James Mitchell

James Mitchell was the youngest son of Robert Mitchell and Mary Clough, the parents of Jeremiah Clough. He was born in about 1849. He appeared on the Censuses of 1851 and 1861, working as a Cotton Doffer in 1861, by which time the family had moved to Newchurch in Rossendale.

Amongst Derrick Kershaw's papers was a group photograph featuring 36 people. This must have been given to him by his friend (mentioned in the last post). Nearly all the people in the photo are named, along with a few who were ‘known to have refused to be on the photo’. The photo shows the children of Jeremiah by his second wife Amelia (nee Jennings) except for Clara who was a granddaughter from his first marriage.

‘The occasion of the photo was James Mitchell’s return from Australia, taken in Littleborough Park about 1919.’ Most of the children from Jeremiah’s second marriage are on the photo along with spouses and children. Right in the middle of the photo is an elderly, distinguished looking gentleman and this is James Mitchell, the younger brother of Jeremiah.

On 25th July 1914 the following article appeared in The Rochdale Observer:  

The following year another article appeared in the same newspaper:

The sister mentioned in the article must have been either Elizabeth, born in 1839, or Susannah, born in 1853. James also had two brothers - William, born in 1837, and John, born in 1841.

The man on James Mitchell's left in the photograph may have been the Mayor of Rochdale (Alderman Redfern) who was instrumental in reuniting James with his long lost relatives.

And what happened to Mary Mitchell (nee Clough), the mother of Jeremiah Clough and James Mitchell? The last record we have of her is the 1871 Census where she appears as a widow, living near Blackpool with Susannah and working as a Lodging House Keeper.