Essays on Life by Thomas Mitchell, Farmer

Thomas Mitchell, born in 1870, was a tenant farmer at Mill of Ardo, a small settlement in North-East Scotland, and his family had leased since 1791. He was clearly well-educated and his house was full of books. He went to school in Foveran and Cultercullen in Aberdeenshire until he was seventeen and he enrolled in further education courses well into his twenties. He took over the lease in 1890 when his uncle died. He lived with his mother and grandmother. He was a quiet man who went to the mart in Aberdeen on a Friday and church on a Sunday. He married Margaret Finnie late in life and only after the death of his mother in 1922, and had two children, William and Margaret. William too was in the mould of his father and combined a keen sense of history with service to the community and the church. Thomas Mitchell died in 1950.

• 1. The Art of Living 2. The Secret of Success 3. The Value of Work 4. Thrift 5. Education and Its Value 6. Friendship

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