We Are One - The Paxton Family
These are excerpts from the Book written by William McClung Paxton, and published by Landmark Print, Platte City, MO. in 1903.

The Paxtons in Central England:

We next find the Paxtons in Bedford, Buckingham, and Oxford Shires. Ever the victims of religious persecution and enemies of tyrants, they were driven from their ancestral home, in Berwick, Scotland, and found refuge in Central England. Several centuries of Scottish life had endured the Paxtons with love of liberty, and with the heroic faith, and piety of John Knox. Of course, they cast their lives and fortune to Cromwell. One of the family officiated at the execution of King Charles I. This may have been James, our ancestor. After the restoration, in 1603, James Paxton fled to County Antrim, in the north of Ireland, and found friends in the Scotch-Irish inhabitants. A part of the English family gave their adhesion to William Penn, became Quakers, and, in 1682, came to America. The larger part of these changed their name to "Paxson"; but some of them spell the name as old. The Paxtons and Paxsons are undoubtedly of the same blood; and we are proud to claim them as cousins: - yet they are not included in the pale of this volume. Our branch is the Irish offshoot of the Paxtons.

From Dr. S. S. Todd's Paper

"James Paxton of Ballymoney, County Antrim, Ireland, was one of the many Presbyterians who took refuge in the North of Ireland during the persecution under Charles II. Three of the sons of James seem to have come to America about 1735: 1. William, 2. Thomas, and 3. Samuel. The last name Samuel, was born about 1670. These brothers had land surveyed to them on Marsh Creek, Lancaster, now Adams County, PA. Samuel had with, perhaps other children, a son William and a son Samuel Jr., who was born about 1705. This Samuel was the father of Col. Thomas Paxton.

I will have occasion to refer to this record frequently, and now quote enough to show that Dr. Todd's researches convinced him that we came from England. Dr. Egle, the Nestor of Penn's genealogists, always claimed that the "father of us all" was named James, and that he did not come to America.

The reader may wish to refer to Gary Harvey's copy of We Are One Internet posting.

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