The Kidd Family A Family History
The Mitchell Family · John & Mary Mitchell

The Youngest

John Alexander Mitchell

1841–1916

Seven years old on the Kate, a Canterbury farmer at his marriage, and a railway labourer in a Blue Mountains camp by 1880.

John Alexander Mitchell, from a family photograph
Born
c. 1841–42, Glasgow
Died
16 October 1916, Burwood
Married
Sarah Lees (m. 1866)
Lived
about 74 years

John Alexander Mitchell, the youngest of the nine, was baptised on 20 November 1842 at the Cambridge Street United Secession Church in Glasgow.1 His names were his father’s and his mother’s father’s. He was seven on the Kate.

On 5 December 1866, nine months after his mother’s death, ‘Mr John Alexander Mitchell, farmer, Canterbury, a native of Glasgow, Scotland’, married Sarah, younger daughter of Mr John Lees of Canterbury, at the Scots Church, by the Rev. Dr John Dunmore Lang.2 Sarah was probably the Sarah Lee born on 5 May 1843 to John and Rosetta Lee, a sawyer at Punch Bowl.3

Their first child, Mary R. E., was born in 1867. By 1880 John Alexander had left the land: at the baptism of his daughter Isabella Christina at Emu Plains in March 1881 he was a railway labourer, living at what appears to be Bull’s Camp, a works camp in the Blue Mountains.4 He died at Burwood on 16 October 1916 and was buried at Rookwood. Of his parents’ nine children only Margaret outlived him.5

The Record

Sources & References

  1. 1

    Baptism, 1842

    Cambridge Street United Presbyterian Church, Glasgow: John Alexander Mitchell, baptised 20 November 1842, residence Glasgow, father John Mitchell, mother Mary Kellan [Kellar] (index).

  2. 2

    Marriage, 1866

    Empire, 10 December 1866, p. 1; Sydney Morning Herald, 8 December 1866, p. 1; Sydney Mail, 15 December 1866, p. 4. NSW BDM marriage index 969/1866: John A. Mitchell and Sarah Lees.

  3. 3

    Sarah Lee, 1843

    Petersham [St Peter’s, Cooks River] baptisms, 1843, no. 177: Sarah, born 5 May, baptised 23 July 1843, daughter of John and Rosetta Lee, Punch Bowl, sawyer. A probable but unconfirmed identification with Sarah Lees.

  4. 4

    Children

    NSW BDM birth index 2155/1867: Mary R. E. Mitchell, father John A., mother Sarah. Emu baptisms, 20 March 1881: Isabella Christina, born 11 September 1880, daughter of Jno. Alexander and Sarah Mitchell, railway labourer, Bull’s[?] Camp; by George Middleton.

  5. 5

    Death, 1916

    Find a Grave: John Alexander Mitchell, died 16 October 1916, Burwood; buried Rookwood General Cemetery.