Person:Samuel Paxton (8)

Assignment of children to marriages

Samuel is known to have married (at least) twice, but it is not certain which children belonged to each wife. An attempt has been made to assign each child to the appropriate marriage, but there could be errors.

Based on the baptismal records of Isabella and Grizella, their mother was Esther, and it is assumed that all the children older than them had the same mother. Benjamin was baptized 2 years (and 3 months) after Grizella, so likely had the same mother. According to FamilySearch Family Tree, Sarah had children born between 1780 and 1806, and must have been close in age to (but not born before) her siblings whose baptism records range from 1754 to 1762. Possibly, she was Esther's last child.

Margery's birth year is a guess - if she was born earlier, she might have also been Esther's child.

David and Joseph are often assigned to Esther, but they were born late enough that they were likely Rachel's children.

1. ↑ ^1.0 1.1 #144 Samuel Paxton, Jr, in Paxton, W. M. (William McClung). The Paxtons: their origin in Scotland, and their migrations through England and Ireland, to the colony of Pennsylvania, whence they moved south and west, and found homes in many states and territories. (Frankfort, Kentucky: Kentucky Historical Society, 1966)
   p. 316.

   "... supposed to have been born in Ireland about 1705; came to America, in 1725 or 30, and settled on Marsh Creek, in Cumberland Township, now part of Adams Co., Pa. ... The name of his first wife is unknown, but his second wife was Rachel. ... tradition avers that he had twenty-two [children], and that four, not named, reached maturity, but died before their father. At all events, [his] will shows eighteen living when the father died [rather, when he wrote his will in 1791]. ... Of the children, we have some trace of John, Thomas, and Jonathan, but of the others, little is known."
   
   Note that information on pages 2-3 places the family (his grandfather James in particular) in Ballymoney, County Antrim.

   This book estimates his birth year as 1705 (based on the work of S. S. Todd - see pages 2-3) and his immigration as 1725-30 (although Todd says about 1735). However, this likely exaggerates both his age and how early he immigrated.

2. ↑ Part III: History of Adams County, in History of Cumberland and Adams counties, Pennsylvania: containing history of the counties, their townships, towns, villages, schools, churches, industries, etc., portraits of early settlers and prominent men, biographies, history of Pennsylvania, statistical and miscellaneous matter, etc., etc. (Chigaco: Warner Beers, 1886)
   Part III, p. 8.

   "The first Scotch-Irish in that part of the county [near the source of Marsh Creek] came in 1735-6, ..."

3. ↑ ^{3.0 3.1 3.2} will and probate of Samuel Paxton, in Pennsylvania, United States. Pennsylvania, Probate Records, 1683-1994: Images. (FamilySearch).

   will written 2 Jul 1791 in Cumberland Township, York County, Pennsylvania, proved 8 Mar 1793 in York County
   The will names wife Rachel and children:
   John, Samuel, Thomas, and Jane Wilson, who each receive a small bequest "they having been settled off by me heretofore"
   Isabella, whose name was apparently struck out before the will was signed
   George, Benjamin, Nathaniel, Hugh, Robert, Jonathan, Moses, David, Joseph, Grisele Paxton, Sarrah Whitman, Margery Lesley, and Mary Paxton

4.   Genforum.com.

   3g5 Samuel Paxton Jr m. 1735 Esther -?- and m. Rachel Harrison
   ... 4g1 Samuel Paxton b. 1746
   ...... 5g1 Samuel Paxton 1774-1840 m. Rachel “Katie” Whiteman
   ... 4g2 John Paxton
   ... 4g3 Col. Thomas Paxton b. 1739 m. 1761 Isabelle Quaite #10 and m. 1782 Martha White - moved to KY 1790 & OH 1794 at O’Bannon’s Creek
   ...... 5g1 daughter
   ...... 5g2 Marie Jane Paxton
   ...... 5g3 Thomas Paxton
   ...... 5g4 daughter
   ...... 5g5 daughter
   ...... 5g6 daughter
   ...... 5g7 Isabella Paxton #4 m. John Ramsey
   ...... 5g8 Robert Paxton 1763-1856 m. Adoris Archer 1771-1848
   ......... 6g1 Isabella Paxton #9 m. John Kincart moved to KY
   ...... 5g9 son
   ...... 5g10 daughter
   ...... 5g11 daughter
   ...... 5g12 daughter
   ...... 5g13 daughter
   ... 4g4 Samuel Paxton
   ... 4g5 Jonathan Paxton dec. 1852 OH of typhoid fever m. Agnes -?- dec. 1852 of typhoid fever / 17 children