William Forbes - Mitchell

I was sent a copy of a book called 'The Genealogy Of William Forbes-Mitchell' written by the above. Some of the work is from memory and some of the dates seem to be inconclusive according to some of my Mitchell connections. Most of it was compiled, for the information of his children and their descendants, from original documents in his possession, dated at Paris, 16th April 1771. What follows is some of the writings taken from the book.

My father was a man of 87 years of age, having been born on the 19th August 1769, who live to the age of 103 years having died in December of 1872. When about to rejoin my regiment, my father having no hopes of ever seeing me again, gave me the manuscript documents already mentioned, which were, he stated in the handwriting of my great grandmother, Lady Flora Forbes-Mitchell. I have translated and compiled the following genealogy of my family, for the information of my children in India and my nephews and nieces and their children in Scotland, so they may possess some record of their ancestors.

It has often been said that the pride of blood or ancestry is but a poor boast, that it matters but little what our ancestors were, it is only what we ourselves are that is of consequence. That sentiment, I admit is true philosophy. But in all my experiences in life, I have never yet met any one who could lay claim to having 'blue blood' in his or her veins, who tried to conceal the fact and I humbly beg to assure you those who can claim a descent from this genealogical family that the blood which flows in their veins is not "ditch water" Rather than allow our family history to sink into oblivion, as many honourable families have done, it is the hope of fostering such worthy and noble feelings in the breasts of my children and the other members of our family, that prompts me to print this memoir, to let those, for whom it is intended, know something more about their ancestors than is generally known by many families, like ourselves, have lost their places in the pages of "Burke" or "Debritt" I consider it but my right that my children should know that they can claim relationship with the best blood of Scotland, viz., that of the noble house of Forbes and of John Erskine 9th Earl of Marr on the one side and that of the family which produced the celebrated Sir Andrew Mitchell, K.B., on the other and that they are entitled to the proud mottos "Watch" and "Nulla pallescere culpa"



I now proceed to give the Genealogy of William Forbes-Mitchell Family