I got this response from the reference library of Virginia. Marilyn ---------- > From: Reference <[email protected]> > To: [email protected] > Subject: Paxtons > Date: Thursday, June 22, 2000 7:37 PM > > Dear Ms. Blackburn: > > In reply to your email message of June 10, the Virginia census of > 1790 was destroyed by fire. Both the so-called 1787 and 1790 census > lists are based on other documents. The 1787 census was based on > existing personal property tax lists and the 1790 census (published in > 1986) was based on "lists of state enumerations made in 1782, 1783, > 1784, and 1785," of which half are missing. You cannot draw the > conclusion that all the Paxtons left Virginia in 1787 because the > documents are incomplete and also because the 1790 census was not really > taken in 1790. > > We hope this information will be helpful. > > Sincerely yours, > Janet B. Schwarz, Associate Reference Librarian