Household #148: Mitchell, George D.

Back to the 1900 Census & Household Index

In the 1900 Barney census, George Mitchell headed a 6-person household. The table below preserves the exact names, relationships, ages, birthplaces, and occupations recorded for the household.

Household Snapshot

George Mitchell headed a 6-person household in the 1900 Barney census with 1 spouse or marital partner and 4 children.

George Mitchell's listed occupation was Farmer.

Reported birthplaces span Alabama and Georgia, pointing to movement into Barney or family formation across county or state lines.

Newspaper and Public-Record Trail

This section flags public-record leads separate from the census table. The detailed discussion stays in the family narrative, research status, and source citations below.

1900 Census Household

These ages come from the original 1900 schedule. It records Martha as born in August 1886 and age thirteen, Rubin as born in September 1892 and age seven, and John T. as born in June 1894 and age five. FamilySearch's ages fourteen, eight, and six are indexing errors. The family occupies lines 7 through 12, with George on line 7 and John T. on line 12.

Children and Later Trails

The family narrative below follows the later records located for Mary, Martha, Reuben, and John T. Mitchell. Unproved spouse or descendant links remain excluded.

Family Narrative

George D. Mitchell appears in the 1900 Barney census as a farmer, age 42, born in March 1858. His wife was recorded as Lacey Mitchell, age 40, born in April 1860. The children in the household were Mary, Martha, Rubin, and John T. Mitchell. The census says George and Lacey had been married about seventeen years, which fits the Wilcox County marriage record now found for George D. Michael or Micheal and Lucy Ashley on 14 December 1882. The surname in that record should be preserved as written. It is likely a clerk or spelling variant for Mitchell, but the entry should not silently normalize it.

The wife in this household appears across the record trail as Lacey, Lucy, L. A., and Lecy or Lecey Ashley Mitchell. Her birth date remains disputed. The original 1900 schedule gives April 1860 and age forty, while her photographed marker gives 27 April 1862. The 1910, 1920, and 1930 census ages generally fit an 1861 or 1862 birth better than 1860, but they are not precise enough to settle the question. The marker date is the stronger working date, with the census conflict preserved. Her Find a Grave memorial places her burial at Bethel Primitive Baptist Church Cemetery near Pavo, Brooks County, and links her to the Ashley family. The Ashley parentage still needs direct-record proof, but the 1870 Wilcox County Ashley household summary and the 1882 marriage image give the wife identification much stronger support than the earlier draft had.

George's own endpoint is now well supported. His 1935 Georgia death certificate says he died on 20 April 1935 in the Barney militia district of Brooks County. It identifies him as a white married farmer, age 77 years, 1 month, and 6 days; gives his father as Mose Mitchell and his mother as Winnie Sewell; names Reuben L. Mitchell of Barney as informant; and gives burial at Bethel Cemetery on 26 April 1935. This certificate strengthens the earlier reconstruction that placed George in the family of Moses A. Mitchell and Winford or Winnie Mitchell.

The earlier census reconstruction still needs some caution. A supplied 1860 Randolph County, Alabama summary places S. S. Mitchell, age 2, in the household of Moses A. Mitchell and Winford Mitchell. A supplied 1870 Irwin County, Georgia summary places George Q. Mitchel, age 10, with inferred mother Winny Mitchel and siblings Moses W., James M., Andrew J., and Martha A. Mitchel. These records fit the family later named on George's death certificate, but the initials and full-page context still need direct review before this part of the lineage is treated as finished.

The 1880 Choctaw County, Alabama record for Geo. Mitchell should remain excluded. That man was Black, single, born about 1859 in Alabama, with Alabama-born parents, and appears to belong to a different family. The 1893 Brooks County marriage of George Mitchell and Miss Lucy Selph should also remain excluded unless later evidence proves otherwise. It conflicts with the 1882 Ashley marriage and the 1900 marriage-duration evidence.

