Tarrant County TXGenWeb - Mr. & Mrs. Charles Mitchell

Tarrant County TXGenWeb

Charles & Martha Ellen (Gilmore) Mitchell

Article appeared in the Fort Worth Star-Telegram - 11 November 1923
Transcribed by Rob Yoder

BORN IN TARRANT COUNTY IN 1849, WOMAN CLAIMS TO BE OLDEST WHITE NATIVE

She was born in Fort Worth in 1849.

"I would like to know whether or not anybody now living in Tarrant County was born earlier than that. I believe I am the first white child born in Tarrant County." said Mrs. Charles Mitchell, radio fan of Haslett, who came to The Star-Telegram office with her husband to shake hands with the Hired Hand. Mitchell has been in Tarrant County 67 years and his wife has been here 74 years.

Mrs. Mitchell was the daughter of Seybourne Gilmore, who came to Fort Worth in 1847 and was the first county judge of Tarrant County. He held the first election which declared Birdville the county seat of Tarrant County and two years later, in 1857, presided when Fort Worth was voted the county seat.

Several Killed in Elections.

"While my father counted the votes he could hear the reports of pistols on the outside. Those were wild times and several killings resulted from the excitement of the election." the pioneer recalled.

Mrs. Mitchell was born in the house built on the land granted to her father as a pension by the Texas Government after the Mexican War, in which he fought.

Charles Mitchell is not a newcomer, having been in this county 67 years. His mother, Mrs. John A. Mitchell, lived in the old barracks when Charles was a baby. She taught music in those early days and brought the first piano into the wilderness town. It came by water to Shreveport and an ox team brought it on to Fort Worth at the end of its three months journey.

Married 51 Years.

"We've been married 51 years." the kindly old gentleman said, with a twinkle in his clear blue eyes. They are a lively old couple, even at their advanced age. He enjoyed telling of how they were married in 1872 when "It was no trouble to get a license, but it was a different matter finding a preacher." After making two attempts he found an aged magistrate who performed the ceremony. "And, it stuck just as well as if a preacher had done it." he laughed.

"Why don't some of those old timers tell more about the teamsters who drove the wagon trains, I wonder. They were characters in those days. They were the carriers, the newspapers, the information bureaus of all kinds. The only one I can remember was Hunt Kelley. He was a great fellow to the boys. He went out into the world and got wise and we would listen to him by the hour."

Mr. and Mrs. Mitchell have two daughters, Mrs. M. F. Quayle of Smithfield and Mrs. F. L. Green, Denver Avenue, North Fort Worth.

Additional information contributed by R. L. Hauk - RHaukJr@bellhelicopter.textron.com:

Charles and Martha (Gilmore) Mitchell are buried at Sweet's Chapel Cemetery just off Keller-Haslet Road on Old Denton Road. The cemetery is just east across Interstate 35W from Alliance Airport. (far north Tarrant County)

This page was last modified 26 May 2009.