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).

Clarks Fork of Bullocks Creek, York Co SC - Cravens & John Patterson

Clarks Fork of Bullocks Creek, York Co SC - Cravens & John Patterson

CFBC Home  |  Robert Patterson Sr  |  Cravens & John Patterson

Last updated: 2018-01-17

For years I have tried to determine where Robert Cravens' 150 acre tract was located in relation to Robert Patterson Sr's 200 acre tract. I had assumed that when Cravens' survey was described as adjacent Robert Patterson, it meant Robert Sr, but I always knew there was a possibility it could have been referring to Robert Patterson Jr. Turns out, it was Jr.

Recently, I began working on a presentation for Harald Reksten regarding this very issue. However, the actual process of documenting all of it helped to open several road blocks I had encountered along the way. The major discovery made during this process is that there had been at least two later deeds that made reference to separate deeds being "adj. John Patterson" - and that this Robert Cravens tract has to be the land that was later in the possession of John Patterson. Well, that has to be my ancestor John Patterson, son of Thomas, and grandson of Robert Sr. But there has never been any deeds or grants showing John receiving or disposing of any York Co SC land.

The following map shows seven (7) primary tracts of land and their fairly accurate proximity to each other along Clarks Fork of Bullocks Creek in York Co SC.

Clarks Fork tracts, mapped in Deedmapper by Wes Patterson

The Pattersons

Robert Patterson Sr (who died in 1775) was the father of Thomas, Peter, James, Robert Jr, and William Patterson. He also had daughters who married Daniel Ponder Jr, John Black, and Joseph Black.

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?

Another Look at Robert Patterson's Five Sons

Looking back at Robert Patterson's sons is always an interesting topic for those of us who descend from him. Robert Patterson was born circa 1705-1711 (place yet unknown). He was in Sussex Co DE by 1732, and left there about 1738 as he prepared to move to the Linville Creek VA area. While in DE he married Sarah. We still don't know her family heritage, but clues point to the Black and Cravens families as our top contenders.

We know that Robert and Sarah had at least four sons, which were named in Robert's 1775 will - written in York Co SC. But we also believe the reason Robert updated his will at such a late date (he died a few months after writing this last will) was due to one of his FIVE sons (James) having just died.

Such an event would have forced him to re-write his will, something that he certainly already had in place for years considering the magnitude of his land holdings.

In July of 2011 I wrote an article called "How Many Sons Did Old Robert Patterson Have After All?" That was the first such article dealing with this topic of James being a son of Robert and Sarah. Much of this analysis has been done by cousin Harald Reksten. Harald descends from Robert's son Robert II. I descend from Robert's son Thomas.

Here is an excerpt from the article last July dealing with the chain of evidence regarding a tract of land that James had owned which passed to his father Robert - indicating a son (James) dying without any dependents.

3) York Co SC, Book H, Page 100. 6 June 1802 Robert Wallace of York District to John Wallace of same for $10, (1) 150 acres on Clarks Fork of Bullocks Creek joining Robert Patterson, being originally granted to Robert Cravens and from said Cravens conveyed by deed to Robert Patterson deceased; (2) 40 acres on Hendersons Branch of Clarks Fork of Bullocks Creek joining John Patterson, a part of tract granted to Robert Patterson in the year 1794. Signed: Robert Wallace. Witnesses: Samuel Love, Samuel Brown, Andrew Love. Proved: 18 January 1816 by Samuel Brown before Thomas Simpson. Recorded: 4 March 1816. 

So this deed proves the same 150 acre tract passed to Robert Patterson. Which Robert Patterson? Robert Sr died in 1775. Robert Jr died in 1828. This deed was in 1802, so clearly "Robert Patterson deceased" is referring to Robert Sr. We know that Cravens did not sell the land to Robert directly, but rather to James, but the chain of title shows it passed to Robert. The only way that could have happened without James selling it to his father, was for it to pass to him through inheritance. James had to die after February 1774. And since his father died in 1775 between July and November, James had to have died prior to that.  

