Next Book - George Patterson of Ivylog, GA

A few weeks ago I began the early stages of my third volume in the Butterfly Biographies (BB) series. This next book will tackle the family of George Patterson (1800-1860) and his wives, Rebecca Chastain (1799-1845/7) and Sophia Dunagan (1825-1872/81). 

Volume 1 covered John Patterson, the father of George. Volume II covered Elijah Chastain, the father of Rebecca. Both of those fathers were 4X-Great-Grandfathers to me. George and Rebecca were my 3X-great-grandparents.

When I start a new book, the first thing I blaze through is the content in my FamilyTreeMaker database. That will end up being my guide for the rest of the book, so I make sure I have all details on all lineages correct, as much as possible. Volumes I & II covered a lot of the ancestors and cousins for George and Rebecca and was limited to 3 generations of descendants. Volume III for George will be able to focus on more details regarding his descendants. Therefore, I'm having to research and document all generational lines from George at least one generation further - coming forward in time. In fact, I'm taking the lines as far as I can to World War II descendants, and in some limited cases, even to recent decades. 

I always leave identifiable details blank in the book, however, for living persons. I do list their names, but not other details.

There will be 8 chapters on descendants of George Patterson, one for each of his children who had families of their own. My line is the 4th of the 8 lines - William Harden (Billy) Patterson, who lived from 1832 to 1884. Most of the 8 lines had numerous children and grandchildren, so it can take some time to research every single one of them in online resources, but that's the job!

So far, I have all lines for Jim, Mary and Kimsey completed. I'm currently on the 4th line, which is Billy. He had 12 children, and I'm finished with 10 of those 12 lines. So next I will finish Billy's remaining 2 lines, then finish up the last 4 of George's lines, that being Elizer, John A., Elijah M., and Margaret. Once I have those details completed in FamilyTreeMaker, I begin filling in the content in the book in Microsoft Word.

I was hoping that by the second and third volumes of this series I would be hitting my stride. I think that is starting to work out. I took a few months off this summer and didn't do any writing at all, which delayed Volume 2. However, once I picked it back up, I hit it pretty hard, and am happy to be able to say that the Printer/Publisher (Old Buncombe County Gen. Soc.) accepted it and published it without a single edit!!! Wow. 

OK. Back it...

Wes

New Book on John Patterson and Margaret Black

Recently, at the end of March (2024), I published a new book on John Patterson and his wife, Margaret (Peggy) Black. This is the culmination of some 30 years of research. More books will follow, but this book focuses on them specifically, including their years of living in Buncombe Co, NC along Jenkins Branch.

The book is titled John Patterson of Jenkins Branch, Buncombe Co, NC. It is 405 pages, and fully indexed. It contains lots of pictures, maps and charts, and has over 100 color pages.

This book can be purchased online here.

Following is a glimpse of three parts of the book. 1) The Table of Contents, 2) the Table of Figures, and 3) the Name Index.

John Patterson Book now available

The new book on John Patterson is available for purchase. See this page for more details.

Wes

Elijah Chastain - Father of 23 or More

Elijah Chastain was my 4X-Great-Grandpa. He was born in 1776 in Buckingham Co, VA and died in 1853 in Gilmer Co, GA. His daughter Rebecca Chastain was born in 1799 and she was his 3rd child - of 21 (at least). She married George Patterson in the early to mid 1820's and they were my 3X-Great-Grandparents. 

(3/26/24 update: at least 22 children)

(4/10/24 update: 23+ children)

Elijah Chastain and 3rd wife Catherine Carson, ca. 1850. Photo courtesy of Connie Cordell

Elijah was a character. I know he had multiple children (each) by his first two wives during the same two or three year period beginning in 1800. By 1803 he was officially married the second time to Anna Middleton. His first wife, my ancestor, was Hannah Adams. This first marriage ended in divorce. Many have said the second marriage did too, but I can't find anything about Anna after 1810, including no children born to Elijah between 1810 and 1820. I think Anna may have died around 1810 or soon thereafter, but I just don't know for certain. (4/10/24 update: Elijah had at least two children born after 1810 with Anna - Artemesia was born in 1812 and James Witt was born in 1813).

I Can't Even Imagine

In writing this book on John Patterson of Jenkins Branch, I've been doing a lot of census verification and other census lookups and updating my documentation on many families. In the process of doing so, there have been numerous families from the mid to late 1800's that went through terrible heartache in the number of children they lost at young ages. One family in particular I'd like to highlight here.

William Jefferson Kincaid (1843-1909)

William Jefferson Kincaid was born 01 Aug 1843 in Union Co, GA and died 15 Dec 1909 in Cherokee Co, GA. He was the son of James (Jim) Kincaid and Martha Denton Chastain. William was also the grandson of William D. Kincaid and Amy Jane Patterson (daughter of John Patterson and Margaret Black). William was also the grandson of Benjamin Franklin Chastain and Rebecca S. Denton. Both of those grandparents were children of Rev. War Patriots, John Chastain and Samuel Denton, respectively.

William himself was a veteran of the Civil War. He served in the CSA, 2nd Regiment, GA Infantry, Co E. He and so many other relatives and neighbors were swept up in that major conflict. Following the war, he married Mary Adeline Ragsdale Robinson in 1866. She was born in Jan 1845 in GA and died after 1900.

The 1900 census is a unique census in that it documented the number of children a woman had given birth to in her lifetime, and then how many of her children were still living. In her case, she had given birth to 12 children, but only four were still living in 1900.

I know that four of their children lived to adulthood. And I know that many died as infants. But to realize that eight children died as young children or infants, is staggering to me. I cannot begin to image what that was like to deal with.

Make me more grateful for my life of ease, relatively speaking.

Wes

Newfound Baptist Church Minutes

Just a reminder that the book on Newfound Baptist Church Minutes 1802-1865 is available for purchase and is a great resource for various families from Buncombe Co, NC in the early 1800's. This book is 150 pages and is fully indexed. Some of the families recorded in these minutes include Abel, Addington, Ball, Black, Brookshire, Cole, Duncan, Freeman, Goldman, Grantham, Gudger, Gunter, Harrison, Huckaby, Ingram, Kelly, Longmire, Macombe, Miles, Miller, Morrow, Mullins, Patterson, Plemmons, Ponder, Roberts, Sams, Sandlin, Snelson, Webb, Wever, Wilson, Wood, Woodfin, Worth and many others. 

The following is an excerpt from three months of 1811. This will give you a flavor for what can be gleaned from the book.

March the 16 Day 1811 the church met according to appointment and after worship proceded to the busness of the day, 1) brought the Busness forward concerning Sister Patterson [Margaret Patterson] and laid it over till next meeting in course and John Longmire is to cite her to attend next meeting, 2) appointed John Longmire and Bro Ingram to urge Bro James Trumbleston to proceed and settle the busness concerning A note wherein Bro John Plemmons is liable to buy it and to try to get it settled By our next meeting, 3) the church appoints Bro John Patterson assistent clerk and for him to keep a small Book for the purpose of Recording the proceeding of the Church, 4) the church appoints as following Brethren to settle any matter of dealings in The church before go to Law to [wit:] Daniel Ponder, John Wells, Thomas Ingram, Thomas Plemmons, Thos Woofin [Woodfin], John Patterson, John Roberts. Adjournd.

April the 20 Dy 1811 the church met and after divine worship proceed to the business of the day, 1) the busness of Sister Patterson [Margaret Patterson] laid over Till next meeting in course, 2) the busness of Bro Tumbleston measurably settled, 3) Eday [Edy] Johnson excommunicated from this church for transgression and refusing to give the greved members satisfaction and also refuse to come forward and hear the church. Adjournd.

May the 18th day 1811 the church met and after devine worship proceed the busness of the day, 1) the busness concerning Sister Patterson [Margaret Patterson] Brought forward and the agrieved members with her, an her acknowing her fault therefore she is restord to fellowship as Formerly, 2) this church agrees that our next July meeting be a communion season and this church agrees to petition to Cane Creek and Mud Creek for ministers to attend us at that time and the clerk is to rite to them on that subject, Bro is to try to get the nessary elements for the communion Sundy May the 19 Day 1811, then Recd Polly Morrow into our church fellowship by Expearance. A D [Adjourned].

