THE MIXON-MIXSON SURNAME
John Leslie Mixson

The name MIXON (MIXSON) is English and the family as we know it originated there. About 1485 England passed a law requiring all families or persons to assume a surname. Some were assigned surnames pertaining to the place in which they lived. Some were assigned surnames pertaining to their profession or vocation in life. Many others were assigned a surname by adding "son" to the given name of their father. There are only a few families that can trace their family history further back than the 15th century.

There is the "Oxford Dictionary of Place Names" by Eckawall, and also Bardley's "Dictionary of Surnames". Each of the books mention the place name MIXON, one in Somerset and another in Staffordshire. Both also refer to an ancient family by the name Oldmixon who lived near Bridgewater, Somerset. History tells of one John Oldmixon who had charge of the estate during the early 1700's. He was a writer and a historian and at one time aspired to become Poet Laureate of England Disappointed because he did not get the post, he became embittered and turned critic. Thinking there might possibly be some connection of the Mixon line with that of the Oldmixons, the British Museum, at my request, gave me the name of a qualified researcher. She was a lady and I wrote her to make preliminary research for me and see what connection, if any, could be found Sometime later she wrote me there was no connection. However, in 1967, Mr. Ernest Mixon of Hattiesburg, MS, wrote me that several years ago his wife had a niece attending college in London, and while thered ated a young man by the name Oldmixon who was a student at Christ's Church College. She told him there were many Mixon families in her native State of Mississippi. He then told her that about the year 1500 when one Oldmixon had charge of the family estate died, he left two sons, who quarreled over the division of the estate. One son was left almost all of the property, the other got very little. The latter told his brother he was leaving and hereafter would bear the name Mixon and not Oldmixon. There May be some credence to the story, I do not know.

There is an authority on. American Surnames, Elsdon C. Smith, whose book I like very much. He lists both Nixon and Mixson with the explanation it could be a place name, or it could come from MICK a pet name for. Michael (used by the Irish). It is easy to conclude here how the name Mickson, or Michaelson, might have come about, later shortened to Mixson, then Mixon.

Many variants of the name have been found in early records. An early land grant in Georgia was to John Moxhan, (which I feel sure should be Mixon). In Beaufort County, N.C., a deed was headed up as MIZZEN, but it was signed by a Mixon. In Marlboro County, S.C. a deed was headed up MIXOM, but it was signed by a Mixson. In Perry County, Alabama, a marriage license was issued to William Mirgson, and I believe it shoul dhave been listed for a Mixon or Mixson. During the 1850^'s in Barbour County, Alabama, a marriage license was issued to George L. Mitson. I believe it should have been listed as Mixson.

Mention was made in Volume I about a family in Carlton Parish, Suffolk County,England, 1575 to 1580. The name was spelled three different ways, Mixon, Mixson and Mixton. (There were 50 books in the first series published on Carlton Parish Records, - I own book #8).

Possibly there was only one original family of Mixons or Mixsons in England, but there could have been another with no relationship between the two.

Another possibility of the Mixon, Mixson name was presented by the 1776 House in Boston, Massachusetts which does heradldic and coats-of-arms work.  In a letter dated October 11, 1967 to John Leslie Mixson in 1967, W. R. Willis, the Research Director at the 1776 House says,Elsdon C. Smith in his Dictionary of American Family Names, gives two origins of the names Mixon, Mixson. Only the second is positively Engilsh, ie., that it means “one who came from MIXEN in Staffordshire” He might have added “one who came from MIXEN in Somersetshire.  Both are village names from the Anglo-Saxon meox meaning “dunghill”. Presumably this meaning was unknown long before the 16th century, so the name carried no stigma to your ancestors in Sofforlk County England. ^[f20-d10]

In 2014 I (Larry Mixson) was contacted by an Alan Mixon who provided some convincing information that the Mixon surname was a durative of “Megginson” with some evidence of DNA relation.  He provided the following information.

For many years, I held the typical belief that Mixon was a patronymic name of some sort from ‘Michael son’. However, the name seems to be consistent with Megginson in the 1881 British census and it’s usage with older consensus as well. So what we thought to be the “son of Michael (Mick) is actually “son of Margaret”.  Surnames will typically cluster around their origins and change as they migrate as a case for the recordings on wills, court records, marriages, and basically how the recorder annotates how it sounds. What I learned is that the surname originates in Yorkshire and the folk in that county talk in a dialect significantly different than the rest of England. One thing to point out is the heavy emphasis of “g” sounding like a “k”. This goes back to the comingling of what was the Anglo-Scandinavian culture and language in Northern England. Even from the Poll taxes dating back to the 14th century, folks have recorded ‘Mekson’ from what was presumed ‘Megginson’. Per conversation with one of my fellow researchers, Marshall Megginson, he recalls some of the  Virginia folk in early days pronouncing Megginson as ‘Mixon’. The big surprise in all of this is the turnout of  Y-DNA (and CLOSE) matching among Megginson descendants. This was one of the biggest surprise in my research that no one knew for many years. 

 The Megginson connection stems back all the way to John Megginson, who was referred to as John Mixon and/or Megson. The surname ‘Megson’ was recorded in Gloucester Co Virginia and was probably John himself. Mixon is a phonetic contraction of Megson which is contracted from Megginson. The name Megginson is noticed in very early times as ‘Mekson’ in many one of the 1379  Poll Taxes in Yorkshire. Nearly all the names are from Yorkshire.

John Mixon (Megginson) born ca1630 had another son, John Megginson II who was born in 1655. John Megginson had actually had 6 children and their names were Michael, John (III), William, Mathew, Mary and Jane. Michael was born around 1677 during a tumultuous time known as Bacons Rebellion. Due to the rebellion affecting parish operations, his baptism record was probably lost. This is probably why Michael Megginson never made it under the listing in John Leslie’s book. Michael Megginson is the father of William Megginson (b.1715) also known as Col. William Megginson, the main progenitor of the Virginia and Alabama MegginsonsHere one of the excerpts for the Virginia Statutes, Henings Vol.4 pg 75

 “In LAWS OF VIRGINIA, APRIL 23 TO JULY 10, 1718: Whereas Michael Meggison (note the different spelling) Alleged that John Meggison, His father willed him 130 acres in the Parish of Abingdon in the County of Gloucester, and that he would like to swape this land for 500 acres in the Parish of Saint John in the County of King William. The court gave to the said Michael Meggison, otherwise called Michael Mixen, 250 acres on Boot Swamp, a part of the 500 acres requested.”

The land originally owned by John II was passed to his eldest son, Michael whom requested to swap this land of equal value in what is now called Caroline County, VA, the Boot Swamp. Here we stand, nearly 300 years later, Megginson matches showing up along with Mixon matches. Michael is believed to have passed away shortly after the land swap. I believe he had other children whom were given to adoption, hence could possibly explain the Yarbrough matches as well.  In my own theory, there is a Yarbrough descendant by the name of Joshua Yarbrough (b.1710-1715) who I believe he may be one of Michael’s children who was given up for adoption after Michael passed away. The DNA, the Yarbrough Lineage from his alleged father, Richard Yarbrough, and their connection to Caroline County Virginia is why I believe this is very plausible.

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