Mitchell Family history in Lavaca County began with Bankston Mitchell (c. 1845-1914), a slave born in Virginia who moved to this area with Plantation Owner and Military Scout Isaac Newton Mitchell. Bankston and Maria (Johnson) Mitchell had a son named Marshall Mitchell (1876-1960). In 1913, Marshall built a Methodist Episcopal Church in Sweet Home. Years later, as membership dwindled, the church was disassembled and the lumber was used to build the Mitchell Homestead. Marshall Mitchell married Malinda (Mullin) Mitchell (1888-1966) before the birth of their first child in 1917. The next year, the couple purchased 256 acres of land in Lavaca County and built a home. While two homes burned down, the third home, built again from lumber from the church, still stands. The cornerstone for the church sits in the front yard. In 1930, Marshall secured land in Colorado County for the purpose of building County Line School, located on the Lavaca-Colorado line. The school operated in the early 1930s before it closed due to lack of funding. Marshall was also a beekeeper, ran a sugar mill, was a well-known wine maker, well digger and carpenter, and helped build many homes in Sweet Home and Yoakum. Malinda Mitchell, granddaughter of Hannah West, graduated from Prairie View State Normal and Industrial College in 1911 and taught school for nearly 30 years in Sublime and Kendleton. Both Marshall and Malinda recognized the importance of education for their children. Their descendants continue to maintain their homestead in an effort to preserve their history of perseverance and determination.