VMI Archives Historical Rosters: Henry Milnor Mitchell

Historical Rosters Database

Henry Milnor Mitchell

Roster ID 3149
This is a summary. Contact the Archives for additional biographical information.

First Name:	Henry
Middle Name:	Milnor
Last Name:	Mitchell
Suffix:
Affiliation:	Class of 1868
Biography & Genealogy:	Henry Milnor Mitchell, Class of 1868: Genealogy: Born- Dec. 14, 1847 in Richmond, Va. Father- Samuel Phillips Mitchell; Mother- Rebecca Klapp. Pat. Grandfather- William Mitchell; Pat. Grandmother- Sarah Corliss. Mat. Grandparents- unknown. Married- Susan Glassell, daughter of Hon. Andrew Glassell of Los Angeles, Ca. in 1879. Children- Two daughters, names unknown. VMI Record: Entered VMI- Dec. 24, 1864; Left around April 2, 1865 when the Corps of Cadets was disbanded and evacuated from Richmond, Va. Military Record: May have been the "H. M. Mitchell" who enlisted in Richmond, Va. at the age of 16 as Private in Co. G, 3rd Regiment of Va. Local Defense Troops; served with the VMI Corps of Cadets in the trenches at Richmond Dec. 24, 1864 - April 2, 1865. Careers: Raised wheat and tobacco in Va. after the Civil War; taught school in North Carolina in 1867; traveled through Nicaragua to settle in Los Angeles, Ca. in 1868; worked as a surveyor and later a reporter and writer of California stories; attended law school for two or three years, being admitted to the bar in 1872 and to practice before the Supreme Court in 1879; He was under- sheriff during the incumbency of Alexander and Rowland and captured the notorious bandit Tiburcio Vasquez; also served as public administrator and Notary Public; served as Assistant Adjutant General and Chief of Staff when General John M. Baldwin was in command of the First Brigade National Guard of Ca.; elected Sheriff of Los Angeles in 1877; resumed practicing law once his term as Sheriff was up in 1880; was Grand Marshall of the celebration of the city of Los Angeles in the Centennial of National Independence. Died- Dec. 7, 1890. Accidentally shot by a friend while hunting in the mountains near Los Angeles.

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The database currently includes the names of all enrolled students (both graduates and non-graduates) from VMI's opening in 1839 through the World War II era. In addition, you will find biographical and genealogical information, including a summary of military service during the Civil War, for many individuals who attended in the 19th century. The database also includes some historical Faculty and Board of Visitors members, as well as U. S. Army students sent to VMI for training during World Wars I and II. The latter groups were not VMI cadets. For further information about an ancestor listed in the database, please contact the VMI Archives. We can check the complete record, let you know if other information available, and provide copies of original documents. This database is for historical research. We do not release information about living individuals.