Notes for John William Mitchell: Was Rev. John William Mitchell Birthday May 1 or May 5 Death Place may be Lewis On tombstone : "REV. JOHN MITCHELL, Born in England 1763. Bound to a Sailor. Went to W.India & America 1774. Thence to E. India, Thence to America, 1775. Came to Virginia 1776. Substituted in U.S. Army 1779. Drafted 1779. Settled on This Farm 1803. Preached the Gospel 40 Years. Died 29th April, 1840.Age 76Y.,11M.,25D." ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 1800 Rev. John William Mitchell joined the ministry of the Methodist Episcopalian Church
1813 “Weston Democrat,” newspaper states that the date of organization for the “Harmony Methodist, 1813.”
1819 Rev. Mitchell built Harmony METHODIST EPISCOPALIAN Church
1824 Rev. Mitchell lacked one vote of being elected a bishop.
1830 Rev. Mitchell withdrew from the Methodist Episcopalian Church
1830 Rev. Mitchell helped organize the first METHODIST PROTESTANT Church in W.Va. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Both Cheuvront and Mitchell family tradition have it that young John Mitchell was "adopted" by Joseph Cheuvront's father-in-law, Moses Elsworth. The story goes that Mitchell, age 11 at the time, had been "bound out" by his father in England as a sailor, but life at sea proved too harsh, so Mitchell jumped ship at the port in Fredericksburg, Va in1774. Joseph Cheuvront had just arrived on another ship as an indentured servant, and brought food and water to Mitchell while he hid from the ships crew who were looking for him.
According to tradition, when Moses Elsworth arrived from the backcountry, and bought Joseph Cheuvront's indenture, he took both Joseph Cheuvront and John Mitchell back with him to Hinkle's Fort in Germany Valley.
This information can be found in a Mitchell family history book *(I'll get the title and author's name for you), in a Henckel Family Genealogical publication, and in a volume of the "Hacker's Creek Journal," vol. V, issue 3, spring 1987.
"Heads of Families at the First Census of the United States, Taken in the Year 1790," (Baltimore Genealogical Publishing Co., 1970), show John Mitchell living with, or near, Moses Elsworth and Joseph Cheuvront in Germayy Valley in 1784 (Virginia section of census book under state enumeration's: 1782 to 1785, page 77). Of course, both Joseph Cheuvront and John Mitchell migrated to Harrison County around 1790 and settled on Hacker's Creek near present day Jane Lew, Lewis County, WV. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ In a West Virginia book which was published by the WPA is listed on page 394 No. 2, that John Mitchell is buried in the Old Harmony churchyard. At the time of the book being published, this was no doubt true, but this is no longer true, as he is in the graveyard where the pictures above of myself and the one with his tombstone is located. The quote on page 394 says: "2. Left from Jane Lew on a paved road is the old HARMONY CHURCH, 1 m. BUILT IN 1819 BY A Methodist Episcopal congregation. The history of the church belies its name, for in 1829 its first pastor, John Mitchell, and Davis Smith disagreed with the policy of the mother church, founded a Methodist Protestant society, and preached their dissenting beliefs in Harmony Church. Mitchell is buried in the churchyard." ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ This information comes from page which is p. 20 of the book "The Cabin Home of The West Virginia Pioneer" by Judge J. C. McWhorter
Mt. Harmony church,built on Hacker's Creek in 1819, by the Reverend John Mitchell, was the first in the valley, and the second Methodist Church constructed in West Virginia. Prior to the building of this edifice, now unfortunately gone, religious services were held in this McWhorter cabin. In Indian times the people congregating in this cabin for worship stacked their guns in one corner of the room and posted sentinels ouside.
In the previous paragraph Judge McWhorter writes of a man who for sixty years was a member of the Methodist church and "class-leader" of the settlement, a deeply pious man who was recognized as the "patriarch" of the colony and all came in their hours of distress. The way that it leads into the next paragraph I would assume he is speaking of Reverend John Mitchell, but I am not sure. But it certainly soundslike the facts are correct. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ STONEWALL JACKSON, The Man, The Soldier, The Legend by James I. Robertson, Jr. p. 19, Struggles of an orphan Occasionally, Jackson went to services at Harmony Methodist Church in Weston to hear its spellbinding preacher, the Reverend John Mitchell. The minister's daughter once noted that "Thomas Jackson, a shy, unobtrusive boy, sat with unabated interest in a long sermon, having walked three miles in order to attend. John William Mitchell jumped ship at Yorktown, Virginia 1774 and then lived in Hampshire County, (W)VA where he married Catherine Margaret Teter, oldest daughter of George Teter, who once rode with George Rogers Clark. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ John and Catherine came with their two riding horses and walking for six weeks with all their children, belongings and livestock and a young baby; Catherine died shortly after their arrival. God Bless You, Catherine. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Lewis County West Virginia Her People and Places pp. 176 & 177 is an article entitled "Schiefer-Mitchell" written by William Foster Hayes III Bill Hayes has also written a comprehensive article (in several sections) regarding John William Mitchell and his descendants which is in several of the HCPD Journals. I am not sure which ones. Bill writes that John William Mitchell was present at Surrender Field when General Cornwallis' sword was surrendered (that he had climbed a tree to get a better viewing position.) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
More About John William Mitchell: More Info: Need English Birth Records.
More About John William Mitchell and Catherine Margaret Teter: Marriage: Apr 1783, Rockingham, Va.
More About John William Mitchell and Susannah Washburn: Marriage: 03 Dec 1804, Harrison, Va.
Children of John William Mitchell and Catherine Margaret Teter are:
John William Mitchell (b. 04 May 1763, d. 29 Apr 1840)
Notes for John William Mitchell: