Person:Arthur Mitchell (13)

Arthur William Mitchell was born in 1869 in Portsmouth, Hampshire, son of Sarah Victory Mitchell, formerly Lobb, and her husband Nathaniel Mitchell, a sailor in the Navy.

Shortly after Arthur's birth, the family left Portsmouth and moved over 200 miles to the north west, to Tranmere, near Birkenhead. The 1871 census finds Arthur living at 35 Meadow Lane, Tranmere, with his parents, two older siblings and maternal grandmother. In 1877 Tranmere became part of the newly created municipal borough of Birkenhead. In 1881 the family was living at 114 Peel Street, and Arthur had five younger siblings as well as the two older ones.

By 1891, Arthur's father had died and Arthur was living with his widowed mother and his brothers Henry and Charles at 6 Planet Street. Arthur was by this time working as a general labourer. The same household was living together in 1901 at 18 Comet Street.

In 1911, Arthur was working as a plater's labourer in a shipbuilding yard, and boarding with a widow called Ellen Kelly, formerly Thomas. Curiously he claimed to be a widower, having been married for 18 years with no children born to that marriage. This does not appear to be supported by the evidence of the earlier censuses. One possibility is that the part of the census form describing his marriage and children (which is crossed out) was intended to relate to Ellen's marriage, which had lasted about 19 years and been apparently childless.

Arthur and Ellen married later in 1911. They were married for just over 20 years. Arthur died in Birkenhead in 1931, aged 63. Ellen survived him by about 18 years.

1. ↑ Births index, in General Register Office. England and Wales Civil Registration. (London: General Register Office).

   b. Arthur William MITCHELL, March Quarter 1869, Portsea Island Registration District, Volume 2b, page 448

2. ↑ England. England and Wales. 1871 Census Schedules. (
   Kew, Richmond, Greater London TW9 4DU, United Kingdom:
   The National Archives (abbreviated TNA), formerly the UK General Register Office.)
   Class RG10; Piece 3751; Folio 169; Page 22, 2 Apr 1871.

   Address: 35 Meadow Lane, Tranmere, Cheshire
   Nathaniel Mitchell, head, married, male, 42 [1828/9], Naval Pensioner, b. Landport, Hampshire
   Sarah Mitchell, wife, married, female, 32 [1838/9], b. Portsea, Hampshire
   George Mitchell, son, male, 9 [1861/2], Scholar, b. Landport, Hampshire
   Alfred H. Mitchell, son, male, 4 [1866/7], b. Landport, Hampshire
   Arthur W. Mitchell, son, male, 2 [1868/9], b. Landport, Hampshire
   Ann Lobb, mother in law, widow, female, 77 [1793/4], b. Millbrook, Cornwall

3. ↑ England. 1881 Census Schedules for England and Wales, Isle of Man and the Channel Islands: . (
   Kew, Richmond, Greater London TW9 4DU, United Kingdom:
   The National Archives (abbreviated TNA), formerly the UK General Register Office.)
   Class RG11; Piece 3585; Folio 82; Page 47, 3 Apr 1881.

   Address: 114 Peel Street, Tranmere, Birkenhead, Cheshire
   Nathaniel Mitchell, head, married, male, 52 [1828/9], Navy Pensioner, b. Portsmouth, Hampshire
   Sarah V. Mitchell, wife, married, female, 43 [1837/8], b. Portsmouth, Hampshire
   George N. Mitchell, son, unmarried, male, 19 [1861/2], b. Portsmouth, Hampshire
   Alfred H. Mitchell, son, male, 14 [1866/7], b. Portsmouth, Hampshire
   Arthur W. Mitchell, son, male, 12 [1868/9], Scholar, b. Portsmouth, Hampshire
   Fred C. Mitchell, son, male, 10 [1870/1], Scholar, b. Birkenhead, Cheshire
   Margaret A. Mitchell, daughter, female, 7 [1873/4], Scholar, b. Birkenhead, Cheshire
   Henry H. Mitchell, son, male, 5 [1875/6], Scholar, b. Birkenhead, Cheshire
   Edith S. Mitchell, daughter, female, 2 [1878/9], b. Birkenhead, Cheshire
   Charles V. Mitchell, son, male, 5mo [1880], b. Birkenhead, Cheshire

4. ↑ England. 1891 Census Schedules for England and Wales, Isle of Man and the Channel Islands. (
   Kew, Richmond, Greater London TW9 4DU, United Kingdom:
   The National Archives (abbreviated TNA), formerly the UK General Register Office.)
   Class RG12; Piece 2891; Folio 38; Page 27, 5 Apr 1891.

   Address: 6 Planet Street, Tranmere, Birkenhead, Cheshire
   4 rooms occupied
   Sarah Victory Mitchell, widow, female, 51 [1839/40], employed, b. Portsmouth, Hampshire
   Arthur W. Mitchell, single, 22 [1868/9], Labourer General, employed, b. Portsmouth, Hampshire
   Henry H. Mitchell, single, male, 16 [1874/5], Joiner's Apprentice, employed, b. Rock Ferry, Cheshire
   Charles V. Mitchell, single, male, 10 [1880/1], b. Rock Ferry, Cheshire

5. ↑ England. England. 1901 Census Schedules for England and Wales, Isle of Man and the Channel Islands. (
   Kew, Richmond, Greater London TW9 4DU, United Kingdom:
   The National Archives (abbreviated TNA), formerly the UK General Register Office.)
   Class RG13; Piece 3398; Folio 17; Page 25, 31 Mar 1901.

   Address: 18 Comet Street, Birkenhead, Cheshire
   Sarah Mitchell, head, widow, female, 62 [1838/9], b. Portsmouth, Hampshire
   Arthur Mitchell, son, single, male, 30 [1870/1], General Labourer, worker, b. Portsmouth, Hampshire
   Henry Mitchell, son, single, male, 25 [1875/6], Railway Platelayer, worker, b. Rock Ferry, Cheshire
   Charles Mitchell, son, single, male, 21 [1879/80], Bricklayer, worker, b. Rock Ferry, Cheshire

6. ↑ England. 1911 Census Schedules for England and Wales, Isle of Man and the Channel Islands. (Kew, Richmond, Greater London TW9 4DU, United Kingdom: The National Archives (abbreviated TNA), formerly the UK General Register Office.))
   Class RG14; Piece 22026; Schedule 31, 2 Apr 1911.

   Address: 105 Well Lane, Higher Tranmere, Birkenhead, Cheshire
   4 rooms occupied
   Ellen Kelly, head, female, 45 [1865/6], widow, married 21 years, 3 children, 2 still living, Laundress - Laundry, worker, b. Shrewsbury, Shropshire
   Aurthr [sic] W. Mitchell, boarder, male, 43 [1867/8], widower, married 18 years, 0 children, Platers Labourer - Ship building yard, worker, b. Portsmouth, Hampshire

7. ↑ Deaths index, in General Register Office. England and Wales Civil Registration. (London: General Register Office).

   d. Arthur W. MITCHELL, September Quarter 1931, Birkenhead Registration District, Volume 8a, page 462, aged 63 [1867/8]