Sunday, June 13, 2010

John & Margaret Patterson cemetery

Last Revised: 27 December 2018

After my latest trip to north GA I have become 99% certain that my gggg-grandparents are buried at Bethlehem Baptist Church Cemetery in Lower Young Cane, GA, just west of Blairsville (Union Co).


Bethlehem Cemetery, south of Ivylog, west of Blairsville, GA

I will never be able to prove it, for certain. But a considerable amount of evidence has come to light in regards to the locations of their children's farms during the 1830's and 40's, and where John and Margaret lived in relation to them during that time.

John and Margaret (J&M) did not own their own farm, by the way. So that effectively removes a family cemetery from the equation.

In 1840, the last census on which John was recorded, they were living next to Isabella Price. But Isabella wasn't even buried in a family cemetery, as she was later buried at Bethlehem Cemetery also. All of these family lots (Amos, George, Joseph, plus Isabella) in Lower Young Cane were within a mile or two of Bethlehem, and a couple were within a half mile. In fact, the lot which was the furthest away was Isabella's lot, but she was later buried at Bethlehem. Isabella was not a daughter of John and Margaret, but she was apparently close to them.

My g-gf was Elijah Patterson (1871-1957). He is buried at Bethlehem Cemetery (BC).

His parents were Bill and Betty Patterson (Wm H. Patterson, 1832-1883, and Elizabeth Akins Patterson, 1836-1914). Both Bill and Betty are buried at BC - next to Isabella Price.

Bill's father was George Patterson (1800-1860)... I now know that George died in 1860 sometime between July when the census was taken, and December when his widow Sophia wrote a letter to her family regarding his death. He was buried a couple miles north next to his wife Rebecca Chastain Patterson, who had died during the mid to late 1840's when they lived on a lot in Ivy Log. George later lived very close to BC, and I found out this week via telephone that George attended Bethlehem Church. Logically, he chose to be buried next to his wife, and therefore he is not at BC.

My gggg-gf was John Patterson (1762/65-1840's), father of George. John and his wife Margaret, are the first generation of Pattersons whom I do NOT know where they are buried. Bethlehem Church was established in 1848. Usually, churches were established by like-minded people in a growing locale, and quite often established near a cemetery already in use by the community or one of the families. I now know that John could have been born as early as 1762 and no later than 1765. I believe it was around 1762/63 time frame.

BC has at least 30 unmarked graves (field stones with no markings on them) in the heart of the cemetery. And the main Patterson (and Price and Gray) rows are located all around these unmarked graves at the entrance to the cemetery. White folk began moving into the area in the late 1820's and early 1830's, so none of these graves would likely pre-date 1830.

Where were John and Margaret Patterson buried? Where was their oldest son Joseph B. Patterson (1789-1860) buried? Where was Joseph's daughter, Peggy, and her husband, Gravet E. Foster, buried?

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