Below, I have transcribed excerpts from Paton Family History, Compiled by John H. Paton, Almont, Michigan, 1905.   The compiler, John H. Paton, is the son of David Paton, who came to Canada with his mother, Ann Allan Paton, after the death of her husband, John, who died in 1844.  In 1852 she went to Michigan, where she died.   I have inserted some statements in brackets “[]” for clarification.  At the end I have summarized the line of descent, as described herein, from Captain John Paton to John Paton, the grandfather of the compiler.  The book contains photographs of portraits of that John Paton, who was born in Scotland in 1776, and his wife, Ann Allan, who was born 22 Feb 1780 in Mauchline, Ayrshire, Scotland.  I have long had a small copy of the photograph of this John (husband of Ann), given to me by my grandmother, with the name “John Paton” hand-written on the back, but until I saw this book I did not know for sure which John Paton it was.  The excerpt follows.

     [Pages 2-8 of the portion of the book entitled, “Paton Family History.”]  On father’s side of the family, our Grandfather’s name was John [Paton, b. 1776].  According to “Descendants of Alexander Paton,” written by our Cousin James R. Paton, of Liverpool, he [John, b. 1776] was the only child of his parents, Alexander Paton [b. about 1746] of Loudoun parish, and Janet Wilson [b. about 1740] of Fenwick parish.  I find no record of his birthday; but the Fenwick register shows that his parents  were married at Kilmarnock on March 8, 1776; and the Loudoun register shows that he was “baptized” at the meeting house on December 24, 1776.  So he was probably born at about the middle of December 1776.  The family tradition is that he was the Great-Great-Grandson of Captain John Paton (the Soldier-Covenanter) of Meadowhead, in the Parish of Fenwick, but the vouchers of this have not been found.  In “The Scots Worthies,” it speaks of the death of one of his children, and of his committing “his wife and six small children” to the Lord, just before his death.  In the “Descendants of Alexander Paton,” it is said:  “The Captain had son, and a John Paton succeeded him in Meadowhead.”  –(John Howie’s “Life,” p. 34, Baillie Court Book of Cunningham, July 22, 1695.)

    John G. Paton, who has been a Missionary to New Hebrides for nearly half a century, also traces his descent from Captain John Paton, who was born at Meadowhead, in the parish of Fenwick.  I do not find the date of his birth.  He was brought up on the farm, but when a young man he enlisted, and went to the wars in Germany, and fought under Gustavus Adolphus, king of
Sweden, and for some heroic achievement, was made Captain.  Afterward he returned to Scotland, and at intervals, between 1645 and 1684, did heroic work in the struggle of the Covenanters against the encroachments of Episcopacy.  Of course, he was counted a rebel against the English government, and was arrested in August 1684, and executed at Edinburgh on May 9,
1685.  In “Scots Worthies,” it is said, he was courageous and magnanimous, and that “He lived a hero, and died a martyr.”

    There seems to be no obscurity in the evidence that our Grandfather [John Paton,  b. 1776] was the Grandson of Alexander Paton [b. about 1715, m. Jean Bordland], who is on record as tenant of “Blackbyres,” which was a part of the barony of  Hareshawmuir, in the parish of Fenwick, but a short distance from Meadowhead, where Captain John Paton was born.  The
Kilmarnock marriage register speaks of this Alexander Paton as the “son of the late John Paton in Fennick [sic.] parish,” and shows his marriage to Jean Bordland, daughter of James Bordland, in Fosterhill, on Tuesday, July 8, 1740.  He probably became the tenant of Blackbyres soon after this marriage.  In the record he first appears as tenant in 1746, but at that time more than two years’ rent was due.  A rent-book of this tenant (in Jas. R. Paton’s possession) shows that he paid rent from 1750 to 1756, that his widow paid the rent for the three following years, and his heirs, for four years from 1761 to 1764.

    The Rev. William Paton (our Uncle) is reported as having “declared that Alexander had ten children, the eldest of whom, called John (named for his paternal Grandfather), went to India as a soldier and died there.”  Others were named (1)  Alexander, (2) James, (3) Janet, and (4) _____.

    This Alexander is our Great-Grandfather, before mentioned, who married Janet Wilson.

[TRANSCRIBER’S NOTE: By “this Alexander,” the author means “(1) Alexander,” mentioned at the end of the prior paragraph.  He is the Alexander who married Janet Wilson.  The Reverend William Paton appears to be the child of John Paton and Ann Allan, and thus is the uncle of the writer.]

    (The other members of that family had many descendants, whose history we will not attempt to follow.  We no doubt have many distant relatives who are not known as such.)  This Janet Wilson (our Great-Grandmother) was born in 1740, and died October 2, 1796, aged 56.  She was descended from Baillie John Brown, of Fenwick.  His armchair, dated 1676, is in possession of Alexander Paton, in Galston, son of our Uncle Andrew.  (When I saw it in 1897, I got the impression that it was thought to be Captain John Paton’s chair.) [Andrew is also a son of John Paton and Ann Allan Paton.]

    Our Great-Grandfather [Alexander Paton, who married Janet Wilson] was born in 1747 or 48, and, as before stated, was married March 8, 1776.  Our Cousin Jas. R. Paton has a Bible with his autograph–“Alexander Paton, 17–.”  For a time he was a maltster in Newmilns, where the “Black Bull Inn” afterwards stood, and later, in a house at the top of the Greenholm, where
the bridge was built.  He then took the farm of Burnhead, near Galston, and later moved to Underwood, near the Holms farm, where he died April 15, 1816, aged 69.

