Mattie's Father

Who was Mattie's father, the man referred to as "King" Mitchell in his biography. Family tradition incidentally says his name was John. Another Mi'kmaq king is referred to by the French on St. Pierre, Roi Miche Agathe. Was Roi Michel Agathe and King Mitchell the same person? Before we discus this, let's review what we know about the two or is it more persons. First there are various literature references where Mi'kmaq by the name Mitchell or Michel Aga(the) appear. Secondly there is speculation by other researchers. Thirdly there are the Sandy Point Church records.

Literature references:

1827 Methodist missionary, Noall, reported meeting a "Captain Mitchell" at a place called Gaultois,.."the Chief of the gang of [Micmac] Indians from White-Bear-Bay....He was a tall man, and looked very savage if provoked. He addressed me in the most vociferating language, and gave me to understand that he considered himself a Catholic. ..would open up a religious intercourse between much greater numbers at White-Bear.." Noall deduced he had been to London England, St. John's and Halifax.
Ref: Newfoundland, As It Was, And Is In 1877 by Philip Toque 1878: John B. Magurr, Toronto. p.200. from C.A. Martijn letter May 1, 1995.

Dec. 12 1842: The commandant, Alphonse-Joseph Desrousseaux, ..advised the Department that the chief of a band from the west of Newfoundland, ..King Michel Agathe who came with more than 100..of his tribe,annual devotions...was lost ..in a squall...while returning home.
Ref: Emile Sasco and Joseph Lehuenen, Ephemerides des Iles St. Pierre et Miquelon. 1970:12. from Ruth Holmes Whitehead letter Mar. 17 1995

1844: "..have a chief or king, whose power they respect......the illustrious Michel Aga, residing at St. George Bay,.." [translation from the French by C. Martijn. CM not sure of date but feels it was 1844 or earlier - fgp]
Ref: Dr. Carpon; a French doctor who made several trips to Newfoundland and had a number of encounters with native people there.., from C. Martijn letter May 5, 1995.

1845 ..to call in at Bay St. George where 60 [Micmacs] reside... I found two old men pretending to considerable influence over all the Indians in NF. One calling himself "King Mitchell" the other "Noel Gougond"... ref: Where the sand Blows, p.69.
Ref: 1845 letter from J. Pott to Sir John Harvey, 26 October. Provincial Archives of NF & Labrador, GN2/2 ff 470-77.

1848: sauve (sic) Agathe Pierre [4 juillet 1848] Le quatre ]uillet mil huit cent quarante huit, le corps de pierre agathe, age de treize ans, fils de Michel agathe, le roi des sauvages et de Louise, a ete solenellement inhume dans le cimetiere de cette ville en presence de ses pere et mere et de plusieurs autres sauvages qul ne savent signer. [Amateur-Jean] CHARLOT prefet ap.
Ref: MI'KMAQ DANS LES REGISTRES PAROISSIAUX DE MIQUELON: ILES DE SAINT-PIERRE ET MIQUELON 1825 et 1848. from C. Martijn letter 96/8/28.

1849: "Friday, Auqust 3 d. ---- We went on shore directy after breakfast to visit a family who had returned from the fishery yesterday evening. The man is a Brake, brother to the Brakes mentioned before. The mother is a Micmac Indian From St. George's Bay. She appeared a notable, sensible woman, and sbe assured me she could repeat the Lord's Prayer and Creed in her own language, with other prayers. Her father, she said, was Captain Jock. Four of their children were baptized with the conditional form. The mother assured me the baptism among her people was precisely the same." ref: p.49, Bishop Feild's Visit to the West Coast of Newfoundland 1849. [Brake is brother of Edward Brake and J. Brake, the latter also married an Indian from St. Georges according to Feild]

1862: Christopher Michel Agathe (Micmac) married Jan. 22 1862 to Marie Webb b. abt 1830-35.
Ref: from Camus family tree by Alan Stride done for George Cammie [who copied me Sept. 1998 at Corner Brook.]

1921: "Mitchell, Matthew (c. 1850 - 1921) Woodsman; prospector. born Halls bay or Norris Point, son of "King Mitchell", an early Micmac Indian chief of Bonne Bay..... Mitchell's ancestors likely came to Newfoundland from Cape Breton sometime around the mid - 1700's and settled in St. George's Bay. Family tradition maintains that the family had a presence in St. George's Bay during the early days of the French migratory fishery and that Mitchell's great-grandfather was given a sloop by the king of France in order "to facilitate the movement of the Micmac on the water in the interests of France. ....." ......"
Ref: from - Encyclopedia of Newfoundland and Labrador by J.R. Smallwood 1991. ISBN 0-9693422-1-7 [Church records at Curling show he was 77 at death which would make birthyear 1844 - fgp] [1921 census shows he was born June 1846 Halls Bay - fgp]

The following is based on e-mail correspondence from A. Stride 24 Feb 1999. Alan presents his views on the Agathe and Mitchell names. It includes his study of Sandy Point Church records among other sources. [indicates fgp comments]

Agathes

1. Marie Agathe: in March of 1854 at Sandy Point Marie Agathe age 70 (therefore, 1784 - 1854) late wife of Michel Agathe was buried. A Michel Agathe was at the wake whether it was her husband or a son I don't know. ( I have a note here and I can't remember where it came from that Michel Agathe was in Newfoundland by 1816 and probably born here.) [This implies that her husband Michel Agathe was born before 1784 since generally husbands were older than wives. Also might Michel Agathe have been her nephew.]

