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The Book | The Author | Contents | Purchase Book | Comments & Updates | Contact Us |
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The Book
The purpose of this family history is to provide Paxton sons and daughters with useful answers to their children's questions, such as "Who am I?" While this book is not a genealogy, a concerted effort was made to chart the first four generation of each immigrant family. Facts and dates shown were assembled from both the 1903 and 1987 Paxton genealogy books, plus later research of wills, family Bibles and multitudinous library references. Details are often conflicting. Hearsay evidence and occasional logical conjectures also have been used. For those who seek a certified pedigree of their family branch, a professional genealogist and a substantial bankroll may provide additional information.
While growing up I learned that while we look more or less like our parents and ancestors, logic and character aren't necessarily inherited. there was once a frightening explanation that souls, good or bad, entered the body just prior to birth. this theory ordained that good or evil was predestined, that the individual had no choice but to play a fated role. This explained why, according to popular myth, George Washington as a youngster couldn't tell a lie (and there I was, already telling "whoppers").
While my father, a merchant and a gentleman, became my male role model, I didn't realize at first that his traits of character were only partly inherited. A person becomes who he or she is from personal actions; character is built over a lifetime. Eventually, most of us learn the importance of practicing honesty, compassion, courage, and perseverance until these traits become automatic, while others may react according to personal emotion and what offers the greatest benefit. Besides the importance of role models, people are tremendously influenced by geography, personal relationships with contemporaries -- good and otherwise -- and education in forming their personal opinions. Exemplary character and useful behavior are not based on sharing the same family views on religion, politics, or social issues. Instead, they are based on the accumulation of experience. That is why knowing the experiences of our ancestors can help us to make better judgments in our daily lives. Frank Paxton, Jr. 1 Shakespeare, The Tempest, 21.246 |
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The Book | The Author | Contents | Purchase Book | Comments & Updates | Contact Us |
The Past is Prologue1
The
life experiences in this book are true. The various accounts of
individual events are lessons that recur in different circumstances.
It is important that Paxton descendants learn the reasons that caused our
ancestors t think and act as they did. As records of criminal
activity or penitentiary confinement are not available to the public, the
lesson provided by culprit Paxtons are unfortunately scarce.
About
this time, my father showed me an old book about the Paxtons. This
genealogy of the Paxton family mostly involved who begat whom: there were
occasional good guys, no bad guys, and mostly people like you see every
day. Thanks to this 1903 genealogy I learned much about my
ancestors, but many of my questions remained unanswered.