See also
| Husband: | Experience * MITCHELL (1603-1688) | |
| Wife: | Jane * COOKE (1604-bef1641) | |
| Children: | Elizabeth * MITCHELL (1628-1684) | |
| Thomas MITCHELL (1630- ) | ||
| Mary MITCHELL (1632- ) | ||
| Marriage | 1627 | Plymouth, Plymouth, MA, US |
| Name: | Experience * MITCHELL | |
| Sex: | Male | |
| Father: | Thomas * MITCHELL (1566-1628) | |
| Mother: | Margaret * WILLIAMS (1568-1620) | |
| Birth | 1603 | Leyden, South Holland, Netherlands |
| Death | 14 May 1688 (age 84-85) | Bridgewater, Plymouth, MA, US |
| Name: | Jane * COOKE | |
| Sex: | Female | |
| Father: | - | |
| Mother: | - | |
| Birth | 1604 | Leyden, South Holland, Netherlands |
| Death | bef 1641 (age 36-37) | Plymouth, Plymouth, MA, US |
| Name: | Elizabeth * MITCHELL | |
| Sex: | Female | |
| Spouse: | John * WASHBURN (1620-1686) | |
| Birth | 27 Aug 1628 | Duxbury, Plymouth, MA, US |
| Death | 5 Dec 1684 (age 56) | Bridgewater, Plymouth, MA, US |
| Name: | Thomas MITCHELL | |
| Sex: | Male | |
| Birth | 1630 | |
| Name: | Mary MITCHELL | |
| Sex: | Female | |
| Birth | 1632 | |
In the summer of 1620, Experience lived with the Southworths at Heneage House, or in that neighborhood. He may have had a temporary domicile nearby at Houndsditch as both he and Thomas Southworth lived at a place called Houndsditch in Duxbury after their arrival in Plymouth. A brother of Experience's remained in Amsterdam, and as late as 1662, Experience was in correspondence with his nephew there, as well as with a member of the May family, a near relative of the first wife of Governor Bradford. Both of these families were from the same county and possibly connected by an early marriage.
Experience Mitchell came to Plymouth in the Ann in 1623. He had been one of the company at Leyden, where he left a brother Thomas who died there. Perhaps he was under the care of Francis Cook, at least he was of his company in partaking a share of cattle in 1627, and soon after married his daughter Jane in 1628. He was one of the founders of Duxbury, and when Bridgewater was set up, became a leading man there.
Experience was the son of Thomas Mitchell of Cambridge, England, who was a member of Francis Johnson's church at Amsterdam, and that Experience was born in Leyden in 1611.
Experience received a letter dated 24 Jul 1662 from his nephew Thomas Mitchell in Amsterdam in which Thomas mentions having received Experience's letter dated 23 Apr 1661, and says, "I do also wish my cousin Elizabeth much joy with her [p.328] daughter that God has given her to her six sons. I do also wish my cousin Sarah much joy in her married estate." (PN&Q 3:102-03).
Experience was a Purchaser and was on the 1633 freeman list. He later moved to Duxbury, where he became a highway surveyor on 3 Mar 1639/40 (PCR 1:141); he also served on various juries (PCR, passim), and on 7 Jun 1659 he was fined ten shillings for refusing to serve on the grand jury (PCR 3:168).
He married, probably not long after the 1627 cattle division, Jane Cooke, daughter of 1620 Mayflower passenger Francis Cooke; though there is no record of their marriage, their son Thomas Mitchell in a deed of 1 Aug 1672 refers to some land given him by his grandfather Francis Cooke (MD 3:104).
By his first wife Jane, Mitchell had Thomas and Elizabeth, but indirect evidence indicates that the rest of his children, with the exception of Mary, perhaps, were probably by his second wife Mary _____.
In his will, dated 5 Dec 1684, inventory 14 May 1689, Mitchell named his wife Mary; sons Edward and John; grandsons Experience and Thomas; granddaughter Mary Mitchell; and daughters Mary Shaw, Sarah Hayward, and Hannah Hayward (MD 32:97). His daughter Elizabeth, who married John Washburn, and his son Jacob, who married Susanna Pope, predeceased him. He, like the other early Colonials, was granted additional lands through the years. In 1675/6 Experience and Edward Mitchell were were appointed by the Court to investigate the estate of Jacob Michell, deceased, for the good of his children. Experience, Edward and Joseph Bartlett were later appointed guardians of the children of Jacob Michell, deceased.
In 1631 Experience sells his dwelling house, garden plot and fence, leading to the speculation that this may have been the approximate date of Jane's death, leaving him with small children.
Experience Mitchell's will was written on 5 dec 1684, his inventory was taken 14 May 1689, and his will was proved 4 Sep 1689. The will and inventory are recorded in the Plymouth County Probate Records, Volume 1, pages 44 and 45. The wife Mary mentioned in the will was a second wife, the first one having been Jane. Experience was among several single men in the colony, and he, together with five other unmarried young men, were listed in the Division of Cattle along with Francis Cooke and his family--thus probably living with them at the time.
There is much controversy over the children of the two marriages of Experience Mitchell: "MFIP (Mayflower Families In Progress), it states Elizabeth Mitchell was born about 1628 and Thomas Mitchell about 1631. These two have been accepted by the General Society of Mayflower Descendants as Jane Cooke's. Since Thomas was the only Mitchell child known to have received land from grandfather Francis Cook, doubt is cast on the remaining Mitchell children who were born later than Thomas."
Jane Cooke was born abt 1604, probably in Leyden,Holland. No absolute birth or death records have yet been found for Jane, and as can be seen there are some prior discrepancies on her birth date. The most recent and exhaustive Cooke study suggests a 1604 date, and the rationale for this date is assumption. She died after 1631, prior to 1640 in Plymouth, Massachusetts. Her latest suggested death date as Experience remarries in this year, though it is noted that she was certainly dead before Bradford prepared his accounting of Mayflower families Parents: Francis Cooke from the Mayflower and Hester Le Mahieu. The ship "Anne" arrived in Plymouth in July, 1623 accompanied by the "Little James," bringing new settlers along with many of the wives and children that had been left behind in Leyden when the Mayflower departed in 1620. Among the passengers of the "Anne" were Hester Cooke and her children Jane, Jacob and Hester.
It appears entirely possible that Jane (Cooke) Mitchell was the mother of only Elizabeth, Thomas and perhaps Mary; and that Experience's second wife, Mary, was the mother of the others. There is then a near 10-year span before the rest of Experience's children are born, presumably, by his second wife, Mary. Another observation is that if Jane died very early in their marriage, Experience was left with near infant children--quite a hardship in any event, and especially so in those days. Many such men would hasten to find a new wife and mother for such small children, and female companionship for themselves, however, Experience doesn't remarry until 1640/1.
Presidents George H. W. Bush, George W. Bush, folk singer Pete Seeger, Chef Julia Child, poet William Cullen Bryant, Wild Bill Hickok and John Bartlett of Bartlett's Quotations are descendants of Jane and Experience. Marilyn Monroe is presumed to be a descendant.