The direct link to the OBCGS eBay store for this book is: Newfound Baptist Church Minutes 1802-1865 by Wes Patterson.

For all books published by the Old Buncombe County Genealogical Society, go to either https://www.obcgs.com/bookstore/ or https://www.ebay.com/str/obcgsbookstore

Wes

Newfound Church Minutes Book is Here!

The long-awaited book with the church minutes for Newfound Baptist Church from 1802-1865 in Buncombe County NC is now available.

The direct link to the OBCGS eBay store for this book is: Newfound Baptist Church Minutes 1802-1865 by Wes Patterson.

For all books published by the Old Buncombe County Genealogical Society, go to either https://www.obcgs.com/bookstore/ or https://www.ebay.com/str/obcgsbookstore

I initially focused on the early years of 1802-1815, but then later expanded to 1865. My Patterson ancestors attended there from 1802-1815, along with many other relatives from the families of Ponder, Black, Harrison, and many others.

Here are some excerpts from the minutes to give you a flavor for what is included:

May the 14th Day 1803 Met according to the appointment & after divine worship proceided to the buisness of the day, 1) the church adops a rule for the members of the church to trade in spiritous liqueors, agreed on that, that no of the church shall trade in liqueors disagreeable to the Sivil Laws of our land, having seen shall not carry Liqueor to any publick places, & Brother Snelson to attend on the Saturday beefor the 2) Sunday in June on Pigeon with five to wit: Daniel Ponder, John Grantham, Nathan Smith, Aaron Freeman & Elijah Lee, & Dalligats apointed for the assosiation to wit: Brother Snelson, John Patitison [John Patterson]; an aligation brought forward against Brother John Kelley laid over tel next meating in course, Brother John Paison [John Patterson] & Brother Hughes to sight him to our next meting. adg [Adjourned].

and a few years later...

March 14th Day 1807. the church [met] according to apointment & after worship proceded to the Buisness of the Day. 1) Recieved John Goldman & his wife Margaret Buy letter, 2) the the minuits of the assosiation red & approbated By the church, 3) Sister Rachel Plemmons aplied & obtained A letter of dismishion & Bro. John Patterson to right said Letter, 4) Agreas that we send A letter & 7 Deligates to the Baptist Conferance the 4th Saturday in Aprile at Cain Creek meeting House, 5) appointed Brother Thomas Worth, Ponder, John Patterson, Longmire & John Grantham Be appointed as formeley to try any Matter of Dealings Between any members of this church before going to Law, 6) this church deligats church to inquire into thear ability to wit: Thomas Snelson, Jehu Wever, Ponder, Woods, Smith, John [Patterson] and Robert Patterson, Black & Freeman, John Pleman [Plemmons], Ingrm [Ingram], John Grantham & Longmire. appointment of members to the confernce is as follows: Thomas Snelson, Ponder, Weever, Smith, Wells, Longmire, Freemon. A D [Adjourned].

I am very proud of this 150 page book, and it is very useful for those researching families of Buncombe Co NC during the early 1800's.

Wes

Thomas Patterson of Buncombe County NC book status

The last three years have been very time consuming with a career change and many life changes. But all is good and writing has resumed on the book pertaining to my Thomas Patterson ancestor and related families. The book is called "Thomas Patterson of Buncombe County NC". 

I am currently working my way through the branches of John Patterson and Margaret Black's family. John was the oldest son of Thomas Patterson and Margaret Harrison. My rough draft has already completed the two older generations, plus the branches of Joseph B. Patterson Sr and George Patterson. Currently working on the branch of Amy Jane Patterson Kincaid. Also yet to work on are Robert Patterson, John Patterson Jr and Amos Patterson.

Thus far, over 800 pages are completed in the book. We'll have to see how much has to be edited out. Hopefully none. Perhaps it will have to be broken into multiple volumes?

More coming...

Wes

Writing Projects: Butterfly Biographies, Newfound Church Minutes, and Brookberry Farm

Since the Fall of 2018 I have been engaged in three separate writing projects. 

1) One project was a shorter, one-chapter historical record to be included a book by Debbie McCann on Brookberry Farm, located in Winston-Salem, Forsyth County, NC. This 800-900 acre farm is located on the outskirts of what used to be the Moravians' Wachovia Tract, granted to them in 1753. Many of my relatives lived on land just to the NW of Wachovia, part of which overlaps with the modern-day Brookberry Farm. Debbie hopes to have her book published later this year (2019). I sent my completed chapter to Debbie in February.

2) Last Fall I began writing a long-overdue book on my PATTERSON ancestors. For years I have questioned how much content to include in a book or books on the Pattersons. Robert Patterson was my 6x-G-GF and he lived from the early 1700's until 1775. Writing about just him could fill multiple books. On the other hand, his grandson John Patterson - my 4x-G-GF - has long been a well-known figure in our family tree. There are thousands of his living descendants across the USA and Canada today. However, for decades, we could not figure out who John's parents were.

Therefore, I chose to focus this book on John's father, Thomas Patterson (son of Robert), and Thomas's family. Some details will be given on Thomas's parents and siblings, but the greater focus will be on Thomas and his immediate family, and their descendants. It will also focus on the family of Thomas's wife, Margaret HARRISON. It took many years to discover who John's father was, and who the legendary "brothers" were that my family has talked about for generations. Thus, "LEGENDS REVEALED..." is the beginning of the title of this book, as the legend of John's father is revealed, and the legend of the "brothers" is also revealed. The series finally became known as "Butterfly Biographies".

This work is still on-going, but thus far, well over 300 pages have been put together. My goal is to finish this book in 2019. 

3) Working on the "Legends Revealed" book has forced additional research in a few key areas, naturally. One such area involves the Church Minutes of Newfound Baptist Church from western NC, a church which began in 1802. My ancestors and many of their relatives began this church and were heavily involved in it through 1815. The third project I am finishing up now is an article to be submitted to the quarterly magazine called "A Lot of Buncom" or ALOB, which is published by the Old Buncombe County Genealogical Society. Harald Reksten (and Greg Brookshire) have been pushing me for years to get this work completed. This initial article will focus on the early years (1802-1815) with some introduction about the minutes themselves and the difficulty one has in reading the handwriting. Many attempts have been made over the years at interpreting the names therein, but many errors have been published. I have worked diligently to learn about these families and to get the names correct. I am finishing up the final editing now and hope to submit this article during April, 2019.

Once the ALOB article is completed, I will then be in a better position to leverage those edited  minutes and incorporate them into the "Legends Revealed" book. This book will continue to be my primary focus during the remainder of 2019.

More later,

Wes

Pattersons of Rabun Co GA - Timeline of Records from that county

Most of the following records are from online newspaper records - all but one. Also, almost all of them are from Rabun Co, but a couple are from Franklin and/or Clarke Co., GA as some of my Pattersons were there briefly. 

Key names from my family in Rabun were John Patterson, Joseph Patterson, George Patterson, Amos Patterson and Elijah Chastain. These were sons of John Patterson and Margaret Black, and most moved into Union Co GA by the early 1830's. Elijah Chastain was the brother-in-law of George Patterson (my 3x-G-GF). 

The 1830 Rabun Census included Joseph, John, and George Patterson (brothers), plus Roley Patterson was there too, but no known connection to him exists. I am still developing all of this, but here are the pertinent details, many of which have gone under the radar for decades for some of us. Notice the "Source" links to the online newspaper sources. My personal notes are after the "WP:" tags.

One final note - brothers Joseph, George and Amos owned land in Union Co fairly early in the mid and late 1830's. Brothers John Jr and Robert did not however. John Jr did acquire land in Union, just later than the others, and further west in the county in an area that later became the border area between Union Co and newly formed Fannin Co. Brother Robert moved further south into GA (married Franklin Co in 1835, possibly in Clarke Co in 1830) and then AL, AR, and finally Rusk Co., TX. Later, Amos joined Robert in TX. Joseph, John Jr., and George remained in Union Co GA along with their parents, John and Margaret. 

