stephen Mayfield.

Now to the question, who was Luke Mayfield?  An excerpt from a book entitled History of MacoupinCountyIllinois, Volume II might provide us with a clue:

Re. Alfred Smith Mayfield Biography:  “The father, Manning Mayfield, was reared in the south, where, after the completion of his education, he followed the vocation of teaching…  His demise [Manning’s] occurred in the vicinity of Carbondale, when he was out riding, having been killed, supposedly, for his money.  He was about 60 years old at the time of his death.  He was a son of Luke and a grandson of Stephen Mayfield.  The family was of English descent and its members have always been well educated…”[14]

Let it be said that biographies of this sort, published as part of a local history, are oftentimes compiled from “articles” submitted by either family members or close associates, and oftentimes are written many years after the fact.  They are almost never vetted for accuracy.  Given that this History of Macoupin County was published in 1911, it seems probable that the biographies contained therein were written by persons several generations removed from the principal parties.  That being said, we should take this biographical history of Alfred Smith Mayfield, son of Manning Mayfield, son of Luke Mayfield, son of Stephen Mayfield with a mild degree of skepticism.  Yet, there does appear to be a ring of authenticity too, when we consider the data we have already presented relative to Luke Mayfield of Jackson County TN.

Before digging any deeper into Luke Mayfield’s past we feel compelled to alert the reader that there has already been extensive research and data compiled for a person eerily similar to this Luke Mayfield.  Much of that information has been published on various sites on the Internet in connection with a person identified as “Stephen Mayfield, The Tory”.  The reader is welcome to explore those sites at their leisure and according to their visceral tolerance for genealogical fiction.  We will not pollute these pages with a detailed discussion of those ramblings, but will point out some of the important contradictions that occur to the author which might otherwise mislead the less assiduous investigator.  Anyone attempting to seek out the ancestry of Luke Mayfield among the roughly 743 Public Trees posted on Ancestry.com will soon discover that almost all of those trees identify Delilah Gore as his wife, and Stephen Mayfield [The Tory] as his father, and many identify Luke’s mother as Bridget Gilmore.  In the author’s opinion, there probably are only two potential facts included in these purported “genealogies” of Luke Mayfield: (1) he may well have been married to a woman named Delila Gore, and (2) his father probably was named Stephen Mayfield.  Beyond those basic points, nothing further in those genealogies should be trusted.

The central character in the saga of Stephen Mayfield, The Tory, is a person who owned land on Brown’s Creek, a western tributary of Broad River, abstracted as follows:

1. 17May1775 – Pursuant to a Precept from under the hand and seal of John Bremar, Esq., Deputy Surveyor General dated 18Oct1774, I have admeasured and laid out unto David George a tract of 2,200 acres on Brown’s Creek, joining eastwardly by Joseph Robinson, westwardly by Elias Palmer, William Williams and Thomas Jones, northwestwardly by Stephen Mayfield and Job Harmons, and southwardly by John Mayfield, and hath such shape…  This record contains the first recorded instance of this Stephen Mayfield.  From this record it can be deduced that Stephen Mayfield was in possession of a tract of land situated on Brown’s Creek sometime before Oct1774, and that that tract was in relatively close proximity to the land(s) of John Mayfield.  At this juncture the identity of this Stephen Mayfield is uncertain.  Given his contemporaneous and close proximity to John Mayfield, it would be reasonable to think that they were kinsmen.  If we were to accept the information provided by CK433, it might seem possible that this Stephen Mayfield was an elder son of John Mayfield, however, the date of birth for John’s alleged son, Stephen Andrew, of 1766 clearly would not comport with someone acquiring land as early as 1773.  So, the kinship between John Mayfield and this Stephen Mayfield of Brown’s Creek will remain uncertain. 
2. 25Jul1778 – Deed Book A, p. 19, Union County:  David George of Ninety-Six District, SC to William Williams of same for £75, SC money, 600 acres on waters of Browns Creek, adjacent Stephen Mayfield’s corner.  Signed David George.  Wit.: Jno Nuckols, James Hardwick, and William A. George.  Three years later, Stephen Mayfield’s tract is still referenced as abutting the David George patent on Brown’s Creek.

These were the only land records found by the author for this Stephen Mayfield of Brown’s Creek.  However, there are several documents of record from the archives of South Carolina and East Florida during and immediately following the Revolutionary War, which are believed to have pertained to the Stephen Mayfield of Brown’s Creek.  Those records clearly establish that that Stephen Mayfield was a member of the Royalist militia from the Saluda River region.  On one occasion he was captured by revolutionary forces, but then released.  He ultimately fled to Georgia where he enlisted in the South Carolina Royalist Regiment, then stationed at Savannah, Georgia.  After the close of the War, this Stephen Mayfield is believed to have taken refuge in East Florida, where he lived under Spanish rule for a few years.  He was recorded in East Florida, abstracted as follows:

1. 1784 Census of East Florida (See Table below).

In this census Stephen Mayfield was identified as a farmer, born in Virginia, and having a wife and one son.

2. 25Jan1785 the residents of the St. John’s Parish, East Florida petitioned Governor Zespedes as follows:

“We the Underwritten, Inhabitants of the River St John and Part adjacent, under the Protection of His Catholic Majesty, in His Province of East Florida Take this Earliest opportunity to Testify to Your Excellency our Most Sincere Thanks and Hearty Acknowledgements for your Excellency’s Providential Care of our Lives and Property, in Having Secured the Persons of Daniel McGirth, William Cunningham, Stephen Mayfield and Others. Who in Defiance of all Law have for these many years past, Disturbed this Province, Plundered many of its Inhabitants and Had our Lives and Property instantly at their mercy, which Rendered our Abode unsafe and Precarious. [Emphasis added]

By having arrested the Leaders of those Robbers and Murderers, we apprehend Ourselves at present perfectly secure under Your Excellency’s Government, and we make Bold to assure Your Excellency, that we will exert ourselves in Every Occasion to Procure the Peace and Tranquility to Remain Undisturbed amongst Us, in this Province Offering to Your Excellency all the assistance that may be required at any time to Pursue and Arrest any Person or

Persons that should dare to Act contrary to Your Excellency’s Orders and Proclamations—And we Promise to Behave in every Respect Becoming the Duty we owe to His Catholic Majesty for His Royal Protection, while He may be pleased to Permit us to Remain in His Dominions…”[15]

3. “… The story of the banditti is long and circumstantial. Enough of it has been recounted to serve as an illustration of the difficulties which Zéspedes confronted in his dealings with them and with the former governor as well. Neither his nor Tonyn’s plan was given a fair trial. United support for either might have resulted in the achievement of the desired end. That Zéspedes did not at once adopt Tonyn’s plan was due perhaps as much to his lack of a suitable force as to his desire to begin his administration with acts of clemency. Moreover, if he had made use of British arms in Spanish territory he might have subjected himself to the censure of his government. Tonyn, on the other hand, had the force, but doubtful authority to use it. That he acted in disregard of that limitation was probably due as much to his mounting exasperation against the banditti as to his genuine concern for the safety of British lives and property. Whatever the explanation, the chief troublemakers managed to prolong their stay in the province, though by the beginning of 1785 many had gone—some with passports to West Florida and Louisiana, others to British dominions, and still others to the United States, where some of them, declared Zespedes, had “already paid with their lives the just price of their crimes.  Convinced, early in 1785, that he could at last safely proceed to chastise the ringleaders, Zéspedes had Daniel McGirtt, William Cunningham, and Stephen Mayfield with three others arrested and thrown into the fort at St. Augustine….”[16]
4. 9Feb1785 – Governor Zespedes to Bernado de Galvez [the Viceroy of Mexico], viz: 

“The greatest number of rogues, including those openly and secretly such, who infested the outlying areas of this densely wooded and swampy country, particularly the banks of the St. Johns and Nassau rivers and as far as St. Mary’s River, when I took over this government caused me to decide that it would be best to temporize with them.  … If I had attempted to suppress and punish a few excesses with armed force greater harm and scandal would have resulted in this country which, as the result of the civil war between England and America, is overrun with desperate men capable of all kinds of wickedness.  Major General Patrick Tonyn said in one of his letters that this province contained sixteen thousand British subjects, but of this number at least twelve thousand were exiled Americans. …

… I judged that it was for the highest good of the royal service … to give this large number of desperate and abandoned people time to quit the country … by the beginning of this year some of the principal known and secret malefactors had left the province.  Some had gone with my passport to Pensacola and Louisiana, others to the British dominions, and still others to the United States, where some have already paid with their lives the just price of their crimes.  Consequently it seemed to me that the time had arrived when I could safely proceed to the chastisement of these rogues, and I had the following taken into custody on the 20th of last month:  Daniel McGirtt, one of the outlaws under the English government and the ostensible chief of the highwayman of this country; William Cunningham, a worse man than the preceding; and Stephen Mayfield — who always harbored in his inn every thief who presented himself there — with three of his accomplices. [Emphasis Added]  I shall institute proceedings against all of them as soon as I dispatch the ship now here to Havana.  When the trial is concluded I shall send the criminals and the papers to Your Excellency, so that being informed of the charges against them Your Excellency may pronounce the corresponding sentence.  I consider it to be my duty to say to Your Excellency that even if the evidence is not conclusive, it would be in the interest of the royal service and the public tranquility to banish forever from this province and those of Louisiana and Pensacola these incorrigibles who have several times previously been guilty of capital offenses, especially McGirtt and Cunningham.”[17]

5. “The prisoners were dispatched to Havana late in April, 1785. By that time Gálvez had departed for Mexico to assume his duties as viceroy. The papers—Tonyn’s recommendations and the petitions, together with the proceedings of the preliminary hearings in St. Augustine—followed him and his decision was promptly rendered. He approved the exile, but ordered that the prisoners be given their liberty with permission to emigrate to any part of America not Spanish and to remove their families and property from East Florida. A few weeks later these troublesome individuals left Havana with passports for Providence, where Mayfield arrived; but McGirtt and Cunningham contrived to change their course and land secretly on the coast of Florida. They were again appre­hended, and finally both were transported to Providence—Cunningham late in 1785, and McGirtt early in 1786.”[18]
6. “07 January 1786 – Letter from Governor Zespedes to Bernardo Troncoso:  In January 1786, Governor Zespedes wrote to Troncoso informing him that Stephen Mayfield had made his way to the island of Providence, in the Bahamas, without returning to Florida.  Cunningham and McGirtt did return to Florida but were captured.  As of the date of the letter (7 January 1786) Cunningham had been shipped off to Providence and McGirtt was about to be sent there also.”[19]

No further record has been found that can reliably be linked to Stephen Mayfield, The Tory.  It seems highly probable to the author that Stephen Mayfield, The Tory lived out his remaining days in the Bahama Islands, never to return to his native land.  However, many researchers are not content to allow the story of this Stephen Mayfield to end here.  They purport that he returned to American soil after a brief exile at Providence, took refuge among the Cherokee, took an Indian wife named Jack or Jock, sired several children by his Indian wife, then sometime around 1805 returned to his 1^st wife, Bridget Gilmore, and settled and died in Overton County Tennessee.  Intermixed with this saga is an occasional suggestion that Stephen Mayfield, The Tory, lived briefly in Chester County, or that his 1^st wife and children lived in Chester County.  Also, intermixed with this saga is a suggestion that Stephen, Mayfield, The Tory, even lived for a time with his Indian wife in the Pendleton County area of South Carolina.

It is the author’s belief that the creators of the Stephen Mayfield, Tory, saga have conflated three different individuals into one person.  Admittedly, there is record evidence of Stephen Mayfields in Union County, Chester County and Pendleton County between about 1775 and 1805.  It is the author’s opinion that these Stephen Mayfields were actually three separate individuals.  We have already presented almost all of the record evidence found by the author relative to the Stephen Mayfield of Union County.  It is the author’s opinion that that Stephen Mayfield was a member of the royalist forces in South Carolina during the War, and that he settled for a while in East Florida after the War, and ultimately was exiled by the Spanish government to the Bahama Islands where he very likely died. 