This is about as solid a case as one could ever present. My hat is off to Harald Reksten for nailing this one to the floor. He presented the theory to me a few months ago and then recently found this 1802 deed, which to me is empirical evidence.

The deed listed within this excerpt is the 3rd deed presented in the original article, but references within to the first two are made and noted. This land was located along Clarks Fork of Bullocks Creek in what is now York Co SC near Kings Mountain State and Military Parks.

Again, I would like to thank Harald for his keen eye for detail and his analytical approach to sorting out these old records and relationships.

So once again, this tells us there were (at least) five sons of Robert and Sarah Patterson. They include James who died in 1774/75, plus the other four sons named in Robert's 1775 will, to wit: Thomas, Robert, Peter, and William.

WP

The Patterson Brothers That Split Up

I was born in 1968 in a suburb of Atlanta, GA. I remember visiting my grandparents during the 70's and hearing from my dad at times about our Patterson ancestors. I always heard the stories about a set of brothers who immigrated to America and split up. They were "Scotch-Irish" as the tale went, but nothing more was known directly of them, such as their names, their location of residence prior to immigrating, where they "landed", what year, etc.

As I wrote previously in my article titled "There Were Five Brothers", in recent years I've had the great fortune to be able to answer many of those questions. 

I now know that these brothers didn't immigrate from another continent, but rather they were born in the Shenandoah valley of Virginia in the 1740's and 50's, eventually migrating south to the Carolinas circa 1755-65. There were still Virginia land claims in the family, so at least some of them traveled back and forth between North/South Carolina and Virginia during those decades up until at least 1787 when two of them sold their deceased father's land along Linville Creek near Harrisonburg, Va. (more regarding Robert Patterson's land holdings in VA)

If They Split Up, Where'd They Go?

These five brothers were sons of Robert Patterson who was born ca. 1705-1711. Robert and his wife Sarah had at least five sons and at least five daughters. The sons that we know of were named Thomas, James, Robert, Peter, and William. It appears that son James died around 1774-75 in York Co SC. And son William, while recorded as living during the Revolutionary War (listed as a Tory in SC), nothing further has been found of him after that time frame.

Peter appears to have remained in SC and died there around 1800, give or take a couple years.

Robert (II) moved to Rutherford Co NC and then later to McMinn Co TN where he died in 1827.

Buncombe Co NC (near Alexander)
John Patterson owned 170 acres
surrounding the land from which this picture was taken.
Thomas Patterson owned 50 acres beyond the distant hill.
(photo taken by Wes Patterson, May 19, 2006)

Oldest son Thomas Patterson (my ancestor) moved to Buncombe Co NC in the 1790's apparently, perhaps even a little earlier. He was still living there in 1800 near his son John (also my ancestor). However, Thomas' land in Buncombe was sold at auction by the sheriff a couple years later, and nothing further has been found regarding Thomas.

So it appears that the legend of multiple brothers applies to Thomas, James, Robert, Peter, and William Patterson. We're not sure what happened to William, but it seems James and Peter died in SC. Thomas died in NC apparently, and Robert II settled in Tennessee, thus fitting the legend that the brothers "split up". 

Our family from north Georgia always knew of our ancestor John Patterson, the old patriarch who died not too many years after migrating to north GA from western NC in the 1820's. Old John died after 1840 but before 1850, but that's all we know. This is the same John that was living in Buncombe in 1800. We now know that John was the oldest son of Thomas Patterson (one of the five brothers of family legend). 

John Patterson was born ca. 1762-65 and died in Union Co GA after 1840. He was my gggg-grandfather. Therefore my ancestor (Thomas) who was one of the legendary brothers, was my ggggg-grandfather. Perhaps one day I'll find where he died and was buried. Why not? Those other "dreams" of finding their names, locations, and dates all came true!

