Some interesting sidenotes to Jane Mills Paxton's Biography

Jane Mills Paxton Ramsay and her children immigrated to America aboard the ship "John J. Boyd".
Read this article for information about the John J Boyd and the so-called Latter-Day Saint voyages.

Here is an interesting partial register from the particular voyage that the Paxtons sailed on.

This record shows evidence of John Ramsay and Anthony Clark Paxton Jr in their initial journey to Utah, prior to Jane bringing the rest of the family.

From 1847 to 1869, more than 32,000 British and Irish converts to the Church left their homelands for a new life in pioneer America. When the novelist Charles Dickens visited the Amazon (ship) before it set sail from London on June 4, 1863, to see what the Mormon emigrants were like, he noted: "I…had come aboard this Emigrant Ship to see what eight hundred Latter-day Saints were like…. Nobody is in an ill-temper, nobody is the worse for drink, nobody swears an oath or uses a coarse word, nobody appears depressed, nobody is weeping, and down upon the deck in every corner where it is possible to find a few square feet to kneel, crouch or lie in, people, in every suitable attitude for writing, are writing letters. Now, I have seen emigrants ships before this day in June. And these people are strikingly different from all other people in like circumstances whom I have ever seen, and I wonder aloud, "What would a stranger suppose these emigrants to be!'…I should have said they were in their degree, the pick and flower of England" (Dickens, "The Uncommercial Traveler", Chapter 22).    The entire account can be found here.



Also, it is important to note some possible discrepancies in Lois P Bell's biography of Jane Mills Paxton.
Ms. Bell indicates the occupation of Jane's second husband, John Ramsay, as a doctor.  This may be true, but it doesn't match the other documentation that we have:
The partial ship register listed above notes John Ramsay's occupation as "Engine Fitter" (Note: A mistake in transcription lists it as "Engine Sitter").  It also notes Anthony Paxton's occupation as "Engine Fitter" (also mistakenly transcribed as "Engine Sitter").  This could be that they took an assignment on the ship to help pay for their passage, although an "Engine Fitter" is generally a skilled engineer or mechanic, so I'm not sure that this would be a temporary assignment without prior experience.  This is unknown.
The Mormon Migration website also shows John Ramsay as having taken a prior voyage to America - the first being in 1857, on the George Washington to Boston, on which his occupation was also listed as "Engine Fitter".

The 1870 census in Kanosh, Utah, lists John Ramsay's occupation as "Farmer", which matches James Mills Paxton's note in his autobiography (to be posted shortly):   "I went South with the ox train as far as Parowan ... Then I engaged to herd sheep and for that purpose started for shoal creek. A place in the south end of the big desert. The company consisted of my mother and step-father John Ramsey..."

Another piece of information that is included in the biography by Ms. Bell, but can't seem to be confirmed anywhere, is the name of the doctor helping out on the Dreadnaught when Anthony Clark Paxton died.

Just some interesting notes and an attempt to keep things honest and correct.

Jane Mills Paxton

In our previous discussion, Jane Mills Paxton's husband Anthony Clark Paxton had died on the hospital ship Dreadnaught.

The following is taken verbatim from an interview with Lois P. Bell on Nov 11, 1948, as posted on this family history site.  I am unsure of the relationship of Ms. Bell to Jane Mills Paxton, and while many of the more insignificant details included have not (or cannot) be corroborated, the larger details are consistent with what we know from other sources, helping these uncorroborated details to pass a "smell test".


Jane Mills was born on the sixth of September in the year 1814, in the city of New Castle-Upon-Tyne, England. Her father was Peter Mills, and her mother was Isabella French.


When Jane was born King George, the third, of the Hanovarian line of Kings was on the throne. From birth until the time she left England at the age of 49, she was a British subject, under three kings and a queen. There were: George, the Third, under whose reign England lost America; George, the Fourth, who reigned until her sixteenth birthday; William the Fourth, who was king from her sixteenth the her twenty third birthday; and Queen Victoria, who was still on the throne when Jane with her little family left England in 1863.

The "Black Gate"

The city of her birth, New Castle-Upon-Tyne, was named for a great castle that stood near, built by King Henry, the Second in 1175. This castle was the strongest fortress in the north of England, at the time of her history. Fragments of its wall, with the great entrance called the "Black Gate" still remain, also the ruins of the Monestary of the Black Friars and the Hospital of St. Marys that stood near the city. This was a great shipbuilding canter, a thriving industrious city, in which Peter Mills and his family surely found plenty of work.. Such is the old-world background and environment in which Jane Mills spent her young girlhood.


