Claudius Mitchell
Claudius Mitchell, a brother of Joseph, of whom we have just written, and son of Ensign Mitchell, of Champaign County, settled in the township on land known as the Henry Weaver place, about 1815-16; this situation is on the Urbana & Liverpool pike, near the west line of the township. We have obtained quite a full account of hte manner of his starting out in life, and the hardships and trials he endured; and as an illustration of pioneer life, we here give it a space in the history of Pike Township, that not only his descendants many years hence may read and know how their worthy ancestor lived and labored, but that all future generations may have the means of knowing, so far as the pen of the historian is able to portray it, the true picture of pioneer life.
Claudius Mitchell was born in Vermont in 1794, of poor but respectable parents, who, after a few years, removed to the State of New York, thence to Pennsylvania, from there to Kentucky and thence to Southern Ohio, and, in 1815, to Madison County. During these years of pioneer itineracy, he arrived at his majority, but these were years of rough, yet it seems pleasant, experiences, to young Claudius, and he enjoyed, with his favorite dog and uneering rifle, the sports of frontier life; ever on the chase for, or in mortal combat with, the wounded bear or stolen cub, and often came to "hand and hand" contest with the wild buck deer of the forests, which then abounded with all kinds of wild game and animals. Consequently, Claudius had no opportunities of obtaining even a common-school education; did not even learn to read or write. The first pair ofpants he ever wore were made by his faithful Vermont mother, who manufactured them out of hair combed from their own cow in the time of shedding in the spring, mixed and carded with common flax tow, all done by hand, and spun by hand and knit inot a pair of pants, all being done by her own hands. The first pair of shoes he ever wore was when he was ten years of age, for which he earned the money to pay for them by taking his ax and hand-sled and cut and hauled wood a distance of several miles. At the age of twelve years, he performed a man's work cutting cord-wood and working at the Kanawha Salt Works. As stated above, in 1815 he came to Madison County, and, in 1816, he married Nancy Lambert, of Brown County. On the 1st day of February, he took leave of his home and parents, whom he had served faithfully for many years, and commenced life for himself. The first day's work for himself he took his ax and maul, and cut and split 350 rails, for which he received 25 cents per hundred, but not in cash, but in corn at 25 cents per bushel, which gave him three and one-half bushels of corn. The second day he made 250 rails, and took his pay in tallow and fat meat. On February 7, he took a lease of land on Spring Fork, and at once conmmenced to build a cabin, with the snow then six inches deep. He soon had his cabin up and a roof on the same, and the next day he and his young wife moved into it, cleared away the snow and built a fire on the ground; then to work they went in earnest to fit up the new home. At a late hour that night they laid down some loose clapboards on the snow, on which they spread their scanty bedding, and then before retiring to rest they knelt down upon the icy-cold ground by two blocks, their only chairs, and there offered their songs and prayers to the God of the Universe. The only utensil they had for cooking was an old iron pot, and their table-ware consisted of two broken knives and forks and two old pewter spoons. He had one two-year-old heifer, upon which the tax was 8 cents, and he had more difficulty to raise the money and pay that 8 cent tax than any tax he has ever paid. Since that time, he has paid his $300 tax with perfect ease. He resided in this township for many years; finally, he removed with his family into Champaign County, where he has since resided. He was twice married. By his first wife he had seven children — Sarah, Lavinia, Elizabeth, Nancy, Alvira, Chandler and Joshua. Mrs. Mitchell died, and he married for his second wife Mary Ann Reed; by her he had one child, deceased. Mr. Mitchell now resides in Mechanicsburg, retired from all active business; is in the ninetieth year of his age, and has all his business matters fully settled up, with no temporal affairs to trouble him. He is as erect and straight as a young man of twenty, is in comfortable health, cheerful and happy, and is patiently awaiting the summos of his Master that he may see the King in His beauty.
From HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY - W. H. Beers [Chicago, 1883]