Wes

Timeline of Patterson Brothers in Rabun Co., GA prior to moving to Union Co GA:

1.      1828 Feb 22 – John Patterson, “NOTICE. GEORGIA, Rabun County, John Patterson of said county, and of Capt. Wood’s District, tolls before James Allen, Esq. Two mules, one a horse, a dark iron gray, supposed to be two years old last spring, branded on the front shoulder with the letter H 13 ½ hands high; the other a yellow bay mare, supposed to be two years old last spring, no brands perceivable, with a dark stripe across the shoulders, 13 hands high, appraised by Cleaveland Coffee and Hiram Gaines, the gray to sixty-five dollars, and the Bay to sixty. February 8. H. T. Mosely, Clerk.”
WP: John Patterson Jr., b. 1798, son of John and Margaret Black Patterson. Cleveland Coffee of Rabun Co., GA also a 4^th-Great-Grandpa of Wes Patterson. In the 1830 census of Rabun Co., GA, George Patterson was enumerated on page 226 line 1, and John Patterson was on page 230. However, Elizabeth Gains and Henry S. Gains were next to George Patterson on lines 2 and 3. Furthermore, the above appraisers were on page 225 lines 22 and 27, respectively, with line 27 being the last line. Therefore, Hiram Gains was enumerated next to George Patterson. Also, Hannah Chasteen and Elijah Chasteen were on the two lines prior to Hiram Gains. Hannah was George Patterson’s mother-in-law, Elijah was George’s brother-in-law. Clearly, the appraisal took place nearer to where George Patterson lived in 1830 than where John was living in 1830. Perhaps in 1828, John was living closer to George.
Source: Athenian, Feb. 22, 1828 -- page 3, http://dlg.galileo.usg.edu/athnewspapers/id:ath1828-0031. Also ran Mar. 14, 1828 – page 3.
 

2.      1830 May 9 – John Patterson, Deed Book A, p. 240 (transcribed to Book R, p. 181) Deed dated 9 May 1830, recorded 5 Apr. 1831, from Jeremiah York, to Jeffrey York, Rabun Co., GA conveyed South half of Lot 43, First District, for $150. Witnesses: Elijah Brady and John Patterson. Signed: Jeremiah York.
WP: John Patterson Jr., b. 1798, son of John and Margaret Black Patterson. Lot 43 in First District was naturally next to Lot 42, which was occupied by the Pattersons. In later newspaper notices, Lot 42 was identified as Joseph Patterson’s, and later as John Patterson’s. Perhaps they shared it, considering that the lot contained 490 acres. However, in the 1830 census, Joseph and John were not enumerated next to each other. On page 230 of the census, witness Elijah Brady was recorded on line 7. Jeffrey York was on line 9 same page. John Patterson, the other witness, was on line 21 of the same page. The grantor, Jeremiah York, was on line 22 of the same page, right next to John Patterson. This confirms to me that John Patterson was living on Lot 42 of First District in 1830. Joseph Patterson was enumerated on page 234 of the census, and line 17 (out of 27 lines each page).

Two New Court Records Found for Robert Patterson

Two More Court Records from Augusta Co VA found for Robert Patterson of Linville Creek

By Wes Patterson

Last Revised: 21 August 2018

Robert Patterson lived near Linville Creek in Augusta Co VA from the late 1730’s through the late 1760’s, before moving south to what is now York Co SC along Clarks Fork. He died there in 1775.

Over the years I have attempted to maintain a timeline of recorded events for his life. Records that were publicly entered and available to anyone today. Records that have survived court house fires and other disasters. Records that I KNOW make reference to him.

There are numerous references to jurors in Augusta Co VA during the 1700’s named Robert Patterson. But there were always two or more in residence, therefore such a record is impossible to distinguish which Robert Patterson is meant. Therefore, I do not count these records. But surely, some of these belong to Robert of Linville Creek as well.

Nevertheless, today’s discovery of two more records that I can accurately determine to be “my” Robert Patterson, now bring the total of such records to 90! Never would I have imagined that so many confirmed records could be found of such an individual who lived on the frontier his entire life – and that during the 1700’s.

Today’s Discoveries

The records found today are both from the Augusta Co VA Court books, as researched and abstracted by Harald Reksten. 04-110 means Book 4, Page 110. See following:

Robert Patterson of Linville Creek, Virginia and Three Court Cases v. Thomas Jefferson, Attorney

Robert Patterson of Linville Creek, Virginia and Three Court Cases v. Thomas Jefferson, Attorney

Bio | His Mark R | 1775 Will | Timeline | Sussex DE | Augusta VA | York SC | Thomas Jefferson

Last updated 17 August 2018

The Setting

Distant cousin and fellow researcher, Sam Patterson, recently shared a discovery of his with Harald (Reksten) and me. It involved some court cases from old Augusta County, Virginia from the 1760's involving our ancestor, Robert Patterson, and other men represented by attorney, Thomas Jefferson - future President of the United States of America, and author of the Declaration of Independence.

Sam had located some seven or eight references to our Robert Patterson in the personal notes taken by Jefferson during those years, which have since been published on the Internet.

Vanza Davis Patterson

My mother, Vanza Mae Davis Patterson, passed away on March 15, 2018. This is only good-bye for now. I'll see you soon, Mom.

Wes

Obituary

Vanza Mae Davis Patterson, 78, passed into the waiting arms of her Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ on March 15, 2018.

Vanza was born August 21, 1939, in Greensboro, Guilford County, North Carolina, the third child of Lettie Mae Langley and Troy Lee Davis. Vanza was raised in Greensboro, NC. After graduating from Sumner High School in Greensboro, NC, in 1958, she applied to High Point Memorial Hospital School of Nursing in High Point, NC, and was accepted into the nursing program to start in 1959.

She graduated from nursing school on August 8, 1961. During that same year, one of her patients would later become her father-in-law. This was how Vanza met the love of her life, Francis Oliver “Frank” Patterson. They were married on June 1, 1962. Vanza and Frank – who was in the U.S. Air Force at the time - were married in Trinity, NC, and soon thereafter were transferred to Seymour Johnson AFB in Goldsboro, NC.

They had two sons, the eldest being Francis O. Patterson Jr (Chip), born on May 27, 1963, in Goldsboro, NC. The younger was Charles Wesley Patterson (Wes), born on February 5, 1968, in Decatur, GA, a suburb of Atlanta. Vanza continued nursing in hospitals and nursing homes throughout her life. In 1971, Vanza and Frank moved from Tucker, GA, to Winston-Salem, NC, for Frank to attend Piedmont Bible College. Vanza worked at NC Baptist Hospital from 1971 to 1976. Vanza also attended Piedmont Bible College for one year of Bible study.

Their hearts’ desire was to serve the Lord in any capacity, and eventually this led them to become missionaries on foreign fields. In the summer of 1975, they spent seven weeks in Brazil, believing that was where the Lord was leading them to serve full time. Frank graduated from Piedmont in 1976, and the family moved back to Decatur, GA. In 1979, after changing ministry directions from Brazil to opening a new work in Southeast Asia, the family moved to Bangladesh, arriving there on the 4th of July.

Margaret Adams: Mother of Robert Patterson

Margaret Adams: the mother of Robert "R" Patterson

Last updated 27 Feb 2018

In 2010 I wrote an article about the identity (much of which is confused) of Robert Patterson's mother. I speak of the Robert Patterson who was born circa 1705-1711 and married Sarah, and made his mark "R". Robert wrote his will and died in 1775 in York Co., SC.

His mother was named Margaret but last name is not known for certain. She went by the name of Margaret, but did have land records erroneously entered under the name of Mary Adams. She was first married to William Patterson. After his death, she was married to John Adams (aka Addams). She was quickly widowed a second time, and thereafter was known as Margaret Adams or Widow Adams.

For more details on these various names and the misunderstanding of her being named Margaret Donnell... see the article I wrote in 2010.

Wes Patterson

Disposition of Robert Patterson Sr's York Co SC Land

Disposition of Robert Patterson Sr's York Co SC Land

CFBC Home  |  Robert Patterson Sr  |  Cravens & John Patterson
Last 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).

