HomeEast Tennessee Roots
- the history and genealogy of East Tennessee
Hancock County, Tennessee
The Solomon Mitchell Family of Hawkins and Hancock Counties, Tennessee
Solomon Mitchell was an early settler in Hawkins County, in the part that was made into Hancock. One of his sons was Richard Henderson Mitchell, who was a physician and lived in Sneedville (the county seat of Hancock County). He'd retired by the 1860 census.
One of Richard Mitchell's children was Jesse Broughten Mitchell. He actually took the 1870 Hancock County census; he also took their 1880 tax list. Jesse Broughten Mitchell's daughter Isabella - the little one-year-old in the 1870 census - married --- Maxwell, and was the mother of Lois Maxwell.
Lois (Maxwell) Mahan and her husband, Lloyd, were friends of my parents from before I was born. She was an elementary school teacher and one of the sweetest little old ladies that ever lived. He had been the Hancock County School Superintendent; he had the greenest thumb and generously shared the bounty from his vegetable and flower gardens with the entire community (he grew gladiolas in every shade of the rainbow). Lois' mother, Isabella, and Isabella's brother Abijah Fairchild Maxwell - 'Uncle Biga' - lived with the Mahans in their later years.
Upon Lois Mahan's death, her estate included family items that had belonged to her mother and Uncle Biga. I purchased a few of those things, including Jesse Broughten Mitchell's copy of the 1880 Hancock County tax list that he had taken (remember, Isabella Mitchell Maxwell and 'Uncle Biga' were his children) and some Mitchell genealogy notes and clippings. Lois' executor then lent me these pages, already torn from a family Bible, which I photocopied and returned. The story I was told is that upon learning a visitor did not have a bible of their own, Lois tore out these family record pages and gave the visitor the old, original family bible. (Like I said, she was a sweet little old lady.)
These pages have nothing on them to indicate when the Bible was published. I transcribed them and published them back in 1988, in v5n1 of East Tennessee Roots. I called it the 'Solomon Mitchell Family Bible.' Well, after nearly a quarter-century of experience later, I wouldn't title it that, since I am quite sure it is not Solomon Mitchell's Bible - as in, his Bible, that he owned and wrote in as the events happened. I do think now its highly probable it was Richard Mitchell's - but I can't prove that, yet.
I post here copies of the 6 pages I obtained. Three are the original Bible pages; the fourth page is a loose note included with the Bible record but obviously of somewhat later origin. The fifth and sixth pages are loose pages of fairly recent, but unknown, origin -- I know Lois was corresponding with some Mitchell researchers, but I don't know who; they are definitely not written in Lois's distinctive handwriting. I'm also posting the pages from v5n1 as I transcribed them back then.
Original Pg 1 -- Original Pg 2 -- Original Pg 3 -- Original Loose Note Page -- Later Note Pg 1 -- Later Note Pg 2 --
By the way, this transcription from v5n1 of East Tennessee Roots - of course that is a copyrighted publication - soon appeared on ancestry-dot-com, copied and posted verbatim by one Karen Negron, completely unsourced and posted without my permission.
A ladderback chair and a few of the jackstraws made for me by 'Uncle Biga' (Abijah Fairchild Maxwell, great-grandson of Solomon Mitchell): a ladder, broom, adz, ax, pick, and traveler (to measure distance).
All are handcarved and pegged together. The chair is 5 1/4" tall.
Hancock County is one of the most remote counties in upper East Tennessee; its rugged lush hills make it one of the most prettiest.
It was founded in 1846 by being cut from Claiborne and Hawkins counties, but it was settled decades earlier; therefore researchers will likely need to consult those counties to successfully continue their research. No counties have been formed from Hancock County.
There are some Hancock-countians listed here:
1880 Hancock County Tax List
After obtaining Jesse B. Mitchell's copy of the 1880 Hancock County Tax List (see above) I transcribed and published it in v6 of East Tennessee Roots. To read it, all you need to do is....