We will now focus our primary attention on the Stephen Mayfield of Chester County, as he very likely was the father of Luke Mayfield.  The earliest record we could find of the Stephen Mayfield of Chester County was in the 1790 census, abstracted as follows:

Name:     Stephen Mayfield

Home in 1790 (City, County, State): 

Chester, South Carolina

Free White Persons – Males – Under 16:          1 (possibly husband of Nelly)

Free White Persons – Males – 16 and over:      2 (prob. Stephen and Luke)

Free White Persons – Females:          2 [actually 3 in original record] (prob. 1^st wife, and possibly daughters who married David Davidson Mitchell and Moses Atterberry)

Stephen Mayfield’s household was listed in the 4^th column of Page 3 of 9, immediately abutting the household of Robert Mayfield, and in the near vicinity of Abraham Mayfield, Obediah Mayfield, Elisha Mayfield, Jonathan Mayfield, Allen Mayfield, and Edmund Mayfield.  Also listed on this same page and column were six of the Atterberry brothers, as well as William Rodin, husband of Mary Mayfield.  It is the author’s belief that this Stephen Mayfield very likely was a son of Robert Mayfield, and brother of Abraham Mayfield, Obediah Mayfield, Elisha Mayfield, Jonathan Mayfield and Edmund Mayfield.  Just when Stephen Mayfield may have arrived in Chester County is unknown, but a search of Bute County NC records may offer clues.  This was the only census record in South Carolina in which the author was able to locate this Stephen Mayfield with certainty.  Some researchers suggest that this Stephen Mayfield was the same person who was later recorded in Pendleton County.  We would merely point out that there was also a Stephen Mayfield recorded in Pendleton County in 1790.  By the 1800 census neither of those Stephen Mayfields was recorded in South Carolina.  It seems quite clear to the author that there were two additional Stephen Mayfields in South Carolina besides Stephen Mayfield, The Tory.  One of those Stephen Mayfields lived briefly in Chester County, and the other lived briefly in Pendleton County.

In addition to the census record, we also have land records for Stephen Mayfield abstracted as follows:

1. 12Nov1794 – Deed Book D, pp. 347-8, Chester County SC:  “This Indenture made this 12Nov1794 between William Tidwell of the County of Elbert, GA of the one part and Stephen Mayfield of the County of Chester SC of the other part, Witnesseth that the said William Tidwell for and in consideration of the sum of £100 sterling  to him in hand paid by the said Stephen Mayfield at and before the sealing of these presents , the receipt whereof is hereby acknowledged, I the said William Tidwell hath granted, bargained and sold and by these presents do grant, bargain, sell, alien and confirm unto the said Stephen Mayfield his heirs, executors, administrators or assigns, all that tract or parcel of land containing 100 acres, more or less, it being part of a tract of land originally granted to Michael Arterberry by patent bearing date of 1Aug1785 under the hand of his Excellency , William Moutre, then Governor and Commander in Chief in and over the State of South Carolina, and transferred by said Arterberry to William Tidwell, and the said land lying on the Brushy Fork, the waters of Sandy River… Witnessed: James McBee and Absalom Tidwell.”  This is believed to have been the same Stephen Mayfield, who was recorded in the 1790 census in Chester County.  The 100 acre tract purchased by Stephen Mayfield from William Tidwell was part of a larger tract containing 189 acres, patented by Michael Atterberry on 1Aug1785.  From this deed it would appear that Michael Atterberry had sold the entire tract to William Tidwell.  However, no record could be located for the transfer from Michael Atterberry to Tidwell, or for Tidwell’s disposal of the remainder of the tract (89 acres).  William Tidwell’s family was from Westmoreland County VA.  In the 1790 census the households of William Tidwell, Job Tidwell and John Tidwell were enumerated on Page 2, immediately abutting the households of John Cowsert and James Mitchell.  John Cowsert’s land abutted the lands of Michael Atterberry along the upper Brushy Fork Creek.  James Mitchell is believed to have been a 1^st cousin of Michael Atterberry.  So, Stephen Mayfield purchased a tract of land from Priscilla Mayfield’s father-in-law and would have resided within about one mile of the 75 acre tract that Priscilla Mayfield-Atterberry purchased from her brother-in-law, William Roden.
2. 4Feb1795 – Deed Book E, pp. 151-2, Chester County:  William Moore of Chester County to Jeremiah Roden of same, for £50 sterling, 100 acres, part of a tract granted to Thomas Moore, deceased, on 2May1785 on Starns Branch, waters of Brushy Fork… wit.: Major Edge, R. Nunn, and Stephen Mayfield.

A person named Jeremiah Rodin appeared on records in Jackson County TN in the early part of the 19^th Century along with a Stephen Mayfield and Luke Mayfield, etal.  It seems possible to the author that those Jackson County TN records were of the same persons named in this deed record.

3. 30Nov1797 – Deed Book H, p. 376:  Stephen Mayfield of Chester County to William Clark of same, for and in consideration of $500 sold a 100 acre tract situated on waters of Brushy Fork, it being part of a larger tract granted by patent to Michael Atterberry on 1Aug1785, and transferred to William Tidwell, thence from Tidwell to said Stephen Mayfield.  No wife to relinquish dower.  This was the disposal of the 100 acre tract purchased by Stephen Mayfield in Item No. 2, above.  It is important to note that Stephen appears to have been widowed, as no wife relinquished dower.  Also, note that this tract was originally patented to Michael Atterberry, the father-in-law of Priscilla Mayfield Atterberry.  Further, note that it was a William Clark, who sold the 300 acre tract to James Mitchell on Wilson’s Creek in 1789, and who witnessed the purchase of the 124.25 acre tract by David Mitchell, The Younger, from David Hopkins in 1796.

We have on more than one occasion suggested that Luke Mayfield was a son of the Stephen Mayfield, recorded in the 1790 census records residing in Chester County SC.  This connection has been made by the author, in spite of numerous other researchers who claim Luke Mayfield to have been a son of Stephen Mayfield and Bridget Gilmore of Overton County TN.  The author’s dissociation of Luke Mayfield from Stephen Mayfield and Bridget Gilmore was not without foundation.  A detailed analysis of Stephen Mayfield, husband of Bridget Gilmore, suggests that he migrated fairly directly to Jackson [later Overton] County TN around 1800 from Amherst County VA.  Nothing was found in the records associated with that Stephen Mayfield to suggest that he ever lived in Chester County SC.  He may have been the Stephen Mayfield of Pendleton County, but even that association is unproven.  Virtually all of the records associated with Stephen and Bridgett Mayfield in Tennessee are located in Overton County, along the eastern waters of Roaring River, near the present day town of Livingston.  None of those records even hint of any association with parties living in Jackson County.  Stephen Mayfield of Overton County TN wrote his LWT in 1834.  Although no record has been found of that Will in Tennessee, a copy of it has survived in the archives of the Commonwealth of Virginia.  There is no mention in Stephen Mayfield’s Will of a son named Luke.  In fact, the only children mentioned are a son named Stephen and a daughter named Maryann or Marian [see Appendix 13-D]

So, if Luke Mayfield was a son of the Stephen Mayfield, who briefly appeared in Chester County in the 1790’s, then what became of that Stephen Mayfield.  Phil Norfleet believes that he may have the answer:

“60.Stephen5 Mayfield (Robert4, Abraham3, Robert2, Robert1) was born Abt. 1758 in Mecklenberg County NC, and died 1846 in Bolinger County MO. He married (1) Name Unknown. She died Bef. 1797. He married (2) Margaret Koch 20 May 1797 in Mecklenberg County NC, daughter of George Koch and Anna Froschauer. She was born Abt. 1782 in North Carolina.

Notes for Stephen Mayfield:

The vital information for Stephen Mayfield is from an application submitted to the Sons of the American Revolution by his son, George Washington Mayfield (see the notes for his son George presented below).

This Stephen was probably married twice, his second wife being Margaret Koch. In the 1790 Census for Chester County SC, Stephen is shown as living in a household with one male child under the age of 16, one male child over the age of 16 and three females; presumably one of the females was Stephen’s first wife, name unknown. Stephen’s name appears directly adjacent to that of Robert Mayfield (d. 1816); this Robert was probably Stephen’s father.

The land records of Chester County SC indicate that Stephen Mayfield sold his land and left South Carolina in about 1794. He presumably went first to the Mecklenburg County NC area where he took a second wife, Margaret Koch in 1797. Several years later he and his family removed, first to Tennessee and later, in about 1814, they removed to the Cape Girardeau area of Missouri where Stephen lived until his death in about 1846.”[20]

The last record I can find re Mary Mayfield, widow of John the Tory, is when she participated in the 1807 Georgia land lottery. She drew a lot (202 & 1/2 acres) for land in Wilkinson County GA. Mary was then a resident of Jackson County GA. Interestingly, a certain Luke Mayfield, also of Jackson County GA, also drew a lot of land in that year. Luke (1777-1853) was probably a son of Stephen Mayfield (1758-1846) and a grandson of Robert Mayfield (d. 1816) of Chester County SC. Robert Mayfield was probably an uncle of John the Tory.

Phil Norfleet’s description of the Stephen Mayfield of Chester County SC seems to fit with the author’s hypothesis regarding a son named Luke Mayfield, a 2^nd unknown son, who married a woman named Nelly, and two daughters, who could have married David Davidson Mitchell and Moses Atterberry.  Per Mr. Norfleet’s account, this Stephen Mayfield reared a family of four children with a 1^st wife (identity unknown), the 1^st wife presumably died sometime between 1790 and May1797, when Stephen is believed to have married a 2^nd wife named Margaret Koch in Mecklenburg NC.  By the time Stephen took his 2^nd wife, his children by his 1^st wife probably were all grown and very likely married or soon to be married.  These children appeared in Stephen Mayfield’s household in 1790 in Chester County.  Stephen was last recorded in Chester County in 1797, when he sold his 100 acre tract on Brushy Fork to William Clark.  It seems very possible that Stephen Mayfield’s children by his 1^st wife had already left his household and probably married while the family lived in Chester County on Brushy Fork.  It seems probable that those marriages would have been with persons living in the immediate neighborhood of the Brushy Fork community. 

Norfleet’s statement that Stephen Mayfield migrated to Cape Girardeau Missouri via Tennessee cannot be corroborated by the author.  Appendix 13-D contains all of the land records located in Jackson/Overton County TN for Stephen Mayfield, and all of those records appear to have been for the husband of Bridgett Gilmore.  So, if Stephen Mayfield, the father of Luke Mayfield, ever resided in Tennessee, the author has not been able to locate any documentary proof of that residency.  No tax records or patents were located anywhere in Tennessee during this time period for anyone named Stephen Mayfield, other than those located in Jackson/Overton County.

However, there were several records in Jackson County involving Luke Mayfield and his close allies iterated as follows:

14. 21Oct1814:  Luke Mayfield by virtue of Entry No. 11458 dated 20Sep1813 founded on a Certificate Warrant No. 1591 issued by the Register of West Tennessee for 500 acres, I have surveyed for Luke Mayfield, assignee of Robert Searcy, two acres of land in Jackson County on Lick Creek of Roaring River, beginning at a Sugar Tree marked “LM”… including a saltpeter cave about ¼ mile above where Daniel Shipman formerly lived.  Sworn Chain Carriers: Thomas Goar [aka Gore], and Notly Warnall.  This filing by Luke Mayfield on Lick Creek a branch of the Roaring River was situated in Jackson County, not Overton County, which had been formed from the eastern part of Jackson County in Sep1806.  The boundary between Jackson and Overton Counties crosses Roaring River about four miles east of the mouth of Blackburn [aka Blackberry?] Fork.  So, this filing by Luke Mayfield on Lick Creek, tributary of Roaring River, was situated somewhere along the waters of Roaring River between its mouth near Gainesboro and the mouth of Blackburn Creek, a span of about six miles.  Search as he might, the author was unable to locate a branch on any recent maps known as Lick Creek, tributary of Roaring River in Jackson County.  Based on the location of patents listed below on Morrison’s Creek and Blackberry [aka Blackburn] Fork, it seems possible that this tract may have been along the south side of Roaring River in the near vicinity of Morrison’s Creek and Blackberry Fork.  Particular attention should be given to the chain carriers: Thomas Gore and Notley Wornall, as they are believed to have been kinsmen of Luke Mayfield through his marriage to Dalila Gore.  Luke Mayfield and Thomas Gore were both listed in the 1803 tax lists of Jackson County.  By virtue of Thomas Gore and Notley Wornall having acted as chain carriers for this patent survey, they probably would have been near neighbors of Luke Mayfield.
15. 23Mar1814:  Luke Mayfield and William Gray assignees originally of the heirs of William T. Lewis, by virtue of a Certificate Warrant No. 1728 issued by the Register of West Tennessee for 250 acres, enters two acres of land in Jackson County on a branch known by the name of The Crib Branch, waters of Roaring River, beginning on a Sugar Tree marked “LM”, running south then east for complement so as to include a saltpeter cave found by the said Mayfield, between the forks of said branch.  The author was unable to locate any tributary of Roaring River within Jackson County by the name of Crib Branch or near facsimile.  The fact that William Gray was joined with Luke Mayfield in the filing of this patent is of little significance.  William Gray appeared on numerous patent filings in Jackson County during this time period, oftentimes in partnership with various parties.  William Gray was also frequently recorded as a Deputy Surveyor.  This patent filing in combination with the preceding patent makes it quite clear that Luke Mayfield was actively engaged in the mining of salt peter along the drains of the lower Roaring River watershed.
16. 21Oct1814:  Jackson County TN:  By virtue of Entry No. 2481 dated 29Sep1808, founded on a Military Warrant No. 57, I have surveyed for James McKnight, assignee of William Stafford, assignee of Abner Henley, 10 acres of land in Jackson County on Leatons? Creek, beginning on a Beech marked “NL” running south 40 poles, E, N, and W, including the improvement formerly occupied by Thomas Edwards’ upper improvement.  Deputy Surveyor: John Murray.  Chain-carriers: Luke Mayfield and Notley Wornal.  This is a particularly noteworthy patent record, partly because of the association of Luke Mayfield and Notley Wornall as chain carriers, but also because to the referenced abutting tract formerly occupied by a Thomas Edwards.  While the author is unaware of the identity of this particular Thomas Edwards, it should be pointed out that Elizabeth Atterberry, daughter of Priscilla Mayfield-Atterberry, married a person named Thomas Striplin Edwards in Overton County about 1816-8.  Whether there was any connection between this referenced Thomas Edwards and the husband of Elizabeth Atterberry is uncertain, but possible.  No other land records were found for Thomas Edwards in Jackson or Overton Counties during this time period.  Thomas Edward’s household was recorded in the 1820 census in Overton County.
17. 26Sep1812: Thomas Gore, assignee of John C. McLemore and James Vaulx, by virtue of a warrant No. 1191 issued by the Register of West Tennessee for 800 acres, enters one acre of land in Jackson County on the forks between Blackberry Fork and Roaring River, beginning at a Poplar running E, then N, etc., including a saltpeter cave, lately worked at by said Gore and James [John?] McDaniel.  Thomas Gore: Locator.  It seems probable that this Thomas Gore was the same person, who appeared on the tax rolls of Jackson County in 1803.  It also seems probable that the reference to Blackberry Fork was the same stream appearing on present day maps under the name of Blackburn’s Fork, a southwesterly tributary of Roaring River.  The identity of this Thomas Gore is not known to the author with any certainty, but almost certainly was a kinsperson of Luke Mayfield’s wife, Dalila Gore.  In view of the several patent records found for a John McDaniels in the near vicinity of Roaring River during this time period, it seems probable that the referenced James McDaniels may have been a transcription error for John McDaniels.  Priscilla Mayfield-Atterberry had a sister named Elizabeth, who was married to a John McDaniels.  It seems possible to the author that this John McDaniels may have been a brother-in-law of Priscilla Mayfield-Atterberry.
18. 2Mar1814: Ezra Bushnell, John Murray, Notley Wornall, and John C. McLemore, assignees of John C. McLemore, by virtue of a certificate Warrant No. 1713 issued by the Register of West Tennessee for 500 acres, enters four acres of land in Jackson County on the Crib Hollow, waters of Roaring River, beginning and running agreeable to law so as to include the mouth of a saltpeter cave, lately found by said Wornall about a half mile nearly north from a cave worked by John Payton Sr. in the center of a square.  Ezra Bushnell, Locator.  Notley Wornall is believed by the author to have been a kinsman of Luke Mayfield by virtue of Luke’s marriage to Dalila Gore.  Dalila Gore is believed to have been a daughter of Eleazer Gore and Elizabeth Murray.  Dalila had a brother named Notley Gore, who also appears in patent records in Jackson County TN around this time period.  The only adult person named Notley Wornall known to the author during this time period was a son of Richard Wornall and Mary Jane Gore, born about 1786 in Chester County SC, and died after 1850, probably in Cass County TX.  That Notley (Gore) Wornall is reported to have married Margaret Dills on 29Sep1817 in Harrison County IN.  If that marriage was of the same person appearing in this patent record, then he did not stay in Tennessee for very long.

It is not the objective of this current research to track down and resolve the genealogical connections of every allied party encountered by this investigation, so we will leave the unraveling of the identity of this Notley Wornall, Notley Gore and Thomas Gore to others.  We simply introduce them for their obvious close association with Luke Mayfeild, and suggest that they probably were kinsmen of Luke Mayfield through marriage.  Also, that they would appear to have originated from Chester County SC.  Through the identity of Luke Mayfield’s wife, and these near associates, Notley Wornall, Notley Gore and Thomas Gore having originated from Chester County SC, it seems highly probable that Luke and Delila met and married while Luke was in residence in Chester County.  These connections to Chester County provide strong evidence that Luke Mayfeild very likely was a son of the Stephen Mayfield, who briefly appeared in Chester County between 1790 and 1800.

Also:

19. 16Apr1808: John McDaniel, assignee of Isaac Taylor Jr., originally to James Taylor, by virtue of a military Warrant No. 3230 for 640 acres, enters two acres of land in Jackson County, on Blackberry Fork of Roaring River, beginning on the west side of said Fork at a Beech, running W, thence N, etc., for the complement, to include the improvements whereon William Rutledge lives.  Deputy Surveyor: William Gray.
20. 10Dec1808: John McDaniel, assignee of Isaac Taylor Jr., originally of James Taylor, by virtue of a military Warrant No. 3230 for 640 acres, enters 30 acre of land lying in Jackson County on waters of Roaring River, beginning 5 poles south of Jacob Miller’s Spring, running N, thence E, etc., for complement, to include improvements of Jacob Miller and Notley Gore.  D.S.: William Gray.  The identity of this John McDaniel is uncertain, but he too may have been a kinsman of Luke Mayfield.  From the Nauvoo Temple records of proxy baptisms performed by Elizabeth Atterberry-Hudspeth-Edwards, daughter of Priscilla Mayfield-Atterberry, and from the LWT of Jonathan Mayfield we have evidence that Priscilla Mayfield had a sister named Elizabeth, who was married to a John McDaniel.  There were two different John McDaniels/McDonalds living in Chester County around 1790-1800, who could have been the spouse of Elizabeth Mayfield.  These two John McDaniels were kinsmen, one having been a son of John McDaniel who was killed by Indians in Craven County in 1761, the other having been a nephew of the first, grandson of Hugh McDaniel, brother of the John McDaniel killed by Indians.  In the 1790 census the former John McDaniel is believed to have been recorded living in Fairfield County, listed on the same page with Samuel Mayfield, brother of Jonathan Mayfield.  This John McDaniel does not appear in either Fairfield or Chester County in 1800 or beyond.  It seems possible that he may have been the husband of Elizabeth Mayfield, and may have migrated to the Roaring River area of Jackson County TN where he was recorded on the tax lists in 1803.

The Notley Gore, whose improvements were included in the patent filing by John McDaniel may have been the brother-in-law of Luke Mayfield.  The author is unable to verify the identity of this John McDaniel or of this Notley Gore, but due to fact that all of these parties were recorded in the 1803 tax lists of Jackson County, it seems possible that the suggested connections of kinship could have existed, and that all of these parties, i.e., Notley Wornal, Notley Gore, Thomas Gore, Luke Mayfield and John McDaniel could have originated from Chester County SC.

There are other factors which also would tend to connect Luke Mayfield to Chester County SC.  From a biography of Alfred Smith Mayfield (purported grandson of Luke Mayfield) taken from History of Macoupin County Illinois we have an assertion that his father was named Manning Mayfield, his grandfather was named Luke Mayfield, and his great grandfather was named Stephen Mayfield.  This biographical information may or may not be correct, but if true, would establish Luke’s father as Stephen Mayfield.  Now, as for Luke Mayfield’s purported connection to Chester County SC, we need look no further than his wife, Dalilah.  Dalilah was reputedly born a Gore, daughter of Eleazer Gore of Chester County SC.  Proof of the identity of Dalilah as a daughter of Eleazer Gore may be somewhat lacking.  Her given name of Dalilah [aka Delila, etc] is taken from her grave marker, which is pictured in Figure 13-9.  This grave marker, which was photographed at Franklin City Cemetery, Franklin, Morgan County IL, indicates that Delila was the wife of Luke Mayfield, died 18Feb1835, aged 57/8.  Such age would suggest a birth year of about 1777/8.  This age would comport with the age [50 thru 59] of the presumed wife of Luke Mayfield, taken from the 1830 census record of Luke Mayfield’s household in Morgan County IL. 

There are at least two anecdotal “facts” offered in support of Dalilah having been born a Gore: (1) a son named Manning Mayfield, and (2) a son named Stephen Gore Mayfield.  The given name of Manning or Mannin had an established history within the Gore family of Chester County SC.  In fact, Eleazar Gore is believed to have had a brother named Manning Gore, who was recorded in the 1790 census living in Chester County.  Also, Eleazar’s father and brother were reputedly named James Manning Gore.  So, we have strong family tradition of the given name of Manning within the Chester County Gore family.  Then there is the middle name of Stephen “Gore” given to the 2^nd eldest son of Luke and Delilah.  It is the author’s opinion that these anecdotal “facts” offer strong support for Delilah, wife of Luke Mayfield, having been born of the Chester County SC Gore family.  Whether Delilah was a daughter of Eleazar, or of one of his brothers is irrelevant to this investigation.  The principal point is that Delilah Gore, wife of Luke Mayfield, almost certainly originated from Chester County SC.

The Gore family almost without exception lived on the south side of the Sandy River, near its branch called Little Sandy River.  This would have placed Eleazer Gore and his brothers in the near vicinity of Nathan Atterberry and Charles Atterberry, who lived on the drains of Welches Fork.  In the 1790 census James Gore [probable brother of Eleazer] was recorded immediately abutting Nathan Atterberry, and three households removed from Charles Atterberry.  The Mayfields lived on the north side of the Sandy River on the drains of Brushy Fork.  Stephen Mayfield purchased a 100 acre tract from William Tidwell, land which he had acquired from Michael Atterberry.  So, even though separated by almost 13 miles, the Mayfields and the Gores had close geographic associations with various members of the Atterberry family.  It seems possible that the family of Stephen Mayfield and Eleazar Gore may have attended the Sandy River Baptist Church, which association could have easily led to an attachment between Luke Mayfield and Delilah Gore.

So, after a rather long and circuitous path down the Mayfield-Gore rabbit hole, we have been presented with substantial evidence to support the hypothesis that Luke Mayfield was a son of the Stephen Mayfield, who appeared briefly in Chester County during the 1790’s, before moving westward, ultimately settling in Bollinger County MO.  Having fairly reliably established that connection of Luke Mayfield and Stephen Mayfield with the Robert Mayfield family of Chester County, we have indirectly linked Luke Mayfield and his associates to other allies of the Mayfield family, who also migrated from Chester County to Jackson County TN around the start of the 19^th Century.  While totally lacking any direct evidence, but loaded with substantial circumstantial evidence, the author has hypothesized that two of Luke Mayfield’s sisters may have intermarried with Moses Atterberry and David Davidson Mitchell.  Unfortunately, this is where pursuit of Mitchell’s migrating out of Chester County must end, with the exception of Isaiah Mitchell, who married Permelia Atterberry.  We do have a bit more to offer regarding that Isaiah Mitchell.

