Individual Details

John married Caroline Bayless, who died 20 Jan 1893. "He became a millionaire and whose history became a matter of public record"
They married 20 Dec 1847, Jefferson Co, OH.

Online database at WorldConnect:
John J. Mitchell in 1850 moved to Alton, Illinois, where John milled flour and distributed it; in business with his brother William Hamilton Mitchell.
1850-1870 The brothers expanded their business activities. They developed the Alton-St. Louis Packet company which carried freight between those two places until the Alton-St. Louis Railroad was built in part by John J. Mitchell in 1864. They also had a contract with the U. S. government by which they were responsible for the shipping of all freight and soldiers between St. Louis and New Orleans.
The Mitchell brothers owned about 4,000 acres of land at Mitchell Station near Alton.
1870 John J. Mitchell listed his occupation as "railroad director" in the U. S. Census
1871 John J. Mitchell was responsible for the development of the Venice (Illinois) Elevator.
He moved his family to 3015 Locust Street in St. Louis.
John, his wife Caroline, and all six of their children are buried in the family mausoleum at Bellefontane Cemetery in St. Louis, Missouri.

John and Caroline were very elusive in the 1850 census, although I could find his brother Leander. John and William were next door to each other in 1860 in Illinois, but I do not find Leander that year.

1860 Census. Alton, Madison Co, IL, Hh 1253, next door to brother William.
John J. Michell, age 40, Sept. Railroad. Real estate $37,500 Pers Prop 30,000, b. Ohio
Carroline, 33, b. MO
Children all born in Illinois: Lucy 12, Carroline 7, Willamena 5, Girtrude 5, Hariett, age 1.
Mary Sackett, age 40, nurse, b. IL
Mary Sackett, age 20, servant, b. IL
Wm. H. Read, 19, Clerk in Bank, b. Ohio [probably a nephew]
Frank Jones, 20, Gardner, b. Ireland

In 1870, John and his brothers William H. and Leander, were all living in Alton, Madison Co, IL.
Hh 871
J. J. Mitchell, age 56, RR Director, Value of Real estate, $400,000; personal property $250,000, b. Ohio [brother William gave identical value for his estate]
Caroline, age 45, b. Maryland
children born in Illinois: Lucinda 20, Caroline 17, Willy & Gurty 15 [female twins], Adison, age 7, marked at male, but she was Pamela Addison.
Mary Downs, age 24, Cook, b. Ireland
And. Ringering, age 22, domestic servant, b. Hanover

1880 Census. St. Louis, MO, Hh 3
John J. Mitchell, age 63, retired merchant, b. Ohio, parents b. PA
Caroline, wife, 55, b. MD, as were her parents
Gertrude, 21, dau, b. IL
Wilhelmina, 21, dau, b. IL [marked as twins]
Addison, 16, son, b. IL [actually a daughter -Pamela Addison]
Henry Porter, age 20, mulatto, servant, b. MO

St. Louis City Directory by Gould, 1883, 1884, 1885, 1887, 1889
Mitchell, John J., Pres. KC StL & CRR, 919 Olive; residence 3015 Locust
The Manual of the Railroads of the United States, Vol. 22, by Henry Varnum Poor, 1889, States that the Kansas City, St. Louis and Chicago Railroad from Mexico MO to Kansas city, 161.92 miles, was organized in 1877 and opened 1 May 1879. It was leased to the Chicago & Alton Railroad Co in perpetuity from 1 Nov 1879. J. J. Michell, President. Corporate Office, St. Louis, MO.
Annual Report of the Railroad & Warehouse Commission of the State of Illinois, 1882, states that the Chicago & Alton was organized at Chicago 16 Oct 1862. It had undergone several name changes and bought or leased properties of other railroads. The original charger had been issued 27 Feb 1847 as the Alton & Sangamon Railroad Company.

1895, Gould's St. Louis City Directory
John J. Mitchel, pres. Kansas City, St. Louis & Chicago RR Co. 511 Olive, r. 3015 Locust
[street number for the office first changed from 919 to 511 Olive for the 1891 Directory]
1897 & 1899 directories contained the same information.

1900 Census. St. Louis, Ward 22, Missouri, Hh 3
3015 Locust St
John J. Mitchell, b. Jul 1813, age 86, widowed, b. Ohio, father b. PA, mother b. Scotland, retired farmer
Willie, dau, b. June 1855, age 44, b. IL, father b. Ohio, mother b. MD
Gerturde E., dau, b. Jun 1855, age 44
Rosie McKee, servant, age 41, b. Bohemia
Clara O. Summerfield, servant, age 29
Arther Chutman, servant, age 28

Kansas City Star, 28 Feb 1903
He Was an Alton Promotor
The Death of John J. Mitchell, Old Time Railroad Man, in St. Louis
St. Louis, Feb 18 - John J. Mitchell, uncle of John J. Mitchell, the Chicago capitalist, died at his home here last night. He was once president of the Chicago, St. Louis & Kansas City railway. The Chicago, St. Louis & Kansas City was one of the early names of the Chicago & Alton, although the road never was incorporated under that title.

