1793 - Mitchell was born on August 19th in Washington, Connecticut. Elisha was a native of Connecticut, student and tutor at Yale College, botanist, geologist and Presbyterian minister.
1813 - Mitchell's diary, begun at Yale and kept irregularly while he was teaching at various places in the North, containing mainly religious reflections and slight personal comment.
1817 - He took over the chair of mathematics and natural philosophy at the University of North Carolina.
1818 - Professor of geology and chemistry and bursar at the University of North Carolina.
1819 - He married Maria Sybil North and had four daughters.
1821 - Was ordained as a presbyterian minister.
1825 - He became professor of chemistry, mineralogy and geology at the same university, and then stayed in that position until his death.
- He was the first to establish that the mountains of North Carolina were the highest east of the Rockies.
1857 - He was overwhelmed by a storm while on expedition and died on June 27th.
- Mitchell published regularly during his life, including papers in the 'American Journal of Science', the book 'Elements of Geology, with an Outline of the Geology of North Carolina', and a diary of a geological tour he took after being made professor of chemistry, mineralogy and geology.