As regards the identity of the Isaiah Mitchell recorded in Jackson County TN in 1820, we respectfully suggest that he may have been descended from the Chester County Mitchell family, which is the subject of this current study.  Most genealogical researchers have identified this Isaiah Mitchell as a son of Robert Linn Mitchell of North Carolina, but a review of the complete record associated with this Isaiah Mitchell suggests otherwise.  For example, Isaiah and Permelia’s presumed daughter, Jane Mitchell-Tinsley, reported her parents’ place of birth in the 1880 census as having been South Carolina.  Isaiah appears from the census record to have been over 26 years old in 1820 with four young daughters under 10 years of age.  This suggests that this Isaiah Mitchell was aged about 26 to 30 years old in 1820.  This approximate age is further supported by other census records for an Isaiah Mitchell in Jackson County TN in 1830 and 1840, summarized as follows:

Name:     Ezra Mitchel

[Isaiah Mitchel]

Home in 1830 (City, County, State): 

Jackson, Tennessee

Free White Persons – Males – Under 5:            2

Free White Persons – Males – 5 thru 9:             1

Free White Persons – Males – 30 thru 39:         1

Free White Persons – Females – Under 5:         2

Free White Persons – Females – 10 thru 14:      2

Free White Persons – Females – 15 thru 19:      1

Free White Persons – Females – 30 thru 39:      1

Name:     Isaiah Mitchel

Home in 1840 (City, County, State): 

District 6, Jackson, Tennessee

Free White Persons – Males – 5 thru 9:             1

Free White Persons – Males – 10 thru 14:         2

Free White Persons – Males – 15 thru 19:         1

Free White Persons – Males – 40 thru 49:         1

Free White Persons – Females – 15 thru 19:      2

Free White Persons – Females – 20 thru 29:      1

To better facilitate evaluation of these households headed by Isaiah Mitchell, the author has compiled a link diagram illustrating these households through all three census cycles as shown in Figure 13-10.  Also appended to this diagram are the names of Isaiah’s presumed wives, and the daughters of his 1^st wife, Permelia Atterberry.  To better enable the reader’s study of this link diagram, a larger image has been appended hereto in Appendix 13-2.  From this link diagram, it would appear that one of the daughters was absent from Isaiah’s household in 1830.  It is the author’s belief that that missing daughter was named Permelia, and that she was the eldest daughter of Permelia and Isaiah.  No record could be located for this Permelia Mitchell, daughter of Permelia Atterberry and Isaiah Mitchell, and her existence is pure speculation.  Regardless, it would appear that one of Isaiah and Permelia’s daughters was absent from his household in 1830, possibly having died sometime between 1820 and 1830.  There is fairly strong evidence to support the existence of the other three daughters, who are all believed to have married and to have had children. 

After Permelia Atterberry-Mitchell’s death around 1823, Isaiah is believed to have married Martha [Ann] Williamson.  Isaiah and Martha are believed to have had at least seven children, as listed in the 1850 census of the Martha Mitchell household in 1850 in Jackson County TN.  Many of the children lived to adulthood, married and had children of their own.  One in particular, John Baldrich Mitchell, died at Nashville on 25Sep1925, and on his death record his parents were identified as Isaiah Mitchell and Martha Williamson.  John Baldrich Mitchell had several sons, who lived to adulthood, and who probably sired sons of their own, so there is a very good chance of finding living descendants of this Isaiah Mitchell line for y-DNA testing.

So, who might Isaiah Mitchell have been?  Given his birth at around 1793-5 in South Carolina, and his living in Jackson County TN contemporaneously with Dicey Mitchell, it seems entirely possible that he may have been a son of David Davidson Mitchell.  In 1837 Isaiah Mitchell was granted a patent for 10 acres situated on the south side of the Cumberland River on the drains of Mill Creek.  This patent abutted land already in possession of Isaiah Mitchell.  The mouth of Mill Creek is located about one mile downstream from Bennett’s Ferry, and directly across the Cumberland River from the lands of Moses Atterberry and David Davidson Mitchell on Knob Creek.  This close geographic and contemporaneous living proximity between Isaiah Mitchell and Moses Atterberry and, presumably, Dicey Mitchell, lends strong credence to the possibility of Isaiah Mitchell having been a son of David Davidson Mitchell.

Whether Dicey Mitchell may have been the mother of Isaiah Mitchell is less certain.  From the 24Jul1798 court record of the assault and battery case against David Mitchell in Chester County, we found that David’s wife was named Ann.  Yet, from a deed record made in Chester County SC on 12Jul1800 we have David Davidson Mitchell selling 100 acres on Brushy Fork to Abraham Myers, but no record of a wife relinquishing her dower.  Yet, from the deed record dated 19Oct1803 from Chester County, wherein David Davidson Mitchell sold 125 acres on Brushy Fork to his brother, Isaiah Mitchell, we have David Davidson Mitchell’s wife named Dicey.  And, finally, we have the death record for David D. Mitchell [Jr.?] in Trigg County KY on 4Jul1853, wherein his parents were identified as David D. Mitchell and Anna.  If these records were all for one person named David Davidson Mitchell, how are we to reconcile the apparent discrepancies for his wife’s name?  Let us analyze these four, seemingly incongruous records. 

1. David Mitchell Conviction for Assault and Battery – Since the person convicted of assaulting his wife was only recorded as David Mitchell, we cannot be absolutely certain that this person was David Davidson Mitchell, or whether he may have been David Mitchell, The Younger.  We do know from later records that David Davidson Mitchell had a wife named Dicey, and that David Mitchell, The Younger, had a wife named Sally.  There seem to be two possible interpretations for the identification of this David Mitchell, he could have been either David Davidson Mitchell, or he could have been David Mitchell, The Younger, in which cases either man would have been married to a woman named Ann in 1798.  We can also assume that both men were married by 1798.  David Davidson Mitchell [Jr.] was reported in the 1790 census as head of household with an apparent wife, but no children, suggesting that he may only recently have been married.  David Mitchell, The Younger, was reported in the 1800 census as head of household with an apparent wife and four apparent children.  The author cannot state with certainty which of the two David Mitchell’s may have beaten his wife, but almost certainly one or the other.
2. David Davidson Mitchell sold land to Abraham Myres – There seems no doubt about the identity of this David Davidson Mitchell.  The significant fact about this record is that no spouse was recorded relinquishing her dower right.  This is a very strong inference that David Davidson Mitchell was very likely widowed between 1790 and 1800, and that he had not yet remarried.  Unfortunately, no record could be found for David Davidson Mitchell in the 1800 census, so it is not possible to verify whether he was married, or whether he had any children.  Initially, the author thought it possible that David Davidson Mitchell’s family may have been combined into the household of his brother, Isaiah, in 1800.  However, upon closer inspection that possibility just does not fit with the listed occupants of Isaiah’s household.  There does appear to have been older adults in Isaiah’s household, but they do not fit with the expected age ranges for David Davidson or his presumed wife, Dicey.  Refer to the link diagram contained in Figure 13-11 for this comparison.  If Isaiah Mitchell was a son of David Davidson Mitchell, and if the David D. MMitchell recorded in Hopkinsville KY in 1810, then the whereabouts of Isaiah Mitchell in 1810 must be pondered.  Having been born around 1795, we would expect to find him in David D. Mitchell’s household in 1810.  No one fitting Isaiah’s demographics appears in that 1810 household.  So, are we mistaken about Isaiah Mitchell having been a son of David Davidson Mitchell and Dicey, or might we be wrong about the identity of the David D. Mitchell in Trigg County?
3. David Davidson Mitchell sold land to Isaiah Mitchell – Again, there seems to be no doubt about the identity of the David Davidson Mitchell, who sold 125 acres to his brother, Isaiah Mitchell, on 19Oct1803.  Notably, David Davidson Mitchell’s wife, Dicey, relinquished her dower right in that land.  Had David Davidson Mitchell and Dicey been married in Jul1800 when he sold the 100 acre tract, Dicey would have been required by law to relinquish her dower interest.  She did not.  That being the case, then it is reasonable to conclude that David Davidson Mitchell and Dicey must have married sometime between Jul1800 and Oct1803. 
4. David D. Mitchell’s parents: David D. and Anna – Given that we have found record evidence of a woman named Dicey Mitchell living in Jackson County TN in 1820 and 1840, and that David D. Mitchell reported in the 1850 census of Trigg County having been born in Tennessee in about 1807, it seems possible that Dicey Mitchell may have been the mother of the David D. Mitchell, who lived and died in Trigg County in the 1840’s and 50’s.  This possibility is made even stronger when we consider the discovery of the tract of land in possession of a David D. Mitchell in Jackson County on Knob Creek.  So, if Dicey Mitchell was the mother of David D. Mitchell of Trigg County, then how do we reconcile the difference in his mother’s name of Anna, as reported in his death record?  It seems probable to the author that David Davidson Mitchell’s wife may have been christened Dicey Anna.  But we would be remiss if we neglected to disclose that others have identified the wife of the David D. Mitchell of Hopkinsville KY circa 1810, to have been a woman named Rosannah Patter, Potter or Porter.  This connection appears to have been based on a marriage record from Bourbon County KY on 2Apr1795 of a David Mitchell and Rosanna Patter.  Presumably, these researchers have taken the name of Anna, reported as the mother of David D. Mitchell on his death record in 1853 in Trigg County, and somehow extrapolated that into the Rosanna Patter, who married a David Mitchell in Bourbon County in 1795.

This seems a bit of a reach too far to the author.  First, we need to reconcile the distance between Bourbon County KY and Chester County SC.  If we accept that the marriage of the David Mitchell in Bourbon County was of the same person identified as David D. Mitchell in Trigg County in 1810, then he almost certainly could not have been David Davidson Mitchell of Chester County SC.  Then we have the timing difference.  The David Davidson Mitchell household in Trigg County in 1810 appears to contain four children: two boys and two girls, all under the age of 10, i.e., born after 1800.  Is it reasonable to believe that a young couple married in 1795 would not have had children born before 1800?  Not likely!  Then we have David Davidson Mitchell [Jr.] reportedly born in Tennessee about 1807.  Bourbon County to Tennessee, and back to Christian County??  Possible, but not likely.  All things considered, the author is inclined to believe that the David Mitchell, who married Rosanna Patter was not the same person as David D. Mitchell of Hopkinsville circa 1810.  Moreover, the author is inclined to believe that David D. Mitchell of Hopkinsville circa 1810 was the same person as David Davidson Mitchell of Chester County, and that his wife was named Dicey Anna.

There is one other discovery requiring our attention.  In the 1810 census of the David D. Mitchell household, and the 1820 census of the Dicey Mitchell household there appear to have been two sons in each household.  In the 1820 census those sons were aged 10 thru 15, and 16 thru 25.  The author has assumed that David D. Mitchell [Jr.] of Trigg County KY was one of those sons.  It might be helpful to our analysis, if we were able to identify the other son.  As it so happens, there appears to be one very likely candidate for this missing son living in Trigg County.  In the 1850 census we find a record for a person named Elias Mitchell, summarized as follows:

Name:     Elias Mitchell

Gender:  Male

Age:       41

Birth Year:             abt 1809

Birthplace:             Tennessee

Home in 1850:       District 2, Trigg, Kentucky, USA

Occupation:          Farmer

Industry:                Agriculture

Household Members           Age

Elias Mitchell                        41

Sention Mitchell                   42

Andrew J Mitchell               19

Cornelius Mitchell               17

Nancy Mitchell     15

Jane Mitchell                        13

Ann Mitchell                        12

Malinda Mitchell  7

George E [Ennis] Mitchell   5

Elizabeth Mitchell                4

Joseph Mitchell    1

There are several facts about this family which would tend to connect Elias Mitchell as the missing son of David Davidson Mitchell and Dicey [Mayfield? Or Gore?].  First, there is his given name, Elias.  Thus far, we have hypothesized that David Davidson Mitchell may have had three sons:  Isaiah, David Davidson, and now Elias.  These are all given names that would have been very well known and have held special family meaning to David Davidson Mitchell.  His eldest son, Isaiah, would appear to have been named in honor of David Davidson’s revered brother, Isaiah, with whom he shared their father’s 150 acre patent on Brushy Fork.  Next, we have the 2^nd born son named David D. [Davidson], obviously named in honor of himself, and also possibly in honor of his own father.  And, lastly, we have the 3^rd born son, probably named in honor of David Davidson Mitchell’s uncle, the Reverend Elias Mitchell.

The next vital fact is Elias’ date and place of birth, about 1809 in Tennessee.  If Elias Mitchell was a son of David Davidson Mitchell and Dicey, then it would appear from this birth data that the family may still have been residing in Jackson County TN as late as sometime in 1808/9, but were recorded living in Hopkinsville in 1810.

