William Mitchell was born in Canada but became a resident of New York. He first shipped when he was 18 years old. William would serve 36 years on Merchant Ships. One of the last ships he served on was the Brig—Seud in 1893. A Brig. Seud was mentioned in the New York Times on Thursday, December 9, 1897. The Brig was out of Boston and owned by the Fitz Brothers Shipping Company. The Seud was wrecked in a Snow Storm in 1897 (New York Times pg.4, 12/09/1897 ).

William Mitchell would enter Sailors Snug Harbor on December 24, 1893. William would remain at the Harbor until June 25, 1895, when he would write to the Governor of Sailors Snug Harbor, Captain Gustavus D. S. Trask, explaining that his health had improved to the point where he would be leaving Sailors Snug Harbor for a job aboard ship (William Mitchell Registration page).

William Mitchell returned as an inmate of Sailors Snug Harbor on October 26, 1898. He would remain at the Harbor for six years, ten months, and six days, dying at 63. William is buried in Plot 9, Row 6, grave 9, which gives William a grave number of 2420, on the Cemetery Map.

A Picture of William Mitchell in the early 20th Century at Sailors Snug Harbor.

Sailors Snug Harbor Digital Collection - on permanent loan at the Stephen B. Luce Library of SUNY Maritime College.

Barry,Gerald. The Sailors'Snug Harbor history 1801-2001 , Frodham University Press, New York, 2001.

Quebec. Artist: Woodward, JD, Medium: Black and White steel engraving 9-1/4 x 12-3/8", Date created: 1874, Published by D. Appleton and Co., New York. Print originally came from Picturesque America; Or The Land We Live In, Edited by William Cullen Bryant, Location: Private Collection North Haven Connecticut, USA.

Mitchell, William. Register page of Sailors' Snug Harbor resident William Mitchell from the Register of Inmates C. Inmate number 2698. Date Created: December 21, 1893, place: New York (State)--New York--Staten Island, publisher: The Trustees of Sailors' Snug Harbor. The collection is on permanent loan at the Stephen B. Luce Library of SUNY Maritime College. The. Sailors' Snug Harbor records are the Property of the Trustees of the Sailors’ Snug Harbor, URI:https://maritimedigitalcollections.com/Detail/objects/8054 .

Mitchell, William. Medium: Photograph - albumen print mounted on cardboard, circa: 1900 to 1904, URI: https://maritimedigitalcollections.com/Detail/objects/3639 .

The New York Times. Brig. Seud wrecked in a Snow Storm, December 9, 1897, pg. 4 - Navy Yard Notes, URI: https://www.nytimes.com/1897/12/09/archives/brig-seud-wrecked-in-a-snowstorm.html