She met and married Anthony Paxton of Berwick-Upon-Tweed. Just as the city of Jane's birth as located on the banks of the river Tyne, so was the city of her husband's birth on the banks of the river Tweed.


Anthony Paxton was a professional sailor and sea captain and was away most of the time on his voyages up and down the coast from Tynemouth Harbor to London. This left Jane alone most of the time to keep the house and raise her family. Sometime prior to the birth of their first child the moved to Northshields, Durham County, a city also built on the river Tyne. Here on March 19, 1839, when Jane was 24 years old, their little girl was born. They christened her Isabella, after Jane's mother, Isabella French. Their second child, Anthony, was born August 20, 1842 in the same city.


They later moved to Southshields, just across the harbor from Northshields. Here in Southshields, Jane Mills Paxton gave birth to a third child on the 29th of May, 1845, a son who was named James Mills.


Two years later, on December 31, 1847, the fourth child was born. This was a girl and they named her Jane. This father and mother were then thirty-three years old.


In the spring of 1848, Anthony Paxton, the husband and father of this little family, bade them goodbye, set sail from the harbor of Tynemouth, up the eastern coast of England to London, on what was to prove his last voyage. He little dreamed he had made his last farewell and would never see them again. He was stricken with brain fever and removed from his own vessel and placed on board the "Dreadnaught", a floating hospital ship, stationed near Greenwich.


After suffering very much for ten days with fever and delirium and despite the knowledge and skill of Dr. John Hoar, who was in attendance on the hospital ship, he passed away May 25, 1848, at the age of 34. His body lies buried at Greenwich, West Kent County, England.


In the meantime Jane and her little family at home 270 miles away, knew nothing of all this. No work had reached them and they were joyously awaiting his return. One day little James had a strange presentment that his Daddy was dead and in his innocent baby way-- he was only three years old-- kept telling his mother: "Papa is dead".


It proved only too true for word finally came to Jane of her husband's death. Her grief was very deep and she could find no comfort. Her baby, Jane, was only five months old, James Mills three, Anthony six, and Isabella nine years. She was forced to work anything she could find to do. She learned nursing, among other things, and became an expert mid-wife.


Two years after her husband's death she moved with her children to Sunderland, and still two years later in 1852 she moved to Middlesboro, Yorkshire, England. Here her son, James, went to work in Balcoe's Iron Works. His father's death deprived the children of the chance for an education and they had to work to help keep the family. James worked hard and was soon promoted to refineries. Anthony, too, was working and this helped the mother very much.


One day two strange young men came to her door asking for food and shelter. They said they were Mormon missionaries, preaching, what the world called a new gospel. They told her a new prophet had arisen in America, namely, Joseph Smith. They told her that out of the ground had come a book containing the history of dead people and the everlasting gospel.  (Note: Read a history of the early Mormon missionaries to the British Isles here)


These Mormon missionaries then gave her a copy of the Book of Mormon and explained its principles to her. her home became a chapel for the Elders and they were ever welcome there. She finally became convinced of the truth of their teachings and two years after they first came to her door she was baptized in 1854. Her daughter, Isabella, was baptized the same day at the age of 15, and her son James, who was 9 years old, but Anthony did not join the church until he was 19 years old.


During Jane's work as a nurse and wid-wife she met and married Dr. John Ramsey, about the year 1860.


On August 4, 1861 Anthony and his comrad James Ratcliff, were baptized by Elder John Gleason, and they decided at once to come to America and on to Utah. Dr. Ramsey decided to sail with them and prepare a place for Jane and her three other children to come too.


When Isabella was 18 she married Alfred Whatcott of London. A son named Henry was born to them while they lived in Middlesboro  (Middlesbrough); also a girl name Elizabeth Hannah, who died when 2 years old; and a girl named Jane. Isabella and her family lived near her mother in Middlesboro.


These two families were now parting with their belongings and preparing to join Dr. Ramsey and Anthony in Utah. Severing relationships with all one holds dear is a very trying experience and Jane's heart was very sorrowful.


By the spring of 1863 their affairs were all settled, and at the time Jane, who was now 16 years old was baptized.


