Category Archives: Mitchell Research

Revisiting My Roots: The GPS

Angeline (Higdon) Mitchell, Mitchell Research,

Those of us who have studied the Genealogical Proof Standard (GPS), have taken classes, read articles, and such, know that any new evidence uncovered should only support your work if your previous work met the GPS.

The five parts of the GPS are:

  1. Reasonably exhaustive research
  2. Full and complete source citations
  3. Analysis and correlation of evidence
  4. Resolution of conflicts
  5. Written report of findings

I was recently revisiting some work I had done for one of my renewals for the Board for Certification of Genealogists (BCG), which identified the father of Angeline (Higdon) Mitchell. I was planning to work on the next generation back: proving the parents of Thomas Carroll Mitchell. In reviewing my old work, I thought I’d look at my Ancestry tree and the hints there.

I don’t often pay attention to the hints. At this point, they tend to be things I know, or found in another way that someone has reposted to their tree and is now being served up to me as a new hint. I find hints to be a lot of noise a lot of the time. However, just like the point in Tom Jones’s “Perils of Source Snobbery” article, dismissing all hints out of hand, I would have missed another piece of evidence on my Angeline project.

A newspaper had been digitized between the time I did that work on Angeline and a few weeks ago when I looked at the hints. On Newspapers.com, a newspaper titled The Audrain County Oracle, has been digitized. I have never heard of this newspaper. Back when I worked on Angeline, this newspaper was not digitized online. I remember visiting the archives in Columbia, Missouri, looking for newspaper articles about Thomas and Angeline, and only finding a few small death notices. Not the large obituary now available on Newspapers.com.

I had two mysteries. What was Angeline’s maiden name (who was her father) and when did she and Thomas marry?

Based on some clues such as their appearance in the 1850 census together as a couple, but having no children in the home yet, and that the box for “married within the year” was not checked, I estimated that they married in 1848 or 1849. Also, I determined that her maiden name was Higdon and that her father was Joseph Higdon through indirect evidence. The point of this post, though, is not to walk you through all of that, but really just to tell you I did a complete case study that earned me my renewal from BCG two renewals ago.

A few weeks ago, I was looking at hints for Thomas, and found this obscure newspaper now digitized:

So, the answer was right there. I’m not sure where this newspaper was hiding when I visited the archives. BUT, it did what they say it was supposed to do if your work followed the GPS: it only adds more evidence to your conclusion. This just proves that I got it right. It wasn’t a gnarly, complicated case like some you read about in the National Genealogical Society Quarterly (NGSQ), but it makes the point.

Now, it gives me a year and PLACE of marriage. Back when I worked on this, I searched so many counties looking for their marriage record. I do not recall if I looked in Fayette, Tennessee. But, guess what!?! I have my old research logs. I will next be checking those to see and will be looking for a record with this new information!

Isn’t genealogy fun?

Working on the Descendants

Cemetery, Mitchell Research, Ohio, With Kids, Wood County, Ohio

I have been working to trace the descendants of Thomas Carroll and Angeline Mitchell, especially the descendants of Martha (Mitchell) and Harvey Long.

I just recently made a tour of 4 cemeteries in Wood County, Ohio and found several of the descendants. I took my helpers along.

Ethan and Ellie were eager to help look even in the heat. They earned 25¢ for looking and another 25¢ for finding the sought after tombstone. In the end they each earned $1.50!

Before I started, I used Google Maps and mapped out the cemeteries I wanted to visit along with who I was looking for in each:

View Cemetery Tour July 2011 in a larger map

Here are the stones we found:

William H. Long – Went by “Harvey” most of the time, Weaver Cemetery, Wood County, Ohio

Martha A. Long – Went by “Mattie”. Her maiden name is Mitchell, daughter of Thomas and Angeline. Weaver Cemetery, Wood County, Ohio

I also found their son “Willie W. Long” who I had previously only known to have “died in infancy” and his father’s obit also listed him as “William S.” not “W”.

Clara (Long) and Floyd Bullis – Clara was a daughter of Mattie and Harvey Long, Plain Cemetery, Wood County, Ohio

Carrie (Long) and Harry Rudd – Carrie was a daughter of Mattie and Harvey Long, Tontogany Cemetery, Wood County, Ohio

Martha (Long) and Jacob Hentges – Martha was a daughter of Mattie and Harvey Long, Saint Louis Cemetery, Wood County, Ohio.

That’s the 4 cemeteries and the 4 couples I was trying to locate. Check out the Google Map above to see what I did with it to help the research and keep track of my results. Click on the name of each cemetery and you will get a description of what I was looking for, a photo of the tombstone I found.

Joseph Higdon/Higden

Asa Higdon, Barren County, Kentucky, Census Records, Henry County, Ohio, Higden, Joseph Higdon, Kentucky, Missouri

In the previous post about census findings for Thomas and Angeline Mitchell I listed the 1850 census. One page later in the 1850 census for Barren County, Kentucky is the household of Joseph Higdon/Higden. [Ancestry link]

On Angeline’s death certificate it listed her father as “Thomas Mitchell” (obviously not correct) and her mother as “Joe Higdon.” (Probably not her mother, but possibly her father.) I am going to begin looking at Joseph Higdon as a possibility for her father. [Angeline Mitchell death certficate, no. 8014, Missouri State Board of Health, Bureau of Vital Statistics, Jefferson City.]

