JOHN MIXSON V

 

700 JOHN MIXSON V, JOHN MIXSON IV (6), JOHN MIXON III (3), JOHN MIXON II (2), JOHN MIXON I (1)

 

John Mixson, Sr. - My Great Grandfather (John Mixon V)

Mabel Mixson - My Great Grandmother

*706 John C. Mixson, Jr. - My Grandfather, b.  about 1770, d. Nov 5, 1836

Mary Joyce Mixson - My Grandmother

William Joyce Mixson - My Father

Sarah Ann Johnston Mixson - My Mother

 

JOHN MIXSON
OF
BARNWELL COUNTY, SC

 

Written by Josiah Seth Mixson#724
(b. Apr 29, 1836, d. Apr 22, 1899)

My Aunts and Uncles of my Father:

Lavicy (married Robert Cornelius Kirkland), Archibald Kirkland Mixson, Susan Brown, James J. Mixson, Charles J. Mixson, Edward Wiles Mixson, Hanson Darlington, and Experience Mixson.

 

My Aunts and Uncles of my Mother's side:

Josiah D. Johnston (who changed the spelling of the name), Benjamin M. Johnston, Amos Johnston, Jervsha Best, Charlotte Smart, Eliza Wooten.

 

My brother and sisters (19 in all, 4 not named at death):

William J. Mixson, Jr., Jerusha Nelson, John H. Mixson, Elizabeth Stokes, Experience Mixson, Benjamin M. Mixson, Eliza Daniel, Sarah L. Mixson, Amos J. Mixson, Susan Brown Mixson, Samuel Mixson, Josephine Green, Louise Mixson, and Frank Maner Mixson.

 

On my mother's side, Nathan Johnston, a Captain in the War of 1776 was my great grandfather. His wife, Elizabeth, was the dau. of grandmother Mullet. My grandfather on my mother's side was Amos Johnston.

 

William J. Mixson, the elder, was b. Feb 1, 1793, d. at Barnwell courthouse, September 22, 1862.

 

Sarah Ann Johnston was b. in 1800, m. William J. Johnston in 1815, d. at my sister's (Eliza Daniel in Georgia) during the month of May, 1880.

 

The Mixsons are of English stock, but I have been unable to find when they came to this country. Some of the old stock is still to be found in North Carolina and it is from that state that they migrated to, South Carolina and Georgia, probably about 1760. A humorous tradition is handed down in the family which relates that after some of the family had emigrated to South Carolina and settled near Bull Pond in Barnwell County, an enterprising relation of the family conceived and carried out the herculean task of paying a visit to this distant kinspeople in South Carolina.

 

On his return to the north state he was an object to the rest of the clan who plied him with innumerable questions as to the wonderful sights he had seen on his journey. He exclaimed, "Well people I tell you if the world is as big that way (pointing south) as it is that way (pointing north) it's a whopper. " Another one said, "Well, Billy, do they have the same sun and the some stars that we do?" "Really, I don't know, but they look mightily like ours to me," was his reply.

 

The first Mixson of which I can find any record was named John and settled at what is now called the "Fogle Place" near Bull Pond. He had several brothers among whom was Stephen who owned a small piece of land nearby on the edge of Burton Flats. I own this place now but not by inheritance.

 

Another one of the brothers was Abraham#704 and was the patriarch of most of the Hampton County Mixsons. Mike Mixson moved to Georgia and settled near Waynesboro and spread his blood and name all over the county, for the Mixsons were ever a prolific family. They have never startled the world by any famous exploits, neither have they engaged in making their living by any short cuts. Longstreet, in his "Georgia Scenses" tells a little of Mixsons.

 

Another of John Mixson's brothers moved to AL and in my childhood I heard of him as being immensely wealthy, which made a profound impression on me.

 

But the one of John Mixson's sons that we are interested in was named John and inherited his father's plantation as well as his name. He was "very well off" for those times and owned several slaves. He married Mary Joyce, dau. of John Joyce.

 

The Joyces moved to this country about the time the Mixsons did. They settled about Irwinton and the land in most of that section was granted to John Joyce, William Joyce and William Brown.

 

William Brown came to South Carolina from Virginia in 1769 and settled on Brier Creek opposite of Burton Flats at what is now called the "Brown Place" now owned by John Warnock. His family consisted of himself, wife and nine children, one of whom was Tarleton Brown, the Revolutionary scout (see his memoirs) and another one of these children was Bartlett Brown, the ancestor of Joseph Brown, Rev. C. C. Brown, Mrs. Easterling and others of Barnwell.

 

Another one of the children was Elizabeth, who married John Joyce about or soon after the year 1776. They are my ancestors on my father's mother's side.

 

The Joyces were Irish but non-Catholic. They are distinguished for their piety and some of them at least belonged to a religious sect called "Duncards". One of their peculiarities was not to cut or shave their hair. William Joyce settled ten miles west of BarnwelI courthouse on the Augusta road at a branch called "Joyce's Branch".

 

John Mixson and his wife had a considerable family. My father William Joyce Mixson was the oldest, then Archibald Kirkland Mixson, James Joyce Mixson, Edward Miles Mixson, Charles Jones Mixson. The last four moved to Florida and settled near Gainesville, Ocala and Micanopy and left numerous offspring. Besides five sons my father had four daughters. Hanson married James Darlington, Experience first married Benjamin Brown and after his death, James Fogler. She had no children by either marriage and died leaving the old Mixson homeplace to the Foglers. Susan married Josiah Brown and moved to Mississippi and raised a highly respected family there. Levicy married Robert Cornelius Kirkland.

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