Robert Patterson of Rusk Co Tx was enumerated on the 1860 census there. He died sometime between that year and 1870. For years I have been researching this man and his family, and their connection to my John and Margaret Black Patterson family of Union Co Ga. I have become convinced that Robert (born ca 1796) was a son of John and Margaret. As a point of reference, I descend from John by his son, George (b 1800). I have
additional notes on this Robert on a page at WesPatterson.com.
In December 2009,
Marty Grant was updating his website and he did some follow up research on this Robert and was able to find him on the 1840 (
St Francis Co AR) census, and perhaps also in 1830 (
Clarke Co GA). No one had previously located him on any census except 1860. The following research notes are excerpts of communications initiated by Marty Grant on 10 Dec 2009. These notes are from Marty Grant, and supplemented by Wes Patterson in Dec 2009 and April 2010.
The following notes begin with Marty’s data collection and analysis.
Franklin Co., GA Marriages to 1850:
9 Oct 1806 Rachel Patterson & James Bohannan
26 Nov 1825
John Strange & Ann Johnson23 Mar 1830 Milly Patterson & Absalom H. Shelton
9 Feb 1832 Calvin W. Patterson & Elizabeth Attaway
11 Oct 1832 Nancy Patterson & H. K. Phillips
25 Aug 1833 Hampton Patterson & Mary Bowers
11 Oct 1835
Robert Patterson & Ann Strange18 Jul 1840 Tryon Patterson & Eliza Prewitt
22 Nov 1842 Samuel Patterson & Frances M. Patterson
Jackson Co., GA marriages to 1850:
29 Aug 1808 Rachel Patterson & Patton Gardner
25 Dec 1817 Charlotte Patterson & Grigsby Grady
14 Apr 1819 William Patterson & Rebecca Coffee
15 Feb 1821 Tabitha Patterson & James Candle
10 Oct 1828 Katharine Patterson & Stephen Caudle
Clarke Co., GA marriages to 1850:
20 Apr 1809 Nancy Patterson & Henry Langford
29 Jan 1818 William Patterson & Rodey Runnels
28 Oct 1827 James Patterson & Nancy Howard
13 Feb 1834 Littleton Patterson & Elizabeth Dupree
Madison Co., GA marriages to 1850:
12 Jun 1817 Celia Patterson & Charles McDaniel
2 Jan 1829 Elizabeth Patterson & James S. Palmer
22 Nov 1840 Elizabeth Patterson & Ezekiel Bray
25 Nov 1847 Joshua M. Patterson & Prudence Chetham
7 Dec 1848 Mary E. Patterson & James R. Anderson
3 Jan 1850 Martha A. Patterson & Thomas B. Thompson
1820 Census - GeorgiaClarke County - No Pattersons
Franklin - None
Jackson -
1- Wm Patterson 000200-10010 no slaves
2- James Patterson 110101-00001 no slaves
3- Wm Patterson 000001-00010 no slaves
# 1 and 2 were very near each other
Madison - None
1830 CensusClarke -
David Paterson (c1790/1800) 100001-12001, 55 slaves
John Paterson (c1790/1800) 210001-010001, no slaves
Robert H. Paterson (c1790/1800) 200001-10001, no slaves
No Morrow, Marr or similar. No Kincaid
Franklin -
John Strange (c1800/10) 20001-10001, no slaves, 1 slave
Claborn Johnson (c1780/90) 2011001-0120001, 8 slaves,
next to John StrangeWilliam Strange (c1790/1800 or 1800/10) 200011-00001, no slaves, 8 houses from John Strange
George Patterson (c1800/10) 20001-10001, 1 slave, 5 houses from William Strange
Tryon Patterson (c1770/80) 00021001-00110001, no slaves
William Patterson (c1800/10) 00001-200010001, no slaves
James Strange (c1800/10) 10001-00001, no slaves
Seth Strange (c1780/90) 00011001-00000001, 12 slaves
Seth Strange (c1800/10) 00001-1001, 2 slaves
Jackson - none
Madison - none
From the Franklin County records you can see that
John Strange (1st husband of
Ann Johnson) was next to
Claborn Johnson, perhaps her father [WP: he definitely was Ann's father]. They weren't far at all from George Patterson. Don't know how George ties in with Robert or if he does.
By 1840 there were only two Strange families in Franklin: Seth and William.