New photo of William Harden "Billy" Patterson

William Harden Patterson, aka "Billy" was born in 1832 in north Ga. He died from blood poisoning - perhaps Rocky Mountain spotted fever - in 1883. He served in the War for Southern Independence - aka "Civil War" from 1862 - 1864. He was first in Smith's Legion, part of the Georgia Partizan Rangers, and then later his company was merged into the newly formed 6th Georgia Cavalry. 

This picture is from a large framed photograph that was formerly in the possession of the late Nellie Patterson Mason, a granddaughter of Billy Patterson. In the 1980's, my father, the late Frank Patterson (nephew of Nellie) and I both visited Aunt Nellie at her home. We took the picture outside and dad took a few slides of the framed photo. 

In 2017 I was going through some of dad's slides and found these pictures. I in turn took digital pictures of these slides, and these are the pictures I took.

William Harden "Billy" Patterson (1832-1883)

Nellie Patterson Mason and Frank Patterson

Nellie Patterson Mason and Wes Patterson

When Sorrows Come

By Francis O. Patterson
April 27 or 28, 2012

I learned of the home-going of Brother Bobby Lookabill as I was working on getting this bulletin ready for Sunday. My mind soon thereafter went back to others in our church that have had loved ones go home to be with the Lord in recent months and years. As I was thinking about these things, I was reminded that through the death of a loved one and friend God is able to teach us things that He could not teach us otherwise and in other circumstances. So, I encourage you to wait on the Lord and allow Him to show you some things, even though at the moment it might be difficult for you. For instance:

God wants you to know that He still loves you:

• We sometimes wonder how can God love us and allow the things to come into our lives that he does.

1. The Bible responds by telling us that it is God’s very nature to be loving:

• God is love (1 John 4:8)
• His love for us doesn’t change though the circumstances may.

2. The problem isn’t that God doesn’t love us but that our perspective is limited:

• God is infinite, we are finite.
• God sees the whole, we see only the part.
• God’s ways aren’t our ways. Isaiah 55:8-9 “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.”
• God in His wisdom allows sorrow to come into our lives and we must remember that His plan is best.

3. It is to this loving God that we can turn and know that He judges rightly and correctly:

• Gen. 18:25 asks, “Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?” The Bible answers that God the Creator “worketh all things after the counsel of his own will” (Eph. 1:11).
• We can turn to God at this time and know he is fair, just, impartial and loving. (Ps. 98:9)

4. Yes, in this time of sorrow it may seem as if God’s love is not to be found:

• But His word reminds us that He does love you.
• But more than this He sympathizes with you. Heb. 2:17 says, “Wherefore in all things it behooved him (Christ) to be made like unto His brethren, that He might become a merciful and faithful High Priest…”
• The Lord Jesus came to earth from heaven to become a man.
• He knows what it means to sorrow, to grieve.
• He sympathizes with you in your grief.

So, when sorrow comes, God wants you to know He still loves you.

• He is loving.
• He is just, and fair in judgment.
• He is sympathetic in our sorrow.

FOP

Note: Transcribed by Wes Patterson, son of FOP. Bobby J. Lookabill passed away on Friday, April 27, 2012, and was a member of Lighthouse Baptist Church in Welcome, NC. This article was previously published in the Bulletin of Lighthouse Baptist Church on April 29, 2012, of which Frank Patterson was the editor. Frank Patterson, in turn, went home to be with the Lord on July 31, 2015. His own words were truly a comfort to us, his family. CWP

 

Frank Patterson: From North Georgia to Southeast Asia

My dad passed away on July 31, 2015. He was 75 years old and had experienced increased health issues in recent months and years. But as recent as August of 2008, Frank Patterson was still traveling overseas to teach the Bible to Christians who would in turn go and continue to teach their own.

Dad was born on June 25, 1940, in a small community called Ivy Log, in north Georgia. Ivy Log is a few miles north of Blairsville, the county seat of Union County. In fact, the small cabin where dad was born, was later removed with all surrounding homes during the clearing of that section of Union County for the building of Nottely Dam. The location of dad's birthplace is now under water, under Nottely Lake.

Dad's family was a poor farming family, as were many from this section of north Georgia. So how does a young boy from a community like this, end up traveling to so many countries in his lifetime? Frank had a passion for teaching the Bible to men and women who wanted to learn about the Lord Jesus Christ. This passion led him to take at least 26 trips overseas from 1973 to 2008.

The following details were gleaned primarily from dad's passports, as well as other anecdotal information known by this author and other family members.

#1) Israel - 1973 (2 weeks?)

- Frank traveled with a team from Piedmont Bible College to Israel for a couple weeks.

NOTE: Attempts were made to reach out to staff members from Piedmont in order to verify the specific details of that trip - but with no success.

#2) Brazil - 1975 (7 weeks)

- Frank and Vanza (his wife and my mother) arrived in Brazil on July 11, 1975.

- Frank and Vanza arrived back in the U.S. on Aug. 28, 1975.

#3) Bangladesh - 1979 (3 weeks)

- Frank and three other men from Baptist Mid-Missions (BMM) arrived in Delhi, India on March 31, 1979; departed Delhi same day, arrived same day in Calcutta, India; departed same day, arrived same day in Dacca, Bangladesh.

- Frank departed Dacca on April 17, 1979; arrived same day in Delhia, India; departed Delhi on April 18, 1979, arrived at JFK in New York, New York, USA on same day.

#4) Bangladesh - 1979 (19 months)

- Frank, Vanza, Chip and Wes (me) departed New York on July 2, 1979, arrived in Delhi, India on July 3, 1979; departed Delhi on July 4, arrived in Calcutta, India same day; departed Calcutta same day, arrived same day in Dacca, Bangladesh.

- Frank and family departed Dacca on Feb. 10, 1981; arrived in Bangkok, Thailand on Feb. 11, 1981; departed Bangkok on Feb. 12, arrived same day in Honolulu, Hawaii, USA; departed Honolulu on or about Feb. 15, arrived in Atlantla, Ga same day.

#5) Bangladesh - 1981 (20 months)

- Frank, Vanza and Wes departed San Francisco on or about October 10, 1981, arrived in Singapore on Oct. 12; departed Singapore on Oct. 14, arrived same day in Bangkok, Thailand; departed on Oct. 16, arrived same day in Dacca, Bangladesh.

- Frank and Vanza took a 3 day trip to Calcutta, India from Feb. 19, 1982 through Feb. 22.

- Frank and family departed Dacca on June 3, 1983; arrived in London, England on June 4; departed London same day and arrived at JFK airport in New York City on June 5, and continued on to Winston-Salem, NC.

#6) Bangladesh - 1983 (8 months)

- Frank departed the U.S. on Aug. 15, 1983 and arrived same day in London, England (Vanza and Wes had already returned to Bangladesh two weeks prior on the previously scheduled round trip tickets); Frank departed London the same day, arrived in Dacca, Bangladesh on Aug. 16.

- Frank took a short trip to Hong Kong and back to Bangladesh. He departed Dacca on Oct. 9, 1983, arrived in Bangkok, Thailand same day; departed Bangkok on Oct. 11, arrived in Hong Kong same day; departed Hong Kong on Oct. 14, arrived in Bangkok same day; departed Bangkok on Oct. 16, arrived in Dacca, Bangladesh same day.

- Frank took a short trip to Bangkok, Thailand; departed Dhaka, Bangladesh on March 30, 1984, arrived in Bangkok same day; departed Bangkok on April 3, arrived in Dhaka same day.

- Frank and family departed Dhaka, Bangladesh on April 27, 1984, arrived at JFK airport in New York City on April 28, 1984, and continued on to Winston-Salem, NC. (Note: No other airports are stamped in dad's visa for this trip, but I (Wes) remember that we traveled through Amsterdam, Holland on this particular trip home.)

#7) Bangladesh - 1984 (1 week)

- Frank arrived in London, England on June 28, 1984, departed same day, arrived in Dhaka, Bangladesh on June 29.

- Frank departed Dhaka, Bangladesh on or about July 2, 1984; arrival location and date not discernible, but was most likely one or two days later.