WP

There Were Five Brothers

"My great-great-grandfather came to Georgia in the 1700's. June's got that he must have been the first Patterson to come to Ga. He came from N.C. That's where my Dad said 5 brothers came from the old country landed in N.C. They went to different places. Dad said they were Scotch Irish."
~ Aunt Nellie Patterson Mason, September 1982

I was fourteen years old when I received this second letter from Aunt Nellie. My grandpa Patterson had died in 1975 when I was seven years old, so I had missed out on any opportunities to discuss my Patterson heritage with him. My parents were missionaries in the SE Asian country of Bangladesh (beginning in 1979), so living 12,000 miles away from any other family members only added to my thirst for knowledge concerning my Patterson heritage.

At my dad's urging, I had written Aunt Nellie, the younger sister of my Grandpa. I had met her in person a few times and have fond memories of her to this day. Where Aunt Nellie said "Dad", she was speaking of Elijah Patterson (b 1871). Where she said "great-great-grandfather", she was speaking of John Patterson (b 1765 and married Margaret Black). It seems impossible that it's been 29 years since I received the above letter. And yet, I now feel as though I've come full circle.

The last 15 years have changed everything. Many brick walls in our on-going family tree search have come tumbling down. We know that old John Patterson that my Aunt Nellie referred to, was born in 1765 in what is now York Co SC. But at the time of his birth, it was considered Mecklenburg Co NC.

We know that John's father was Thomas Patterson, oldest son of Robert and Sarah Patterson. We know that Robert was born in the early 1700's. Some say 1705-10, I like to say circa 1711, but both are possible dates for reasons I won't entertain here. Robert was living in Sussex Co DE in the 1730's where some of his oldest children were born, perhaps. Most of his children were born in the Shenandoah Valley of VA, where all of them were raised.

In the early 1760's it seems that most of this Patterson clan and other relation migrated to the Kings Mountain region of the Carolinas - modern day York Co SC. But again, it was North Carolina at the time, so Aunt Nellie's version of the story is accurate.

They were Scotch-Irish (aka Scots-Irish, aka Ulster Scots), so again, Aunt Nellie's recollection was spot on.

For years now we only knew of four sons of Robert and Sarah Patterson. Recent developments have proven there was at least a fifth, James Patterson, who died in 1774 or 1775 just before Robert Patterson penned his Last Will & Testament in July 1775, leaving James out of the Will for obvious reasons.

So, there were five brothers. Aunt Nellie was right.

My chief goals in life (in regards to genealogy research, that is) when I first began this quest some 30 years ago were to find out 1) how many brothers there were, 2) what their names were, 3) which one I descend from, 4) when they "arrived", and 5) where they went.

Many stories I heard about these brothers listed different states they moved to, but there was always one that was a mystery. They weren't sure what happened to the fifth brother. While Aunt Nellie didn't say anything to that affect, I heard this from more than one relative.

This blog post is a special one for me. It's post #100 for this blog. Nothing earth-shattering, mind you. But still a special one. That's why I'm writing about this 29 year old letter. That's why I'm remembering Aunt Nellie, and the stories I heard as a youngster about my Patterson heritage. I'm returning to my roots - MY roots. My early years growing up in the 1970's and '80's.

Answers

1) There were five brothers.

2) Their names were Thomas, James, Robert Jr, Peter and William.

3) I descend from Thomas, the father of old John Patterson who moved to GA.

4) Thomas may have been born in DE or VA, I'm not yet sure which. The rest were born in VA near Harrisonburg on Linville Creek. That is where they and their sisters were raised. There were no less than five sisters, as well.

5) Thomas eventually ended up in North Carolina. James died a young man in South Carolina. Robert Jr died in Tennessee. Peter died in South Carolina also. And William? Well, we still don't know what happened to him. Last known record shows he was a Loyalist during the Revolutionary War, in South Carolina. He may have died during that war. He may have moved away as so many Loyalists did. We just don't know.

So, while the five brothers didn't immigrate from the "old country" per se, they did migrate to the Carolinas (from VA) in the 1760's.

And, while John Patterson didn't actually move to GA in the 1700's, he did move to NC in the 1790's and then moved down into GA "from N.C." in the 1820's.