The Times-Democrat, New Orleans, LA, 1 Mar 1903, Sunday, p.3
John J. Mitchell, St. Louis.
Chicago, Feb. 28. -- John J. Mitchell, uncle of John J. Mitchell the Chicago captialist, died at his home at S. Louis last night, says a dispatch to the Record Herald. He was president of the Kansas City, St. Louis and Chicago Railway.

FindAGrave.com
Picture of the huge mausoleum built for the body of John J. Mitchell, Bellefontaine Cemetery, St. Louis.
Birth: Jul. 11, 1813
Death: Feb 27, 1903
Mitchell engaged extensively in the field of transportation. He was a steamboat captain, a promoter of the Chicago & Alton Railraod & later president of the Wabash Railroad. [I believe the reference to the Wabash is incorrect - it is either confused with the changes in the names of the railroads or with his nephew of the same name]

Caroline Eloise Bayless was born 10 May 1825, Hartford County, MD, the daughter of John Browne Bayless & Elizabeth/Eloise Day. Her father was married four times and her half sister, Sophia, married James's brother Leander.

James and Caroline had six daughters:
Lucinda Elizabeth Mitchell was born about 1849. She married Lemuel Gulliver Fairbank. Lucinda died 16 Aug 1928, Boston, MA.
Mary Caroline was born 6 Jan 1853, Alton, IL. She married Herbert Wilson Phelps and she died 15 Dec 1941, New York City. Her residence at the time of death was 783 5th Ave, Manhattan. Buried Rosedal Cemetery, Orange Co, NJ.
Wilhelmina and Eloise Gertrude were twins born 1855. Neither ever married. Willy died 14 Jul 1927, Gertrude died 22 Jul 1919.
Henrietta Martha was born 2 oct 1856 and died 22 Sep 1861. She was burried in Alton, Madison Co, IL, but later reinterred in the family mausoleum in St. Louis.
Pamela Addison, born 6 Jan 1862, married Thodore Alfred Bingham. Addison died 2 Oct 1926. She had no children.


More about John J. Mitchell of Chicago - the nephew, son of John's brother William:

Various news items found online indicate that apparently the nephew of the same name in Chicago bought the Alton railroad, or at least bid on it. John J. Mitchell and his wife of Chicago were both killed in a car accident in 1927.
They are in the 1920 Chicago Ward 21 Census. Hh 240
John J. Micthell, age 66, b. Illinois, father b. Ohio, mother b. MO, Banker
Louise M., wife, age 47, b. Maine as were her parents
John J., son, 22, Clarence B., son, age 20, Louise J., daughter, age 16, all born in Illinoise
Four servants in the household

May 1, 1918 The Financier, New York
John J. Mitchell, president of the Illinois Trust & Savings Bank, Chicago, is at Key West, Fla. where his son J. J. Mitchell Jr. was seriously injured in an aeroplance

3 Feb 1921. Passport issued to Miss Addison Mitchell born 6 Oct 1866, Alton, IL. Her father was John J. Michell, born in Ohio, deceased. He has lived at Alton for eight years. She resided in Switzerland from Aug to Oct of 1914. Her permanent residence is #1 East 49th St. New York City. She has no occuplation. She plans to visit, England, France, Italy, Switzerland, Belgium & Holland - returning within two years. It is a pleasure trip. She plans to leave from the port of New York, sailing on the Cedric about May 29th, 1921. Her sister, Mrs. Herbert W. Phelps of the Hotel Savoy, New York City, made affidavit.
Description: age 54, 5'3" tall, brown eye, straight nose, grey hair, face oval. Distinguishing marks: Happiness.

Birth	11 Jul 1813	Belmont County, Ohio
Death	27 Feb 1903	Saint Louis County, Missouri

Father	James Mitchell (1776 - 1849)
Mother	Elizabeth McCullough (1783 - 1849)
Sibling	Mary Mitchell (1807 - 1885)
Sibling	Thomas Mitchell (1808 - 1876)
Sibling	Catherine Mitchell (1809 - 1885)
Sibling	Rachel Scott Mitchell (1811 - 1889)
Sibling	Adaline Mitchell (1815 - 1844)
Sibling	William Hamilton Mitchell (1817 - 1910)
Sibling	Elizabeth M. Mitchell (1819 - 1827)
Sibling	Lucinda Mitchell (1821 - 1845)
Sibling	Permelia Mitchell (1823 - 1825)
Sibling	Leander Clark Mitchell (1826 - 1903)