And, lastly, and perhaps most importantly, we have the son named George Ennis Mitchell.  This given name is particularly revealing.  First, it should be recognized that the given name of Ennis was even rarer than Dicey.  Searching the U.S. census records from 1790 thru 1840, the occurrences of the name Ennis steadily increases from two in 1800 to about 47 in 1840.  In the 1850 census, when all members of households were reported for the first time, there were approximately 180 instances of the given name of Ennis, about .00175% of the total male population of America.  So, clearly, the occurrence of the given name of Ennis within any family would have been extremely rare during this time period.  Yet, in addition to Elias and Ascension having named one of their sons George Ennis Mitchell, we also have the instance of Luke Mayfield and Dalila Gore having named their 1^st born son Ennis Mayfield.  What are the chances of two branches of unrelated families having chosen the name of Ennis to confer upon one of their male offspring during this time period?  The odds for such random occurrence would be almost impossible.  It is the author’s belief that the occurrence of the given name of Ennis within essentially the same generation of these two families was not random, but indicative of a familial kinship connection.  If this conclusion is correct, then we would seemingly have incontrovertible evidence of a kinship between the families of Luke Mayfield and Elias Mitchell.  The author has already hypothesized that Luke Mayfield and the wives of Moses Atterberry and David Davidson Mitchell may have been kinspersons, perhaps siblings.  Now we have very strong circumstantial evidence to support that hypothesis, beyond that which has already been offered.

If there were such a kinship connection, what might that connection have been?  When we search family histories of the Gore and Mayfield families, we find that the given name of Ennis occurs with some frequency from about 1800 and beyond in both the Gores and Mayfields, but the Gore family records about double the number of instances compared to the Mayfield family.  Just where and when the name of Ennis may have found its way into these two families is difficult to discern from a simple comparison of the respective family histories in America.  All trails appear to lead back to Chester County SC around 1780.  The author is not prepared to invest the time and energy into resolving the mysterious origins of the given name of Ennis within the Gores and Mayfields, and is content to accept that it likely originated from one or the other of these families in and around Chester County during the latter part of the 18^th Century.  For all of the reasons already presented, the author is also inclined to accept that Dicey Anna probably was a sister of the wife of Moses Atterberry, and possibly a close kinsperson of Dalila Gore-Mayfield, either sister or 1^st cousin.

Then we have the curious marriage of Elizabeth Mitchell and Michael Gore in Trigg County on 8Aug1824.  Some researchers claim that this Elizabeth Mitchell was a daughter of David Davidson Mitchell and that the father of Michael Gore was Eleazer Gore.  Aside from the marriage record, the author has found that a purported daughter of Michael Gore and Elizabeth Mitchell, named Elizabeth Gore, born about 1820-2 in Kentucky, reported in the 1880 census that her mother was born in Tennessee, summarized as follows:

Name: Elizabeth Russell

Age: 64

Birth Date: Abt 1816

Birthplace: Kentucky

Home in 1880: Precinct 1, Lamar, Texas, USA

Relation to Head of House: Wife

Marital Status: Married

Spouse’s Name: Wm. Russell

Father’s Birthplace: Virginia

Mother’s Birthplace: Tennessee

Occupation: Keeping House

Name

Wm. Russell: Age                69

Elizabeth Russell; Age        64

Following is a summary of their marriage record:

Name:     William Russell

Gender:  Male

Marriage Date:      5 Mar 1835

Marriage Place:     Greene County, Illinois, USA

Spouse: 

Elizabeth Gore

Film Number:         001310037

Heretofore, we have been hypothesizing about the possibility of intermarriages of Moses Atterberry and David Davidson Mitchell with sisters from either the Gore or Mayfield family.  Now, we have ostensibly discovered that a daughter of David Davidson Mitchell may have intermarried with a younger son of Eleazer Gore.  If that marriage did occur, it would seemingly suggest that Dalila Gore, who married Luke Mayfield, had a brother, Michael Gore, married to a daughter of David Davidson Mitchell.  As a word of caution, the author would point out that the profile of Elizabeth Gore-Russell on Find-A-Grave shows her father having been Isaac Gore, not Michael Gore.  However, virtually all of the Public Trees on Ancestry for Isaac Gore do not claim a daughter named Elizabeth, whereas, virtually all of the Public Trees claim that the father of Elizabeth Mitchell, who married Michael Gore, was David Davidson Mitchell.  While the author typically does not accept information posted on either Find-A-Grave or on Ancestry Public Trees without extensive vetting, we are inclined to believe that Elizabeth Gore-Russell was a daughter of Michael Gore and Elizabeth Mitchell, and that Elizabeth Mitchell as a daughter of David Davidson Mitchell.

We did not arrive at these conclusions without first having made an attempt to vet these findings.  First, we should remember that in the David D. Mitchell household in Hopkinsville in 1810 there were reported two apparent daughters under 10 years of age.  One of those daughters could have been Elizabeth Mitchell, who is recorded marrying Michael Gore in Christian County in 1819 summarized as follows:

Name:     Betsy Mitchell

Gender:  Female

Marriage Date:      24 Feb 1819

Marriage Place:     Christian, Kentucky, USA

Spouse: 

Maurice Michael Gore

Film Number:         001942963

Curiously, we also have the following marriage record summary:

Name:     Elizabeth Mitchell

Marriage Date:      8 Apr 1824

Marriage Place:     Trigg, Kentucky, USA

Spouse:  Michael Gore

On the surface these marriages would appear to have been for the same couple.  Trigg County was formed in 1820 from portions of Christian County and Caldwell County.  In 1810 there were a total of nine Gore households recorded in the census of Christian County.  By 1820 there were no Gore households listed in Christian County, and only five Gore households in the newly formed Trigg County.  Included in the 1820 census of Trigg County there are households headed by Eleazer Gore and Michael Gore, summarized as follows:

Name:     Eleazar Gore

Home in 1820 (City, County, State): 

Trigg, Trigg, Kentucky

Enumeration Date:               August 7, 1820

Free White Persons – Males – 16 thru 25:         1

Free White Persons – Males – 45 and over:      1

Free White Persons – Females – 45 and over:  1

Name:     Michael Gore

Home in 1820 (City, County, State): 

Trigg, Trigg, Kentucky

Enumeration Date:               August 7, 1820

Free White Persons – Males – 16 thru 25:         1

Free White Persons – Females – Under 10:       1

Free White Persons – Females – 16 thru 25:      1

The Eleazer Gore household is headed by Dalila and Michael Gore’s father, who had migrated from Chester County to Trigg County sometime between 1810 and 1820.  The Michael Gore in this household in Trigg County in 1820 is believed to have been the younger son of Eleazer Gore, and the same person identified in the foregoing marriage record from Christian County as Maurice Michael Gore.  This connection is made in part by the fact that the composition of this household appears to have been of a young couple with only one child, a daughter under age 10, almost certainly Zerelda Gore.  Such marriage in Feb1819 would fit with a young couple with only one child in 1820.  If the Michael Gore recorded in Trigg County in 1820 was the same person as Maurice Michael Gore, then who was the Michael Gore, who married in Apr1824 in Trigg County?  The author believes that these marriage records were for the same couple.

If these marriage records were for the same couple, then why would they have had their marriage recorded on two separate occasions, almost five years apart?  The author has a theory that might explain this mystery.  It seems probable that Elizabeth’s father was deceased when she married Michael (Maurice) Gore in Feb1819.  Also, it seems probable that Elizabeth had not yet reached the age of consent (over age 18), and may not have had a parent available to give consent for a legal marriage.  The couple may have lied about Elizabeth’s age at the time of their marriage in Feb1819, and may have discovered years later that they needed to solemnize the marriage a 2^nd time.  If this hypothesis is correct, it would seem to imply that David Davidson Mitchell had died sometime before Feb1819, and that Dicy Mitchell probably had already relocated back to Jackson County TN with her two sons.  There were no daughters reported in Dicy Mitchell’s household in 1820 in Jackson County TN, which would comport with the earlier marriage of at least one of her presumed daughters.

The icing on the cake would appear to be Elizabeth Gore-Russell’s report of her mother having been born in Tennessee.  If this information is correct, then that would fit with a daughter of David Davidson Mitchell, as two of his sons (David Davidson Jr. and Elias) were also reportedly born in Tennessee.  It should be pointed out that two of Elizabeth Gore’s younger brothers: David Gore and Michael Gore Jr. reported in later census records that their parents had been born in Kentucky.  This clearly conflicts with Elizabeth Gore-Russell’s assertion of her mother born in Tennessee, but David and Michael were only in their early teens when their father married Rosannah Crowell-Davis, so their memory of there biological mother may not have been as reliable as that of their older sister, Elizabeth.  Since they, themselves, had been born in Kentucky, they may have assumed that their parents were also born in Kentucky.

In the interest of full disclosure, we will introduce one final piece of information regarding the probable parents of Elizabeth Gore-Russell.  In a legal notice published in Alton, Madison County IL on 13Apr1844, we offer the following transcript:

“Macoupin Circuit Court – May Term, 1844:  To David Gore, Michael Gore Jr., Parthena Gore, Sarilda [Zerelda] Clanton, Kesy [Kessiah] Jane Gore, children and heirs of Michael Gore, deceased, and to others interested.

You will take notice…”

In this legal notice regarding the estate of Michael Gore, deceased, are named only five children, none of whom are Elizabeth Gore-Russell.  This could be taken as evidence that Elizabeth Gore-Russell was not a child of Michael Gore.  However, it should be recognized that the five children named in this legal notice were all still resident in Macoupin County at the time of that notice, whereas Elizabeth Gore-Russell had been living out of state in Lamar County Texas since before 1842.  It seems probable that Elizabeth Gore-Russell would not have been included in the legal notice because the Executors would have been aware that she lived out of state.

When we study the household composition for Elizabeth and Michael Gore in 1830, there may be evidence to support the existence of a daughter named Elizabeth:

Name:     Michael Gore

Home in 1830 (City, County, State): 

Madison, Illinois

Free White Persons – Males – 20 thru 29:         1

Free White Persons – Males – 30 thru 39:         1  (prob. Michael Gore)

Free White Persons – Females – 5 thru 9:          1

Free White Persons – Females – 10 thru 14:      1

Free White Persons – Females – 20 thru 29:      1

Name:     Elizabeth Gore

Home in 1830 (City, County, State): 

Trigg, Kentucky

Free White Persons – Females – Under 5:         2

Free White Persons – Females – 5 thru 9:          2

Free White Persons – Females – 20 thru 29:      1

As suggested by the Macoupin County History of the Michael Gore family, it would appear that Michael and Elizabeth were living apart in 1830.  The history states as follows:

From “Biographical sketches of leading citizens of Macoupin County, Illinois” Published 1904 – Forrest D. Gore – grandson of Michael

“Michael Gore was born in South Carolina, but early in life moved to Kentucky. He was a farmer, race horse breeder and cattle dealer. He removed to Madison County, Illinois, in 1830, and entered land which he improved and farmed until his death in 1843. He married Elizabeth Mitchell, a native of Kentucky, and five children were born to bless their union, namely: Zerilla ; Eliza; David; Michael and Jane. In religious belief, he was a Methodist, and his wife a Baptist. She died in 1851.

Michael’s children were born in Trigg County, Kentucky. The family stayed in Kentucky while Michael moved to Madison County, Illinois. In 1833, he  brought the family to their new home in Illinois.

Note: It would appear that Michael and Elizabeth divorced. Michael remarried in 1842 to Rosanna Crowell. Elizabeth was still living in 1842.”

There are a couple of elements of these 1830 census records which require explanation.  The household composition for Michael Gore in Madison County in 1830 would appear to contain a young married couple and two young daughters, in addition to Michael, who is presumed to have been the older male aged 30 thru 39.  The identity of this younger family in this household is unknown to the author, but may have been a kinsperson of Michael’s who may have traveled to Madison County with him to establish a homestead.  No other Gore’s were found in Madison County in 1840 other than Michael.  The other factor requiring explanation are the children reported in Elizabeth’s household.  It appears that she and Michael may have had four daughters, even though we are aware of only three: Zerelda, Elizabeth and Kissey Jane.  Since there were no young males in either Michael’s or Elizabeth’s household, it seems probable that their presumed sons, Michael Jr. and David were born after 1830 census taking.

Following are the presumed census records of Michael Gore and Elizabeth Gore from the 1840 census:

Name:     M Gore

Home in 1840 (City, County, State): 

Upper Alton, Madison, Illinois

Free White Persons – Males – 5 thru 9:             1 [prob. Michael Jr.]

Free White Persons – Males – 10 thru 14:         1 [prob. David]

Free White Persons – Males – 40 thru 49:         1 Michael Sr.

