My Genealogy Hound

W. B. MITCHELL, dealer in coal and wood, Piqua. Mr. Mitchell is a native of Miami Co., having been born in Washington Township in 1817; he is a son of William Mitchell, who was a native of North Carolina and pioneer of this County, having removed from Tennessee to Ohio in 1806; he came to Miami Co. in the following year and settled in Washington Township, where he continued to reside until his decease, which occurred in 1857, he being in the 80th year of his age; his wife, who was a McCorckle, and a native of North Carolina, died about two years previous; they had a family of seven children—Moses G., Joseph M., Margaret, Samuel S., Mary, Caroline P. and W. B.; W. B. and a sister who lives at St. Mary’s are the only survivors; the McCorckles came to Miami Co. in 1806; there was quite a large family of them, but all are now dead; Martha McCorckle was the wife of Benjamin Level; their license was obtained at Dayton, and this marriage was the first one celebrated within the bounds of Miami Co. after the county was organized; Mr. Mitchell comes of pioneer stock; his grandfather Mitchell was a soldier in the Revolutionary war, and served seven years, being at home but once during that time; his wife was a Grant; two of her brothers were killed in an engagement between a company of Kentucky frontiersmen, to which they belonged and a body of Indians who had committed some depredations in Kentucky and were followed to Hamilton, Ohio; during the Indian difficulty of 1812, Mr. Mitchell’s father had a block-house on his farm, and was Captain of a company of “Home Guards” who were required to scout at least three days in each week; two of the older boys were soldiers and both narrowly escaped capture by the Indians; Moses G. was a recruiting officer here during the war of the rebellion, and Joseph, though upward of 60, was one of the “Squirrel Hunters” who went to Cincinnati to defend the city in 1863; the subject of this sketch has been a continuous resident of Washington Township, with the exception of about twelve years, during which he was roving; his early life was spent on the farm, and when he had grown to manhood, he continued to farm until about 1856, when he left the farm and came to Piqua and engaged in grain buying; he built the warehouse which is now the property of E. Farrington and Slauson, and operated in grain, etc., several years; in 1863, he took a notion to try the West, and tried the grocery trade in Wisconsin, milling in Indiana, and farmed in Kansas about six years; he returned to Piqua in 1874 and soon after opened a wood and coal yard on West High street, which he is now conducting. He was married in 1835, to Miss Lucilla, daughter of Alexander McCullough, who was an early resident of Concord Township; his decease occurred in 1857, he being in the 87th year of his age; Mrs. Mitchell is also a native of this county; they have a family of four children— Sarah J., now Mrs. Charles H. Hill, of Kansas; Burton C., now book-keeper in the First National Bank of Richmond, Ind.; Agnes M., a teacher; and Elizabeth C., now Mrs. W. H. Vore, of Champaign Co.