William Hobart Mitchell papers

William Hobart Mitchell was born November 6, 1908 in New York City. Beginning at an early age, Mitchell surrounded himself with music. He served as a boy chorister in the Grace Church Choir School and went on to study voice both in New York City and later as a student at the University of Rochester (UR 1929). As a student at the University, Mitchell majored in English and was a member of the Theta Chi fraternity organization.

Upon graduating in 1929, Mitchell spent two years backpacking across the globe. He traveled throughout the United States singing on sixteen different radio station programs. While traveling, Mitchell wrote columns about his experiences for the Rochester Times Union newspaper. From San Francisco, he traveled to Japan and then on to Korea. While in Peking, China, he performed a concert at the Grand Hotel before leaving for Shanghai. Journeying from Thailand to India and then onto Europe, he finally returned to New York in 1931. Mitchell wrote a series of newspaper columns for various publications including the Daily Mail and the Christian Science Monitor reflecting on his travels. Once he returned, he attempted to turn his articles and travel notes into a published manuscript. His efforts were ultimately unsuccessful.

Mitchell continued to write non-fiction and fiction works during the early 1930s, as well as an epic poem titled Night Rain based upon his relationship with a woman named Vera that ended in 1932.

Mitchell enrolled in Columbia University's Master of Arts program and completed an American Literature degree in 1936. Afterwards he taught English courses at New York University for six years. During this time Mitchell also continued to explore his love of music and his interest in writing. He composed several pieces of lyrical poetry as well as a piece titled Second Symphony. Mitchell also began to collect newspaper clippings and document headlines of national and international events for a novel titled Hart Lausing. This unpublished novel appears to be semi- autobiographical and describes the personal and professional life of a New York University English professor.

In 1938, Mitchell married Claramary Greeley, whom he met through a friend while living in New York City.

Prior to the outbreak of World War II and continuing after the United States began its involvement in the conflict, Mitchell expressed his beliefs in pacifism by writing letters to local and national political figures, including President Franklin Delano Roosevelt, urging these leaders to reconsider their decision to engage in a military action.

After being drafted into the armed services in 1943, Mitchell appealed to the draft board as a conscientious objector and served his time in a Civilian Public Service unit stationed at Rochester New York's Strong Hospital. While there, Mitchell was compelled to participate in several experiments, including the effects of low protein diets on young men. During his service, Mitchell continued to sing and held performances for his fellow servicemen.

After completing his service, Mitchell continued work on his novel Hart Lausing and in 1945 began touring colleges and universities and singing in their church services. He continued to perform regularly until 1962. During this period Mitchell wrote and recorded his most famous piece, "Sermon in Song" which offered small churches, which could not afford live music, the opportunity to share with their congregations recorded selections suitable for most religious occasions.

Interested in expanding this opportunity, in 1954, Mitchell formed Chancel a company dedicated to helping those in the religious community utilize sacred music. This company published newsletters as well as led community programs for youth in a local YMCA. Also in 1954, Mitchell recorded a series titled "Poetry in Song" on various stations owned by the National Association of Educational Broadcasters. Mitchell continued to record these pieces each year through 1959. While preparing these records, Mitchell also wrote numerous articles, many of which were published by religious publications such as Motive Magazine. He also continued to explore his interest in the application of music in therapeutic healing.

In 1963, Mitchell returned to teaching and joined the faculty at Mitchell College in New London, Connecticut.

In the late 1960s and early 1970s, Mitchell began to research the experiences of other conscientious objectors of World War II. He gathered materials published from the War Resister's League, copies of the Reporter and Information published by the American Friends Service Committee, as well as newspaper clippings documenting the pacifism movement in the United States before, during and immediately following the war. Drawing on his own experiences as well as those who served in other Civilian Public Service units, Mitchell wrote the book We Would Not Kill. Friends United Press published the book in 1983.

After the death of his wife, Claramary in January 1966, Mitchell began to court Jean North. North began working with Mitchell in 1955, shortly after he formed Chancel. The two married in June 1966 and traveled extensively throughout Europe, as well as to Corfu and Sri Lanka, and William conducted research and wrote about countries he and Jean visited. Both kept travel notebooks. After their trip to Salzburg, Mitchell began writing Salzburg Christmas, which he completed in 1980, but never succeeded in getting published. During this same period, Mitchell wrote several other unpublished manuscripts about his travels.

Beginning in 1984, Mitchell researched and conducted interviews with several dozen craftspeople in the greater New York state area. These interviews culminated in published articles appearing in the Sunday Bulletin and the Daily News.

William Hobart Mitchell died ca. 2002 at the age of ninety-four.