When Was John Patterson Actually Born?

Which John Patterson?, You Ask

John Patterson married Margaret "Peggy" Black in the 1780's in South Carolina, somewhere in Camden District, apparently. According to the 1850 Union Co., GA census, Margaret was listed as 83 years old that year, which would give her a birth year of 1766/67. I have pretty much always listed her as circa 1767.

In the 1980's when I began researching my family tree for the first time, info that I typically saw at the time listed John as born ca. 1767 as well. After I began to look closer at the census records, however, it became clear to me that he must have been born closer to 1765 than 1767. Not knowing, at the time, who his parents were, let alone when they were married, anything prior to 1765 was like spitting in the ocean. So I've always run with ca. 1765 for this John Patterson.

John Patterson's Birth Year Re-visited

Recently I was working through a five-part series on a Robert Patterson whom I believe to have been a younger son brother of this John. In the process of writing, documenting, reviewing, revising, etc., I tripped over this question of John's birth year once again.

The Patterson-Ferrell Connection - Part 5

The Patterson-Ferrell Connection: Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5

The Patterson-Ferrell Connection to the Robert Patterson Family of York Co., SC - The DNA Proof!

Last Revised: 28 January 2019

As I stated in Part 1 of this series, I mentioned that by the time I got to Part 5, the case would have been made for connecting these families of Bedford/Warren/Cannon Counties, TN to the Robert Patterson who died in 1775 in York Co., SC. I hoped to establish those links in Parts 2-4 using traditional methods of research, involving deeds, wills, court records, church records, migration patterns, etc. I hope I have been successful in doing so. I believe I have.

In Part 5, however, I want to close the circle on this discussion by bringing us back to the DNA evidence that initiated this entire research effort to begin with. John W. Patterson had his DNA tested in 2014. He descends from Lee Patterson, as we discussed in Part 2. Lee was a son of John Patterson and Ann Ferrell. I believe that John Patterson, in turn, was the son of Robert and Elizabeth Patterson who lived in Buncombe Co., NC between 1795 and 1810. This Robert was the son of Thomas Patterson and Margaret Harrison. Thomas Patterson was the son of Robert and Sarah Patterson, this latter Robert being the one who was born ca. 1705/11 and died in 1775 in York Co., SC.

The DNA Results

Let it be known... I know enough about DNA evidence to be dangerous! That said, I can extrapolate a few things that I hope make sense.

The Patterson-Ferrell Connection - Part 4

The Patterson-Ferrell Connection: Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5

How Robert and Elizabeth Patterson of 1810 Buncombe Co., NC are Related to Thomas Patterson of 1800 Buncombe

Last Revised: 28 January 2019

In Part 3 I covered several aspects of Robert Patterson in Buncombe Co., NC between 1800 and 1810. In those records one can see several Pattersons and the related families and neighbors around them. But there were several Pattersons on the West side of the French Broad River, but not all were sons of Thomas Patterson, apparently. In this post I hope to show more evidence that ties Robert Patterson of Turkey Creek (Buncombe) to John Patterson of Jenkins Branch, and therefore to Thomas Patterson of Jenkins Branch.

Various Patterson males are identified in various records in Buncombe from 1800 to 1820, in the Jenkins Branch/Sandy Mush/Newfound/Turkey Creek section near Alexander, NC. This is about 8 or 10 miles NW of Asheville, and on the west side of the river. These records include census, deed, and church records for the most part. Names seen include Thomas, John, John Sr, John Jr, Robert, Alexander, Andrew, James, and Joseph. Again, I am only focusing on the part of Buncombe in the region previously described.

So who were all of these Pattersons?

The Patterson-Ferrell Connection - Part 3

The Patterson-Ferrell Connection: Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5

The Patterson-Ferrell Connection to Robert and Elizabeth Patterson of 1810 Buncombe Co., NC

Last Revised: 9 March 2019

Before I discuss the Pattersons and Ferrells of Bedford, Warren, Cannon and Dekalb Counties, TN, let's take a step back and look at a Patterson couple that could have been the parents of John Patterson that married Ann Ferrell. The couple in question were named Robert and Elizabeth Patterson.