Aunt Nellie passed away in 1996. It's taken almost 30 years for final confirmation on many pieces of her story, but I'm just grateful to have had her story, in her own writing. Thank you, Aunt Nellie. And, thank you June Walker Brown, another Patterson cousin whom Aunt Nellie was quoting at one point. Sometimes family legends can be right after all!

WP

How Many Sons Did Old Robert Patterson Have After All?

Robert Patterson wrote his last Will & Testament in July of 1775 in York Co SC. He died no later than November that same year. Robert was my gggggg-grandfather. For years, all we've known for sure concerning how many sons he had was the four sons named in his Will, viz. Thomas, Robert, Peter and William. But were there other sons?

Naturally, anyone would agree that there could have been other sons that died young, but how could you ever prove it? There just isn't any empirical evidence that other sons existed. Right?

Well, maybe there is enough evidence to suggest there were more sons. At the very least, there appears to have been a son named James that can now be "confirmed". I would also suggest there could have been a son named John, but that cannot be proven or disproven at this time, to my knowledge, so I'll leave that discussion for another time.

James Patterson. We know he existed. We've known for years there was a James Patterson living close by on Clarks Fork of Bullocks Creek in what is now York Co SC, but who was he? Why wasn't he named in Robert's 1775 Will?

For years I suggested to Harald Reksten that James could have been a son of Robert. But I didn't see enough of the big picture to be able to prove it one way or the other. Eventually, I stopped suggesting this. Then recently, Harald suggested it to me based on the evidence he was finding in the land records.

Harald's theory? James Patterson died before his father Robert died in 1775. He was also single and therefore no estate was administered for dependents. Hmmm... that theory works. But proving it is another story.

The facts we already had in place were the following:

1. Mecklenburg Co NC, Book 23, Page 163. 26 October 1767 Grant #438 to Robert Cravens 150 acres on Clarks Fork of Bullocks Creek adjacent Robert Patterson line. Chain Bearers: James Petterson, Newberry Stockton. Plat: 17 January 1767. File #2251.

2. Tryon Co NC, Book O5, Page 072. 23 February 1774 Robert Cravens of Augusta County, Colony of Virginia and Wife Esther to James Patterson of County of Tryon, North Carolina for £90 Va. currency, 150 acres in the county of Tryon, NC, on both sides of Clarks fork of Bullocks Creek adjacent Robert Patterson's line. Signed: Robt Cravens, Esther Cravens (LS). Witnesses: Robert Patterson, Joseph Dictum , John Quin. Proved by the oath of Robert Patterson 4 June 1774 before Joseph Robinson, J.P. Recorded 15 March 1785.

The Robert Patterson in both records was most likely Robert Jr, the brother of James Patterson. A few years ago I obtained a copy of the 1774 deed and the Robert Patterson did not have the trademark "R" mark that Robert Sr used. So I am convinced it was Robert Jr.

Esther Cravens was born Esther Harrison, daughter of Jeremiah Harrison and Elizabeth Patterson. Therefore she was the 1st cousin of James and Robert Patterson. Joseph Dictum married another first cousin of both Esther Harrison Cravens and James Patterson.

If Harald's theory is true, in that James was a son of Robert Patterson Sr, then James died between February 1774 and July 1775. Robert Sr must have already had a Will in place with as much land as he owned in VA and SC (Clarks Fork of Bullocks Creek was deemed to be in York Co SC around 1775). It would stand to reason that Robert would have re-written his Will if one of his sons died unexpectedly. I believe this is why Robert wrote his Will in July 1775 in order to update it.

But still that's no proof. If James were single, his assets would have devolved to his father. So the smoking gun question is this. Is there any evidence that Robert Patterson Sr ever came into possession of James' 150 acres he purchased from Cravens in 1774?

The answer... YES.