    We have seen that our Grandfather [John Paton] was the only child of his parents [Alexander Paton and Janet Wilson], and was probably born in December 1776.  He married on July 1, 1803, to Ann Allan.  For nine or ten years they lived in the above-named Burnhead, where (according to the record in hand) six of their children were born–Elisabeth, Alexander, Andrew, John, James and David.  They then moved to the dairy farm of Standalane, near Galston, where were born seven children–William, Janet, Robert, Allan, Thomas, Janet and Annie.  In 1825 they moved to Titchfield Street, Galston.  He was an adherent of the Anti-Burgher church in Newmilns.  He died on August 15, 1844, (aged 67), and was buried in the Galston churchyard.

    Grandmother [Ann Allan]  was born February 27, 1780.  She came with us to America in 1852.  Some of us remember her very well.  She was a vigorous woman till near the end of her life.  Several times she travelled alone (of her own choice) between our home in Michigan and Uncle John’s home in Canada.  At the latter place, at Colchester, not far from Amherstburg, she died on December 14, 1855, (aged 75) and was buried in the Colchester Cemetery, by Lake Erie.

    I remember seeing, in their home in Galston, the portraits of Grandfather and Grandmother, photographs of which are now in my possession, through the kindness of our Cousin Andrew B. Paton of Crosby, England.  These photographs are much like the portraits.  After I received them, I called in our aged friend, John McKall [or McKail], to see them.  He was the only one here who could tell me whether Grandfather’s picture is good, as he alone could well remember seeing him.  After looking at the picture a few moments, he exclaimed, “It’s yer Gran’father Pawton.”  He had not seen him for over fifty years.  He went on to say, “It luks gae like him.  It has a meek luk.  Yer Gran’mither had mair force in some w’ys.  She keepit the siller.   Whatever he earned, at the en’ o’ the week, when he got his p’y, he’d bring it a’ to your Gran’mither, and put it in her lap.  But he was a gran’ man; aye, John Pawton was a gran’ man.  He was a man of gude principles.  He was a very releegious man, and he was a great reader of the Bible and a great thinker.  He used to be called to visit the sick and comfort the dying like a
minister.  Man, it was worth while to hear him pray.”

    The preceding information about the descendants of Captain John Paton is written by the grandson of the John Paton  born near Galston in 1776, who married Ann Allan.  After John’s death, Ann emigrated to America or Canada with some of her children.  The beginning of the book has a “brief history” about David Paton, the father of John H. Paton, compiler of the book,
written by John H. Paton’s, sister, Annie Paton.  They state that their father, David, who was born in 1812 in Ayrshire, near Galston, was the son of their grandfather, John.

    Grandfather John Paton, the husband of Ann Allan, was the only son of Alexander Paton and Janet Wilson, who were married on 8 Mar 1776.  He was baptized on 24 December of that same year.

    Alexander, husband of Janet Wilson, was the son of Alexander Paton, b. abt. 1715 in Fenwick Parish and  Jean Bordland, b. about 1715 in Meadowhead.  The were married on 8 Jul 1740 in Kilmarnock.

    Alexander, husband of Jean Bordland was said by his great-grandson, William Paton, to have had 10 children, the first of whom was named John and one of whom was Alexander, husband of Janet Wilson.  Nothing in the text of the book explains who William said this to or how he knew about Alexander’s and Jean’s children.  There may be further information about
Alexander and Jean Bordland in the book, but if there is I didn’t copy it.  However, another book on the Paton family history (sorry–but I failed to write down the book title and author) lists  the ten children and states that they were all born in Fenwick Parish.  The children are listed as:

John Paton, b. abt 1741
James Paton #1, b. abt 1743, d. 13 Aug 1744
James Paton #2, b. abt. 1745, md. Janet Lindsay
Alexander Paton, b. 1747, d. 15 Apr. 1816
William Paton, b. abt. 1749, died of smallpox, bur. 8 Dec. 1749
(child) Paton, b. abt. 1750
(child) Paton, b. abt 1752
(son) Paton, b. abt 1754, married and had a son who married an Agnes Smith
Janet Paton, b. abt 1757, d. abt 1840, married twice, ___ Harris and ____Bordland

It is not clear to me from the book where this information came from.  I think I failed to copy the page that might have had an explanation.

    Alexander Paton, husband of Jean Bordland, was, according to family tradition, the grandson of Captain John Paton.  His father, John, would have been the son of Captain John.   The name of the wife of John Paton, son of Captain John and father of Alexander, is not known, or at least is not stated in the book.

    The line of descent from Captain John Paton to the compiler of the Paton Family History is as
follows:

Captain John Paton, b. about 1614, married Janet Millar.  They had:

John Paton, b. about 1669, wife’s name unknown (but see below*).   They had:

Alexander Paton, b. about 1715 (another source says 1707), married Jean Bordland.  They had:

Alexander Paton, b. about 1747, married Janet Wilson.  They had:

John Paton, b. about 1776, married Ann Allan.  They had:

David Paton, b. about 18 Nov. 1812, married Christina Woodburn.  They had:

John H. Paton, who compiled the book.

*Grant Paton has family records that say this John Paton married (1) Sarah Patterson and (2)
Marion Barland.

[My own line descends through James Paton, the brother of David Paton.]

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