MDMONTGO-L Archives
Archiver > MDMONTGO > 2003-11 > 1069713543
From:
Subject: Re: [MDMONTGO] Sarah McDonald PAXTON
Date: Mon, 24 Nov 2003 17:39:03 EST
Deborah, The Paxton family that was in Tenleytown was that of William Paxton
who wed Ruth Selman/Sellman in Frederick, Co., MD I do not think you will find
a document that names all of the children from this union but a fairly
accurate picture of the family comes from the web of interconnecting relationships
relative to this family. Beginning with the 1850 Census Ruth, who was recently
deceased according to a notation on the entry, was the head of household that
year. Living with her was an Ann Sellman who was either the widow of her
brother or an unmarried sister. Note on the Birch Funeral Home abstraction, the 1
Nov. 1861 death of Mrs. Selmon. She would have been 81 that year assuming her
age on the census entry is accurate. Also note the census entry for Mrs. Paxton
does not agree with the date in the "Birch" register. [A friend sent me a
copy of the original page] Either this is not Ruth (Sellman} Paxton or a mistake
in the ledger. It could well be the wife of a son. William Paxton appears on
the 1840 census as head of household He was not on the 1830 census. [I bought
the microfilm of all available to 1860] There were no other Paxton households
at the time. Next look at the interview with Althea (Paxton) Queen published in
the Washington Star. Called Alice in the interview, she says she was from a
large family, that her family moved to the area when she was about 9 years old
and names two of her living brothers one of whom had the middle name of
Sellman/Selman. To summarize, all of the marriage dates listed for the Paxton's with
connections the Methodist Cemetery were consistent with parents who were
adults in 1802, the date of William and Ruth (Selman) Paxton's marriage.
Below is what I have written so far regarding this family which I believe to
be the "lynch-pin" of the social structure of the community of our mutual
interest. It does not have footnotes because when you cut and paste you loose
those, but I did not want to include all that I have written to date because it is
a fluid situation and once an error creeps into a pedigree it is hard to
correct. I am however confident this is your correct family. You can find further
information on the Selman family on World Connect. The name Althea comes from
the Selman line.
TENLEYTOWN TWELVE [Original trustees of the cemetery]
Jonathan Buckman = Ann L. Paxton 21 February 1833
James Fowler = Elizabeth Paxton 21 December 1835
Aquilla Eld [Jr.] = Laura Payne 11 August 1843
Henry Payne = Margaret Sebastian 23 August 1844
James Paxton = Rebecca Dean 28 February 1849
Charles King = Amanda Kidwell 7 January 1851
J. Riley =
James Riley =
Phillip L. Brooks = Elizabeth Lewis [Levis] 29 January 1842
Maccia Burrows =
John E. Chappel = Sara (Paxton)Wolford 30 October 1849
Albert Scott = Matilda Jane Sherwood 30 December 1846
Burials can be documented on the site slightly earlier than 1855, as the
tombstone of Aquilla Eld who died in 1850 implies. A second burial was that of
George Buckman who died 10 March 1851, son of Jonathan and Ann S[elman](Paxton)
Buckman. A third burial may have been that of Ruth Paxton who died shortly
before the census was taken in 1850, and would explain the depth of the
involvement of the Paxton family in the establishment of the cemetery.
In an effort to establish their kinship webs relative to the broader
community, marriage records for all twelve of the men were consulted. The counties of
Frederick and Montgomery Counties in Maryland and Washington, D. C. were
searched for these records because the land was located in both of them prior to
becoming the District of Columbia. During this time period the choice of
marriage partners was limited to a days horse ride in distance away from the family
home. Courting frequently took place at church therefore a web of
interconnecting relationships within the community setting was the norm.
PAXTON FAMILY
Joseph Paxson= Mary Lusty 20 July 1797 Fk Co... MD
Thomas Paxton = Elizabeth Miller 22 Dec. 1799 Fk Co. MD
William Paxton = Ruth Sellman 23 July 1802 Fk. CO. MD
James Paxton = Rebecca Dean 28 February 1849
John Paxton = Hannah Barron 18 September 1840
Joseph Paxton = Susan Lavinia King 1 August 1848
Mary Paxton = Robert M. C. Devine 18 November 1848
Rebecca L. Paxton = Warner P. Jones 29 November 1854
Sarah MCD Paxton = George W. Wolford 28 August 1840
Thomas S. Paxton = Sarah C. Riley 22 March 1853
Althea Ann Paxton = Elexius Queen 2 June 1831
Cassandria Paxton = Obadiah Burrows 28 September 1840
Some of the above records are for the children of William and Ruth Paxton who
reached adulthood and married in the 1830s and 1840s. Supporting this
assertion is the 1850 census entry of household # 72. Washington County, DC The
family was composed of Ruth Paxton age 65, and noted beside the entry is recently
died. Living with her was Ann Selman, age 70, who could have been an unmarried
sister or the widowed wife of a brother. This record established Ruth Paxton
was nee Selman. Next on the entry is Thomas Paxton age 21 listed as a Gardner.
Below him is a female named Florida Paxton age 9 and below her is Robert M. C.
Devine age 27. His occupation noted was wheelwright and below Robert is his
wife Mary (Paxton) Devine 30 whom he married 18 November 1848. The final entry
is Thomas Queen age 12 and ties Althea Ann Paxton who married Elexius [aka
Alexius] Queen 2 June 1831 to Ruth. This serves as proof Ruth Sellman [sic] and
William Paxton, who married in 1802 in Frederick Co., Maryland, were the
parents of Althea Queen. Corroborating this is the statement by Alice, the name she
used in 1905, says she was from a large family. In an interview given shortly
before her death says:
When she was only nine years old Mrs. Queen's father and mother moved to
the District of Columbia and settled on a farm not far from her present home.
She remembers the events of those days almost as well as she does those of
the past year. Her father was drafter for the army in the war of 1812, but he
was unable to go to the front because his wife and young children demanded all
his care. Mrs. Queen remembers distinctly the march of the United States
troops past her father's house on the old Baltimore pike during the war, and how
she was thrilled by the sight, and how occasionally a tired soldier would stop
to ask for a drink of water.
Althea (Paxton) Queen, goes on to say two of her brothers were still living,
Joseph and Thomas. James Paxton who was a trustee and all of the Paxton's in
the area were most certainly her siblings. Althea Ann (Paxton) Queen is buried
in the cemetery and holds the record for longevity of those buried there.
The Queen family was family # 110 on the 1850 census. Alexius was age 44, and
Althea was age 43, followed by their children Mary E., 18; William, 16 most
likely named for her father, Samuel, 13 named for his father; Thomas, 12 also
enumerated at his grandmother's house; Anne E. 9; Rosina, 6; Sarah, 4,
Henrietta, 2. The 1905 published interview states the family was made up of 4 boys and
4 girls.
Three other of the original trustees married Paxton daughters. They were
Jonathan Buckman and James Fowler and John E. Chapple who married the widow
Wolford who was also a Paxton. Jonathan and James's marriages took place in
Montgomery Co., Maryland.
Joseph Paxton married Susan Lavinia King the sister of Charles King another
trustee, and children of Elias King. Thomas Paxton above was the builder of
three houses located on Grant Road and now on the historic register. The early
role the Paxton family played in the founding of the cemetery and as marriage
partners for the various families cannot be over estimated.
P. S. You will note that the name William was often used for the eldest sons
of William and Ruth's children.
Margaret R. Amundson, CGsm is a service mark of the Board for Certification
of Genealogists, used under license by Board-certified associates after
periodic proficiency evaluations.
This thread: