James M. Mitchell, of Monterey, is an enterprising automobile painter who has established a reputation for expertness and artistic taste that is a valuable asset in his business. He was born in Scotland, September 16, 1887, the son of John and Mary (Munroe) Mitchell, good old-fashioned folk who kept up the cheerful tradition of their native land. The father, who was a contractor and builder, died in October, 1924, but the mother is still living.
James M. Mitchell attended the schools of Scotland, and afterward was apprenticed for five years to learn the coach painters’ trade. In 1907, he left the land of hills and heather for the United States and first went to Ohio, but afterward made his way to Detroit, where he worked for the Cadillac and the Packard automobile concerns. He next served overseas with the Canadian Kilties, and was in France for a year and a half, when in the trenches he was wounded and gassed, and then went to Calgary, Alberta, where he was discharged.
Returning to California Mr. Mitchell visited a brother at Eureka, after which he went on a visit to Oakland where he spent six months in an automobile painting shop. Removing to San Leandro, he there opened a shop, which he ran for a year and selling out, came to Monterey, where he again went into business for himself; while doing all the Hotel Del Monte trade, he is gradually building up a very desirable business, even enjoying an enviable patronage from San Francisco.
At Oakland, California, in the year 1920, Mr. Mitchell was married to Miss Minnie Warren, a native of that city, by whom he has a daughter, Evelyn Monroe, and a son, Marion Warren, who share with him his social life. He is the only Scotchman here who plays the pipes, and he teaches highland dances. He is fond of fishing and in politics is a good republican.
Source: History of Monterey and Santa Cruz Counties, California : cradle of California’s history and romance : dating from the planting of the cross of Christendom upon the shores of Monterey Bay by Fr. Junipero Serra, and those intrepid adventurers who accompanied him, down to the present day. Chicago: S.J. Clarke Pub. Co., 1925.