Here's your smoking gun:

3) York Co SC, Book H, Page 100. 6 June 1802 Robert Wallace of York District to John Wallace of same for $10, (1) 150 acres on Clarks Fork of Bullocks Creek joining Robert Patterson, being originally granted to Robert Cravens and from said Cravens conveyed by deed to Robert Patterson deceased; (2) 40 acres on Hendersons Branch of Clarks Fork of Bullocks Creek joining John Patterson, a part of tract granted to Robert Patterson in the year 1794. Signed: Robert Wallace. Witnesses: Samuel Love, Samuel Brown, Andrew Love. Proved: 18 January 1816 by Samuel Brown before Thomas Simpson. Recorded: 4 March 1816.

So this deed proves the same 150 acre tract passed to Robert Patterson. Which Robert Patterson? Robert Sr died in 1775. Robert Jr died in 1828. This deed was in 1802, so clearly "Robert Patterson deceased" is referring to Robert Sr. We know that Cravens did not sell the land to Robert directly, but rather to James, but the chain of title shows it passed to Robert. The only way that could have happened without James selling it to his father, was for it to pass to him through inheritance. James had to die after February 1774. And since his father died in 1775 between July and November, James had to have died prior to that.

This is about as solid a case as one could ever present. My hat is off to Harald Reksten for working through the details on this one. He presented the theory to me a few months ago and then recently found this 1802 deed, which to me is empirical evidence.

The sons of Robert and Sarah Patterson at the very least include Thomas, James, Robert, Peter and William.

WP

Robert Patterson 1775 Will

While at the SC Archives Saturday (13 March 2010), I took quite a few pictures of Robert Patterson's 1775 will. Robert was my gggggg-grandfather, who died in York Co SC in 1775. I descend from Robert's oldest son, Thomas Patterson. Harald Reksten descends from Robert's son, Robert Patterson Jr. I personally think that Robert (Sr) was born circa 1711, give or take a couple years perhaps. This is based in part on the fact that his first land purchase was in 1732 in Sussex Co DE.

There is a possibility that I may also descend from Robert a second way, via his daughter Sarah who married Joseph Black. I am about 75% sure that one of their children was named Margaret Black, who later married (what would have been) her 1st cousin, John Patterson, son of Thomas. I know what you're thinking... Don't ask! At any rate, this last link has not been proven thus far. This John Patterson is the same John who is named in the will, and his signature is one of the faint ones on the will, probably not visible on these images.

Here are a few pictures taken Saturday. I have more and will be adding them to my website soon.

But for now, I wanted to go ahead and post these, starting with a picture of Harald Reksten and me holding the will, courtesy of Diane Reksten (Harald's wife). Harald is on the right, while yours truly (Wes Patterson) is on the left. Enjoy... (by the way, you may click on each image to view a larger version of it.)

The following pages are Page 1 and Page 4:

The following page is the first visible page, but it is actually Page 2 of the will. Notice that Robert made his mark with an "R" at the bottom right. His witnesses were Nathaniel Harrison and James Dickie.

And the next page is Page 3. Notice all the various signatures, added between 1775 and 1791 when the final probate occurred.

June 2017 Addendum

Here is the text of the will itself.

In the name of God Amen the Twenty First day of July 1775 I Robert Patterson of Craven County farmer being very sick and weake in body but of perfect mind and memory thanks be unto God, therefore calling to mind the mortality of my body and knowing that it is appointed for all men once to die, do maeke and ordain this my last will and testament, that is to say Principally and first of all I give and recommend my Soul into the hands of almighty God that gave it and my body I recommend to the earth to be buried in decent Christian burial at the discretion of my Executors nothing doubting but at the General Resurrection I shal receive the same again by the mighty power of God: and as touching such worldly estate wherewith it hath pleased God to bless me in this life I give demise and dispose of the same in the following manner and form

And first of all I constituet make and ordain my beloved wife Sarah and my beloved sons Robert and Peter to be my whole and sole Executors of this my last Will and testament all and singular my lands messuages and tenements whith all household goods dets and moveable affects by them to be executed according to law and for them said Executors to take care and see that all and every one of my beloved family shall have there full share as I shall appoint 

Imprimise I give and bequeath to Sarah my dearly beloved wife her full thirds of all my moveable affects and the homestead place till my son William comes of age and half afterwards while she lives and her hors and saddle.  