Mary E. Mitchell, daughter of George and Lacey/Lucy, is supported in the 1900 household as age 15, born in January 1885. She married Perry D. Keine, Keen, or Keene in Brooks County in March 1907. The marriage image appears to show a license dated 18 March and a certificate dated 21 March 1907. In 1910 she appears as Mary Keen, widowed daughter in George and Lucy's household, with one child born and one living. The child Lomie Keen, age 2, appears in the same household and is best treated as Mary's child unless direct page review changes the relationship reading. Mary was back under the Mitchell surname in the 1920 and 1930 household summaries. Her death index and marker/Find a Grave material support Mary E. Mitchell, 12 January 1885 to 14 August 1943, buried at Bethel Primitive Baptist Church Cemetery, but her full death certificate or obituary would still be useful.

Martha L. Mitchell appears as a daughter in the 1900 household and later as Martha Morrow with Thomas W. Morrow. Census, death-index, and cemetery material create a coherent adult trail and support her death on 4 February 1975. A separate SSDI entry for a Martha Morrow who died on 15 February 1975 has not been connected to this family and should be treated as an unproved namesake lead. Martha's marriage image and full death record would still strengthen the entry.

Reuben Lazarus Mitchell has a strong later trail. He appears as Rubin or Reuben in the childhood census records, married Blanche or Ora Blanche Simpson in Brooks County in 1914, and can be followed in Brooks County farm households through 1950. His draft and later records support a birth date of 1 September 1893, while the original 1900 census records September 1892. The later date has the stronger personal-record trail, but the discrepancy remains. The Georgia death index, SSDI, Find a Grave, and obituary trail support his death on 15 November 1963 in Brooks County and burial at Oak Hill Cemetery in Quitman. His obituary says he was born in Wilcox County, came to Brooks County in 1900, farmed, belonged to Union Methodist Church, and was survived by his wife, several daughters, a son, sister Mrs. Martha Morrow of Barney, and brother J. T. Mitchell of Boston.

John T. Mitchell appears in the original 1900 schedule as John T., born in June 1894 and age five, and in 1910 as Tomie, age thirteen. Later records use several forms of his name: J. T., Tommy, Thomas J., and John Thomas Mitchell. His World War I draft card gives Tommy Mitchell, born 26 June 1896, with nearest relative Hattie Mitchell. The 1916 Brooks County marriage record is indexed and written as J. I. Mitchell and Hattie Gibbs, married 9 April 1916. Because the initials are not perfectly clear, the record should be cited exactly as J. I. Mitchell while explaining that the surrounding evidence points to John T. Mitchell. The 1920 through 1950 records place John and Hattie in the Brooks/Thomas County area, and the 1940 household includes father-in-law Mitch J. Gibbs, which supports Hattie's Gibbs identity. Social Security and death-index records support John T. Mitchell's death on 10 December 1968 in Thomas County, Georgia, certificate number 040711. Find a Grave places John Thomas Mitchell and Hattie Gibbs Mitchell at Boston City Cemetery. John's birth date remains unsettled. The World War I draft and Social Security records support 26 June 1896, while his marker gives 25 June 1896. The 1896 evidence is stronger than the childhood census entry, but the exact day and the two-year census conflict remain unresolved. The World War II draft card is for John Thomas Mitchell Jr., not for George's son; it is still useful because it names John Thomas Mitchell Sr. of Route 2, Barney, as the registrant's father.

George's birthplace also varies by census. The original 1880 schedule says Georgia, the original 1900 schedule says Alabama, the 1910 census says Georgia, and the 1920 and 1930 censuses say Alabama. Alabama has the stronger repeated trail, but the disagreement remains part of the record.

William A. Mitchell, age 30, appears as a nephew in George and Lucy's 1930 household. His exact relationship to George remains unresolved.

Connections to Other Barney Families

HH#143 Andrew Jackson Mitchell was George's brother. The original 1880 Wilcox County census identifies Andrew as Winni Mitchell's son and George as Andrew's brother. The 1860 and 1870 households reinforce the earlier family chain, and George's 1935 death certificate independently names Mose Mitchell and Winnie Sewell as his parents.

Open Research Questions

• Full-page images for the 1860 Randolph County, 1870 Irwin County, claimed 1880 Wilcox County, and 1910-1930 Brooks County census records.
• Direct death certificate or image for Lecy/Lacey/Lucy Ashley Mitchell, including parentage if stated.
• Direct Ashley-household image for Lucy/Lecy Ashley in 1870 and 1880.
• A clearer courthouse citation or image details for the 1882 Wilcox County George D. Michael/Micheal and Lucy Ashley marriage.
• Mary E. Mitchell's full death certificate or obituary, and direct proof for Perry D. Keine/Keen/Keene's later life and the Lomie/J. Lo? Keen or Mitchell identity.
• Martha Mitchell Morrow's marriage image and full death record.
• Reuben Lazarus Mitchell's full death certificate.
• John Thomas Mitchell's full death certificate, Hattie Gibbs Mitchell's death record, and any available obituaries.
• Direct source for George's middle name Desheild. Geneanet and tree material are useful clues but not proof by themselves.