I also found this in
St. Francis Co., AR in 1840 side by side in Johnson District (or Township):
pg 196
Claborn Johnson (c1780/90) 00010001-00010001, 11 slaves
pg 196
Robert Patterson (c1800/10) 212001-012101, 4 slaves
This is almost certainly the same
Claborn Johnson from 1830 Franklin, and this would be his son-in-law
Robert Patterson and wife
Ann Johnson Strange Patterson. It also fits to be your Uncle Robert Patterson except we didn't know they were ever in Arkansas (or at least *I* didn't know it). William King was next door. I mention that because Robert's daughter R. E. married a King in the 1840's.
There is a William H. Patterson (c1790/1800) in 1840 St. Francis also, but not nearby.
Looking for them again in 1850 (I tried to find Robert in 1850 before but failed), I first looked for
Claborn Johnson, and found him in
Rusk Co., TX, right where he ought to be! He was by himself, age 66 born SC, no occupation, no real property, Rusk District, house and family # 430/430. No obvious relatives nearby, and still no sign of the Robert Patterson family in 1850. I checked for them in St. Francis Co., AR in 1850 but they weren't there. William H. Patterson (c1803) and family were there in 1850, probably same from 1840.
On a hunch I checked the 1850 Slave Schedule for Rusk and found "
C. Johnson" listed with two slaves. That is probably Claborn. No Pattersons were listed in Rusk County, TX with slaves.
Marty Grant (Marvin A. Grant, Jr.)
*** and then my consolidated responses to Marty ***Marty,
You've gotten my attention for sure! Yes,
Claborn Johnson WAS Ann's father. There is no question about that from the previous research I've done. And yes, he arrived in Tx prior to Robert and Ann coming. There WAS a young
John Patterson living with
Elizabeth Ferguson in Rusk Tx in 1850, and I believe him to have been the oldest son of Robert Patterson by his 1st wife.
St Francis Co AR is on the eastern border of the state - with Mississippi. This is certainly in the direct line of travel from GA / AL etc toward Tx. The 1840 AR Robert Patterson and his wife both appear to be too young by one column, but I realize that census records are not always correct - depending on who actually gave the data to the census taker.
Given that Patterson is next door to Claborn Johnson, that is a HUGE factor in believing this is most likely the Robert Patterson who married Ann Johnson Strange and ended up in Rusk Co Tx.
Now - here's the next question I have for you. Do we think this is John and Margaret's son born in 1796? Or do we think this is their nephew, son of Robert and Elizabeth Patterson of 1800 and 1810 Buncombe and 1820 Haywood? I don't have those census records in front of me right now, but I know that Robert had at least 3 sons. Could the 3 Patterson males from 1830 Clarke Co Ga be the sons of Robert and Elizabeth? And, therefore be nephews of my John? [WP: in 1800 Buncombe Co NC census, Robert Patterson had 2 males 0-10 in his household. So it's possible that the Robert of Clarke 1830 could have been a son of 1800 Buncombe Robert, but all 3 of these 1830 men were not his sons, if any. I believe the evidence will show a closer kinship to John of 1800 Buncombe.]
1830 Census Clarke -
David Paterson (c1790/1800) 100001-12001, 55 slaves
John Paterson (c1790/1800) 210001-010001, no slaves
Robert H. Paterson (c1790/1800) 200001-10001, no slaves
Either way, there was a huge connection b/w the
Patterson/Johnson group of Pattersons and then
Amos Patterson's sons - in
Rusk Co Tx.
They all served together in the 14th TX Cavalry under Col Middleton Tate Johnson, brother of Ann Johnson Strange Patterson!!!Here's more info on
Claborn Johnson, who's full name was
Matthew Claiborne Johnson, b 1784 SC. He died in 1853 in Rusk Co Tx, and was in Tx as early as 1839, although he apparently was back in AR for the 1840 census.
And, here's another page about
Claiborne Johnson's family, his father being
Rowland Johnson of Amelia Co, Va and Spartanburg Co, SC.
Marty, you mentioned that Robert Patterson's daughter (R.E.) married a King in the 1840's. I found some info on the Robert Patterson daughter who married a King. You mentioned:
I also found this in St. Francis Co., AR in 1840 side by side in Johnson District (or Township):
pg 196 Claborn Johnson (c1780/90) 00010001-00010001, 11 slaves
pg 196 Robert Patterson (c1800/10) 212001-012101, 4 slaves
This is almost certainly the same Claborn Johnson from 1830 Franklin, and this would be his son-in-law Robert Patterson and wife Ann Johnson Strange Patterson. It also fits to be your Uncle Robert Patterson except we didn't know they were ever in Arkansas (or at least *I* didn't know it). William King was next door. I mention that because Robert's daughter R. E. married a King in the 1840's.
