The Athens post. [volume] (Athens, Tenn.) 1848-1917, 1857-03-20
From the st. Louis Christian Advocate.
THE mitchell FAMILY.


interesting facts, il was suggestive of many
profitable reflections The family whose
name stands at the head Of this article, in my
Judgment, presents as many and as weighty
claims to thai distinction as any to be found
in the United states, If not in the world.
Rev. Morris Mitchell, believe. was ma
tive of MARYLAND. lie emigrated at an early
day to Tennessee and from thence to Polk
co., No.. where he paid natures debt, and
sank to his final resting place on earth. at the
advanced age of eighty siS--having spent
more than sixty Of them in the communion
Of the Methodist Church. filling the various
stations assigned him with credit and useful
ness. Thus, full Of DAYS aud pions deeds, he
passed from he seats and the services Of the
Church below to those of the Church above,
loved and venerated by all who knew him
The wife and companion Of his youth. and
his faithful helpmate through all the cares
and tolls Of bis protracted life. Elizabeth
Mitchell, still fingers on the coast of mortal
being.
She is living IN the family of her son-in-
law, Judge Mcclure. of Polk CO., Mo-, having
attained the advanced nge Of ninety two
years--more than three score and ten OF
which have been spent in the service of God,
and the kind Offices of humanity and religion.
had the pleasure of meeting this venerable
matron last fall. at what is known in this
country. emphatically, as The Mitchell Camp.
ground" Here she had come up with the
families Of her people to the place. where
they annually meet to worship the God OF
their fathers.
Th genealogical tables ofthe family furnish
ed me by her aged and estimable son, Rev.
las Mitchell, foot mp the astonishing number
(nclnding Those who have been connected
with the family by marringe) of seven hun
dred and two, of whom she is the living rep
rpsentatiye.
It would be fruitlrss task for me to at.
tempt description Of the thoughts and feel
ings of my heart as Igazed upon that monu-
ment Of faith and piety. Shivering in the
twilight Of mortal life, tried. as well as
could, to measure the broad and deeply de.
seending lines of aonsangninity, extending to
the third aud fourth generation Of them that
worship God. a. they surrounded her in that
consecrated grove of worship and thanksgiv.
ing-a pions host---a multitude that worship
God day and night. My mind wandered on
TO the great day Of recompense, when they
should "return and come to Zion with songs
and everlasting joy upon their heads. =
What multitude shall rise up and call her
blessed
1t requires no figure of speech to call them
a nation of christians nor hyPerbole to de.
nominate them a generation of Me,hodists.
To dedicate their children to God in the holy
sacrament of baptism is received by them as
''law in Israel" Personal religion with
them is the paramount consideration Of life.
Strongly attached to the distinctive pecu
liarities OF the Methodist Church, on arriving
to years of maturity they nearly all attach
themselves to that communion. Indeed.
such is their devotion to her peculiar nsti,u
lions that if they should be judged by the
lax views Of "Young America" Methodists,
they are Justly obnoxious IT, the epitheI Of
'Old Fogies," which s their highes, praise.
They have furnished eighteen ministers for
the Church. who have filled the various posi-
tions from the licentiate to the presiding el
dprship; besides host of leaders, stewards
and exhorlers.
Physically, they are quite above the medi
um size-tall and well proportioned when
young. but slightly tending to mdg;sfracy as
they advance in years Mentally, they ex.
hibit a plain, strong common sense, Of that
peculiar cast which plainly indicates their
German antecedeuce-a good article Of plain
Irose--equdisan from poverty and poetry.
Moraly--in this they have profited above
manv; and a the Creator has placed mans
highest excpllency in this depart mpnt Of his
nature so they seem 10 have brought to its
cultivation their hest energies. so that. if
we should institute comparison of this with
other important characteristics Of the family
(respeciahle as they nre.) verv large bal.
an,e would be found in favor of the former.
Family resemblance is one Of the most pal.
pahle aud remarkable peculiari,ies Of this
inufitudinons people Opposed, as they are
from principle. to I'M ermarrage among Them
selves. and free from il, as hey are in prac
tice, that nevertheless resemblance so stri
king should run through the entire connec
tion. almost unmodified by the counter-lines
Of affinity is to INV mind even passing strange.
Nor is this manifest conformity to an origi-
pal type more obvious or systematic in their
physical than in their intellectual and moral
constitution. Indeed, so commanding is the
simililude in this last respect that the least
practised eve ca. not fail to observe il.
All their modes of conceivng reasoning
and thinking. ns well rs their moral mani
fe-ia,ions aud developments. assert frater
nity in principle 20 less strikiugly character
sic than uniform in application The vare
ties aud distinctive p.cuiarties of individual
character, whatever they may he. are 90 over
borne by the majesty of this prinordal law,
as almost to he lost sight Of entirely.
And now, Brother McAnally, where is the
necessity for me to say that, as citizens they
are respectable, Industrious prosperous, in
fiuentisl. and happyl Is not this ali naturally
predica,ei of the leading facts of their hi.to
rvs Is it not all secured by the majesty Of q
law more unremitting than the laws Of the
Medes and Persians l-sure as the relation Of
cause and effecii The eye cannot rest upon
this picture inielligently without observing
that it's m. ct enchanting aspect is that thrown
around it by the high moral principle en-
throned in the heart of the family ancestry,
and faithfully copied by their descendants.
So an acquaintance with them for near
score of wears has instructed me.
T. 7. AsnDY.
Springfield. Mo Jan. Is, 1857.
Trhe wife of Nathan Sullins, of this county,
was the oldest daughter of the Rev. Morris
Mitchell, spoken Of above. She lived with
her husband more than fifty one years--rais-
ed twelve children, eleven Of whom still live;
and, perhaps. a better wife, mother and
never lived nor died.-ED. Posi-
LEARNED leSoRAScE.-- When the commit
tee Of The French Academy were employed
in prrparing u well krown Academy Diciion-
ary, tuver, the celebrated naturalist, came
inio the room where they were holding
session. Glad to sre you, Monsieur Gu
vier," said one of the forty; "we have just tin
islled definition which We think quite sat
bu, upon which we would like to
have your opinion. We have been defining the
word Crab, and have explained it thus: Crab,
n small red fish, which walks barkwnrds."-
"perfrc,. yrntl-mrn," said Cnvier; "only