Travis M. Mixon Sr. (1863 - 1947)

Born 12 Apr 1863 in Dale, Alabama, United States

Ancestors

Husband of Frances Ann Elizabeth (Hodges) Mixon — married 11 Dec 1884 in Jackson, Florida, United States

Descendants

Died 10 Aug 1947 at age 84 in Dothan, Houston, Alabama, United States

Problems/Questions Profile manager: Bruce Mixon [send private message]

Travis Mixon Sr. was an Alabamian.

Travis engaged in farming.

Travis was a banker.

Biography

Birth

Travis was born on April 12, 1863, in Dale County, Alabama, the youngest child of Wester Mixon and Elizabeth Culbreth. He was born after his father left for the Confederate Army but was conceived before.

He was most likely named after his maternal uncle Travis Culbreth.

1870s

1870 Census^[1]

Residence - Township 1, Geneva, Alabama, United States

Travis is living with his maternal grandparents, uncle, and cousins from his uncle who died, presumably in the Civil War. His mother and stepfather are right next door.

Names transcribed incorrectly are written correctly in parenthesis.

1880s

1880 Census^[2]

Residence - Geneva, ED 79, Geneva, Alabama, United States

Marriage and Children

On December 11, 1884, he married Frances Hodges in Jackson County, Florida. ^[3] They had 11 children, 8 boys and 3 girls, but only 8 survived past infancy. 2 boys and 1 girl passed away.

Children were:

1. Coker Mixon (1887-1958) ^[4]
2. Lena (Mixon) Cooper (1889-1969)
3. Porter Mixon (1891-1928) ^[5]
4. Wester Mixon (1892-1937) ^[6]
5. Otis Mixon (1894-1950) ^[7]
6. Travis Mixon Jr. (1898-1967) ^[8]
7. Ellison Mixon (1899-1950) ^[9]
8. Janie (Mixon) Price (1902-1974) ^[10]

These 3 children who died in infancy were likely born in the 4 year period (1894-1898) between Otis and Travis Jr..

1. Infant Daughter Mixon ^[11]
2. Infant Twin Son 1 Mixon ^[12]
3. Infant Twin Son 2 Mixon ^[13]

After Travis Jr.'s birth he was mostly called "T". ^[14]

1900s

1900 Census^[15]

Names transcribed incorrectly are written correctly in parenthesis.

Residence - Precincts 2, 4 Garrards, Wright's Creek, Geneva, Alabama, United States

By 1920 he was living in Precinct 6 of Cottonwood, Alabama. ^[16]

Wealth

Travis had a lot of land around Houston and Dale County, Alabama. He also held real estate in the business and residential sections of Dothan. ^[17] He must have held around 30,000 acres. ^[18]

1930s

1934

Bank of Graceville

Around September 1934, he founded the Bank of Graceville in Graceville, Florida. He was appointed as President, J. J. Jones as Vice President, and M.A. Helms as cashier. Original stockholders included himself, his wife Frances, his children Coker, Wester, Otis, Travis Jr., Ellison, his two daughters Lena and Janie's husbands J. M. Cooper and R. L. Price, respectively, J. J. Jones, J. M. Kirkland, P.H. Hand, and M.A. Helms. ^[19]

Robbery

On Monday, February 4, 1935, just before noon, when Travis was 71 years old, three unmasked men (M.C. Hunt, Spurgeon Mooneyham, Ted Commander) looted the Bank of Graceville, where Travis and his partner Alexander Doug? Campbell worked. A fourth unknown person was waiting in a 1934 Chevrolet sedan with a black body and yellow wheels bearing no license tag. ^{[20] [21]} They planned a well-thought out robbery, but did not expect resistance from Travis. He grasped a gunman, but he was freed by another gunman at the cashier's window, and the freed man struck Travis in the jaw with a gun. ^[22] One of the bandits told Campbell "Get in there and open the safe and don't be long. We don't want to kill anybody but we will if we have to." He flourished his pistol to show that he meant it. After Campbell got the money, the bandits quickly snatched as much as they could, told Mixon and Campbell to "stay in that vault 10 minutes", and ran. They did not listen. As soon as the car started, an alarm was raised. ^[23]

The bandits escaped with $2,393.33 in currency and silver ^[24], dropping $500 on the way out. ^[25] Travis was later transported to a Dothan hospital for his injuries. ^[26]

Deputy J.H. Jelfry noticed an automobile in Clio fitting the broadcast description of the bandit automobile. He alerted Sheriff R.P. Williams of Barbour County and Florida officials.