2. Christophe Michel Agathe: Christophe Michel Agathe m. 22 jan 1862 Mary Webb b abt 1835-40 and had the following children listed in the Sandy Point registers:

3. Marie Agathe: bapt 9 Jun 1863 (1m old); godparents Francois Madore and Eliz Barry. 20 Dec 1865 Marie was buried but its difficult to tell just exactly when she died.
4. Susan: bapt 21 Jun 1865 (1m old) godparents Pierre Benoit and Fanny Young (2 Jan 1882 Mary age 17 daughter of Christopher Mitchell and Mary Webb was buried. I can only guess here that the child Susan born may 1865 (bapt jun 1865) was really known as Susan Marie or Marie Susan since in the French world many girls had the name Marie attached somewhere and most boys had the name Joseph hidden somewhere.)
5. Eunisse: bapt 11 feb 1871 (Eurisse)? listed as either Mitchell or Michael as surname. and here is a good one for you for further verification that Agathe changed to Mitchell.

6. Therese Jacques: In May 1862 Therese Jacques age 57 (1805-1862) wife of Christophe Michel Agathe was buried. This could be the same Michel Agathe or different people. [Was Therese 1st wife of Christophe Michel Agathe?, if yes, then Christophe Michel Agathe was about 30 yrs older than 2nd wife, Mary Webb . This would fit in with him being the son of "Marie Agathe age 70", born say when she was 19 in 1805. However Therese was buried in May 1862 and Mary Webb was married to Christophe on 22 Jan 1862. How certain are these dates? ]

7. Noel Agathe: Noel who was godparent for a child in 1851 jul 23. [Noel could be brother, uncle, nephew or cousin of Christophe Michel Agathe ]

8. Francoise Michel Agathe: Francoise wife of Peter Peter (thats right) her (their) daughter Jane Peter died 1859 at age 22, Francoise was dead by this time. [I am inclined to think that Peter's surname was Michel Agathe. See Sandy point records below. ]

9. Thomas Agathe: Thomas was at the wake of Indian Jean Baptiste (died age 50) in April of 1851. [Thomas could be brother, uncle, nephew or cousin of Christophe Michel Agathe ]

Mitchells (Michel/Michael)

1. John Michel: John who died pre Jan 29 1861 was the husband of Catherine McNeil and in 1864 Jun 15 she married Pierre Benoit of Main Gut, Stephenville Crossing.

2. Marie Michel: A Michel Michel and Pierre Michel were at the wake of Marie Michel in Jan 29 1861 (dau of John and Cathy McNeil)

3. John Michael: A John Michael and Julia Michael were god-parents in 1843 Aug for a child called Gabriel Brazil. note in the French world at Sandy Point(where all the church registers are in french from 1850 - 1868 when the french priest died) the surname is Michel for Michael. [Unless Julia was 1st wife and Catherine McNeil his 2nd this was not John Michel in 1.] Also John Michael was at Conne River in 1835. [Is he the same as the Jean Michael in Wix's Journal of 1835?]

4. Captain Michael/Mitchell: and in 1827 if you read the account by Howley in his search for the Beothucks an indian named Captain Michael is living at White Bear Bay. [ Is this the same "Captain Mitchell": 1827 Methodist missionary, Noall, reported meeting a "Captain Mitchell" at a place called Gaultois,.."the Chief of the gang of [Micmac] Indians from White-Bear-Bay".]

5. Peter Michel: a Michel Michel and Pierre Michel were at the wake of Marie Michel in Jan 29 1861 (dau of John and Cathy McNeil) and again a Peter Michel was godparent for Gabriel Joe Sept 1862. [were Pierre and Michel brothers? were they brothers or uncles of Marie?]

6. Michel Michel: see 5. above.

7. Jack Mitchell: again reference search for the Beothucks indian Jack Mitchell and his wife is mentioned, this is probably the John Michel (Michael) mentioned earlier.

The Sandy Point Records

This data except as noted came from the Sandy Point parish records which can be accessed via the NF Genealogy website http://www.huronweb.com/genweb/p21/main.htm.

BaptDate Name BirthDate Parents Comment
Jun 9, 1863 Agathe, Marie Elizabeth May 1863 Christophe Michel Agathe & Marie Nancy Webb m. 22 Jan 1862 - a. stride
- Agathe, Marie Elizabeth d. Dec 19, 1865 (abt 3yrs old) - Christophe Michel Agathe & Marie Nancy Webb see death record below
Feb 19, Michel, Edouard Nov 20, 1870 Christophe Michel Agathe and Marie Nancy Webb no comment
Jul 23, 1865 Agathe, Susanne Marie June 1865 Christophe Agathe & Marie Webb no comment
- Agathe, Susanne Marie d. Jan, 1882 - Christopher Agathe & Marie Nancy Webb see death record below
- Mitchell, Mary d. Jan, 1882 Age 17 - Christopher Mitchel & Mary Webb one above is the same?? - fgp
Feb 1849 (Indian), Peter Aug 2, 1851 Peter (Indian) Frances (Indian) Noel Agathe GP
11 Oct 1857 Noel, Jean Baptiste Sep 1857 ? & Agathe Indians from Burgeo

Deaths from Sandy Point records.

