Obituary for Grant Mitchell, 1920
Amanuensis Monday – this daily prompt, developed by John Newmark at Transylvanian Dutch, encourages bloggers to transcribe family letters, journals, audiotapes, and other historical artifacts. (An amanuensis is someone employed to write what another dictates or to copy what has been written by another.)
Today’s transcription is an obituary for my great-grand uncle, Grant Mitchell, who died December 19, 1920.
Original text:
From Newspapers.com.
Citation:
GRANT MITCHELL. (1920, December 21). The News-Journal (Lancaster, Pennsylvania), p. 16. Retrieved December 14, 2020, from https://www.newspapers.com/clip/65312097/
Transcription:
GRANT MITCHELL
Grant Mitchell, aged forty-five years, died on Sunday morning at 8 o’clock at St. Joseph’s Hospital from diabetes after an illness of three weeks. He was born in Mifflin county, but resided in Burnham for a number of years, where he was employed at the Logan Iron and Steel Company. He was a member of the Owls, Independent Order of Red Men and the Eagles. He is survived by three sisters and one brother, Miss Ella Mitchell, Mrs. Grace Brimmer [Briner], of Burnham; Mrs. William Whiteman, Buffalo, N.Y., and John, of Alaska. The body will be shipped by Undertaker Groff to Lewistown for burial.
Notes:
- Mrs. Grace Brimmer should be Mrs. Grace BRINER, my great-grandmother. This isn’t the first time the Briner name has been mis-spelled on a family document.
- This obituary gave me an excellent clue for where to find the third Mitchell sister, which is always exciting. I’d been looking for her in Pennsylvania, but obviously she’s in New York!
- Grant was probably buried with the other Mitchells in Mt. Rock Cemetery, in Lewistown, but I haven’t confirmed burial location yet. His death certificate only mentioned Lewistown, to boot.
- More things to research: his memberships in the clubs/fraternal orders. I haven’t heard of any of them, but I do know that fraternal orders frequently paid for headstones for their members. Maybe that’ll help me find his grave?
