Disposition of Robert Patterson Sr's York Co SC Land
CFBC Home | Robert Patterson Sr | Cravens & John PattersonLast Updated 2018-01-22
I've written many times regarding the disposition of Robert Patterson's lands on Clarks Fork of Bullocks Creek (CFBC) in York Co SC. I am tracking well over 50 specific tracts along Clarks Fork - some of which are overlapping. Nonetheless, I believe I am getting much closer to determining what happened to his land - at least over time. All of this is very near Smyrna, SC and just south of Kings Mtn Military and State Parks.
Robert (d.1775) had two known tracts in SC - the 200 ac tract he was granted in 1767 from NC, and the 150 ac tract he inherited from his son James Patterson, formerly owned by Robert Cravens Jr.
I have plotted these tracts in Deedmapper and am continuing to fine-tune the precise placement of these and surrounding tracts. Of the 50+ tracts I've already plotted, many are subsequent transfers of ownership of existing tracts already plotted. But in many cases, I need clearer descriptions. So here's hoping later deeds pertaining to these tracts will be clearer and more accurate. I'm in the process of increasing my field of work to look at over 125 tracts around Clarks Fork and Kings Creek.
Thus far, here is my interpretation of what I've found regarding Robert Patterson Sr's land. His two tracts on my index are #1 (200 ac) and #8 (150 ac). The following image shows the dimensions of the 200 acre tract (#1).
Robert's 200 ac tract (#1) was divided into thirds after his death in 1775 -- 62 ac (1A), and 70 ac (1B), and 68 ac (1C). The final disposition of those thirds may not have occurred until 1790 when his widow, Sarah, passed away.
1A (62 ac) can be found in son Peter's possession as he sold this in 1797 to Malcolm Henry (E-502). The description from when Malcolm Henry sold it in 1801 (G-423) makes it clear that this was land originally granted to Robert Patterson, decd and on both sides of Clarks Fork and also crosses Pattersons Branch (which I believe to be modern day Biggers Branch), and also adjacent Ponder. The description also has some similar features to that described in Robert's 1775 will. I think it is likely that this may have been the part that was left to son William, but instead passed to Peter. Presumption is that William either died during the Revolution, or left the area never to return. William was described as a Loyalist from York Co SC in 1786. Nothing further was ever recorded of or by him, however. This also lends credence to the idea that the final disposition did not occur until 1790.
1B (70 ac) appears to be the adjoining tract to 1A where it was "adjacent Ponder". According to G-471 in 1813, Daniel Ponder sold this tract of 70 ac to Peter Galloway, and it described it as part of a survey granted to Robert Patterson and conveyed by him to Thomas Patterson (father of John and my ancestor) and later conveyed by him to Daniel Ponder (son-in-law of Robert Patterson Sr). So this tells me that this tract passed from Robert d 1775 to his son Thomas, originally - and then later he sold to Daniel Ponder. Thomas Patterson and his son John Patterson moved to Buncombe Co NC in the 1790's, perhaps 1796-98.
1C (68 ac) is trickier to detect and has always caused confusion. But I think I may have found the missing links - at least some of them. According to H-163 John Watson sold 318 acres to Thomas Whitesides in 1816. I have been able to determine that this includes multiple tracts, including a 150 ac tract that Robert Patterson (Jr) obtained in 1765, plus a 100 ac tract that Robert Patterson (Jr) obtained in 1793. This leaves 68 acres, the third tract included in this 1816 deed. That is the precise amount that is missing from Robert Sr's 200 ac grant. This 1816 deed also describes the boundary tracts, which includes Ponders corner, and then says it (meaning the 318 acres in this 1816 deed) is made up of "Daniel Ponder and Robert Patterson old tracts". I take this to mean the 150 ac and 100 ac tracts of Robert Jr just described, and that leaves the 68 acres that would have been Daniel Ponder, by elimination. In other words this 68 ac also ended up in the hands of Daniel Ponder, like 1B did. However, I wouldn't be surprised if 1C actually went first to Robert Jr and that he conveyed it to Daniel, but it doesn't actually say that so we can't assume that. All we know for sure is that it eventually went to Daniel. Another possibility is that it could have gone to Joseph Black. Remember the 1775 Will said something about leaving what is "between me and Joseph" to his daughter Sarah whom we know to have been the wife of Joseph Black. Did this 68 ac pass to Sarah and then later to Daniel Ponder?
So at this time I believe Robert Sr's 200 acres was divided into thirds and they went to Peter, Thomas, and either Robert Jr or Sarah (Joseph Black) or Elizabeth (Daniel Ponder). Peter held onto 1A until 1797, but 1B and 1C ended up in Daniel Ponders hands, no later than the 1790's. Ponder sold 1B in 1813, and it is unclear when he sold 1C but Watson was already selling it by 1816.
Robert's 150 acre tract (#8) that passed from Robert Cravens to James Patterson to Robert Patterson Sr.
We know that James Patterson - presumed son of Robert Sr - bought it from Cravens in 1774, and that Robert Patterson Sr inherited it in 1774/75 (for more information on this tract, see the page on Robert Cravens). James Patterson appears to have died in 1775, without heirs, thus his land passed to his father, Robert Patterson Sr. This is what appears to have prompted Robert to rewrite his will in 1775, just weeks before he died. We later learn that Robert's grandson, John Patterson, appears to have lived on this tract (#8) for some years before moving to Buncombe Co, NC. See the Robert Cravens page for more details on how this conclusion was reached.
It seems that Robert Sr's 200 ac tract passed to Peter, Thomas and Daniel Ponder (or Sarah/Joseph Black?), and the 150 ac tract eventually passed to grandson John Patterson, son of Thomas. Thomas later sold his 1B tract to brother-in-law, Daniel Ponder, and his own 60 acre grant to brother, Robert Patterson Jr. The 1C tract later ended up in Daniel Ponders hands too (his wife being Elizabeth Patterson). The Cravens tract later ended up in the Wallace family no later than 1802.
Wes