#8) Bangladesh - 1985 (2 weeks)

- Frank arrived in Bangkok, Thailand on Feb. 17, 1985; departed Bangkok on Feb. 19, arrived in Dhaka, Bangladesh on same day.

- Frank departed Dhaka on Feb. 24, 1985, arrived in Bangkok on same day; departed Bangkok on Feb. 26; arrival location and date not discernible, but was most likely one or two days later.

#9) Bangladesh - 1985 (2 weeks)

- Frank arrived in Bangkok, Thailand on June 20, 1985; departed Bangkok on June 21, arrived in Dhaka, Bangladesh on same day.

- Frank departed Dhaka on July 5, 1985, arrived in Bangkok on same day; departed Bangkok on July 7; arrived in Dallas, Tx on July 7, and continued on to Winston-Salem, NC.

#10) Bangladesh - 1986 (2 weeks)

- Frank arrived in Bangkok, Thailand on Apr. 10, 1986; departed Bangkok on Apr. 11, arrived in Dhaka, Bangladesh on same day.

- Frank departed Dhaka on Apr. 22, 1986, arrived in Bangkok on same day; departed Bangkok on Apr. 23; arrival location and date not discernible, but was most likely one or two days later.

#11) Bangladesh - 1986 (5 months)

- Frank, Vanza and Wes departed San Francisco on or about Sept. 22, 1986, arrived in Hong Kong on Sept. 23; departed Hong Kong on Sept. 29, arrived same day in Bangkok, Thailand; departed on Oct. 3, arrived same day in Dhaka, Bangladesh.

- Frank and family departed Dhaka on Feb. 27, 1987; arrived same day in Bangkok, Thailand; departed Bangkok on March 1, and arrived in Dallas, Tx on March 1, and continued on to Winston-Salem, NC.

#12) Bangladesh - 1987 (1 week)

- Frank arrived in Hong Kong on Dec. 5, 1987; departed Hong Kong on Dec. 7, arrived in Singapore same day; departed Singapore on Dec. 8, arrived same day in Dhaka, Bangladesh.

- Frank departed Dhaka on Dec. 15, 1987; arrived same day in Singapore; departed Singapore on Dec. 16, and arrived same day in Honolulu, Hawaii, and continued on to Winston-Salem, NC.

#13) Bangladesh - 1989 (6 weeks)

- Frank arrived in Singapore on Sept 24, 1989; departed Singapore on Sept 26, arrived same day in Dhaka, Bangladesh.

- Frank departed Dhaka on Nov 7, 1989; arrived same day in Singapore; departed Singapore on Nov 8; arrival location and date not discernible, but was most likely one or two days later.

#14) Bangladesh - 1990 (4 weeks)

- Frank arrived in Bangkok, Thailand on Jan 25, 1990; departed Bangkok on Jan 26, arrived in Dhaka, Bangladesh on same day.

- Frank departed Dhaka on Feb 25, 1990, arrived in Bangkok on same day; departed Bangkok on Feb 27, and arrived in Seattle, WA same day, and continued on to Winston-Salem, NC.

#15) Bangladesh - 1990 (6 weeks)

- Frank arrived in Bangkok, Thailand on Apr 10, 1990; departed Bangkok on Apr 12, arrived in Dhaka, Bangladesh on same day.

- Frank departed Dhaka on May 22, 1990, arrived in Bangkok on same day; departed Bangkok on May 23, and arrived in Seattle, WA same day, and continued on to Winston-Salem, NC.

#16) Bangladesh - 1990 (13 months)

- Frank left Winston-Salem, NC on Aug 26, 1990 at the last possible time as his grandson (Wes Patterson Jr) was due to be born any time; Vanza joined Frank in Bangladesh about 1 month later; Frank arrived in Bangkok, Thailand on Aug 28, 1990 (the day his grandson was born); Frank departed Bangkok on Aug 31, arrived in Dhaka, Bangladesh on same day.

- Frank and Vanza departed Dhaka on Oct 5, 1991; the route they took is not totally clear, I just know they arrived in Chicago, IL on Oct 6, 1991, and continued on to Winston-Salem, NC.

#17) Bangladesh - 1991 (3 months)

- Frank and Vanza arrived in Bangkok, Thailand on Nov 27, 1991; departed Bangkok on Nov 28, arrived same day in Dhaka, Bangladesh.

- Frank and Vanza departed Dhaka on Feb 13, 1992, arrived in Bangkok on same day; departed Bangkok on Feb 14, and arrived in Los Angeles, CA same day, and continued on to Winston-Salem, NC.

#18) Ukraine - 1999 (5+ months)

- Frank arrived at Gatwick in London, England on Sept 20, 1999; departed London same day, and arrived in Ukraine on same day.

- Frank departed Ukraine on March 3, 2000, arrived at Gatwick in London, England on same day, departed London same day, and continued on to Winston-Salem, NC; arrival details in U.S. are not clear.

#19) Colombia - 2001 (1 week)

- Frank and Vanza arrived in Bogota, Colombia on Aug 17, 2001.

- Frank and Vanza departed Bogota on Aug 25, 2001, and arrived in Atlanta, GA same day, and continued on to Winston-Salem, NC.

#20) Myanmar (Burma) - 2003 (2 weeks)

- Frank arrived in Paris, France on July 11, 2003; departed Paris on July 19, arrived in Malaysia same day; departed Malaysia on July 21, and arrived in Myanmar on same day.

- Frank departed Myanmar on Aug 4, 2003, arrived in New York on Aug 5, and continued on to Winston-Salem, NC.

#21) Ukraine - 2003 (3 weeks)

- Frank arrived in Ukraine on Oct 3, 2003; specific route taken is not documented in his passport.

- Frank departed Ukraine on Oct 24, 2003, arrived in Atlanta, GA on Nov 8, 2003, and continued on to Winston-Salem, NC; specific details about Oct 24 to Nov 8 are not clear from passport.

#22) Myanmar (Burma) - 2004 (2 weeks)

- Frank arrived in Malaysia on Jan 31, 2004; departed Malaysia on Feb 2, and arrived in Myanmar on same day.

- Frank departed Myanmar on Feb 13, 2004, arrived in Malaysia same day; departed Malaysia on Feb 14, arrived in New York on Feb 15, and continued on to Winston-Salem, NC.

#23) India - 2006 (3+ months)

- Frank arrived at Gatwick in London, England on Jan 1, 2006; departed London on Jan 4, and arrived in Kolkata (Calcutta), India on same day. His ultimate destination was the Bible college in Silchar, Assam, India.

- Frank departed Kolkata (Calcutta), India on Apr 14, 2006, arrived at Heathrow in London, England on same day; remainder of itinerary is unclear but presumably arrived in Winston-Salem, NC a few days later.

#24) India - 2007 (4 months)

- Frank arrived in Frankfurt, Germany on Dec 29, 2006; departed Frankfurt on Jan 1, 2007, and arrived in Kolkata (Calcutta), India on Jan 2; departed Kolkata same day, arrived in Silchar, India same day.

- Frank departed Silchar, India on Apr 18, 2007, arrived in Kolkata (Calcutta), India same day; departed Kolkata on Apr 19, arrived in Frankfurt, Germany same day; departed Frankfurt Apr 20, arrived in Munich, Germany same day; departed Munich same day, arrived in Charlotte, NC same day, and continued on to Winston-Salem, NC.

#25) India - 2008 (3+ months)

- Frank arrived in Kolkata (Calcutta), India on Jan 1, 2008; departed Kolkata on Jan 14, arrived in Silchar, India same day. Rest of travel details not specified in passport.

- Frank took a few days trip with Indian men from Silchar, India to Mizoram, India on Feb 12. Length of trip unclear, but if my memory serves me correctly, it was about a week or so. I don't believe the return trip to Silchar was by plane.

- Frank departed Silchar, India on or before Apr 6, 2008, arrived in Kolkata (Calcutta), India same day; departed Kolkata on Apr 6, 2008; precise details of return trip not documented on passport, but appears to have arrived in the U.S. on or around Apr 7, 2008, and continued on to Winston-Salem, NC.

