David Reed Mitchell, born in 1797 in North Carolina, arrived in Robertson County, Texas, in 1845. He was a surveyor by trade, and had surveyed the upper Trinity and Brazos River areas in 1844. He became surveyor of the Robertson County Land District, and worked on the Mercer and Peters colonies, as well as the original plans of Navarro County and Corsicana. Mitchell was also a land speculator of sorts, and by 1847 he owned a large amount of land in Navarro County. With two partners, Thomas I. Smith and James C. Neill, he donated one hundred acres on which the town of Corsicana was founded. For a time, he operated an inn in the town, sometimes referred to as the "Lower Hotel" because of its location in proximity to another hotel run by pioneer Hampton McKinney. David Reed Mitchell was married to Mary Ann Higgins, and they were the parents of five children. Mitchell continued to live in Corsicana until his death on October 7, 1853. He was buried in Oakwood Cemetery, and the citizens of Corsicana erected a monument at his grave in 1899. Of the three partners who donated land for the city of Corsicana, Mitchell is the only one buried here.
Texas Sesquicentennial 1836 - 1986
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