Name:     Elizabeth Gace

[Elizabeth Gore]

Home in 1840 (City, County, State): 

Trigg, Kentucky

Free White Persons – Females – 10 thru 14:      1 [prob. Kissey Jane]

Free White Persons – Females – 30 thru 39:      1 Elizabeth Mitchell-Gore

In Michael Gore’s household in Madison County appear to be two sons: probably David and Michaels Jr.  Neither of these apparent sons born before 1830 appeared in Michael nor Elizabeth’s households in 1830.  Their whereabouts in that census record is uncertain.  It does seem possible that the 1830 census record for Elizabeth may have been enumerated incorrectly, and should have shown one son and three daughters, rather than four daughters.  The youngest son, Michael Jr., probably was not born until after 1830, even though he consistently reported his birth year as about 1827 to 1829 in four separate census records.

From the analysis of the foregoing census records for the households of Michael Gore and Elizabeth Gore it would appear that they probably had at least three daughters, possibly even four.  These numbers would allow for daughters named Zerelda, Elizabeth and Kissey Jane.

As for Isaac Gore having been the father of Elizabeth Mitchell, we can only report that both of Isaac’s wives are believed to have been born in Virginia, not in Tennessee or in Kentucky, and that no one on Ancestry claims Isaac Gore to have had a daughter named Elizabeth.  Other evidence would suggest that the Find-A-Grave record for Elizabeth Gore-Russell is in error, as regards her father.

Now, having fairly reliably established that David Davidson and Dicy Mitchell had a daughter named Elizabeth, what is the significance, if any, that she may have married Michael Gore, son of Eleazer Gore?  For starters, this fact would establish yet another linkage between allied parties in Chester County SC, Jackson County TN, and Trigg County KY.  That linkage or thread connects in part through Luke Mayfield, who is believed to have married Dalila Gore, presumed daughter of Eleazer Gore, in Chester County around 1795.  Luke Mayfield appeared in records of Jackson County TN beginning with the tax records of 1803, and continuing in land records through the 1810’s, and in the 1820 census record.  By 1830 Luke Mayfield had moved his family to Morgan County IL.  As far as we know, Luke Mayfield never lived anywhere near Trigg County KY.  

However, Dalila’s presumed older brother, Ashford D. Gore, was recorded living in Hopkinsville in 1810.  Ashford D. Gore was later recorded living in Trigg County in 1820 thru 1840.  Presumably, he died in Trigg County sometime between 1840 and 1850.  Eleazer Gore moved his family from Chester County to Trigg County sometime between 1810 and 1820.  Just exactly when Eleazer Gore may have moved to Trigg County is uncertain.  Eleazer’s younger son, Michael Gore is believed to have moved to the Trigg County area with his father, where he met and married Elizabeth Mitchell, elder daughter of David Davidson and Dicy Mitchell in Feb1819.  

David Davidson and Dicy are believed to have moved from Chester County SC to Jackson County TN around 1802-3, where their daughter, Elizabeth, is believed to have been born.  They are believed to have continued living in Jackson County (probably on Knob Creek) until about 1809 during which time David Davidson Mitchell Jr. and Elias Mitchell were born.  By 1810 David Davidson Mitchell had moved his family to Hopkinsville, Christian County, where his family was recorded living nearby to his uncle, James Mitchell and 1^st cousins: David and Benjamin.  Apparently the David Davidson Mitchell family continued to reside in Christian County [Trigg County] until about 1819, where their daughter, Elizabeth Mitchell appears to have met and married Michael Gore in Feb1819.  By 1820 David Davidson Mitchell appears to have died (probably before Feb1819 in Trigg County) and Dicy Mitchell had moved with her two sons back to Jackson County.  Neither Dicy nor her sons could be located in the 1830 census, but by 1840 Dicy was recorded still living in Jackson County TN nearby to Moses Atterberry and his children, and Elizabeth Gore, David Davidson Mitchell Jr. and Elias Mitchell were recorded living in Trigg County.

All things considered, the author is inclined to believe that David Davidson and Dicey Mitchell had two sons named David Davidson Jr. and Elias, and a daughter named Elizabeth.  Further, it is the author’s opinion that the intermarriage of Michael Gore, son of Eleazer Gore, with Elizabeth Mitchell, daughter of David Davidson and Dicey Mitchell provides even more support for the possibility of Dicey Mitchell having been born with the surname of Gore, just which Gore is anyone’s guess.  Given the recurrence of the given name of Dicy as a daughter of Moses Atterberry, the author believes it possible that Moses’ wife may have been a sister or 1^st cousin of Dicy Mitchell.  And, lastly, given the recurrence of the given name of Ennis within the Elias Mitchell and Luke Mayfield families, it is the author’s belief that the wives of Luke Mayfield, David Davidson Mitchell and Moses Atterberry were possibly sisters or 1^st cousins.  Most Gore family genealogists report Dalila Gore to have been a daughter of Eleazer Gore.  It should be recognized that there is virtually no documentary proof of the children of Eleazer Gore.  It is the author’s opinion that Dalila Gore may just as easily have been a daughter of John Ashford Gore, Eleazer Gore’s co-Executor of their mother’s estate.

This concludes our foray into the Mitchell family of Chester County SC.

Appendix 13-A

Mary Davidson Genealogical Analysis

• Mary Davidson [Davison]

If David Mitchell, son of John Mitchell II and Elizabeth [lnu] was married to a woman named Mary Davidson, then the obvious question is, who was Mary Davidson?  The author has uncovered “evidence” which suggests that Mary was an older daughter of John Davison and Elizabeth Marbury.  This “evidence” is listed chronologically as follows:

1. folio 91 – 9Jan1721, enrolled 6May1721 – Indenture transfer from William Spradose, planter of Prince Georges County, to John Prather, planter of Prince Georges County, for ₤13 already paid, a tract of land called Spradose Forrest… wit.: John Davison, Richard Jones.[21]
2. folio 142 – 14Jul1720, enrolled 5Aug1721 – Indenture transfer from John Mobberly of Prince Georges County, formerly of Anne Arundel, planter, to Henry Hall of St. James Parish, Anne Arundel, cleric, a parcel of land called Ample Grange in Prince Georges County on Patuxent River… wit.: John Davidson  and Thomas Holland.
3. Liber M, p. 333 – Indenture enrolled 22Oct1728 between John Middleton and Ralph Marlow and Christopher Edelin for a bond from William Diggs for ₤207, secured by negroes, cattle, servants, wife and horses… wit.: John Davidson William Marlow.
4. Liber Q, p. 431 – 1Apr1732 John Davison registered cattle mark.
5. Liber Q, p. 682 – 28Aug1733, enrolled 30Aug1733 – Indenture between John Davidson, planter, and William Black of London, merchant, for ₤86.18.1; parcel called Appledoor being now dwelling  plantation of said John containing 97 acres… wit.: Samuel White and George Wells.[22]
6. Last Will and Testament of Francis Marbury made 1Jan1734, probated 5Jan1734: … “to daughter, Elizabeth Davison, that dwelling plantation whereon she lives, part of Appledore, 99 acres…”

Also, in codicil to his LWT dated 6Jan1734 Francis Marybury added the following stipulation: “And further my will and intent is that I do hereby authorize and empower my son-in-law, John Davison, as an overseer or guardian to see every thing and matter contained in this Will justly executed therein…[23]

From the LWT of Francis Marbury it is established that he had a daughter named Elizabeth, who was in Jan1734 married to a man named John Davidson, and to whom her father bequeathed a tract of land known as Appledore of about 99 acres situated in Prince Georges County, MD.  From the 28Aug1733 indenture we have a John Davison mortgaging his land and property to William Black, a gentleman merchant of London, said land consisting of a tract called Appledoor containing about 97 acres situated in Princes Georges County, the dwelling place of the said John Davison.  From the other records we have evidence of a John Davison residing and witnessing legal transactions in Prince Georges County dating back to 1720, including the registering of his own cattle mark in 1732.  One of the records involved a tract called Ample Grange which was situated on the Patxent River within a couple of miles of the John Mitchell II holdings.  Given that this John Davidson [aka Davison] was recorded in possession of and residing upon land called Appledoor, the same tract bequeathed to Francis Marbury’s daughter, Elizabeth [nee Marbury] Davison, leaves little doubt that John Davison and Elizabeth Marbury were husband and wife.  Elizabeth Marbury was an older daughter of Francis Marbury and Mary Green, granddaughter of former Maryland Governor, Thomas Green, by his 2nd son, Leonard Green. 

Now for the speculation.  Although no birth or marriage records were found for Elizabeth Marbury and John Davison or their children, it seems highly likely that they were married in Prince Georges County around 1725, or earlier.  Such date of marriage would seem to fit with Elizabeth’s presumed birth year of about 1705-10.  This birth year was approximated by the author based on the known date of Francis Marbury’s marriage to his 2nd wife, Frances Heard on 14Sep1714.  Since it is well established that Francis Marbury and Mary Green had a total of seven children (including Elizabeth), it seems reasonable that Elizabeth would have been born sometime before 1710.  It also seems reasonable to the author that Elizabeth Marbury and John Davison would have named their 1st born daughter after Elizabeth’s mother, Mary Green.  It also seems reasonable to conclude that that first born daughter, Mary Davidson, would have been born about 1726, probably on the family plantation called Appledoor, and may have named her 1st son after her father, John Davidson.  The original Appledore tract was granted to John Middleton, situated in Piscataway Parish near present day Clinton MD, 227 acres of which Middleton conveyed by partnership to Francis Marbury on 9Jan1711.  Francis Marbury, by his LWT assigned a 99 [97?] acre portion of Appledore to his daughter Elizabeth Davidson.

“Prince George’s Land Records 1710-1717 – Liber F -folio 215 o Indenture, 9 Jan 1711

From: John Middleton of Prince George’s County

To: Francis Marbery of Prince George’s County

For 14£/1s/9p part of a tract of land called Apple Dore; a 227 acre tract called Mistake bounded by Brother’s Delight; the letter being a partnership between Middleton and Marbery Signed: Jno. Middleton (seal)

Witnessed: James Burgess, James Middleton

Memo: 28 Nov 1712 John Middleton acknowledged deed

Alienation: Francis Marbery paid 3s/10p and a half penny 27 Nov 1714″

It should also be recognized that there were virtually no other records of a Davidson or Davison family residing in Prince Georges County at the approximate date of birth of Mary Mitchell.  Given the timing and the relatively close proximity between Appledore plantation and the Mitchell family in upper Prince Georges County, and the lack of any other viable candidates, the connection of David Mitchell’s wife, Mary, as a daughter of John Davidson and Elizabeth Marbury, seems highly probable.  We may never find documentation which directly establishes the identity of Mary Mitchell, presumed mother of John David Davidson Mitchell, but the author is inclined to accept the circumstantial evidence and connection to an undocumented daughter of John Davidson and Elizabeth Marbury. 

Appendix 13-B

Brushy Fork – Wilson’s Creek Plat Reconstruction Map

Appendix 13-C

Isaiah Mitchel Link Diagram – Jackson County TN

Appendix 13-D

Stephen Mayfield – Overton County TN

He left a will on 8 August 1834 at Overton County, Tennessee, USA; GWM; THIS IS THE WILL OF STEPHEN MAYFIELD SR.

KNOW ALL MEN BY THESE PRESENTS THAT I, STEPHEN MAYFIELD, SR. OF THE COUNTY OF OVERTON AND STATE OF TENNESSEE BEING LOW IN HEALTH BUT OF SOUND MIND AND DISPOSING MEMORY DO MAKE AND PUBLISH THIS MY LAST WILL AND TESTAMENT:

1ST- I WILL THAT MY BODY BE BURIED IN A DECENT AND CHRISTIAN LIKE MANNER.

2ND-THAT ALL MY JUST DEBTS BE PAID.

3RD-I WILL AND BEQUEATH UNTO MY SON STEPHEN MAYFIELD, ALL THE BENEFIT OF TWO CLAIMS WHICH I HAVE TO LAND OR MONEY WHICH WAS COMING TO MY TWO BROTHERS, TO WIT: ISHAM AND LEWIS Mayfield FOR SERVICES RENDERED BY THEM IN THE OLD REVOLUTIONARY WAR, TO DISPOSE OF AS HE MAY THINK PROPER.

4TH-I WILL AND BEQUEATH ALL MY TURNING TOOLS, TOGETHER WITH A HAND SAW AND FORE AND DRAWING KNIFE TO MY GR.SON WILLIAM, SON OF STEPHEN AND MARY ANN MAYFIELD.

