On December 14, 1935 John Authur Mitchell, the baby, was born to Charlie Robert and Amie (Wyche) Mitchell. John was the last of the thirteen children born to this union. He was a sickly child early on in his life and for that reason could not help out too much on the family farm when he was little, but this later changed.

John received his education in Northampton County schools. In 1955 he graduated from Gumberry High School. Later, on August 27 of that same year John married Georgia McGee and to this union three children were born: Helen Ruth, John Aurthur Jr. (deceased), and Nelson.

As John grew older his health improved and he began to help more and more around the farm. John began farming in his late teens and has been doing it every since. He has worked the family farm land for most of his life and still cares for Mitchell Place today. At one of the past family meetings John was voted head of the family. It's obvious that this is a job that John takes very serious.

John's hobbies included playing baseball, riding his motorcycle and at an early age, horseback riding. From a very young age John had an interest in, and a love for, horses. He would often ride his horse over to his sisters homes and thrill his nieces and nephews with such riding tricks and mounting his horse at full gallop. John would tell the starred eyed children how he used to ride with Annie Oakley. I know that some of the younger generation is saying to yourself "Who is Annie Oakley?" Well it really doesn't matter because as they later found out that wasn't quite true. Okay it wasn't true at all.

Peacefully, John's journey with life ended on December 8, 2011 at Pitt County Memorial Hospital in Greenville, North Carolina.