Black Loyalist
Dinah Mitchel
Dinah Mitchel claims to have been owned by 'Mr Mitchell' of Norfolk. According to the Loyalist Claims Commission Joseph Mitchell owned land in Dismal Swamp County but according to the tithable lists he also owned land in Norfolk. There are two Mitchells (they may in fact be the same person) recorded as being on board Dunmore's Floating Town in 1776. Mitchell may be one of them and therefore be a loyalist. Dinah claimed to have been at the siege of Charleston and to have had some connection with Dr Humphry of the York Volunteers- a loyalist unit. She travels in the Book of Negroes with a child in her arms and another- ten year old Frank. Her age was recorded as thirty but this is a mistake. As the tithables show she was more likely to be the age recorded for her in the Birchtown - 60. In the Birchtown Muster she is also recorded as being 'dead'. With this entry is another person listed as 'dead' -Francis Mitchel, her husband. His age here is also recorded as being sixty. The children that Dinah travels with in the BON are not listed in the Birchtown Muster. It is most likely that they died en route to Canada. Francis is almost certain to be Bristol Mitchel, also owned by Joseph Mitchell and a man recorded as being with Dunmore on board the Floating Town in 1776. Also on the list of those on board the Floating Town is a Dinah Morris- the only Dinah recorded- she is listed as being the spouse of someone in Dunmore's Royal Ethiopian Regiment- Bristol was in this unit. That entry is listed here. It can be safely assumed that Dinah, her husband Bristol and Joseph Mitchell her former owner, all evacuated Norfolk as loyalists.
Timeline
1724
Born
1751
Tithables for the South Side of Tanners Creek- 1751 - Norfolk
Source for this event: Norfolk County Virginia Tithables, Volume 2, 1751 - 1765
| Name | Owner | |
|---|---|---|
| Chania | Joseph Mitchell - Norfolk |
1752
Tithables for the North Side of Tanners Creek - 1752 - North Side of Tanners Creek
Source for this event: Norfolk County Virginia Tithables, Volume 2, 1751 - 1765
| Name | Owner | |
|---|---|---|
| Chomcey | Joseph Mitchell - Norfolk |
1753
Tithables for the South Side of Tanners Creek - 1753 - South Side of Tanners Creek
Source for this event: Norfolk County Virginia Tithables, Volume 2, 1751 - 1765
| Name | Owner | |
|---|---|---|
| Chany | Joseph Mitchell - Norfolk |
1757
Tithables for South Side of Tanners Creek - 1757 - South Side of Tanners Creek
The first page of this tithable list is missing, but it is assumed to relate to the South Side of Tanners Creek in 1757.
Source for this event: Norfolk County Virginia Tithables, Volume 2, 1751 - 1765| Name | Owner | |
|---|---|---|
| China | Joseph Mitchell - Norfolk |
7/
Nov
1775
See Original
Lord Dunmore's Proclamation - Norfolk
-
John Murray, Lord Dunmore - John Murray, 4th Earl of Dunmore (1732 – 25 February 1809), was the colonial governor of Virginia at the outbreak of the American Revolution.
1776
1780
Ran
1781
Siege of Yorktown - YorkTown
-
Cornwallis and the Siege of Yorktown - At the end of spring 1781, General Cornwallis and his army entered Virginia.
1782
See Original
Treaty of Paris - Paris France
-
Treaty of Paris - In November 1782 a provisional peace treaty was hammered out between the British and the Americans in Paris.
1783
Evacuation of New York - New York
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Evacuation of New York - In April 1783 the first evacuation fleet left for Nova Scotia. A week later the British Commander, Sir Guy Carleton, sailed up the Hudson River to Orangetown for a conference with General Washington to discuss the evacuation. As the victorious commander, Washington opened the meeting by reiterating the resolution of Congress regarding “the delivery of all Negroes and other property.”
| Vessel Names and their Commanders | Where Bound | Names | Age | Description | Names of the Person in whose Possession they now are | Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ariel Master: Richardson |
St. John | Dinah Mitchel | 59 | Stout healthy Negres with child in her arms. Left Charlestown from whence she was ordered by Dr. Humphry of the York Volunteers. then the property of Mitchel. | Matthew Stewart | Formerly Slave to Joseph Mitchell, Norfolk. Left 3 years ago. Certificate from General Birch. Dinah's age is listed as being 30 however there are tithable entries for her that go well before 1753. Her age in the Birchtown Muster- 60 is more likely. |
Dinah Mitchel's Relationships
- Child: Frank [Mitchel]
- Married: Bristol Mitchel
1784
Birchtown Muster - Birchtown
Source for this event: Birchtown Muster of Free Blacks
| Name | Age | Occupation | Families they lived with | Companies they belong to | Remarks | Company They Are Now With |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dinah Mitchell (DEAD) | 60 | Unnamed |
Dinah Mitchell (DEAD)'s Relationships
- Married: Bristol Mitchel
