One ancestor led to another, and John started tracing his linage back even further. By April of 1957, John was corresponding with Ann Waller Reddy at the Historical and Genealogical Research in Richmond Virginia in which she responded to JLM’s query about Mixson’s, Capt. Moore Fantleroy and early Virginia land grant records.[f05-d01] In the following months, John had Ann Reddy do additional research for him which in July, she complains about helpers on vacation and being sick but says “I may finish sooner than I thought I could.”   This research was not free, Ann Reddy wrote, “rates are the same $3.00 per house and I do not care to accept less than 12 hours of research.”  (In 2023 dollars that would be about $30 an hour) Ann was not always so positive, in August of 1957 she ended a letter with, “This is a gamble for material of the enclosed period is not too easy to read. I fear it would take at least 12 hours to first segregate the Gloucester Records then to read those down to the period indicted. I do not advise such chances, unless you have a  penchant for buying tickets to the Irish Sweep Stakes.”[f05-d05] But John was optimistic for he received a postcard from Ann Reddy in which she said, “You are quite correct not to be discouraged. It take a good deal of searching to get to the early material, but it is really surprising how much we can dig up some times with perseverance.”[f05-d15]  To show he was serious, John sent Ann Reddy $36 as a retainer for 12 hours of research.[f05-d08]  In the following few years John would spend considerable amount of money paying for research and buying genealogy research records.   

In April of 1957 John was still sorting out his own family history as shown in a letter[f07-d15] he received from his cousin LarRue Mixson#72

Dear Leslie:   

   I had a long talk with Uncle Gus#42 and Cousin Walter yesterday: the only two that I know of who knew great Grandfather Mixson and are yet living. It seems only a few years since I knew any number that did, but they have gone on.  

   I find no record of him having any brothers. I believe it was Essie Mae instead of me who asked you if he had a brother Stephen.  

   I heard my father days when I was a boy that Great Grandfather never talked much about his past, and that all anyone knew, was that his father was named Elijah#20 and he was reard by an Uncle, and I understood that the same man reard both he and Great Grand Mother.  

   Although neither cousin Walter nor Uncle Gus knew much about the past, before he came to the country. They had many things to tell of early life in this country which was interesting. I hope to write it up some day.  

   You wrote of some of his immediate family which you didn’t understand. Margaret E Mixson died when about twenty years old; Uncle Babe Law once said this grieved Great Grandfather very much.

  I suppose Missouri Victoria died young, no one seemed to remember anything about her.

  You wrote of two marrying Snellgroves. That was Uncle Josephus#29 and Sophia#33, a brother and sister, who married a brother and a sister.

  Thanks for the history, and if I find any more records of interest I will send them to you.

               LaRue

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