Brief Life History of Rufus
When Brigadier General Rufus Saxton was born on 19 October 1824, in Greenfield, Franklin, Massachusetts, United States, his father, Jonathan Ashley Saxton, was 29 and his mother, Miranda Wright, was 25. He married Matilda Gordon Thompson on 11 March 1863, in Beaufort, South Carolina, United States. He lived in Portland, Multnomah, Oregon, United States in 1870 and San Francisco, California, United States in 1880. He died on 23 February 1908, in Washington, District of Columbia, United States, at the age of 83, and was buried in Arlington, McDowell, Virginia, United States.
Photos and Memories (3)
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Family Time Line
Sources (11)
- Rufus Saxton, "United States Census, 1870"
- Rufus Saxton, "Massachusetts, Births and Christenings, 1639-1915"
- Rufus Loxton, "District of Columbia Deaths, 1874-1961"
Spouse and Children
Parents and Siblings
World Events (8)
1825 · The Crimes Act
The Crimes Act was made to provide a clearer punishment of certain crimes against the United States. Part of it includes: Changing the maximum sentence of imprisonment to be increased from seven to ten years and changing the maximum fine from $5,000 to $10,000.
1839 · Dueling Prohibited
February 20, 1839, Congress prohibits dueling in Washington D.C. It is inspired by the incident where William Graves, a Kentucky Rep. is killed by Jonathan Cilley, a Maine Rep.
1846
U.S. acquires vast tracts of Mexican territory in wake of Mexican War including California and New Mexico.
Name Meaning
English: habitational name principally from Saxton (Yorkshire), but perhaps occasionally from the lost Saxton preserved in Saxon Street in Woodditton (Cambridgeshire). The Yorkshire placename probably derives from the Old Norse personal name Saxi (see Sax 3) + Old English tūn ‘farmstead, estate’, though the first element may alternatively be Old English Seaxe ‘the Saxons’ (in the stem-form Seax-) or perhaps Old English seax ‘stone, rock’. The Cambridgeshire placename probably derives from Old English Seaxe (in the stem-form Seax-) + tūn.
Dictionary of American Family Names © Patrick Hanks 2003, 2006.
Possible Related NamesStory Highlight
Colonel Rufus Saxton, Jr.
« BACK TO RECIPIENT LISTINGRufus Saxton Jr.Civil War Brigadier General, U.S. Army, U.S. Volunteers. Awarded for actions at Harpers Ferry, WV. May 26, 1862 Rufus Saxton Jr. was descended from a family …
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