Date Name Age Spouse Parents Comment
1851 April 14 F Baptiste, Jean (Indian) Died 18yrs ago, age 50 - - Thomas Agathe at wake - a.stride
1855 May 15 Agathe, Marie 70yrs old Micheal Agathe - no comment
1855 Aug 3 Agathe, Marie 15yrs old Michel Agathe Marie Agathe - error, Michel Agathe is parent?? - fgp
1859 Nov 9 Agathe, Jane Peter - - Peter Agathe, Francois Agathe no comment
1859 Nov 9 Peter, Jane 22yrs old - Peter, Francois Michel Agathe the one above is the same?? - fgp
1861 Jan 26 Michel, Mary - - John Michel & Catherine McNill no comment
1862 May 01 Jacques, Theresa (57yrs old) Christophe Agathe - no comment
1865 Dec 19 Agathe, Marie Elizabeth abt 3yrs old - Christophe Michel Agathe & Marie Nancy Webb no comment
1882 Jan Agathe, Susanne Marie - - Christophe Michel Agathe & Marie Nancy Webb no comment
1882 Jan Mitchell, Mary Age 17yrs - Christopher Mitchel & Mary Webb same as one above?? - fgp

There doesn't appear to be much doubt based on Stride's analysis of the Sandy Point Records that the name Michel Agathe was anglicized to the name Michel/Michael/Mitchell. It is therefore very tempting to assume that King Mitchell and Roi Michel Agathe are the same person. Below is a possible family tree, supposition 1. Assume 30 years between generations up to Mattie. 

                               Supposition 1

1. Captain Jock Mitchell  b. abt 1754 m.
  2. Grandfather Mitchell b. abt 1784 m. 
    3. Roi Michel Agathe (King Mitchell) b. abt 1814 m. abt 1834  Louise ?? 
      4. Pierre b. 1835 d. 1848 buried 4 jul 1848 St. Pierre
      4. Christopher Michel b. abt 1837 d.?? m. 22 jan 1862 Marie Webb b. 1835-40? d. ??
      4. Mathieu Michel Agathe b. 1844 d. 1921 m.1879 Marie Anne Webb b. abt 1860 d. bef 1921

However there are a couple of problems with this. Mattie by all family verbal accounts had only one sibling, a sister who died as a teenager. Could this sister have been Marie Agathe who the records show died in August 1850 at age 15, the child of Michel and Marie Agathe. Mattie would have been six at the time and well might have had memories of a sister. The potential brother, Pierre, who died at age 13 when Mattie was 4 or younger might not have been remembered. But where does Christopher Michel b. abt 1837 fit in, obviously he wasn't Mattie's brother. Was he Mattie's cousin. Ray Neilson in a letter Mar. 25/2000 cites Mattie's granddaughter Marie Sparkes as a source for hearing that Mattie had an Uncle Noel. The Sandy Point Records show a Noel Agathe as a god-parent in 1857. Assume he was a young adult that would make him born about 1827. Also if we assume his full name was Noel Michel Agathe then he would show up in later records as Noel Mitchel. Now let's consider supposition 2 below. 

                               Supposition 2

1. Captain Jock Mitchell  b. abt 1754 m.
  2. Grandfather Mitchell b. abt 1784 m. 
    3. Roi Michel Agathe (King Mitchell) b. abt 1814 m. abt 1834  (Marie) Louise ?? 
      4. Pierre b. 1835 d. 1848 buried 4 jul 1848 St. Pierre
      4. Marie b. 1840 d. 1855 buried 3 aug 1855 Sandy Point
      4. Mathieu Michel b. 1844 d. 1921 m.1879 Marie Anne Webb b. abt 1860 d. bef 1921
    3. Noel (Michel) Agathe b. abt 1820 m. 
      4. Christopher Michel Agathe b. abt 1837 d.?? m. 22 jan 1862 Marie Webb b. 1835-40? d. ??

This looks more plausible, but we are faced with problem of the King's wife's name or names. we have Louise from St. Pierre in 1848 and Marie from Sandy Point in 1855. Perhaps it is as A. Stride says; in those days every French female had a Marie in her name and most males had a Joseph. But his still leaves Therese, "in May 1862 Therese Jacques age 57 (1805-1862) wife of Christophe Michel Agathe was buried". Were Louise and Therese the same person? Also the reference above from 1845 ..to call in at Bay St. George where 60 [Micmacs] reside... I found two old men pretending to considerable influence over all the Indians in NF. One calling himself "King Mitchell".. would imply King Mitchell was much older than ~40 years as supposition 2 would have him in 1845.

I will stop speculating at this point and welcome comments from any other researcher, and move on to his grandfather in the next webpage.

Home Page