5TH- I WILL AND BEQUEATH UNTO MY GR.DAUGHTER MAHOLA MAYFIELD, DAUGHTER OF MARIAN MAYFIELD, MY FEATHER BED AND FURNITURE TO HAVE AT THE TIME OF THE DEATH OF MY WIFE OR AT ANY TIME SOONER IF MY WIFE SHOULD MARRY AGAIN OR REMOVE FROM THIS COUNTY.

6TH- I WILL AND BEQUEATH UNTO MY WIFE BRIGITY MAYFIELD ALL MY HOUSE HOLD FURNITURE EXCEPT AS ABOVE BEQUEATHED. ALL THE RENT CORN FOR THE PRESENT YEAR AND ALL OF MY STOCK OF HOGS; ALL MY LAND HAVING BEEN HERETOFORE CONVEYED TO MY SON STEPHEN MAYFIELD.

IT IS MY WILL AND WISH THAT MY SON STEPHEN MAYFIELD SHOULD TAKE REASONABLE CARE OF MY WIFE DURING HER WIDOWHOOD OR RESIDENCE IN THIS COUNTY AND I HEREBY APPOINT MY SAID SON STEPHEN MAYFIELD AS MY EXECUTOR TO EXECUTE THIS MY LAST WILL AND TESTAMENT.

GIVEN UNDER MY HAND THIS 8th DAY OF AUGUST, 1834

(SIGNED) STEPHEN Mayfield

(SEAL)

SIGNED AND SEALED IN PRESENTS OF US.

B. GABBERT

G. McMORMACK

STATE OF TENNESSEE

OVERTON COUNTY.

THE ORDER OF PROBATE AND APPOINTMENT IS SIGNED BY WM. GORE, CLK. His data record was Updated on 7 March 2004 by Glenn W Mayfield.

1. Sep1803 – From Series 2, Book 54, Entry Book for Middle Tennessee, 1802-1806, p. 60:  “Jackson County, State of Tennessee, Stephen Mayfield enters 200 acres of land on the waters of Roaring River, beginning a black oak running north and south, so as to include the big pond, cove and said Mayfield’s spring, and improvements on two warrants: (1) No. 51, and (2) No. 48, both assigned from Elijah Chisum.“
2. 24Aug1807:  Stephen Mayfield was assigned warrant from Elijah Chisum for 100 acres.
3. 5Sep1811: Overton County; Stephen Mayfield by virtues of part of a duplicate warrant No. 51 for 100 acres assignee of Elijah Chisum enters 100 acres of land in the 3^rd District of said County on the head of the eastern branches of Roaring River, beginning on two black oaks near the foot of a ridge, being the beginning corner of said Mayfield’s preference, right of 200 acres running thence various courses.[24]
4. 23Mar1814: Jackson County TN, Luke Mayfield and William Gray, assignees originally of the heirs of William J. Lewis, by virtue of a certificate No. 1728 issued by the Register of West Tennessee for 250 acres, enters two acres of land in Jackson County on a  branch known by the name of the Crib Branch, waters of Roaring River, beginning on a sugar tree, marked “LM” running southeast for compliment so as to include a Salt Petre cave found by said Mayfield between the three forks of said branch and Notley Wornell’s cave.
5. 21Oct1814: Jackson County TN:  By virtue of Entry No. 11458 dated 20Sep1813. founded on a certificate warrant No. 1591, issued by the Register of West Tennessee for 500 acres, I have surveyed for Luke Mayfield assignee of Robert Searcy, two acres of land in Jackson County on Lick Creek of Roaring River beginning at a sugar tree marked “LM” various course, including a salt petre cave about one-quarter mile above where Daniel Shipman formerly lived.  Chain-Carriers: Thomas Gore and Notley Wornal.  Filed 3Feb1815.
6. 10Sep1816: Overton County TN, Stephen Mayfield, assignee of John R. Nelson, by virtue of Warrant No. 42, enters 27-1/2 acres of land in Overton County on the waters of Roaring River, beginning on the northeast corner of a 50 acre tract that included the improvement where Stephen Mayfield now lives, entered in the name of Nathaniel Taylor.[25]
7. 9Aug1822: Overton County: I, David M. Garock, Register of West Tennessee… pursuant to an act entitled “an act to authorize the division of warrants and certificates issued for land”, do hereby certify that Stephen Mayfield is entitled to enter and obtain a grant for 27-1/2 acres of land within this State, in lieu of so much of a certificate issued by the Board of Commissioners for West Tennessee to James Mabain, No. 42 and dated 17Jul1807 for 10,380 acres, given under my hand the above date…[26]

4. 16Sep1803:  Jackson County TN:  200 acres of land on the waters of Roaring River running north and south so as to include the big pond cove and said Mayfield’s spring and improvement on two warrants (No. 51 and 48) assigned William Maclin: (1) No. 51 and the other (2) No. 48.  No. 48 is assigned to William Richardson and then transferred back to Elijah Chisum, and thence assigned from Chisum to Stephen Mayfield, the other is assigned (directly) from Chisum to Mayfield.  Stephen Mayfield, Locator.  This was the only record found for Stephen Mayfield in Jackson County TN.  It is worth noting that this land record was filed on 16Sep1803, just six years after Stephen Mayfield sold his 100 acre tract on Brushy Fork.  This timing fits well with the Chester County Stephen Mayfield having relocated to Jackson County TN.  The fact that he had already established improvements on this land suggests that he had already been in residence for at least a couple of years.  Trailing records from Overton County will show that this tract fell within future Overton County.

The location of this tract cannot be more precisely determined from the information provided in this patent record, other than that is consisted of two separate, but abutting tracts located in Jackson County on the waters of Roaring River.  There are other, later recordings for patents involving Stephen Mayfield(s) located in Overton County, which may provide more precise information.  It should be noted that Overton County was erected in 1806 from the eastern part of Jackson County as illustrated in Figure 13-9.  Following are a series of patent records from Overton County involving persons named Stephen Mayfield and John Mayfield, which may aid us in determining whether there was one or two Stephen Mayfields in the Roaring River area in the early 1800’s:

5. 12May1808:  Overton County TN: In pursuance to an Act of the General Assembly passed in Knoxville on 3Dec1807, I have surveyed for Stephen Mayfield two hundred acres of land his preference right, including his improvement situate in the County of Overton on one of the heads of the eastern branches of Roaring River in the Pond Cove, beginning on two black oaks… (running four equal courses of 178.5 perches in a square, including Mayfield’s Spring).  Deputy Surveyor: William Fleming.  Sworn chain-carriers: Samuel Walker and John Mayfield.  The identity of this Stephen Mayfield is uncertain, but almost certainly was the same person recorded in Items 6 thru 8, below.  Given the two entries wherein Stephen Mayfield was identified as an assignee of Elijah Chisum, he would almost certainly have been the same Stephen Mayfield, who appeared in the Jackson County tax lists in 1802 and 1803.  This 200 acre tract was granted on the basis of “preference rights”, a term unfamiliar to the author, possibly meaning that Stephen Mayfield had filed a patent request in his own name, as contrasted to having been assigned a right from a previous patentee.  Similarly, the identity of the John Mayfield, who acted as a chain-carrier in the survey of this tract was likely a close kinsman of Stephen Mayfield.  Some writer’s suggest that John Mayfield was a son of Stephen Mayfield.  The location of this tract, being situated at the head of an eastern branch of the Roaring River probably would place it in the vicinity of Town Creek and Livingston, TN.
6. 5Sep1811:  Overton County TN:  Location No. 1500, Stephen Mayfield, by virtue of part of a duplicate warrant No. 51 for 100 acres assignee of Elijah Chisum, enters 100 acres of land in the 3^rd District and County of Overton on the heads of the eastern branches of Roaring River, beginning at two black oaks, being the beginning corner of said Mayfield’s preference right of 200 acres…  This 100 acre tract would appear to abut the 200 acre tract recorded in Item 5, above, or to have been part of that tract.
7. 3Jun1811:  William Fleming surveyed 119 acres in Overton County on waters of Roaring River, in the name of William Fleming, said tract abutting lands of Nancy Gilmore’s 50 acre tract, and Stephen Mayfield’s plantation. 5Aug1814.  William Fleming’s tract appears to have abutted Stephen Mayfield’s plantation, presumably the 200 acre preferment tract.  The identity of Nancy Gilmore is unknown, but may have been a kinsperson of Stephen Mayfield’s wife, who is purported to have been named Bridget Gilmore.
8. State of Tennessee, 3^rd District: surveyed on 20Oct1810 for Henry Gilmore, for 40 acres of land by virtue of a duplicate Warrant No. 270, located on 29Aug1809, Location No. 893, situated in the County of Overton in a cove known by the name of the Pond Cove, beginning at a Hickory Black Gum and Dogwood, it being the NW corner of a 55 acre entry for said Gilmore, turning thence N 80 poles to a Black Oak, thence E 80 poles to a Black Oak, thence S 80 poles to a Post Oak, thence W 80 poles to the beginning.  Deputy Surveyor: William Fleming.  Sworn Chain-Carriers: Andrew Carson and Henry Gilmore.  Henry Gilmore received two grants situated on Pond Cove: one for 55 acres, the other for 40 acres.  Henry sold both of these tracts to Benjamin Hinshaw on 22Jul1816 (Deed Book E, p. 528.)  These tracts were situated on the same cove as tract filings by Stephen Mayfield.  In one patent filing by William Fleming for 119 acres, that tract was described as abutting the lands of Nancy Gilmore (50 acres) and Stephen Mayfield’s plantation.  Stephen Mayfield Sr. is reported by numerous researchers as having married a woman named Bridget Gilmore.  It seems possible that Henry Gilmore and Nancy Gilmore were kinspersons of Stephen Mayfield’s wife, Brudget [aka Gilmore].

8. 12May1814:  Stephen Mayfield, assignee of Elijah Chisum [Sr.?], assignee of John McIver, by virtue of part of a Warrant No. 955, enters 100 acres of land in 3^rd District, Overton County, situate on head waters of Roaring River, beginning on said Mayfield’s NE corner of his entry for 100 acres, running W with said line 178-1/4 poles, thence N, E and S for complement.  This tract would appear to have commenced at the NE corner of the tract described in Item No. 6, above.  It is not clear to the author whether Stephen Mayfield had three separate tracts, totaling 400 acres, or only one tract of 200 acres, which was recorded in two separate parcels of 100 acres, each.  Regardless, this land would appear to have been within the 3^rd Civil District (boundary of which could not be ascertained by the author), probably situated on Pond Cove, at head of eastern branch of Roaring River.
9. 10Sep1816:  Stephen Mayfield, assignee of John R. Nelson, by virtue of a Warrant No. 42, enters 27-1/2 acres of land in Overton County on the waters of Roaring River, beginning on the NE corner of 50 acre tract that included the improvement where Stephen Mayfield now lives, entered in the name of Nathan Taylor, turns N, W, S and E for complement.  Based on the following patent surveyed for Nathaniel Taylor for 50 acres on 8Oct1815, situated on the waters of Roaring River, there would seem to be little doubt but that this 27-1/2 was issued to Stephen Mayfield Sr., the father of Stephen Mayfield Jr.  Stephen Mayfield Sr. is purported by many researchers to have married a woman name Bridget Gilmore. 
   • State of Tennessee, 3^rd District surveyed on 8Oct1815 for Nathaniel Taylor 50 acres of land by virtue of part of Warrant No. 1659 issued from Carter’s Office for 640 acres dated 2Nov1779 in favor of James Limmons, and assigned to Nathaniel Taylor by an attorney for said Limmons entered 12Dec1808, No. 644, situated in Overton County on the waters of Roaring River, beginning at a Black Oak on the east side of a large spring branch, thence running N 100 poles to to a stake in an old field, thence W 80 poles to two Hickories, thence S 100 poles to two Hickories, thence E crossing the waters of spring branch 80 poles to the beginning.  Deputy Surveyor: William Fleming.  Sworn Chain-Carriers: Stephen Mayfield Jun. and Stephen Mayfield Sen.  According to the 1850 census record of Stephen Mayfield [Jr.] in

