Editing John Mitchel (section)

==Early life==
[[File:Jenny Mitchel (Jane Veneer).jpeg|thumb|upright| left|Jenny Verner]]
John Mitchel was born at Camnish near [[Dungiven]] in [[County Londonderry]], in the province of [[Ulster]]. His father, Rev. John Mitchel, was a [[Non-subscribing Presbyterian Church of Ireland|Non-subscribing Presbyterian]] minister of [[Unitarianism|Unitarian]] sympathies, and his mother was Mary (née Haslett) from [[Maghera]].  From 1823 until his death in 1840, John Sr. was minister in [[Newry]], [[County Down]]. In Newry, Mitchel attended a school kept by a Dr Henderson whose encouragement and support laid the foundation for classical scholarship that at age 15 gained him entry to [[Trinity College, Dublin]]. After taking his degree at age 19 he worked briefly as a bank clerk in [[Derry]], before entering legal practice in the office of a Newry solicitor, a friend of his father.<ref name="William Dillon Ch VI">William Dillon, ''The life of John Mitchel'' (London, 1888) 2 Vols. Ch I-II</ref>

In early 1836 Mitchel met [[Jane Mitchel|Jane "Jenny" Verner]], the only daughter of Captain James Verner. Despite family opposition, they became engaged later in the year and were married in February 1837.

The couple's first child, John, was born in January the following year. Their second, James, (who was to be the father of the New York Mayor [[John Purroy Mitchel]]) was born in February 1840. Two further children were born, Henrietta in October 1842, and William in May 1844, in [[Banbridge]], County Down, where as a qualified attorney Mitchel opened a new office for the Newry legal practice.<ref name="William Dillon Ch VI"/>