Searching through Ancestry, I was able to locate Asa R./B. Higdon, one of Joseph’s sons, in the 1860 census in Springfield, Henry County, Missouri with possible wife Emeline M. (age 18), a child Jessee B. (age 1) and his sister Mary Higdon (age 32). [Ancestry link]

Census Findings for T. C. Mitchell Family

Audrain County, Missouri, Barren County, Kentucky, Census Records, Cooper County, Missouri, Missouri, Mitchell Research, Montgomery County, Missouri

The following are all of the censuses for Thomas C. Mitchell and family from 1850-1910.

Thomas Mitchell household, 1850 U.S. census, Barren County, Kentucky, population schedule, Division 1, page 374, dwelling 993, family 1018; National Archives micropublication M432, roll 191. [Ancestry Link]

Thos. C. Mitchell household, 1860 U.S. census, Cooper County, Missouri, population schedule, Saline township, Gooches Mills post office, page 58, dwelling 390, family 390; National Archives micropublication M653, roll 616. [Ancestry Link]

Thomas Mitchell household, 1870 U.S. census, Audrain County, Missouri, population schedule, township of Loutre, Martinsburg post office, page 510-B, dwelling 161, family 145; National Archives micropublication M593, roll 756. [Ancestry Link]

Thos. Mitchell household, 1880 U.S. census, Audrain County, Missouri, population schedule, township of Loutre, enumeration district [ED] 2, supervisor’s district [SD] 3, page 18B, dwelling 150, family 151; National Archives micropublication T9, roll 672. [Ancestry Link]

Thos. Mitchell household, 1900 U.S. census, Montgomery County, Missouri, population schedule, township of Upper Loutre, enumeration district [ED] 69, supervisor’s district [SD] 9, page 13B, dwelling 261, family 264; National Archives micropublication T623, roll 876. [Ancestry Link]

T. C. Mitchell household, 1910 U.S. census, Montgomery County, Missouri, population schedule, township of Upper Loutre, enumeration district [ED] 111, supervisor’s district [SD] 9, sheet 5A, page 150, dwelling 99, family 103; National Archives micropublication T624, roll 800. [Ancestry Link]

A different approach

Audrain County, Missouri, Missouri, Thomas E. Mitchell

I’ve been unsuccessful in locating any further information on Thomas Carroll Mitchell or Angeline. I’m going to try a different approach now and turn to looking into their children who are not my ancestor.

I’ve mostly studied their son Thomas E. Mitchell who stayed in Audrain County, Missouri for his entire life. He was easy to trace in the census. I’ve sent away for his death certificate and that of his his son Claud. I located his wife’s online at the Missouri State Archives website.

Here’s what I know about Thomas E. Mitchell. He was born about 1862 (census). He married Sallie N. Morris 26 Dec 1878 in Audrain County, Missouri (Book B, p. 352). The children that I know they had are: John M. (b. Apr 1880, 1880 Census, Audrain Co, MO), Mammie E. (b. abt 1886; 1900 Census, Audrain Co., MO), Claud O. (b. abt. 1889; 1900 Census, Audrain Co., MO), Emil B. (b. abt July 1899; 1900 Census, Audrain Co., MO). The 1900 census also says that Sallie was the mother of 4 children, all of whom were living at the 1900 census.

I’m hoping by studying the children of Thomas Carroll and Angeline Mitchell, I’ll gather more information and more clues on them and their parents.

Searching for father

Joseph Mitchell, Mitchell Research, Tennessee

Thomas Carroll Mitchell’s father, according to his death record, was Joseph Mitchell. Also according to his death record, Thomas was born in “Jonesburrow”, TN in 1826. So, in the 1830 census he should be 4 years old. I looked in TN and turned up a Joseph Mitchell with a boy under 5. This could be the family. I looked for other Joseph’s and none of the others (there were only 2 or 3 total) had a boy under 5. This document is located in my Ancestry.com shoebox.

This could be a possible father to Thomas. I’ve got to do some more checking and working by elimination since I can’t find anything else about him right now.

Thomas Carroll Mitchell – Known information

Angeline (Higdon) Mitchell, Barren County, Kentucky, Kentucky, Loutre Township, Audrain County, Missouri, Missouri, Mitchell Research, Montgomery County, Missouri

Thomas Carroll Mitchell was born in Jonesboro, TN 18 Sep 1826. [1870 census, obituary, death certificate]

He married Angeline (maiden name unknown but “Higden” is a possibility) sometime before 1850. [1850 census]

They had 12 children. [census research]

He died 29 Apr 1914 in Upper Loutre township, Montgomery County, MO. [death certificate, obituary]

My biggest aim right now is to locate their marriage record. I suspected that they were married in Barren County, KY around 1849 because they are in the 1850 census there, married and with no children. However, research into that county has turned up nothing.

Google Maps

Mitchell Research

I have created a map of all of the documents that I have located for Thomas Carroll Mitchell. You can view it here:

Google Maps

Latest search turns up nothing

Angeline (Higdon) Mitchell, Barren County, Kentucky, Denver Public Library, Mitchell Research

I have searched high and low for the marriage record for Thomas and Angeline. I took a trip to Denver Public Library a few months ago. I looked in every book they had that was for Barren County, KY. Then I began looking at surrounding counties. I turned up nothing!