Harvey Mitchell

Harvey Mitchell. Boonville. , "Welcome to My Town", Father of Brazos County, Harvey Mitchell was born in 1821 in Tennessee. Because his parents could not afford to send him to college, the ambitious 18 year old came to Texas in 1838. From 1839 to 1842, Mitchell served as a "Minute Man" in Robertson County, helping to secure the countryside from Indian raids from the Trinity River to the Brazos River., Mitchell moved to the newly created Brazos County after his military service. As one of its first settlers, Mitchell was a leader and county official from 1842 to 1853, acting at different times as County Clerk, Post Master, Chief Justice, Surveyor and County Secretary in addition to managing his farm. Still needing additional money to make ends meet, Judge Mitchell supplemented his income by teaching the children of the Carter (Carter Creek) family for $20 a month. Professor Mitchell was thus one of the first paid teachers in Brazos County. In 1845, he opened the first dry goods and grocery store in Brazos County, also operating a gristmill and blacksmith shop. In 1853, Mitchell left county office to become a full time mercantile man and landowner. He was a leader in building churches and the Brazos County courthouses of 1846, 1853, and 1878. During the Civil War, he was assessor of Confederate state taxes., As County Clerk, Mitchell issued his own marriage license and married Miss Arthuisa J. Foley in 1847. He fathered nine children. In 1870, in a single week, Colonel Mitchell and his wife lost four daughters to meningitis: Eunice, age 9, died January 18; Ada and Josephine, ages 2 and 8, died January 22; Mary Etta, age 14, died January 25. Fittingly, their joint tombstone has the following inscription: "OUR CHILDREN Sleep here. Disturb them not. H. and A.J. Mitchell." He is buried beside his wife with his family in the Boonville cemetery. , Father of Texas A&M, Harvey Mitchell's determination helped secure the location of the A.&M. College of Texas for Brazos County. After the Civil War, the U.S. Congress extended the 1862 Morrill Act to former Confederate states to create land-grant colleges. The Morrill Act, as well as the Texas State Legislature, allowed public lands to be granted for sale at auction to establish permanent funding to support future colleges. In 1871, the Texas Legislature was searching for a college location., Mitchell, leader of rural, sparsely populated Brazos County, saw an opportunity. Although several large cities, including "San Antonio, Austin, Waco, and other prominent and wealthy places," were avidly seeking this prize college, Mitchell and his three-man committee reached out to grab the brass ring. He managed to learn what bonus amount was needed to secure the prize. Mitchell wrote out a bid, which was accepted, on condition that he would have clear titles to 2,500 acres of previously shown land - within 48 hours. With the help of other citizens, the money was raised; the lands were bought and deeds secured and delivered to the commissioners, within the time specified. The prize was theirs. Legend has it that somewhere in the process Col. Mitchell held a winning hand of poker securing the opportunity for the Brazos County location for A.&M., arguably the highest stakes in the history of Texas, if true., Texas A.&M. was established on land that would later become College Station by the state legislature on April 17, 1871, as the state's first public institution of higher education. As an interesting footnote, Jefferson Davis, former President of the Confederate States, was offered the first presidency, but he declined., The Agricultural and Mechanical College of Texas officially opened with classes on October 4, 1876. There were 40 students and six professors - with wild animals roaming freely on the frontier campus. By the end of the school year, there were 106 students, all male and required to participate in military training in the Corps of Cadets. In 1963, ninety years later, during the tenure of 16th president, Major General James Earl Rudder, women were finally admitted as students to Texas A&M University. , - Compiled by Mervin Peters, Photo , Courtesy Jennifer Risch family of Harvey Mitchell