Biographical Sketch of Capt. William J. Buxton, Jefferson County, MO

>From "History of Franklin, Jefferson, Washington, Crawford and 
Gasconade Counties", Biographical Appendix, Goodspeed Publishing 
Company, 1888.

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Capt. William J. Buxton, farmer, of Big River Township, was born in 
Manchester, England, in 1832 and is the elder of two sons born to John
and Elizabeth (Ravenscroft) Buxton, natives of England, born in 1811
and 1812, respectively.  (For further particulars of parents see sketch
of John Buxton.)  William J. was educated in the Manchester schools, 
and at the age of twenty came to St. Louis, but in 1854, just two years
later, returned and married Miss Mary Jane Dillon, daughter of Patrick
and Ellen Dillon.  Twelve children were born to this union, eleven of
whom are now living.  The year after his marriage Capt. Buxton returned
to Jefferson County, in 1855, locating in Meramec Township, and in 1861
purchased the farm upon which he is now living.  This consists of 500
acres of land, and is situated nine miles northwest of Hillsboro.  At
the breaking out of the late war he took a firm stand for the Union, 
and in 1862 organized Company E, Eightieth Enrolled Missouri Militia,
which he commanded for about two years, when he joined the United 
States service in command of Company B, Forty-seventh Missouri Volun-
teer Infantry, and operated along the line of the St. Louis, Iron Moun-
tain & Southern Railroad, and at Pilot Knob during the invasion of Gen.
Price.  In 1864 he went with A. J. Smith and operated from Nashville to
the Alabama line.  He remained in service until March 29, 1863 when he
was mustered out at Benton Barracks, Mo.  About the time he was ordered
to Tennessee he was notified of his election to the office of collector
of Jefferson County, in 1864, but having already been chosen captain of
his company, in which capacity he was then serving, he chose to remain
in the service of his country.  Since the war he has devoted his time
exclusively to agricultural pursuits, at which he has been quite succ-
essful.  He is a stanch Republican, and his first presidential vote was
cast of A. Lincoln, in 1860.  He is commander of the John B. Rahye Post
No. 314 at Cedar Hill.  He was the founder of the Germania Council,
Union League of America, in 1863.  The family are members of the Cath-
olic Church.

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