Lafayette County Family Histories

Mitchell Sullivan

Mitchell Sullivan was born July 19, 1819 in Bulloch County, Georgia to William Sullivan and Lydia Peacock Sullivan. He was the third born of William and Lydia's children the second eldest son. He was a farmer by trade, owning several hundred acresof property per the 1850 Federal Census of Madison County Florida. Lafayette County was created from Madison Countyin1956 so that is why this family is enumerated in Madison County in 1850.Mitchell died November 19, 1893 and was buried at Midway Baptist Church Cemetery in Mayo, Lafayette County, Florida. Mitchell died intestate and his estate was probated on December 8, 1893 it is recorded in Estate Book D Page 120.

Mitchell was married to Elizabeth Ann Jones in Lafayette County, Florida in 1841. Elizabeth was born in Georgia on January 26, 1826 and died May 16, 1861 in Mayo. She was buried in the Midway Baptist Church Cemetery in Mayo, Lafayette County, Florida After the death of Elizabeth, Mitchell remarried to Susan A. Walker on April 24, 1862 in Lafayette County Florida. Susan was born on March 16 1841 in Hamilton County, Florida and died on 26 May 1913 in Florida at age 72.

Prior to the Civil war, Mitchell served in the Union Army. He saw service in Company D of the Second Regiment of the Florida Cavalry. Per his service record he was 5foot6inches tall with blue eyes and dark hair. It is also said one of his sons served in this same company, and his oldest William James Sullivan born in 1844 would not be old enough before the Civil War to have served the Union. This brings the question to mind; could William James have been a Union sympathizer and fought against the Confederacy in this war? Otherwise Mitchell would have to have had a heretofore unknown older son in order for the statement that he had a son who saw service with the same unit in the same time frame. More research will have to be conducted to prove or disprove this statement.