The day for their journey to begin arrived on Thursday, 30th of April, 1863. This group consisted of Jane and her two youngest children, James Mills 18, and Jane 16; the married daughter Isabella and her husband Alfred Whatcott, and their two children, Henry and Jane; and a family friends from New Castle-Upon-Tyne named John Black. They traveled from Middlesboro to Liverpool by train. At Liverpool they took passage on a sailing vessel, The John J. Boyd. (click for an interesting read on the LDS passages on the John J. Boyd.)  There was great company of immigrant saints on this vessel, 766 in all. They were under the direction of William W. Cluff. The weather was beautiful during the crossing but all Jane's little group were seasick except James Mills. They passed an iceberg floating 500 feet above the water in one place. A stowaway was found on board and he was put to work helping the sailors.


They were 32 days crossing the Atlantic Ocean and arrived in New York on June 1st, 1863. From there they traveled by train, 12 days to Florence, Nebraska, arriving there June 12.


For the next eight weeks they were all very busy getting their outfits together so they could join the next train of immigrants leaving for Great Salt Lake. The wagon train was expected at any time. When it finally arrived, Anthony, the oldest son had come with it as a teamster to meet his mother. There was great rejoicing as he had been gone almost two years. The stepfather, Dr. John Ramsey, remained in Slat Lake to meet then when they arrived there.


On August 6th there was great activity and excitement. Under the direction of Captain Daniel D. McArthurs, the long train of 75 wagons pulled out of Florence, Nebraska, (also known in Mormon history as Winter Quarters) on it's way across the plains.


Usually they made from 15 to 20 miles a day, most of them walking. They camped when night overtook them, using buffalo chips for wood for the camp fires. They sang songs and danced around the camp fires at night and took turns guarding the cattle against possible Indian raids. Jane had bought a cow in Florence, Nebraska, and James drover her all the way and carried a rifle. They shared together the privations, sorrows, and troubles that befell all immigrant trains.


When the train arrived at Forrest Canyon some miles from the Salt Lake Valley, Isabella Whatcott gave birth to her fourth child, named Anthony, with Jane acting as mid-wife and nurse. The wagons then moved on and they arrived in Slat Lake late the same day, October 3, 1863, where they were met by Dr. John Ramsey.


Isabella was one of the noble pioneer women who underwent the hardships of the long journey and suffered childbirth in an immigrant wagon. 


After they had rested in Salt Lake a few days, Brigham Young assigned them the task of going on south to help in settling Parowan, a distance of 240 miles farther, so there would be a doctor and nurse in that settlement.


Although it was getting well into late fall, they journed on for two more weeks and finally arrived in Parowan. While here, Anthony married Susan Clark. Jane went to work for Amasa Lyman and later married John Black who had journeyed to Parowan with them. From Parowan they were sent to Panguitch and just got settled there when the Black Hawk Indian War broke out and all were forced to moved their cabins together in a form of a fort. Militray rules were made and John Lowdeer was made Captain. He in turn made James a Lieutenant.


Dr. Ramsey, Jaems Mills, Alfred Whatcott, and John Balck all fought in the Black Hawk War at Panguitch.


On May 11, 1863, Isabella's husband, Alfred Whatcott, tried to cross the Sevier River on horseback at high water and was drowned. His body was found by Joseph H. Joseph and was buried in Panguitch. The widowed girl and her three children were thus left to the care of the rest of the family and on October 16, 1865, five months after her husband was drowned, she gave birth to a fourth child, Alfred, and once more Jane was the nurse.


The white settlers were then driven from Panguitch by the Indians and Jane's family went to Toquerville. Her youngest son Jame Mills Paxton, then took all his belongings and moved to Kanosh. Soon after this all of his family and John Black, who married Jane's daughter Jane moved to Beaver.
Finally in 1867, all of them moved to Kanosh where the son James, lived. During the later part of September, 1869, this whole family traveled in wagons to Salt Lake City and went through the old Endowment House. Those married there for eternity were Anthony Paxton and his wife, Susan Clark; Jane and her husband, John Black; James Mills and Elizabeth Brown. Isabella Whatcott was sealed to her husband, and Jane and Dr. Ransey were re-married for time only.


Jane was a faithful worker in the church and a loyal pioneer nurse. During the 26 years she lived in Utah she brought a great many babies into the world in the various settlements in which she lived. Thirty- eight of them were her own grandchildren.