#26) Iraq - 2008 (18 days)

- Frank departed NC on Aug 4, 2008, arrived at Wien-Schwechat in Vienna, Austria on Aug 5, 2008; departed Vienna same day, and arrived in Iraq same day (Aug 5, 2008); his ultimate destination was in Irbil (Erbil), Iraq..

- Frank departed Iraq on Aug 22, 2008, arrived in Vienna, Austria same day; departed Vienna on Aug 23, arrived in Washington, DC same day, and continued on to Winston-Salem, NC.

Location of Clarks Fork Tracts in York Co SC

Clarks Fork of Bullocks Creek, York Co SC

CFBC Home  |  Robert Patterson Sr  |  Cravens & John Patterson

By Wes Patterson

Last Updated: 2018-01-22 (Originally published: 2017-04-24)

Modern day York Co SC contains the location where my ancestors (Pattersons, Blacks, Harrisons, et al) lived during the 1760's through the early 1800's. It was originally known as Craven Co SC, then it was claimed by NC during the 1760's and 70's under the counties of Anson, then Mecklenburg, then Tryon. Once the boundary line was re-surveyed west of the Catawba River, it was deemed that this location was indeed within SC, and it was designated under the newly formed York County. For decades, it was also known as Camden District, which included many surrounding counties.

Bullocks Creek is one of the main tributaries of the Broad River in this northern county. One of the main forks of Bullocks Creek is Clarks Fork, on the west side of Bullocks Creek. Both run north to south. Bullocks Creek starts east of Kings Mountain, while Clarks Fork starts within the modern boundaries of the Kings Mtn State Park. As Clarks Fork flows south, it passes near the town of Smyrna, SC.

From Smyrna to Kings Mtn is a stretch of land that was heavily settled during the 1760's and later decades. This is ground zero for my Pattersons, and their relatives, the Harrisons, Blacks, Cravens, Ponders, et al. While I'm not sure whether or not I descend from the Cravens or Ponders, I know I descend from the Pattersons, Blacks, and Harrisons.

Over the last several years, Harald Reksten and I have obtained many land records. Harald's efforts have been quite comprehensive. This includes grants, warrants, plats, and deeds - from both NC and SC - covering this Clarks Fork region. There are hundreds of records in question, and I recently narrowed the list down to a few hundred. In particular, I am concentrating on about 45 or 50 key tracts of land, and following the chain of title from one owner to the next as best I can.

This is an on-going process, but it seems I have at least half, if not 2/3 of the plats in question already. I will soon be ordering the remaining plats, so that I can plot all of these tracts of land in my Deedmapper program. My attempt will be to isolate precisely where these key families lived. More to come on this later.

For now, the key families I'm hoping to plot are as follows:

1. Robert and Sarah Patterson (Sr)
2. Thomas and Margaret Harrison Patterson
3. Nathaniel and Rachel Harrison
4. Peter Patterson
5. Robert and Mabel Patterson (Jr)
6. Daniel and Elizabeth Patterson Ponder (Jr)
7. Joseph and Sarah Patterson Black
8. Matthew and Margaret Ponder Black
9. Robert and Magy Cravens Black
10. Robert Cravens (William Cravens, James Patterson, John Patterson)
11. William Wilson
12. Gowen Black
13. William McElwee
14. Jeremiah Cravens
15. Robert & Samuel Swann
16. Robert Love

I will build in links to new pages for each person above as more information becomes clear.

Wes

Who was the Father of my Margaret Harrison (Patterson)?

By Wes Patterson

Last Revised: 17 August 2018

Which Branch of the Isaiah Harrison Clan did Margaret come from?

That's the million dollar question. Many theories. Most have not panned out. But all evidence clearly points to the Isaiah Harrison clan -- of that there is no doubt. But which son of Isaiah can we claim as "ours"?

Isaiah Harrison was married twice. His first wife was Elizabeth Wright (daughter of Gideon Wright and Elizabeth Townsend) and they married about 1688, their oldest child Isaiah Jr arriving in 1689. After Isaiah Jr, other children were born to this marriage, viz. John (1691), Gideon (1694), Mary (1696) (m. Robert Cravens), and Elizabeth (1698).

Following the fifth child's birth, Isaiah's wife Elizabeth passed away. Soon thereafter he married again, to Abigail Smith. While the children of Isaiah's first wife are clearly documented with birth dates, in the town records of Long Island, NY, we are not so lucky with the fruit of the second marriage, other than the fact that those children started arriving about 1701, with Daniel. Following Daniel, was Joseph (1702/04), then Thomas (1704/05), then Jeremiah (ca. 1707; m. Elizabeth Patterson), then Abigail (ca. 1710; m. Alexander Herring/Herron), and also Lydia (ca. 1706; m. Samuel Stewart), and lastly Samuel (1712/13). There may have been other children, but these are the ones we know of.

As for my Margaret Harrison, she was born circa 1740/45. Therefore, she could have been a daughter of any of the sons from the second marriage of Isaiah, but not a granddaughter. Likewise, she could have been a granddaughter of any of the sons of Isaiah by his first wife, but not a daughter. Enough is known of each branch of the family to arrive at those conclusions with confidence.

Looking closer at the sons of Isaiah, we can quickly rule out Isaiah Jr, John, Daniel, Thomas, and Jeremiah, as either fathers or grandfathers of Margaret Harrison Patterson (MHP).

Isaiah Jr may have lived in Salem Co., NJ for a period of time, but nothing has ever been known of him in either DE or VA. Nor has that name shown up in any of the families of MHP (or her presumed siblings). Isaiah Jr. may have died young, but nothing is certain in his case. There was an Isaiah Harrison in Augusta Co VA during the 1740’s, who later moved to the Yadkin Valley of NC. Many have identified him as Isaiah Jr – but that doesn’t seem to pan out. Rather, he appears to have been a son of Joseph Harrison and therefore a grandson of Isaiah Sr.

On the other hand, sons John, Daniel, Thomas, and Jeremiah are "fairly" well documented. There are holes in each branch, but there seems to be enough evidence to rule them out as potential fathers, or grandfather, in the case of John.

That leaves Gideon (as a grandfather) and Joseph and Samuel (as fathers), as our remaining possibilities. I used to lean heavily toward Joseph as a possibility, but his presumed family seems to be fairly well delineated as that which migrated with the Samuel Stewart clan (S.S. married Lydia Harrison, daughter of Isaiah Sr.) to the Yadkin Valley of NC in the late 1740's and 50's. Furthermore, the Harrison bunch that moved with my Pattersons to the Kings Mountain region of SC didn't move there until the early to mid 1760's. Again, Joseph's branch just doesn't seem to fit well.

Thomas Patterson, who married Margaret Harrison on 24 Dec 1761 in Augusta Co., VA at the Peaked Mountain Church near Harrisonburg, named their oldest son, John Patterson. He is my ancestor. There do not appear to be any Johns in the Patterson bunch prior to this, so it seems the name "John" had to come from the Harrison side of the family. But again, Margaret does not appear to be the daughter or granddaughter of John Harrison, Sr. And John Sr's son John Jr, who was murdered in 1763, never married nor had any children. So again, it seems to rule out the John Harrison branch of Isaiah's clan. Thomas Patterson's parents were Robert and Sarah Patterson. Robert's sister was the Elizabeth who married Jeremiah Harrison.

And then there were two

So that narrows it down to two branches of the Isaiah Harrison clan. Gideon and Samuel. Hardly anything is laid out plainly for either of these sons of Isaiah. I'll come back to Gideon later. As for Samuel, he was the youngest known son of Isaiah. Even that fact, that he is a "son of Isaiah", is not clearly documented anywhere. It is simply assumed to be the case, and has been portrayed as such for generations. I cannot refute that, nor have any reason to. (March 25, 2017 addendum: In recent months as more research is done on the Samuel Harrison family, it seems there is credible evidence that he and his wife Mary are the same Samuel and Mary Harrison who moved back and forth between Augusta Co Va and Lynches River, SC. More research is needed to prove this, but the timing of events in both locations appears to match. However, DNA evidence from known descendants of this Samuel Harrison of Lynches River, SC are not a match for the Isaiah clan. I repeat... there is no known proof that Samuel Harrison was a son of Isaiah - it is simply assumed. I would suggest an alternative theory that would explain the conundrum presented. It is possible that Samuel Harrison was the son of Elizabeth Harrison - the daughter of Isaiah that was born in 1698 and that never married. Is it possible that she had a son - Samuel - out of wedlock? If so, this would explain the DNA mismatch. Again, this is only a theory and warrants more research.)

