Laura Bettye Paxton nee Cain
From
Left to Right: Laura Bettye Paxton nee Cain, her grand-daughter Bettye Edwards,
her daughter Mary
Florence Werner nee Paxton, her great-grandson Fredrick Paxton Werner, and her
daughter Jessie Elvira
Edwards nee Paxton.
Born: August 26, 1866 in St. Stephens, NE
Passed: June 24, in 1945 in Falls City, NE
BIOGRAPHY
Her life was a checkered one. Her father was Judge William R. Cain of Falls City, Nebraska. She married Dr. Galen Crowe Paxton who was 12 years her senior at age 16. She bore three children but found living on the Great Plains in a sod house with a dirt floor distasteful and divorced him and returned to her home in Nebraska City, Nebraska. Her only son, Fredrick died suddenly of appendicitis at age 20 which was miss-diagnosed by the local doctor. She then re-married with a family name of Reid but that ended in divorce as well.
Finally, Dr. Paxton pleaded with her to return to him in Santa Monica, California and she did. After his passing, she returned to end her days in Nebraska City, Nebraska. She is interred in Steele Cemetery in Falls City, Nebraska.