I am researching the descendents of Captain John Paton (1604-1684) from Ayrshire, Scotland. My family tree extends directly back to Matthew Paton (1555) through Captain John down to the current day. Captain John Paton was prominent in the Covenanting times in Central Scotland in the 17th century. He was born on a farm in Fenwick, Ayrshire about 1604 and was a professional soldier, probably in the northern European war with Gustavus Adolphus of Sweden. He returned to Scotland and was a significant force within the Scottish Covenanting army during the middle 1600's. He fought with the Scottish army at Marston Moor and at Bothwell Bridge (as well as in many other battles) and was eventually captured and sentenced to death. He was executed in the Grassmarket in Edinburgh in 1684. Captain John was one of Scotland's foremost religious martyrs in the struggle for freedom of religious expression. My own family tree is fairly complete, but I would very much like to hear from anyone who can trace their connection to Captain John or who has any positive knowledge of his life and that of any of his antecedents.
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