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In Paxton, Illinois, a local historical society is working to honor a key figure from the county’s past, David Patton, by providing him with a gravestone—a tribute he never received. The Ford County Historical Society is spearheading this effort to recognize Patton’s significant contributions.
Patrick Tavenner, Vice President of the Historical Society, highlighted Patton’s role as Ford County’s first judge in the mid-1800s. Beyond his judicial duties, Patton’s legacy is cemented in the area, with Patton Township named in his honor. The society is now actively fundraising to place a headstone beside his son’s obelisk in Glen Cemetery.
While the reason behind the absence of a gravestone for Patton in Paxton’s Glen Cemetery remains unclear, Tavenner’s research suggests that financial difficulties might have been a factor at the time of Patton’s death in 1892.
As to why the judge never got a marker for his final resting place in the Paxton cemetery, Tavenner has done some research and said nothing is certain, but Patton’s finances seem to have dwindled by the time of his death in 1892.
“There’s just not much there when he died. So that, to me, is kind of a red flag that there’s something else going on,” Tavenner said. “Like I said, maybe marrying a widow 30 years younger, you know, might have upset people. And especially a couple months after his wife died.”
He said it’s no coincidence the historical society is raising money around Abraham Lincoln’s birthday, as both he and Patton were prairie lawyers around the same time and may have run into each other at some point.
The historical society wants to raise about $3,000 with hopes of getting a new gravestone up by the summer. If you want to donate you can find a link here.