10. 22Feb1817:  John Mayfield, assignee of Moses Fisk by virtue of a Warrant No. 3960 enters 17-1/2 acres of land in Overton County on the waters of Roaring River, beginning 20 poles N from his SE corner and runs N with his line and E, S, and W for complement.
11. 20Feb1822:  John Mayfield, assignee of Jesse Cormack by virtue of Warrant No. 4323, enters 20 acres of land in 3^rd District, Overton County, situate on the waters of Roaring River, beginning on a stake near the N corner of Paul ______, thence turning N, W, S and E for complement.
12. 11Oct1821:  Deed Book E, p. 226, Overton County TN:  John Mayfield sold to Henderson Bates, for $300, sold 40 acre tract situated on waters of Roaring River, abutting David Whitman’s corner.
13. 4Dec1839:  Book I, p. 126, Overton County TN:  Joseph Gore sold to John and Stephen Mayfield of same, for $1,200, two tract containing 167-1/2m situate on Roaring River in outskirts of Livingston.
14. 21Oct1814:  Jackson County TN:  By virtue of Entry No. 2481 dated 29Sep1808, founded on a Military Warrant No. 57, I have surveyed for James McKnight, assignee of William Stafford, assignee of Abner Henley, 10 acres of land in Jackson County on Leatons? Creek, beginning on a Beech marked “NL” running south 40 poles, E, N, and W, including the improvement formerly occupied by Thomas Edwards’ upper improvement.  Deputy Surveyor: John Murray.  Chain-carriers: Luke Mayfield and Notley Wornal.
15. 11Oct1817:  Deed Book D, p. 157, Monroe County TN:  James Mayfield of Overton County to Wil Whitesides of Madison County IL, for and in consideration of $200, sold 400 acres, his ½ interest in 800 acres situated in Madison County at 5N, 8W, NW ¼ Section 9 and SW ¼ Section 4, claimed by James Mayfield as head of family in 1788. 
16. 13May1828: Deed Book F, p. 188, Overton County TN:  Ambrose Gore to Nancy Mayfield, both of Overton County, for and in consideration of $10 sold a tract of land containing 80 acres, situated and bounded as follows: beginning at a marked Post Oak, standing near the road leading from Sparta to Monroe, running south with Taylors old line 66 poles, thence west, crossing Mayfield’s Spring Branch 31 poles, thence south 61 poles, thence east crossing said branch 117 poles, thence north 127 poles, thence west 86 poles to beginning.  Witnessed: Benjamin Gabbert and S. Chilton.
17. 13Oct1834: Deed Book G, p. 34, Overton County TN:  Jonathan Mayfield to Frances Mayfield, both of Overton County, for and in consideration of $50, sold a tract of land containing 80 acres, situated and bounding as follows: lying on waters of Roaring River beginning at a marked Post Oak… (same description as Item, above.).  Witnessed: Leonard Davis and Ambrose Gore.
18. 3Jul1835: Deed Book G, p. 95, Overton County TN:  Stephen Mayfield to Champlain and Poteete, Traders, Bill of Sale of livestock and household goods for acknowledgement of debt amounting to $184.87.5, property to be sold at auction near Livingston.
19. 2Feb1835: Deed Book G, p. 132, Overton County TN:  Stephen Mayfield to Thomas Stogdon [aka Stockton] for and in consideration of $100, sold a tract of land containing 50 acres, situated and bounded as follows: lying on head waters of Spring Creek, including the plantation whereon said Stogdon lives, beginning at a Chestnut marked “C”, running from thence NW35, 100 poles, … it being a tract of land granted unto Rhody Collier by Grant No. 2827, dated 10Nov1825.  Witnessed: Jefferson Stewart and Jesse Eldridge.
20. 10Oct1835:  Deed Book G, p. 194, Overton County TN:  Frankey [aka Francis] Mayfield [aka Walker], to Willie B. Miller, both of Overton County, for and in consideration of $125, sold a tract of land containing 80 acres, lying on Roaring River, originally granted to Ambrose Gore, sold to Nancy Mayfield, and by Jonathan Mayfield (heir at law) sold to Frankey Mayfield.  Witnessed: Josiah S. Copeland and William Fluty.
21. 26Jan1836:  Deed Book G, p. 202, Overton County TN:  Stephen Mayfield, bill of sale to Champlain and Poteete, Traders, continuation of debt settlement.  Further secured debt with bay horse.
22. 14Mar1834:  Deed Book G, p. 238 Overton County TN:  Commissioners of town of Livingston sold to Stephen Mayfield, in consideration of $31.62  (highest bidder), two town lots: No.s 109 and 122.
23. 16Jul1836:  Deed Book G, p. 276, Overton County TN:  Stephen Mayfield to Champlain and Poteete, Traders, all of Overton County, sold Lot No. 122 for and in consideration of $42.
24. 3Jan1837:  Deed Book G, p. 396, Overton County TN:  Stephen Mayfield to William Fluty, both of Overton County, fir and in consideration of $50, sold a tract of land containing 50 acres, situated and bounding as follows:  lying on waters of Roaring River, beginning on a bench of the mountain at a Black Oak, running south 342 poles… to a White Oak, standing at the side of a road… including the improvements where the said Fluty now lives, held by Grant No. 4814.  Witnessed: Gamblin Weeks and Thomas Pritchett.
25. 10Apr1837:  Deed Book H, p. 202, Overton County TN:  Stephen Mayfield to Abner Cullom, both of Overton County, for and in consideration of $300, sold Lot. No. 109, situated in town of Livingston.
26. 6Oct1840: Deed Book I. p. 245, Overton County:  John and Joseph Gore grant deed of trust to Stephen Mayfield for horse, named “Black Hawk” as security for debt, until 1Mar1841, at which time horse may be sold at public auction in Livingston.
27. 27Apr1827: Deed Book G, p. 395, Overton County TN: by virtue of a Warrant No. 783, Entry No. 4814 was entered for Stephen Mayfield a survey dated 8Nov1835 for 50 acres lying on waters of Roaring River. Beginning on a bench of a mountain at a Black Walnut running various courses, including Mayfield’s improvement, abutting a road and a branch…  Fee: $.01 per acre.
28. 25Sep1834: Deed Book G, p. 434, Overton County TN:  Elizabeth [nee Atterberry] Edwards, Nancy [Hudspeth] Green, Lydia [Hudspeth] Edwards, and Sally Hudspeth, all of Sangamon County IL, to James Hudspeth of Overton County, Power of Attorney to act on all matters re: estate of William Hudspeth, deceased.

Appendix 13-E

Bute County NC Mayfield Records

1. 22Aug1764: Deed Book A, p. 17 (Bute County):  Philemon Hawkins of Bute County to Abraham Mayfield of same, for the sum of £4, sold a tract of land containing 540 acres situated on Beckhams Branch.  Witnessed: William Sims and Nathaniel Henderson.
2. 3Apr1765: Deed BookA, p. 165 (Bute County): Robert Mayfield of Bute County NC to John Austin Fennic of Surrey County VA for the sum of £8 current money of Virginia sold a tract of land situated on Linn Branch of Shocco Creek, abutting Macons corner, containing 200 acres.  Witnessed: William Moore.
3. 6Nov1766: Deed Book H, p. 215 (Granville County): Thomas and Elizabeth Craft of Granville County to David Mitchell of same, for sum of £180 sold tract of land containing 200 acres, situated on south side of Flat Creek, abutting Reuben Moss, Thomas Asher and said Mitchell.  Witnessed: Reuben Searcey.
4. 16Jul1767: Deed Book H, p. 318 (Granville County):  John Trevellian of Roawn County NC to James Mitchell of Granville County form sum of £7 sold a tract of land, beginning a corner of said Mitchell, various course, abutting Trevellian’s land, Bullock’s line, containing 60 acres.  Witnessed: Richard Henderson and Richard Trevillion.
5. 17Jun1767:  Deed Book H, p. 333 (Granville County):  James Trevillion of Granville County to James Mitchell of same, for sum of £8, 15s., sold a tract of land containing 37 acres, beginning at Mitchell’s and Trevillion’s corner, various courses, to points in Trevillion and Bullock’s lines.  Witnessed: Michael Satterwhite and William Taylor.
6. 27Nov1767:  Deed Book H, p. 448 (Granville County):  Thomas Ray of Granville County to David Mitchell of same for sum of £100 sold a tract of land containing 100 acres lying on waters of Nictluck? At head of Long Branch, also lying on Main Road, and abutting William’s line.  Witnessed: John Carter and John Satterwhite.
7. 15Jan1768: Deed Book H, p. 376 (Granville County):  John Trevillion of Mecklinburg County NC to James Mitchell of Granville County for sum of £5, 4s., sold a tract of land situated on head of Matthews Branch, containing 50 acres, abutting Taylor’s Road, various courses.  Witnessed: Zacharias Bullock and Richard Henderson.
8. 12Dec1783: Deed Book 8, p. 103 (Warren County):  John Mosely Jr. of Warren County to James Mitchell of same, for and in consideration of £300 current money, sold all that tract of land whereon the said James Mitchell lived, containing 340 acres, abutting John Coleman, Francis Thornton, William Balthorp, and Philemon Hawkins, Esq., witnessed: John Mosely and John Colclough.  Registered 20Jan1786.
9. 27Feb1787, Deed Book 9, p. 103 (Warren County NC):  James Mitchell of Warren County to William Balthorp of same, for and in consideration of the sum of £25 current money, sold a tract of land lying in Warren County, containing 75 acres, abutting Hawkins line, running three courses, witnessed by: Isaac Arsia? And Thomas Hall.  No dower relinquish.
10. 29Aug1787:  Deed Book 10, p. 67 (Warren County):  James Mitchell of Warren County NC to John Tanner of same, for and in consideration of the sum of £130 current money, sold the land whereon the said James Mitchell lived, containing265 acres, bounded by Philemon Hawkins, William Bathorpe, Edward Coleman and John Tanner, witnessed: William Campbell, Isaac ___, and Adam Milam.  No dower release.
11. 3Mar1769: Deed Book 2, p. 235 (Bute County NC):  Abraham Mayfield and his wife, Elizabeth, of Bute County to James Harrison of same, for and in consideration of £80, sold a tract of land lying in Bute County, containing 549 acres, situated on Beckham’s Branch.  Witnessed: Abraham Mayfield, Valenine Mayfield and James Howze.

---

[1] More Marylanders to Carolina, Henry C. Peden, Jr., 2006, p. 5.

[2] Record added to Find-a-Grave by Dora Brown, 2Aug2013.

[3] Holcomb, pp 177-8.

[4] Heads of Families at the First Census of the United States…1790, 1782 to 1785, Virginia, Washington Government Printing Office, 1908, p. 72.

[5] Roster of South Carolina Patriots in the American Revolution, Bobby Gilmer Moss, 1983, p. 687.

[6] South Carolina’s State Grants, Vol. 1: Grant Books 1 Thru 6, 1784-1790, Brent H. Holcomb, 2013, p. 158.

[7] Holcomb., p. 132.

[8] Holcomb., p. 132.

[9] This record appears to have been indexed in error.  Closer scrutiny of the original census shows that the 5^th column for females over age 45 was separated from the rest of the tabulation sheet by the center fold of the record book.  Closer inspection indicates that there was one female, over age 45 in this household.

[10] Tennessee, U.S., Early Land Registers, 1778-1927 – Ancestry.com, accessed 26Jun2021.

[11] How to make gunpowder in the wild (all it takes is charcoal, sulfur, and potassium nitrate) – Wilderness Arena Survival, accessed 26Jun2021.

[12] Reprinted with permission from the Journal of Spelean History, Vol. 41, No. 2, Issue 132 (July-December, 2007), Microsoft Word – Plemons Survey2.doc (caves.org), accessed 26Jun2021.

[13] Arterberry Biographies (rootsweb.com), accessed 27Jun2021.

[14] “History of Macoupin County Illinois, Biographical and Pictorial, Volune II”, Honorable Charles A. Walker, Supervising Editor, 1911, pp. 16-7.

[15] Stephen Mayfield (tripod.com), accessed 17May2021.

[16] Ibid.

[17] Ibid.

[18] Ibid.

[19] Ibid.

[20] Phil-Norfleet – User Trees – Genealogy.com, accessed 16Jul2021.

[21] Land Records of Prince George’s County Maryland, 1717-1728, Elise Greenup Jourdan, 2008, p. 39.

[22] Land Records of Prince George’s County Maryland, 1726-1733, Elise Greenup Jourdan, 2008, p. 200.

[23] Maryland, Wills and Probate Records, 1635-1777, p. 309.

[24] Ancestry.com – Tennessee, U.S., Early Land Registers, 1778-1927, accessed 23Jun2021.

[25] Ancestry.com – Tennessee, U.S., Early Land Registers, 1778-1927, accessed 23Jun2021.

[26] Ancestry.com – Tennessee, U.S., Early Land Registers, 1778-1927, accessed 23Jun2021.