Robert Patterson was born between 1766 and 1774, based on census records (1800 & 1810 Buncombe Co., NC). However, he was most likely born closer to 1766/8. Circumstantial evidence indicates that Robert was a son of Thomas Patterson, who was born ca. 1736/40 in the Shenandoah Valley of Va in what is now Harrisonburg, Va. It was Augusta Co. at the time, but now Rockingham Co. Thomas was a son of Robert and Sarah Patterson, who died in 1775 and 1790, respectively, both in York Co., SC. This latter Robert was born ca. 1705/11 to William and Margaret Patterson.

The Patterson-Ferrell Connection - Part 2

The Patterson-Ferrell Connection: Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5

The Patterson-Ferrell Connection to the Claborn Gunter Family

Last Revised: 28 January 2019

John W. Patterson had his DNA tested in 2014. John's Patterson ancestors are from TN going back several generations. When John's DNA results matched several Pattersons who descend from Robert Patterson who died in 1775 in York Co., SC, with a fairly close genetic distance, it caught the attention of Harald Reksten, and then also this writer, Wes Patterson (as I mentioned in Part 1 of this series). The DNA evidence confirms a relation, but the real question is, Where do the lines join? Who is our common ancestor?

It's easy enough for Harald and Wes to answer that question where their own relation is concerned. Their most recent common ancestor WAS Robert Patterson who died in 1775. Harald descends from Robert's son, Robert, who married Mabel Ponder. Wes descends from Robert's son, Thomas, who married Margaret Harrison. But how does the afore-mentioned tester, John W. Patterson, connect to Harald and Wes?

What We Do Know

Let's start with what we DO know. John says his line is confirmed all the way back a man named Lee Patterson, who was born in February 1826, somewhere in the state of Tennessee. Lee married on 11-21-1847, in Dekalb Co., TN, to Mary "Polly" Davis. According to John, his ancestor Lee Patterson died on 12-31-1862, in Murfreesboro, Rutherford Co., TN, during the Civil War.

The Patterson-Ferrell Connection - Part 1

The Patterson-Ferrell Connection: Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5

The Patterson-Ferrell Connection to the Robert Patterson Family of York Co., SC - Part 1

Last Revised: 28 January 2019

This post is Part 1 in a series of posts that will establish the connection between the Patterson-Ferrell marriage (and their descendants), to the Robert Patterson family of York Co, SC. DNA evidence established in 2014 that there is a definite connection. Now the burden of proof lies on us researchers to show on paper, precisely HOW they connect.

I will be presenting evidence over the next few posts that make a case for the John Patterson who married Ann Ferrell, to have been a son of Robert and Elizabeth Patterson of Buncombe Co., NC, who lived there along Turkey Creek between 1805 and 1810. The latter Robert Patterson is believed to have been a brother of John Patterson (b. 1762/5) that married Margaret "Peggy" Black. These brothers were sons of Thomas Patterson (and Margaret Harrison), and therefore grandsons of Robert Patterson, who died in 1775 in York Co., SC. Both of these brothers attended Newfound Baptist Church in Buncombe, both were deacons, and both were listed in the church minutes on numerous occasions.

The evidence that I will be sharing has been gathered by various individuals, such as Harald Reksten, myself (Wes Patterson), John Patterson (the dna match who is a descendant of the Patterson-Ferrell marriage), and general, publicly-available records.

I hope to clearly present the following evidences:

1. Present the lineage of the DNA tester back to his proven ancestor, Lee Patterson. Of course, I will not spell out all the details of living persons here. I just mean I will show the proven ancestors of the dna tester, which goes back to said Lee Patterson.
2. Present the connection from Lee Patterson to John and Ann Ferrell Patterson.
3. Present evidence that links the families of central Tennessee, where the Pattersons and Ferrells settled, to the families of Buncombe and Burke Co., NC in general, and to Robert and Elizabeth Patterson specifically, where possible.
4. Present evidence that links this latter Robert Patterson to Thomas Patterson and his son John Patterson (my ancestor), and therefore to the Robert and Sarah Patterson clan from York Co., SC.
5. Present the DNA evidence that links the Patterson-Ferrell branch not only to Robert Patterson of York Co, SC, but most closely to those tested who descend from George Patterson (b. 1800), son of John and Margaret Black Patterson. In other words, this Patterson-Ferrell branch match more closely, dna-wise, to the Thomas Patterson branch of the York Co, SC families, than the Peter Patterson branch or the Robert Patterson II branch.

There is a lot of information to sift through, organize, and present. So I'll be taking my time in order to present the data clearly. Bear with me as I work through this.

Wes Patterson

The Patterson-Ferrell Connection: Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5