James Mitchell had been sent from England as a missionary to the South Sea Islanders but had instead become interested in trading. He married Sarah Lee on 16 September 1802 at Norfolk Island. He was a publican and collector of duties on the island.
The Mitchells left Norfolk Island for Sydney on the King George in February 1813. They then headed for Van Diemen's Land (Tasmania) where James worked as an agent for a Sydney postmaster, kept a general store and owned a number of racehorses. The couple separated in 1819.
James Mitchell died at Hobart on 11 April 1849. His age was given as 75, his occupation as 'gentleman' and his cause of death as 'old age'.
* information from Michael Flynn, The Second Fleet: Britain’s Grim Convict Armada of 1790 (1993), p 401
'Mitchell, James (c. 1774–1849)', People Australia, National Centre of Biography, Australian National University, https://peopleaustralia.anu.edu.au/biography/mitchell-james-30676/text38019, accessed 7 October 2024.