Samuel was born about 1712/13 - according to Harrison researchers. But no known evidence records this. It is only an assumption. He could have been born as late as 1720. Samuel later married a woman named Mary. It is known that they left VA in the 1750's and moved to Craven Co., SC. However, they still owned land in VA and did travel back and forth a few times through the 50's and 60's. It appears that Samuel was back in VA in the 1780's again, and perhaps left again a few years later. However, Craven Co., SC covered a large area. Although the Kings Mtn region of SC was Craven County in the 1750's, that county also covered the Lynches River area of SC, and there is known to have been a Samuel and Mary Harrison in that area from the 1750's on through the 1780's. I tend to believe that's where Samuel went, and not the Kings Mtn area, but I could be wrong on that.

So if the Kings Mtn Harrisons didn't come from Samuel either, from whom did they come? Let's first look at who the Kings Mtn Harrisons were.

The Kings Mountain Harrisons (aka Buncombe NC Harrisons)

The area just south of Kings Mountain is known as Clarks Fork of Bullocks Creek. It was originally Craven Co., SC. Then it was claimed by NC, first under Anson County, then Mecklenburg, then Tryon. In the 1770's, the state boundary line was surveyed west of the Catawba River finally, and it was determined this Clarks Fork land was in fact in SC, and at that time became known as York Co., SC.

Two Harrison men and two Harrison women of that area are presumed to have been siblings. Nathaniel Harrison owned 140 acres, but Thomas Harrison was listed as a Chain Bearer on several surveys in the area. I believe the evidence is clear that they were brothers. Both families later moved to Buncombe Co., NC, although Nathaniel himself had already died in 1783. These Harrison families left York Co., SC in the 1780's, moved through Rutherford Co., NC and eventually to Buncombe.

Margaret Harrison, who married Thomas Patterson, lived right next to these Harrisons on Clarks Fork. And nearby was a tract granted to Robert Cravens Jr (cousin of the Harrisons and Pattersons), and William Cravens was a Chain Bearer on a couple of surveys on Clarks Fork with the Pattersons. Cravens family history tells us that Robert Cravens never moved to SC, but rather only speculated in land. William Cravens, his brother, however did move to SC for about 7 years, from the mid 1760's to the early 1770's. William Cravens was married to Jane Harrison.

In the previous image you can see the proximity of tracts along Clarks Fork of Bullocks Creek in York Co., SC. "RP" at the bottom is Robert Patterson, father of Thomas Patterson. Above him was Robert Black, who was married to Majey (Maggie) Cravens, sister of William Cravens, and therefore a daughter of Mary Harrison (dau. of Isaiah). Above him was Thomas Patterson, who was married to Margaret Harrison. Above him was Nathaniel Harrison. Above him was Matthew Black, who was married to Margaret Ponder. I don't have the Robert Cravens (where his brother William presumably lived) plotted on the map, but his tract was bounded by Robert Patterson, as well. Thomas Harrison and William Cravens were chain bearers for surveys along with all of the afore-mentioned grantees, during these 1760's surveys.

The name “John” in these Harrison families of Kings Mountain

It appears to me that Jane and Margaret Harrison were sisters of Nathaniel and Thomas Harrison. William and Jane H. Cravens had a son named John Cravens. Nathaniel Harrison only had one known son, Joseph (b. 1762). Thomas Harrison had multiple children and many grandchildren, and one of his sons was a John Harrison. Thomas Patterson and Margaret H. had a son John Patterson.

It is unclear what the exact ages of William Cravens and his wife Jane Harrison were. Some researchers have listed him as born in 1723, and others as late as 1730 or later. More research needs to happen here. Jane may have been a sister of these Kings Mtn Harrisons, but it's also possible she was older, and could have been an aunt. If the latter, she was still very likely from the same family. I still believe that she was a sister. It's very likely that William Cravens, who was very involved in military matters in Augusta Co., VA, probably married a little later and was several years older than his wife, Jane. But again, I cannot state any age for them with total confidence.

All of these families later moved to Buncombe Co NC in the Jenkins Valley area, with the exception of the Cravens family. Even then, there was a James Cravens in Buncombe Co. It seems highly probable that the name John was a key name in these families, albeit a very common name.

On the other hand, there were no Gideons, or Samuels, or Isaiahs in these families. And while there were many Nathaniels and Josephs in the two Harrison families that moved to Buncombe, that was not the case with the Patterson clan, nor the William Cravens clan who returned to Augusta Co., VA. Incidentally, John Patterson later had a grandson born in 1813 named William Cravens Patterson. Hardly coincidence, in my opinion.

Was there another John Harrison of Augusta Co., VA? The vast majority of records in Augusta that deal with John Harrisons are clearly the father and son pair, the father being the one born in 1691, and son of Isaiah Harrison Sr. But was there a third John Harrison that could have been old enough to have fathered these Kings Mtn Harrisons?

A Closer Look at Gideon Harrison

What do we know about Gideon? He was born on 25 June 1694 at Oyster Bay, Long Island, NY (as were all of his siblings). He bought 75 acres of land on 5 Feb 1723 in what later became the town of Milton, Delaware (DE), in Sussex Co. His father Isaiah had purchased the 907 acre Maiden Plantation about 3 miles south of Gideon's location, in 1721, at what is now Harbeson, DE. Gideon died in 1729 in DE, and we learn that his widow was named Hannah, and that they had "heirs". No names were recorded for their children, but there was more than one for certain.

Gideon served on juries several times in Sussex County, the last date being February 1729 with his brother John Harrison. Sussex Co., DE Will Book 1, page 10 says "13 June 1729 Hannah Harrison widow & administratrix of Gideon Harrison. Inventory is £87.5.0. Accounts are £71.4.6. Distribution to: widow (1/3), heirs (unnamed)." Therefore we can deduce that Gideon died between February and June 13 of 1729.

Gideon probably got married between 1715 and 20. He probably began having children in the late 1710's and throughout the 1720's, perhaps. Gideon's younger half-brother, Daniel, bought his 75 acre tract at auction in 1730 in order to preserve the land for Gideon's family, apparently. This was later sold in 1737, when most of these Harrisons began selling their DE land in preparation to move to the Shenandoah Valley of VA. Old Isaiah Harrison Sr. died en route to the Shenandoah in either late 1737 or early 1738.

One note about the location of Gideon's land in DE. Robert Patterson's 106 acre tract was located one mile west of Gideon, with a small road running directly between the two tracts (Sand Hill Road, which runs from Gravel Hill Road to Harbeson Road). And bounding the north side of Patterson's tract was Robert Cravens Sr., who was married to Mary Harrison, sister of Gideon, and father of the afore-mentioned William Cravens.

Who knows how many children Gideon had, especially daughters? But there were at least two male Harrisons that showed up in the Augusta Co VA records in the 1750's and 60's that "could" have been sons of Gideon. They could have also been sons of Samuel, bear in mind, but the possibility certainly exists that they were sons of Gideon. This was first proposed by J. Houston Harrison, author of the seminal book Settlers by the Long Grey Trail. He mentions the Gideon that died in 1761, and the John who "left the colony" in 1765, as two potential sons of the older Gideon Harrison. See below.

With that in mind, who was this third John Harrison that is mentioned in 1765 as having left the colony of VA? Where did he go? How old was he? Those are questions that cannot be answered for certain. But some interesting clues become tantalizing when poring over the Augusta records through this prism.

A Deeper Dive into the Augusta Co., VA Records

In September 1758 the colony of VA passed a law to reimburse colonists on the frontier for costs they had incurred during the defense of the colony during the French and Indian War. Many of these Harrisons and Pattersons (sometimes spelled Peterson) were named. It's hard in many cases to tell which John Harrison is which, and so forth.

