Richard P. Mitchell, M.D., of Rogersville, was born, at Rogersville, April 30, 1827, the son of Stokely D. and Alice (Rogers) Mitchell. They were of Scotch-Irish and Irish descent. Both were born at Rogersville; the father on March 25, 1795, and the mother on November 4, 1800. Both died at Rogersville, the father on June 19, 1866, and the mother in 1873. They were married at Rogersville, December 11, 1823. The father received a collegiate education, and graduated from the University of North Carolina, at Chapel Hill, in 1815. He was a man of considerable prominence, and was cashier of the old State Bank at Rogersville from 1818 to 1830. He was clerk of the House of Representatives four terms – 1835, 1836, 1841 and 1843. He published the Calvanistic Magazine during 1828-29-30 and in 1830 published also the Railroad Advocate. The mother was the daughter of Joseph Rogers, who was the founder of Rogersville, Our subject is the third of nine children. He received a liberal education in his youth at McMinn Academy, at Rogersville, and went in 1853 to the Jefferson Medical College, in Philadelphia, where he graduated as an M.D. in 1854. After his graduation he went to Florida, and when he had practiced over one year near Gainesville, he returned to Rogersville and with the exception of the two years he spent in the war, he has been a practicing physician here ever since. In the fall of 1863, he joined the United States Army, and was made surgeon of the first Tennessee Regiment of Light Artillery. He was stationed at Nashville, where he remained the remainder of the war. He was on the medical examining board of the State and county. July 7, 1861,he married Miss Mary J. Shields, daughter of Dr. Samuel and Eliza Shields of Grainger County. She was born July 4, 1835. They have four children, three sons and one daughter. Our subject is a Republican. His father was old line Whig, and a great admirer of Henry Clay. Subject, father, mother and wife are members of the Presbyterian Church.

Transcribed by Betty Mize from Goodspeed’s History of Tennessee, 1886.