In 1887 her second husband, Dr. John Ramsey, passed away in Kanosh, Utah.


In October 1889, Jane, after all the hardships and trails she had endured, suffered a new sorrow. That of seeing her son James Mills taken away by United States marshalls and put in the Utah Penitentiary for polygamy. He had married a second wife, Adelaid Tippett, twelve years before in the St. George Temple. It was the last farewell for Jane and her youngest son for they never saw each other again. Five months later on February 20th, 1890 she died at Kanosh, Utah and was buried beside her husband. Three of her children, Isabella, Anthony, and Jane were at her bedside when she died, but James had been put in the "pen".


Jane Mills Paxton Ramsey was a dear, kind, prayerful woman, loyal to her duties to the Church and faithful always to the Gospel she had accepted in her native England. She was loved by all and affectionately known as "Grandma Ramsey" wherever she went. Fifteen missions have been filled by her descendants.


On October 17, 1938, she was sealed by proxy to her first husband; Anthony Paxton; and her four children, who had all gone to meet her in the spirit world, were also sealed to them.


They who lived in such close companionship in this world shall not be separated throughout all eternity, in the world to which they have gone.

(Someone named Pamela has a great website listing the descendants of Jane Mills Paxton, along with images of burial stones, and scans of birth & death certificates.)

Anthony Clark Paxton

As we've previously discussed, William Paxton and Isabel Archibald had six children.  (I erroneously listed John Paxton twice in a previous entry - he is listed as born in 1755, but christened in 1758.  This could be correct, could be legibility issues, etc.)  

Their first son, William, was born in Tweedmouth on Sept 1, 1752.  The christening date we have for him, whether accurate or not I have not confirmed (if any of you can confirm, please share), is July 12, 1762.

Jane Clark was born in Tweedmouth on Dec 10, 1767, and christened on Dec 20, 1767.

William and Jane were married in Tweedmouth around 1784-1786 (again, records discrepancies).  They had 10 children:

• Isabel (1787-)
• Margaret (1790-)
• Eleanor (1792-1793)
• Selby (1793-1804)
• William (1795-)
• John (1798-)
• Robert (1801-)
• William (1804-)  
• (again, 2 children of same name?  Discrepancy?  Comment with sources if you have them)
• Mary (1807-1811)
• Anthony Clark (1812-)

William died 23 April 1836 in Tweedmouth.  His wife Jane died 3 July 1822 in Tweedmouth.

An engraving of Newcastle in 1832, courtesy of wikipedia

About 60 miles down the coast from Tweedmouth, in Newcastle-upon-Tyne, still in Northumberland, Jane Mills was born on 6 Sept 1814, christened 2 Sept 1815.  Jane Mills' ancestors had been in the Newcastle area for at least 8 generations.  Newcastle-upon-Tyne, about 10 miles inland from the coast, along the north shore of the Tyne River, is today a bustling metropolis.  In the early1800's Newcastle was benefiting  from an earlier coal trade monopoly and was in the middle of a  printing press rush.  Being a large port on the river, close to the North Sea, it was also a big player in the shipbuilding industry.  The Tyne river forms the border between Northumberland and Durhamshire.

South Shields, with Tyne and Wear in the background.
Courtesy of TripAdvisor.com

Whether a seaman because he was in Newcastle, or more likely, was in Newcastle because he was a seaman, William and Jane's son Anthony Clark Paxton made his way to Newcastle, and on 23 September, 1833, married Jane Mills in South Shields, a borough of Durhamshire at the mouth of the Tyne.

Anthony and Jane had 6 children, all born in the Tynemouth / South Shields area:

• William Mills Paxton (1836-)
• Isabella Paxton (1838-1905)
• Peter Mills Pazton (1841-)
• Anthony Clark Paxton (1842-1931)
• James Mills Paxton (1845-1910)
• Jane Paxton (1848-1935)

The HMS Dreadnaught

Anthony died at sea on 25 May 1848, on board the hospital ship HMS Dreadnaught, at the time, a hospital ship for ex-members of the Merchant navy or fishing fleet (wikipedia).

According to Anthony's son James Mills, in his autobiography: My father was of English and Scotch decent and a sea-faring man. My mother was of Scotch and English decent. She has often told me of a strange presentment which occured to me when very young. In which I persisted that my father was dead. It proved to be too true, for he was stricken with brain fever, on a return voyage from London, and died on board of the Dreadnot; a floating hospital. (A disabled seventy four gun ship) 25th May, 1848 5:45 a.m. he was 38 years old when he died at Greenwich.