M.C Hunt, 25, and Spurgeon Mooneyham,19, (both members of prominent Clio families) were then arrested at their homes in Ozark by Sheriff Williams ^[27] with $121 on them. ^[28] Ted Commander, 32, (a former resident and native of Clio) was arrested by Sheriff J. W. Helms of Dale County, presumably at his home in Ariton. Hunt and Spurgeon refused to go to Florida without extradition papers, so only Commander was sent to Marianna. Commander was questioned by Sheriff Alex H. May of Houston County, Alabama .^[29]

After being captured, M.C. Hunt and Spurgeon Mooneyham were held in Barbour County Jail, while Ted Commander was held at an Ozark jail. They were positively identified by Travis's son Otis Mixon, and witnesses (Vice President?^[30]) Jake Jones, Seab Williams, and other Graceville men. ^{[31] [32]} They were then transported to the Jackson county jail in default of $10,000 bond. ^[33]

1936

Car Accident

In early 1936, or possibly the winter of 1935, a truck Mixon was driving in Florida was in collision with Elsie Peterson of Sandusky, Ohio. She sued Mixon for $350 for her injuries. Her case went to a United States District Court, who ruled in her favor. The court adjourned on April 22, 1936. ^[34]

1940s

Death

He passed away in the afternoon of August 10, 1947, in a Dothan hospital. He had gone through an illness of several weeks. ^{[35] [36]}

Sources

1. ↑ "United States Census, 1870", database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MHKW-8QG : accessed 12 May 2022), Travis Cuthbert in entry for Conley Cuthbert, 1870.
2. ↑ "United States Census, 1880," database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:M4JJ-GWQ : accessed 17 March 2022), Travis M. Mixon in household of William D. Skipper, Geneva, Geneva, Alabama, United States; citing enumeration district , sheet , NARA microfilm publication T9 (Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.), FHL microfilm.
3. ↑ "Florida Marriages, 1837-1974", database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:V5C1-44W : accessed 17 May 2022), Travis Mixon, 1884.
4. ↑ "Alabama Deaths, 1908-1974", database, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:J6B9-BMS : accessed 17 May 2022), Travis Mixon in entry for Coker Mixon, 1958.
5. ↑ "Alabama Deaths, 1908-1974", database, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:JDF5-1VG : accessed 17 May 2022), Travis Mixon in entry for Porter Mixon, 1928.
6. ↑ "Alabama Deaths, 1908-1974", database, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:JKS2-K59 : accessed 17 May 2022), Travis Sr. Mixon in entry for Wester Mixon, 1937.
7. ↑ "Alabama Deaths, 1908-1974", database, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:J63C-SJZ : accessed 17 May 2022), Travis Mixon in entry for Otis Mixon, 1950.
8. ↑ "Alabama Deaths, 1908-1974", database, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:JXKY-V48 : accessed 17 May 2022), Travis Mixon in entry for Travis Mixon, 1967.
9. ↑ "Alabama Deaths, 1908-1974", database, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:JK39-YGM : accessed 17 May 2022), Travis, Sr. Mixon in entry for Ellison Mixon, 1950.
10. ↑ "Alabama Deaths, 1908-1974", database, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:JKS7-MR7 : accessed 17 May 2022), Travis Mixon in entry for Janie Mixon Price, 1974.
11. ↑ Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/84324882/infant-mixon : accessed 10 November 2021), memorial page for Infant Mixon (unknown–unknown), Find a Grave Memorial ID 84324882, citing Mount Enon Baptist Cemetery, Houston County, Alabama, USA ; Maintained by Bruce Mixon (contributor 50931747) .
12. ↑ Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/84324983/infant-twin_sons-mixon : accessed 17 May 2022), memorial page for Infant Twin Sons Mixon (unknown–unknown), Find a Grave Memorial ID 84324983, citing Mount Enon Baptist Cemetery, Houston County, Alabama, USA ; Maintained by Judy Samson-Shealy (contributor 47631251) .
13. ↑ Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/84324983/infant-twin_sons-mixon : accessed 17 May 2022), memorial page for Infant Twin Sons Mixon (unknown–unknown), Find a Grave Memorial ID 84324983, citing Mount Enon Baptist Cemetery, Houston County, Alabama, USA ; Maintained by Judy Samson-Shealy (contributor 47631251) .
14. ↑ Oral history
15. ↑ "United States Census, 1900," database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:M98K-8BL : accessed 12 May 2022), Travis Mixon, Precincts 2, 4 Garrards, Wright's Creek, Geneva, Alabama, United States; citing enumeration district (ED) 72, sheet 7A, family 111, NARA microfilm publication T623 (Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 1972.); FHL microfilm 1,240,017.
16. ↑ * "United States Census, 1920", database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MXZT-4P7 : accessed 17 March 2022), T Mixon, 1920.
17. ↑ "Travis Mixon, Sr. Hodgesville, Dies", newspapers.com, The Dothan Eagle, 11 Aug 1947, https://www.newspapers.com/clip/84187332/obituary-for-travis-mixon-aged-83/. Accessed 10 Nov 2021.
18. ↑ Considering his grandson Junior Mixon held around 800 acres, his son Otis Mixon must have held around 4,000 acres, and Travis must have held around 30,000 acres.
19. ↑ "Graceville Bank Bandits Get $2,500", newspapers.com, The Dothan Eagle, 4 Feb 1935, https://www.newspapers.com/image/538743792/. Accessed 17 May 2022.
20. ↑ "Graceville Bank Bandits Get $2,500", newspapers.com, The Dothan Eagle, 4 Feb 1935, https://www.newspapers.com/image/538743792/. Accessed 17 May 2022.
21. ↑ "Alabama Trio Is Held In Robbery", newspapers.com, The Andalusia Star, 14 Feb 1935, https://www.newspapers.com/clip/101879834/the-andalusia-star/. Accessed 17 May 2022.
22. ↑ "Gordon Swamp Areas Combed For Gun Gang", newspapers.com, The Dothan Eagle, 5 February 1935, https://www.newspapers.com/clip/101879406/the-dothan-eagle/. Accessed 17 May 2022.
23. ↑ "Graceville Bank Bandits Get $2,500", newspapers.com, The Dothan Eagle, 4 Feb 1935, https://www.newspapers.com/image/538743792/. Accessed 17 May 2022.
24. ↑ "Bank Cashier Tells Of Graceville Raid At Trials Of Three", newspapers.com, The Dothan Eagle, 24 May 1935, https://www.newspapers.com/clip/102037719/the-dothan-eagle/. Accessed 17 May 2022.
25. ↑ "Graceville Bank Bandits Get $2,500", newspapers.com, The Dothan Eagle, 4 Feb 1935, https://www.newspapers.com/image/538743792/. Accessed 17 May 2022.
26. ↑ "Alabama Trio Is Held In Robbery", newspapers.com, The Andalusia Star, 14 Feb 1935, https://www.newspapers.com/clip/101879834/the-andalusia-star/. Accessed 17 May 2022.
27. ↑ "Bank Robbery Suspect Held For Grilling", newspapers.com, The Dothan Eagle, 8 Feb 1935, https://www.newspapers.com/clip/101880100/the-dothan-eagle/. Accessed 17 May 2022.
28. ↑ "Alabama Trio Is Held In Robbery", newspapers.com, The Andalusia Star, 14 Feb 1935, https://www.newspapers.com/clip/101879834/the-andalusia-star/. Accessed 17 May 2022.
29. ↑ "Bank Robbery Suspect Held For Grilling", newspapers.com, The Dothan Eagle, 8 Feb 1935, https://www.newspapers.com/clip/101880100/the-dothan-eagle/. Accessed 17 May 2022.
30. ↑ "Bank Organized at Graceville", newspapers.com, The Dothan Eagle, 26 Aug 1934, https://www.newspapers.com/clip/102040131/pensacola-news-journal/. Accessed 17 May 2022.
31. ↑ "Bank Robbery Suspect Held For Grilling", newspapers.com, The Dothan Eagle, 8 Feb 1935, https://www.newspapers.com/clip/101880100/the-dothan-eagle/. Accessed 17 May 2022.
32. ↑ "Alabama Trio Is Held In Robbery", newspapers.com, The Andalusia Star, 14 Feb 1935, https://www.newspapers.com/clip/101879834/the-andalusia-star/. Accessed 17 May 2022.
33. ↑ "Bank Cashier Tells Of Graceville Raid At Trials Of Three", newspapers.com, The Dothan Eagle, 24 May 1935, https://www.newspapers.com/clip/102037719/the-dothan-eagle/. Accessed 17 May 2022.
34. ↑ "Plaintiff Wins", newspapers.com, The Dothan Eagle, 22 Apr 1936, https://www.newspapers.com/clip/102228558/the-dothan-eagle/. Accessed 20 May 2022.
35. ↑ "Travis Mixon, Sr. Hodgesville, Dies", newspapers.com, The Dothan Eagle, 11 Aug 1947, https://www.newspapers.com/image/?clipping_id=84187332&article=f54224a7-3ee2-4878-9f8d-09621eaf32d6&fcfToken=eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJmcmVlLXZpZXctaWQiOjUzOTAzMTU4NCwiaWF0IjoxNjU4MTQxNjgyLCJleHAiOjE2NTgyMjgwODJ9.RoE3OyGaYUIMuerlkyB8CnNiNabk2VeX-DG_tyy5Cxs. Accessed 10 Nov 2021.
36. ↑ Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/33110740/travis-mixon : accessed 10 November 2021), memorial page for Travis Mixon Sr. (12 Apr 1863–10 Aug 1947), Find a Grave Memorial ID 33110740, citing Big Creek United Methodist Church Cemetery, Dothan, Houston County, Alabama, USA ; Maintained by Martha Box (contributor 48792761) .

See Also:

• Mixsonian: Mixon/Mixson Genealogy: Person 2189