However, in one such case, there were three individuals named together on the same record (see http://vagenweb.org/hening/vol07-09.htm for more details). If the previous link does not work, try https://archive.org/details/statutesatlargeb07virg/page/188/mode/2up. In this one line, it named "John Harrison, Nathaniel Harrison, and Thomas Peterson" together. And two lines above it was named Gideon Harrison. Furthermore, Leonard Herring was a close relative as well. His father was Alex Herring who had married Abigail Harrison, a younger half-sister of the Gideon Harrison who died in 1729. That would make Leonard Herring and any children of Gideon (Sr) first cousins.

I suggest that the following circled John Harrison and Gideon Harrison were brothers, and sons of Gideon Harrison (d. 1729), and therefore first cousins to the Leonard Herring listed between them.

Now look further on the line John Harrison is listed. I know for a fact this is my Thomas Patterson and the Nathaniel Harrison that moved to the Kings Mtn / Clarks Fork SC area in the 1760's. I know both of them were born by 1740 or perhaps a little earlier.

However, Samuel Harrison was not in VA during these years, and is never mentioned on this 1758 list. This is important to understand.

Closing the Loop

Taking it one step further, I also suggest there's a strong likelihood that this Nathaniel was a son of this John Harrison. For reasons we may never fully understand, my Thomas Patterson appears to have had a significant relationship with them, but this was three years BEFORE Thomas Patterson married Margaret Harrison. Regardless, it seems Nathaniel may have been an older child of John Harrison, and that Thomas Harrison, as well as Margaret Harrison, were younger children of said John. As I've already mentioned, Jane Harrison may have been an older child of John also, or perhaps even a sister of John. But I tend to believe she was a sister of the other three Harrisons who moved to Clarks Fork (Kings Mtn).

Nathaniel Harrison's only known child was Joseph Harrison, born 1762. Therefore, Nathaniel could have been born around 1740, give or take a couple years. That would then suggest that this John Harrison would have to have been born by 1720 at the latest, if not earlier. In order for said John Harrison to have been a son of old Gideon Harrison (1694-1729), John probably was not born earlier than 1715, however. But the math DOES work. Not proof of anything, just a matter of working the math to see if we can rule out the possibility of their relationship. At this point, the possibility is still there.

Did John Harrison go to SC when he "left the colony" of VA in 1765? No record has been found of him in SC to my knowledge. I cannot prove that he was the father of the Kings Mtn Harrisons. But Thomas Harrison and Thomas Patterson and William Cravens did have sons named John, and that was new for the Pattersons. John Harrison did not have to obtain land in SC necessarily. One or more of his children could have done so and he could have lived with them. John Patterson certainly did this when his children and grandchildren moved from NC to GA in the 1820's.

It should be pointed out at this time that when the original land warrants for Clarks Fork were entered, Nathaniel Harrison and Thomas Patterson entered 100 acres each. By the time the tracts were surveyed and later granted, they had rearranged the allotments and Harrison surveyed 140 acres, while Patterson only surveyed 60. That tells me there were more families living on the Harrison portion, such as Nathaniel Harrison and his brother Thomas Harrison, and possibly their father John Harrison, as well. And their sister Margaret and her husband, Thomas Patterson, lived on the 60 acre tract next to them. The Land Warrants, Surveys, and Grants interchangeably spelled these Pattersons as either Patterson, or Paterson, or Petterson. There is no doubt as to their true identities, however.

The DNA Link

The Buncombe Co NC Harrisons (who were also the Kings Mtn Harrisons, without doubt) are known to be a DNA match with the Isaiah Harrison clan. There is no doubt of a connection. The doubt is in the precise details of said connection. Was their branch the Gideon branch (through his son John)? Was it the Samuel branch? Was it the Joseph branch? If the latter, then he had members of his family split up and some went to SC and others to Yadkin Valley NC. Not unheard of, but it doesn't really fit overall. Why would Nathaniel and Margaret have remained in VA during the 1750's (with Margaret being a minor) when the rest of the family moved on to NC?

It is possible that the Gideon (d. 1761 in VA) and John (left the colony in 1765) were sons of Samuel and Mary Harrison, along with Nathaniel, Thomas, Jane, and Margaret. But then who were the children of the old Gideon that died in 1729 in DE? And then why did so many of the Kings Mtn Harrisons name children John, while none seemed to have named any children Samuel?

Samuel is still a possibility, but Gideon and his presumed son John, are likewise a possibility. The latter option is one I have only become aware of in 2017. I am still running down the details on this option, but so far, I'm starting to see some strong possibilities. The 1758 record listing John and Nathaniel Harrison, with Thomas Patterson, all together, really gets my attention. Keep in mind, this Nathaniel Harrison later signed the 1775 Will of Robert Patterson, in York Co., SC, who in turn was the father of Thomas Patterson.

One other note about the Samuel Harrison option... if he had left VA during the 1750's (about 1755 due to the hostilities of the French and Indian War), would his children have remained in VA during that time... to be later reimbursed in 1758 for provisions made during the war? I doubt it. This is another reason why the Samuel option is becoming less and less of a fit for me.

Conclusion

I will continue to focus research efforts on the John Harrisons of Orange, Augusta, and Rockingham Counties, VA (around the Linville Creek, Cooks Creek, Smiths Creek properties) in an effort to glean more clues regarding the relationships (and identities) of the various John Harrisons. More updates to come later.

Wes

March 25, 2017 Update

Another "John Harrison" record should be referenced in this post that perhaps is not as clear as I previously assumed. There was an estate record (Wills) on March 7, 1738(9) in Sussex Co, DE that included names such as Daniel Ponder, Samuel Stewart, John Harrison, and Sarah Patterson. See below.

 7 March 1738(9) John Lullom executor of Matth. Dowling (or Downey / Downing). Inventory is £82.2.5. Payments to: Samuel Digenson, Mary Dingey, Antho. Everlo, John Reed, Rach. Harefield, Robert Smith, Benjamin Shaw, Daniel Ponder, Samuel Stuart, Jeremi Claypole, John Hall (tanner), Jacob Kollock, Chris. Phillipson, John Harrison, Sarah Patterson, William Cook, Samuel Hand. Accounts are £21.1.8.0. Distribution to: heirs (unnamed).

In previous years I assumed this John Harrison to be the 1691 (birth year) son of Isaiah. And it may very well have been. But as you can see from the estate record, John Harrison was listed next to Sarah Patterson. Sarah was the wife of Robert Patterson, and they were the parents of my Thomas Patterson. This estate record was a full year after my Pattersons had sold their Delaware land. John Harrison Sr had also sold his DE land prior to this time. Were the Pattersons and some of the Harrisons still in DE? Or, had they already moved to VA like the rest of the Harrisons?

Perhaps Sarah Patterson had remained in DE while the men had moved on to VA looking for land to settle on. Perhaps this John Harrison was the son of Gideon, instead. If so, he would have been born ca. 1715-20, and would have been 19 to 24 years old at the time of this 1739 estate record, and presumably closer to the 24 mark. Was this John Harrison (son of Gideon and Hannah) somehow related to Sarah ____ Patterson? What about John Harrison’s eventual wife, Mary? Was she related to Sarah Patterson somehow? We may never know. But these are interesting questions to ponder.

As for Daniel Ponder and Samuel Stewart in this same estate record:

• Daniel Ponder was married to Jemima Bennett. They would later move to Augusta Co VA also, and then to the Kings Mountain area of SC like the Pattersons, Harrisons, Cravens, and Blacks. Daniel Ponder Jr would later marry Elizabeth Patterson, daughter of Robert and Sarah Patterson. Would this John Harrison have a daughter named Margaret that would later marry another child of Robert and Sarah Patterson? Robert and Sarah's son Thomas Patterson did in fact marry a Margaret Harrison, and their oldest son was named John Patterson - also my direct ancestor. Was he named for his grandfather - John Harrison? Was this him in 1739?
• Samuel Stewart was married to Lydia Harrison, daughter of Isaiah. They would later move to Augusta Co Va and then later to the Yadkin Valley in NC, along with the Joseph Harrison branch of the Isaiah clan.

Wes Patterson