My Virginia

Paxton House: Powhatan County, Virginia. Near Tobaccoville (Built circa 1819) Above: Dr. John Gifford Skelton: My 3rd Great Grandfather, born at Paxton in 1815.  It came to my surprise when I found out the Skelton ancestral home was recently sold in 2017 and completely upgraded to full splendor! I was looking up the property online to see if some of the Skelton cousins and myself could visit the property as part of a family reunion . Years ago, I did film the outside, but I never was able to see inside. I found several pictures online available to the public which openly display the inside of the house- which is very remarkable, indeed! Because the property is privately owned, I know it would be difficult to arrange for all of the Skelton descendants to see the inside of the house. While we may be able to tour the grounds of the property, seeing the inside of the Paxton any time soon , seems unlikely. However, I was very thrilled that the estate has published pictur...

This is a picture of my third Great-Grandather, Dr. John Gifford Skelton.  He was born in 1815 at Paxton Plantation, in Powhatan , County, Virginia.He was a farmer in Powhatan County,  and was a country doctor, making rounds around the county . During The War-Between-The-States, he administered aid to both wounded Union and Confederate soldiers. He later retired to Richmond, where he helped in the establishment of the Medical College of Virginia (MCV). He was a member of Monumental Church in Richmond. He died at age 74 of apoplexy, and is buried in Hollywood Cemetery.

Doing family research is a lot of fun. Ancestry can turn up so many hidden gems and interesting stories throughout the years. These two historic  houses belonged to my ancestors on my  maternal Great Grandfather's side of the family.  His name was John Gifford Skelton III.   These two homes are located relatively in the same region, although in different counties. Both west of Richmond. Most of the people on this branch of the family settled just west of Richmond, Virginia, and came to Richmond just after the War Between the States. This first dwelling shown here is Paxton . I have covered Paxton before, but these earlier photos  show how  the farmhouse looked before it was painted white. Paxton was built by my great great great great Grandfather Ennion Skelton- a New Jersey born physician who migrated South to Virginia in 1800,  to join his friends  and relatives. He wanted a  large farmhouse in Powhatan County, and he began work on Paxton...