Ellen Eugenia Mitchell
Holy Bible
Ellen
Eugenia
wife of P. R. Mitchell
Born
Jan 25, 1843
Died
Dec. 4, 1894
Asleep in Jesus - Blessed thought
MITCHELL
Photo Credit: Rosa G. Gonzales
1. News Item, 1888
Mrs. Price Staples and two children are quite ill at the residence of her parents, Mr. and Mrs. P. R. Mitchell, in this city. The little ones are both sick with pneumonia.
Source: Corpus Christi Caller, February 25, 1888, p. 4, col. 6
Research by: Msgr. Michael A. Howell
Transcription by: Geraldine D. McGloin, Nueces County Historical Commission
2. Biography
The December 9, 1934 issue of the Caller-Times (Sunday edition) has a brief abstract of the news from 40 years earlier, reportedly quoting the Caller of 7 December 1894. The 1934 issue notes that the old Caller “reports the death of Ellen Eugenia Mitchell, wife of P. R. Mitchell, giving an extended mention of her life†(page 4 col. 3). Unfortunately this 1894 issue of the Caller referred to in the 1934 article has not been found to date (November 2006). According to the article on her husband, Peyton Randolph Mitchell, Ellen was a native of Louisiana, the daughter of Major and Mrs. John C. Steen. Ellen and Peyton were married in Bee County in 1861, and they subsequently moved to Corpus Christi where P. R. Mitchell ran a mercantile business. They had daughters Nellie P. and Celeste. It is unclear if Celeste ever married, but Nellie initially married Ira Price Staples (who is also buried in Old Bayview Cemetery). Nueces County records indicate she divorced Ira who later died of an accidental gunshot wound. She subsequently married Mr. A. E. Aikman/Aikeman (Nueces County Marriage Records volume F page 185) before Rev. Horace Clark on 24 June 1891. Descendents were later in the Corpus Christi area (see article on descendents in website of Ira Price Staples). In the 1880 census of Nueces County, the family is still living in Bee County (E. D. 10, page 8) where Peyton is listed as a 50 year old farmer from Kentucky whose father is from Virginia and mother is from Kentucky. Ellen is a 37 year old native of Louisiana whose parents are listed as also from that state. Nellie is listed as 17 in 1880, and Celeste is listed as only 1 year old (a rather wide spread between their births). Ellen died on 4 December 1894 at the age of 52 from TB (early death records of Corpus Christi, page 84 #1160) and was buried in Old Bayview Cemetery.
Research and transcription: Michael A. Howell
3. Biographical information about husband
Capt. Peyton Randolph Mitchell - This prominent citizen of Nueces County, Texas, was born in Harrodsburg, Mercer County, Kentucky, in 1827, the eldest son born to William and Annie (Bohon) Mitchell, natives respectively of Virginia and Kentucky. The paternal grandfather, William Mitchell, was born in Ireland, but came to this country during colonial days and settled in Virginia, from which State he enlisted in the colonial army during the Revolution, serving under Gen. Washington throughout the entire war. He moved to Indiana during the territorial days, and there several of his sons became prominent in public affairs, Robert holding the position of District Judge for some time. The grandfather reached the patriarchal age of 110 years. The maternal grandfather, John Bohon, was French Hugenot, who took refuge on the Island of San Domingo, and afterwards settled in South Carolina during the early settlement of the country. He attached himself to Gen. Marion’s staff during the Revolution, and served with him until the war closed when he went to Virginia, and was there married to Ann Ransdale of Scotch descent, and with this young wife joined Daniel Boone and went to Kentucky and became one of the founders of Harrodsburg. He and his family at first lived in a blockhouse, to protect themselves fro the Indians, and in that State he and his wife eventually died, leaving a large family. William Mitchell, father of the subject of this sketch, was reared in Indianapolis, Ind., and after attaining his majority went to Kentucky and was there married and made his home until 1833, when he moved to Petttis County, Mo., where he became a wealthy farmer. He died in Pettis County, Mo., at the age of Ninety-four years, in 1867 and his wife died in 1856. Peyton R. Mitchell was six years old when he accompanied his parents to Missouri, and as the country was very new and unsettled at that time, he grew up with limited advantages. At the age of eighteen years he desired to enlist in the Mexican War, but was prevented from so doing by his father, so he ran away from home, went to Fort Leavenworth, joined Gen. Price, and became a teamster in his regiment, in which capacity he served in New Mexico, assisting in the capture of Fernando de Yaos, in which engagement he was slightly wounded. After serving as a teamster in Mexico for some time he fought as a volunteer teamster, and was in the battle of Sacrament, Mexico. He did not return to Missouri after the war was over, but joined a friend, Jim Hickman, and clerked in a store at Chihuahua, where he remained one year, then joined a trader and came to San Antonio, then to his home in Missouri. He soon entered Pleasant Ridge College, which he attended four years, after which he was engaged in teaching for about two years in the same institution. For some time thereafter he was engaged in the border warfare in Kansas and Missouri, and was at the burning of Lawrence and Osawatomie, during which time he held the rank of Lieutenant. In the fall of 1857 he came to Goliad, Texas and began trading in horses and cattle, and in 1859 drove a herd of one thousand beeves to the city of Chicago. Upon his return he opened a livery stable at Goliad, which he conducted until the opening of the Civil War, when he assisted in raising a company, and upon the organization of the regiment was elected Lieutenant of Company E, 8th Texas Infantry. He was afterwards appointed Adjutant General, and served on the Texas frontier on the Gulf coast, and was at the battle of Corpus Christi. After the battle of Galveston, in which he took part, he in 1864, was promoted to Captain, and defended Padre Island with his company until the war terminated. In 1861 he was married to Miss Ellen Eugenia Steen, a native of Louisiana, and a daughter of Major John C. Steen, an early and prominent settler of Texas. He soon after the war bought a ranch in Bee County, and engaged in the stock business, and in 1870 began driving cattle on the trail to Kansas, continuing until 1874. At that time he bought stock and became one of the business managers of the Coleman-Fulton Pasture Co., with which organization he was connected for eight years, it being son of the largest ranches in the State. They shipped largely to New Orleans and Cuba, but in 1884 he sold his interest, came to Corpus Christi and engaged in merchandising, a business that occupied his time and attention up to 1890, since which he has been devoting his attention to the real estate business. In 1865-66 he served as Surveyor of Bee County, but he has by no means been an office seeker. He and his wife have two daughters: Mrs. A. E. Aikman, of San Antonio and Celeste, a student of that place. Mr. Mitchell and his wife are members of the Christian church, and he is a Mason and Odd Fellow.
Source:
Memorial and Genealogical Record of Southwest Texas. Chicago: Goodspeed Brothers Publishing, 1894 (reprinted 1978)
Research by: Msgr. Michael A. Howell
Transcription by: Geraldine D. McGloin, Nueces County Historical Commission