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biography from Portrait & Biographical Album of Mahaska Co., Iowa, 1887
JOHN MITCHELL, a wealthy and influential farmer of Madison Township, is one of the pioneers of 1853, and a son of Jacob and Mary (Scott) Mitchell. He was born in Carroll County, Ind., Jan. 24, 1830. He removed with the family from Carroll to Parke County, and remained with them until 1850, when he crossed the plains of the Great American Desert to California, and followed mining until 1853. He then came to this county, whither the family in the meantime had removed. In 1854 he again went to the Golden State, remaining upon the Pacific Slope until 1860, and then came back to Iowa. In 1861 he was united in marriage with Miss Eveline Hower, a daughter of Daniel and Susan Hower. After his marriage he settled on section 9 of Madison Township, where he still resides. Mr. and Mrs. Mitchell are the parents of nine children-Llewellyn, Elmer E., Ollie, Edna J., Anson B., Amy, Addie, John B. and May. In his political affiliations our subject belongs to the Republican party, and is also a member of the Masonic fraternity. He is one of the largest land-owners of this section, being the proprietor of over 1,000 acres his land is principally devoted to stockraising, in which business Mr. Mitchell occupies a leading position among the farmers of Mahaska County. He is a most estimable citizen in all respects, fully deserving of the esteem and confidence of his neighbors and business associates. Life with him must be as far as possible a success, and he has been to a great extent the architect of his own fortune. The ability to plan and execute, combined with clear-headed management and prudent foresight, are the elements that have contributed to his present enviable condition, both socially and financially, while his integrity and uprightness have commended him morally to the respect of all who know him.
Portrait & Biographical Album of Mahaska Co., Iowa, 1887
Mahaska County, Iowa Genealogy