 After the death of her husband, Jane is recorded in the 1951 census living with four of her children in Monkwearmouth, a suburb of Sunderland, about 6 miles down the coast from South Shields.  In our next post, we'll investigate what happens to Jane.

Sources

A record of Anthony Clark Paxton's
christening

A record of the 1851 census, list Jane Mills Paxton,
along with four of her children, in Monkwearmouth, Durham

A photo (claimed to be) of Jane Mills Paxton,
from a family portrait.

A record of the death of Anthony Clark Paxton,
upon the hospital ship Dreadnaught, and his
subsequent burial.

The Paxton Surname, Part 2

In the previous discussion, we took a look at where the Paxtons came from, as far back as the 1200's, and where the name came from.

In a separate line, as previously discussed, we have a Hew Paxton, b 1675 in Abbotshall, Fife, Scotland.  His father was also Hew Paxton, but his father was Williame Paistoun, from Inveresk, Midlothian, Scotland.  Williame's father was Samuell Paistone.

So we see a evolution of the surname from Paistone to Paxton.  Certainly this is not the only case of an evolution of the Paxton surname.  It would be interesting to know if other Paxton lines had similar transformations, if they had similar origins, and even if these lines ever cross, or if there are multiple families that come upon the surname Paxton.  Hopefully we'll be able to shed some light on this with some lines.

Tools?

OK, time to help each other, Comments solicited:

If you use a genealogy program, please share your preferences:
What tool do you use?  Why?  What does it do well for you?
Here's a great list of the "top-10" tools.
Some of the common tools:

• PAF
• Family Tree Maker
• Legacy
• Ancestry.com

Your thoughts / experiences with on-line only tools, such as Ancestry.com?

Some issues important to me:

• Storing media - images, photos, etc.
• Marking an entry as Verified
• LDS integration - as you leave comments, recognize that this is not important to all.

The Origins of the Paxton Name

So, just as we've declared we're starting in the middle, we're going to jump back to an earlier middle, and investigate where William Paxton's surname came from.

First a note about the origins of surnames:  From 4crests.com:  Since the dawn of civilisation the need to communicate has been a prime drive of all higher mankind. The more organised the social structure became, the more urgent the need to name places, objects and situations essential to the survival and existence of the social unit. From this common stem arose the requirements to identify families, tribes and individual members evolving into a pattern in evidence today. In the formation of this history, common usage of customs, trades, locations, patronymic and generic terms were often adopted as surnames. The demands of bureaucracy formally introduced by feudal lords in the 11th century, to define the boundaries and families within their fiefdoms, crystallized the need for personal identification and accountability, and surnames became in general use from this time onwards.

Modern-day Berwick Castle

In 1903, a William M. Paxton published an extensive study into the origins of the Paxton name.  While not an authoritative source, and still needing some validation, it is a valuable resource.  He states:   The name Paxton is of Saxon origin.  Our ancestors as early as the sixth century, crossed from the continent, and settled in what is now Berwickshire, Scotland.  Referencing "A Distinguished English Herald", he states:  Berwickshire is a maritime county of Scotland, forming its southeast extremity, being separated from England by the Tweed.  It is chiefly noted for the renowned Berwick Castle, which sprung into importance, during the long struggle between the Scots and Saxons for its possession.  It was around, and in sight of, and under the protection of this case, that the Paxtons located their territorium as one of the original families that colonized England, after the departure of the Romans..  He also quotes the herald as follows:  The name Paxton is derived from a Saxon word meaning gardiner.  The laird, or head of the family, established himself in a territory in Berwickshire, Scotland.  The name of his land was, first, Pac-cingas-town, then Packingtown, then Packston, and since A.D. 1250, has been written Paxton.

The village of Paxton, Scotland.  The Tweed River is to the right.

Indeed, if we look at the "Calendar of Documents Relating to Scotland, Preserved in Her Majesty's Public Record Office", the edition covering the 50 years from 1307 to 1357, we find several entries in the early 1300's regarding land ownership of several residents of Paxton, referred to (using Roger as an example) as "Roger de Paxton", (Roger of Paxton) for example.

