Lexington gazette. [volume] (Lexington, Va.) 1871-1962, 1902-12-24
The Old Men of ROckbridge.
COLONEL WILLIAM PAXTON.

lnent ana useful part upon the
theater of life twenty-five years
ago, in the history Of Rockbridge
county, my memory fixes upon that
Of Colonel William Paxton as one
who may well be taken up next in
the line Of these memorial notices.
/ am not as familiar with the per-
sonnet of Colonel Paxton as with
many other Of the old men of Rock
bridge during portion of his day,
for he died shortly after my ac-
quaintance with that class Of men
commenced. He had performed a
very important part in the events
transporting in connection with the
county fol period Of twenty-five
years or more previous to May,
1853, the date Of his death. He
lived to be some seventy-fve years
old, and spent the whole period of
his allotted time citizen Of this
county-though his business occu-
patipns were for a portion of the
time beyond the limits of tie
county, proper.
H was son Of William Paxton
who was one Of three brothers who
immigra ted into Rockbridge county
from Pennsylvania at the time of
the early settlement of the Valley
of Virginia-of that ScOtch-Irish
race who were the pioneers in this
region and settled in that beautiful
and fertile section Of the county
known as the Forks. The residence
of his father was plantation on
the lower road in the eighborhood
of Ben-Salem church. Colonel
Paxton retained it in his possession
during the whole Of his life after
his father, and the same place is
now the residence Of his son, Colonel
James H. Paxton. This is one of
the few farms, with more acres
added to it, which the Industrious.
provident life of the owners have
enabled them to do, and which still
remains in the hands Of the descend
ants of the first settlers.
Colonel Paxton, the subject of
this sketch, married Polly Paxton,
second cousin and the daughter
Of John Paxton of Revolutionary
memory who was wounded at the
battle of Guilford. His father was
one of the first settlers in the Forks
on James river. Colonel Paxton,
though a quiet, retired farmer and
unaspiring as to official position,
yet may be said to have been in
public life for the full period after
arriving at matured manhood. But
this was so, because official place
sought him and not he the office.
He was man who had the con-
fdence of his fellow men, who was
eminently qualified for public
duties, of sterling integrity, steady,
industrious habits, honest, accord
ing to the old saying, "as the days
are long and possessed of that
sound business common sense which
caused his countymen to select him
for filling important posts of trust
and honor.
Colonel Paxton was for many
years county surveyor Of Rock
bridge, and perhaps no man who
ever acted in that capacity was
better versed in that intricate
knowledge of the land lines or was
ever more accurate in his surveys
and kept the land records of the
county in a more satisfactory man.
ner.
His fellow-countymen seeing his
eminent fitness for business of
public nature called him to repre-
sent the county in the Legislature,
and in connection, / believe, with
Captain John Bowyer and Captain
Robert White, he served several
terms in that capacity with much
credit to himself and entire salts
faction to his constituency.
He held the office of magistrate
for long time, coming in for the
Enthusiastically at one tine e, which
was the only reward in a pecuniary
way the magistrates of old Virginia
ever obtained for their lifelong
services, and that only when they
had filled the place for a length of
time that they in turn came to be
the oldest magistrate onthe bench.
His face was familiar to the good
people of Rockbridge as one of the
conservators of the peace and
ornaments of the County Court in
the days when the honest, hard
sense gentry of the county sat on
the bench and dispensed justice
and right, both there and in their
home bailiwick between man and
man.
His church membership was with
the Falling Spring congregation
and his attendance at church there
and at Lexington, at least until the
Ben-Salem church was organized.
The lot Of ground was decided by