If you go to
http://ftp.us-census.org/pub/usgenweb/census/tx/rusk/1860/pg0297b.txt and search for King you'll find the
George and
R.E. King household. Whoever transcribed this page added some annotations to this family, which sheds light on the fact that this
Rhoda E. was a
STRANGE, and therefore apparently the daughter of Robert Patterson's wife Ann, by her first husband.
18-1434/1452 KING George 36 M W M.D. 1,000 6,300 TN
19-1434/1452 KING R. E. (
Rhoda E. STRANGE) 29 F W - - - GA (m. 1 Jan. 1850)
20-1434/1452 KING E. C. 8 M W - - - TX
21-1434/1452 KING William G. 6 M W - - - TX
22-1434/1452 KING J. E. 4 M W - - - TX
23-1434/1452 LUMMUS (?) Elizabeth 15 F W - - - GA
And then a page or two further down we find Amos and Kimsey Patterson living next to each other. Amos was a younger brother supposedly, of Robert Patterson, and Kimsey was a son of George and therefore nephew of Amos.
12-1446/1464 PATTERSON S.K. 32 M W farmer 800 200 GA
13-1446/1464 PATTERSON M.E. (Mary F. JOWELL) 20 F W - - - AL (m. 13 Dec. 1855)
14-1446/1464 PATTERSON H.B.J. 2 M W - - - TX
15-1446/1464 PATTERSON L.B. 5/12 M W - - - TX
16-1447/1465 PATTERSON Amos 51 M W farmer 3,000 550 NC
17-1447/1465 PATTERSON Parmelia (A. MORRIS) 40 F W - - - AL (m. 12 Sept. 1858)
18-1447/1465 PATTERSON Lumpkin 30 M W f laborer 300 – GA
19-1447/1465 PATTERSON J.J. 25 M W – 150 – GA
20-1447/1465 PATTERSON Margaret 22 F W - - - GA
21-1447/1465 PATTERSON Nancy 20 F W - - - GA
22-1447/1465 MORRIS Eliza 10 F W - - - TX
23-1447/1465 MORRIS Martha 8 F W - - - TX
S K Patterson (
Silas Kimsey), was the son of George (b 1800) and nephew of Amos (and Robert).
The Morris girls were daughters of Amos' 2nd wife, Parmelia _____ (Morris) (Patterson), by her first husband.
Another big clue along the way in believing that Amos and Robert of Rusk were brothers, is the following deed:
H/532 - B. C. H. Johnson to Amos Patterson, a tract of land 25 mi. s.e. of Henderson (now known as Caledonia Community), 215 acres, filed 12-26-1853.
This was Berryman Cicero Holt Johnson, brother of Ann Johnson Patterson, and therefore brother-in-law of Robert Patterson - selling land to Amos Patterson! Robert Patterson named one of his sons B C H Patterson, as well.
Furthermore, these same Johnsons were intermarried with the Davis clan, including Jeremiah Gurley Davis. One of Jeremiah Gurley Davis's daughters married Wilson Lumpkin Patterson, son of Amos Patterson.
Wes Patterson (ggg-grandson of George Patterson – b. 1800)
***
Additional thoughts, April 2010:
So what does all this mean? I do believe the 1830 Clarke Co Ga record to be this same Robert Patterson. He had two sons in 1830 which match the ages of his two older sons in 1840. Also in 1830, Robert H Patterson of Clarke Co Ga had a daughter, which could be one of the older daughters in 1840. We also know that his second wife, Ann Strange (widow of John Strange from 1830 Franklin Co Ga), had a daughter by 1830. That only accounts for one of the 3 older daughters of Robert in 1840 (plus his own older daughter), leaving a third older daughter, age 10 or higher, unaccounted for. It could be that Ann or Robert, either one, had another daughter born right around 1830, who was not enumerated in 1830 but was listed as 10-15 in 1840.
The remaining children in Robert's 1840 household are accounted for. So if Robert is this Robert H. Patterson from Clarke Co Ga in 1830, what does the middle initial "H" stand for? I would be shocked if it was NOT "Harrison". Robert was born in 1796, at which time the Patterson family was relocating to Buncombe Co NC with all of their Harrison and Black relatives. Robert's paternal grandmother was named Margaret Harrison (Patterson). I cannot prove this, so don't write it down as gospel, please.
So that leaves two census years in which we are still missing Robert. He is not located in 1820 yet, and perhaps was living in another household as a farm laborer. That doesn't surprise me. But in 1850 he's also missing. Perhaps one day we'll locate that record.
Wes