About that same time, the death of Margaret "Maid of Norway", the Queen of Scotland, left no clear successor to the Scottish throne, leaving it vacant for two years.  In 1291, King Edward I of England "volunteered" to help determine the legitimate heir.  He called a series of meeting with those claiming heir.  John balliol was chosen as the heir and crowned King of Scotland in 1292.  However, in 1295, he allied with Philip of France, and in 1296, Edward invaded Scotland and stripped Balliol of his power.  Edward called another series of meetings, or a "parliament" at Berwick.  All the prominent Scottish landowners, churchmen, and burgesses were summoned to swear allegiance to Edward and sign the parchments and affix their seals.  In these so-called "Ragman Rolls", we find listed two Counts from Paxton:  Nicol de Paxton, and Robert de Paxton.


From here, we next have evidence of Paxtons in Buckinghamshire in England, in the early 1500's.  The author of "We Are One" claims that the Paxtons were driven from their ancestral home in the Berwick, Scotland, area, and found refuge in Central England.  Whether all the Paxtons relocated, and whether the ancestors of our William Paxton were among them, is as of yet undetermined.

From the Paxtons in England, a group of Presbyterian believers fled to northern Ireland near the time of the British Restoration of the Monarchy, and the religious persecution that came with it under Charles II, in 1661.  Among these was a James Paxton.  Three of James' sons, William, Thomas, and Samuel, emigrated to America.  From this line come the Pennsylvania Paxtons, and the Revolutionary War heroes Caption John Paxton, Major William Paxton, and Colonel Thomas Paxton.

Another group of the Paxtons in England joined William Penn and the Quakers, and in 1682, emigrated to America.  Most of this group changed their name to Paxson, though a few kept the name Paxton.

It seems fairly certain that none of these groups are the specific Paxton line we are investigating, as our line reappears in the Berwick area in the early 1700's, and doesn't appear in America for a couple more generations.  We have previously identified a Paxton reappearing in the Berwick area from northern Scotland.   Perhaps our William's ancestors fled to northern Scotland at the same time that other Paxtons were fleeing south to central England, or to Ireland, only to reappear in Berwick, or perhaps there were even some Paxtons that remained in the area while others fled.

This is what we don't know.

This is what we need to find out.

Our Story Begins... In the Middle

A view of Tweedmouth, with Berwick-upon-Tweed in the background.
Take a virtual tour of Berwick-upon-Tweed area here, or view some
beautiful photos of the area here

In this town of Tweedmouth, in 1731, a boy named William Paxton was born.  He was (assumed to be) raised in the area.  In the same town, sometime in March of 1733, a girl was born, named Isabel Archibald. William and Isabel married in Tweedmouth on June 30 of 1751 (because of legibility issues, this year is disputed, and may be 1754 or 1761, but assuming 1751 based on year of birth of first child).


According to what we know from current documentation, William and Isabel had seven children:

• William   (1752-?)
• John (1755-?)
• Jane (1757-?)
• John (1758-?)
• Selby (1760-?)
• Isabel (1763-?)
• Robert (1764-?)

Isabel's paternal family had been in the Northumberland for several generations, having made their way from Worcestor, in central England, up through Alnwick, in southern Northumberland, eventually settling in the Tweedmouth area.  Other ancestral lines had been in the Northumberland region for several generations longer.

A view from Fife, Scotland

Whiile no more specifics are certain about William's heritage, there is reason to believe they came from Scotland.  A certain Hew Paxton was born 12 Sept 1675 in Abbotshall, Fife, Scotland, and married Christian Tosh (b. 1672, Dundee).  Hew and Christian had eight children, according to records, the first 6 of which were born in Abbotshall.  The seventh child, James Paxton, was born 16 Jan 1720, in Berwick-upon-Tweed.  It is quite certain that James was not William's father, as James was born only 11 years before William.  However, James had four brothers (George, b 27 Mar 1698;  Hew, b 10 Feb 1702; Hugh, b 4 Nov 1705; Robert, b 15 Aug 1708) that would have been plausible ages to have been William's father.  Did James' brothers come with Hew when he moved to Berwick-upon-Tweed?  Could one of them be our link to further generations?  Or were there already Paxton relatives living in the area that encourage Hew to move to the area?

And so it is that we begin in the middle of the story.  From here, we will investigate William's descendants, but also attempt to determine William's heritage.  You are invited to join in the investigation and contribute what you find, or if it suits you better, just join along for the journey.  Either way, let's all enjoy the journey !