Wife of Walter S. Mitchell. America (Heath) Mitchell was re-interred from Hazelwood Cemetery, MO on Sept. 19, 1878 upon the request of her husband who wished to join their child with his mother and have both closer to where he lived.

America Heath was born in Cabell Co. WV, the daughter of Richard Blue Heath and his wife Sarah Elizabeth (Jordan) Heath. America Heath was the granddaughter of Israel Heath and wife Elizabeth (Blue) Heath. The extended family of Israel Heath all moved into Missouri about 1838/9. America Heath lived with her father in Tom Twp, Benton Co MO beside two of his brothers, Jonas and Stephen Heath.

America Heath married Walter S. Mitchell on 5 May 1841 in Dade Co MO when she was just 16. The young couple then migrated with her father Richard Blue Heath and extended family into early Texas in Spring 1846 (the couple are in the 1850 census for Cass County, TX)., but Walter and America Mitchell must not have liked Texas and they returned to Missouri and are in the 1860 census back in St. Joseph MO. They had one child who was born in Texas and appears to have died, so perhaps this is the reason they returned to Missouri. The rest of the Heath family stayed in Texas.

Walter S. Mitchell took up trade as an early photographer in St. Joseph (as Mitchell and Son, Photographers at 6th and Bush) and later in Springfield, MO. One book 'Portraits of Conflict: A Photographic History of Missouri in the Civil War' cites that Walter Mitchell "apparently sold out at war's end for papers list his advertisement for $5,000 worth of photographic stock, cheap for cash."

Walter and America (Heath) Mitchell had 4 children, 3 boys and one girl. One of their sons was a well-known newspaperman from St. Louis, 'Tobias Mitchell.'

Obituary:
MITCHELL- America, wife of Walter Mitchell, late of St. Joseph, Mo, died in Springfield, MO, 1 Oct 1875. She was born in Cabell Co., VA. in 1826, and with her parents, came to Mo at the age of 12 years and settled near St. Louis. At 16 years of age, she was united in marriage to her now bereaved husband. Shortly after her marriage, the family moved to Texas. In 1848 they removed to St. Joseph, Mo, where she resided until a few weeks prior to her death. At the age of 12 years she became a member of the St. Francis Street MECS in St. Joseph. (She kept a diary). May God bless the household of husband, sons and dau. --

My note: Above obituary info contains some inaccuracies. The family in 1840 census were in Tom Twp, Benton Co MO (not St Louis) and she could not have joined the St. Francis St MECS in St. Joseph when she was 12. She wasn’t living in St. Joseph, MO at age 12.
I was able to obtain this information from the Francis Street Methodist Church records:
“the oldest ledger that we can find probably dates from beginning in about 1865 and lists the following Mitchells as members:  W.W., Rhoda, Sallie, Mary, Walter, and America.  There's no indication as to how or when they joined the church, but based on other entries in the book we believe they were already members by 1865.  The record shows that the first four moved to Kansas and that Walter and America were "dismissed by letter" on 9-6-1865, which probably means they transferred to another Methodist Church, no indication of where.  A later entry shows that John C. Mitchell joined by full confession on 8-6-1865 and Henry C. by full confession on 7-22-1866, however there is also another Henry C. listed as joining by full confession on 1-30-1866 and dropped from membership on 8-26-1874 (no indication of why he was dropped).



Maple Park book page 49 listed
"Mitchell, America w/o Walter Mitchell died 1 Oct. 1875 ae 46 yrs Mother *from Hazelwood 19 Sep 1878"