Research Status

• Status: Well-researched, but not source-exhausted.
• Strengths: The 1900-1930 Barney census trail is coherent; George's 1935 death certificate directly names his parents; the 1882 Wilcox County marriage image now supports the Lucy/Lacey/Lecy Ashley identification; Mary, Martha, Reuben, and John T. now have substantial later-life trails.
• Remaining cautions: Several records are still index-level or derivative. The Ashley parentage, George's middle name, early Mitchell census bridge, and some child-line details need direct-record review before the entry is final.

Sources

• 1900 U.S. census, Barney, Brooks County, Georgia, George Mitchell household 148; NARA T623, roll 181, ED 9, sheet 8A, lines 7-12, George on line 7; Ancestry image 4119687_00722; FamilySearch M3FP-WDJ.
• 1910 U.S. census, Barney, Brooks County, Georgia, George Mitchel household; roll T624_174, page 14B, ED 21.
• 1920 U.S. census, Barney, Brooks County, Georgia, G. D. Mitchell household; roll T625_237, page 12A, ED 46.
• 1930 U.S. census, Militia District 1571, Brooks County, Georgia, George D. Mitchell household; page 12B, ED 7.
• 1860 U.S. census, Northern Division, Randolph County, Alabama, Moses A. Mitchell household; roll M653_22, page 470.
• 1870 U.S. census, Irwin County, Georgia, George Q. Mitchel in Winny Mitchel household; roll M593_158, page 261A.
• Georgia death certificate for George D. Mitchell, Brooks County, 20 April 1935, certificate no. 8968.
• Find a Grave memorial 31670456 for George D. Mitchell, Bethel Primitive Baptist Church Cemetery; derivative family links treated as leads.
• Find a Grave memorial 31670510 and marker image for Lecey Ashley Mitchell.
• Wilcox County, Georgia, marriage image and index for George D. Michael/Micheal and Lucy Ashley, 14 December 1882.
• 1870 U.S. census summary for Lucy Ashley in Wilcox County, Georgia.
• Geneanet summaries for George Desheild Mitchell and Lecy Angeline Ashley; derivative leads only, with conflicts resolved in favor of direct records.
• Brooks County, Georgia, marriage image and index for Mary Mitchell and Perry D. Keine/Keen/Keene, March 1907.
• 1910, 1920, and 1930 census summaries for Mary Keen/Mary Mitchell.
• Georgia death index and Find a Grave marker material for Mary E. Mitchell.
• Census, Social Security, death-record, and burial materials for Martha L. Mitchell Morrow and Thomas W. Morrow.
• Brooks County, Georgia, marriage image and index for R. L. Mitchell and Blanche Simpson, 1914.
• Census summaries, World War I draft card, Georgia death index, SSDI, SSA claims, obituary material, and Find a Grave memorials for Reuben Lazarus Mitchell and Ora Blanche Simpson Mitchell.
• The Valdosta Daily Times, 16 November 1963, obituary for Reuben L. Mitchell; local PDF and extracted page image.
• Brooks County, Georgia, marriage image and index for J. I. Mitchell and Hattie Gibbs, 9 April 1916.
• Census summaries, World War I draft card, Social Security Applications and Claims Index, SSDI, Georgia death index, and Find a Grave memorial 138884068 for John Thomas Mitchell.
• Find a Grave memorial 138884109 for Hattie Gibbs Mitchell; derivative family links treated as leads.
• World War II draft registration for John Thomas Mitchell Jr.; used only as evidence naming father John Thomas Mitchell Sr. of Route 2, Barney.
• Excluded lead: 1880 U.S. census, Beat 11, Choctaw County, Alabama, Geo. Mitchell.
• Excluded lead: Brooks County, Georgia, 1893 marriage image for George Mitchell and Miss Lucy Selph.

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