Three generations of Paxton's

Joseph Paxton

Joseph Paxton was born at Virginia, where about unknown about 1801. Lavica was born about 1823 at Carter County, Tennessee to the Reverend Valentine Bowers and Abigail Buck. The Bower's and Buck's were among the first settler's of Carter County after Tennessee , became a state. Valentine's father Leonard was given land for his service in the American Revolution. Joseph and Lavica were married about 1837 and had their first child Elizabeth was born at Tennessee. Then they moved to Missouri around Saline County, where Sarah Ann was born. Altogether Joseph and Lavica has nine children many of them born at the Northwest part of Missouri. One was even born by Little Rock, Arkansas. Joseph, was said to be in charge of hiring Indian laborers since he knew how to speak their language.

John Nave Paxton

John Nave Paxton was born at Independence, Missouri on February 28th, 1848 to Joseph Paxton and Lavica Bowers. John was named for his paternal grandmother Rebecca Nave’s brother John Nave. Little is known in the family about John. Records show that he enlisted in the Civil War February 27th, 1865 one day before his eighteenth birthday. He was discharged six months later on August 30th without pension with the Measles, Settled Eyes and nearly blind. John Paxton and Eleanor Arnold were married May 31, 1870.  She was the daughter of Thomas Arnold and Rebecca McGrew. To this union eleven children were born.  Two sons dying in infancy. John spent most of his at Worth and Nodaway Counties, Missouri. He died at Parnell, Missouri in 1934 and is buried at the Green Cemetery, by Oxford, Missouri. Loren, John’s youngest son was my husband’s grandfather

Loren Paxton

Loren Paxton, was born at Parnell,Missouri. The youngest son of John Paxton and Elenor Arnold. He worked for the Burlington Railroad at Iowa. He married Margaret Pettis , daughter of George Eliza Pettis and Ivy Dunn. Loren, spent most of his life around Clarke, Decatur and Union County, Iowa. His children were: Lorene,Margaret, Cleota, Richard, Robert, Betty and Dixie Lee.  Loren and Margaret are buried at the Greenriver, Iowa Cemetery.