Item I give and bequeath unto my son Thomas fifty pounds lawfull mony of South Carolina to be leveed out of my estate and all my cloathes except my fir hat and one gray three year old mare and colt to his son John.  

I likewise give and bequeath unto my daughter  Sarah one cow and calf, and what is between Joseph and me.

I likewise give unto my son William the homestead place after his mother's decease all only from where the line crosses the road that goes to Peter's old place and straight & cors to the old saw pit below the muddy branch and straight on to the outside line and from that said line down to Peter.  

I likewise give and bequeath unto my sons Peter and Robert each of them an equal part of my land and clams in the province of Virginia.  

I likewis give and bequeath unto my children all and every one of them is now single with my daughter's Elisebeth and Lydia each of them an equal part of the remainder of my movable affects by all and every one of them freely to be possesed and enjoyed: and I do hereby utterly disallow revoke and disannul all and every other formal testaments wills legacies and bequeaths and Executors by me in any wise before named willed and bequeathed ratifying and confirming this and no other to be my last will and testament in witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand and seal the day and year above written
Signed sealed published pronounced and declared by the said Robert Patterson as his last will and testament in the presence of us the Subscribers Nathaniel Harrison, James Dickie

Robrt (R) Patterson

Personally appered James Dickey and Nathaneal Harreson before me and maketh oath as the Law Dericts that the order Presant and Seen Robt. Petterson Dezed  Sinc the within will as it now stands as his last will and that he was in his proper Senses and that the other witnesses to the same.   Sworn by me this ---- third day of November 1775.  

Signed: James Dickie, Nathaniel Harryn.  Sam Swann, J.P.  

Peter Patterson of York Co SC

The following email was sent to Harald Reksten, a fellow descendant of Robert "R" Patterson, who died in York Co SC in 1775. I descend from Robert's oldest son Thomas, Harald descends from son Robert (II), and then there's the son Peter, which has not been well documented previously. That said, we're making a valiant attempt at it:

Harald,

We've discussed the Patterson males that might be tied to Peter before, such as Andrew (possibly), and then more importantly, James, John Marion, and Peter.

As far as daughters are concerned, he appears to have had at least 4 daughters, according to the 1790 and 1800 census records. One born before 1790, another about 1789, another about 1790/91, and the 4th b/w 1790 and 1800.

I have believed for a few years now (actually, since 2003) that the second daughter was named Jane, b 1789. There was a Jane who moved to Buncombe roughly around 1805-1810 and then married a James Freeman about 1811/12. She was born in 1789 in SC. Their two oldest children were named Abigail Freeman (1813) and Peter Patterson Freeman (1816). There were 7 more kids born after that, all 9 being born in Buncombe.

James Freeman's parents were named Aaron Freeman and Mary Bentley (Freeman). Haven't we seen a York deed or two that has Peter Patterson AND an Abigail Patterson listed? Ah, yes - here it is:

E-502 13 July 1797 Peter Patterson of York County to Malcolm Henry of York County for 150 pounds, 150 acres, on the waters of Clarks fork of Bullock Creek being Patterson's branch and also 80 acres adjoining the above and Peter Patterson's lower field, the ridge road above Jacob Peters School House, Robert Love's corner at cross road and -------Ponder. Also 62 acres, adjoining and originally granted to Robert Patterson Sr., deceased, and is on both sides of Clarks fork. Witnesses: Robert Love, William Henry and Abigail Patterson. Samuel Watson J.P.

I was out walking a few minutes ago and then I was reminded of a person from Buncombe I found a few years that I couldn't ever tie to anyone. I now am quite certain this is yet another grandchild of Peter. I'm speaking of a boy named Robert Patterson Sandlin, born June 03, 1815, Buncombe, NC. This fella was the son of Ezekiel Sandlin and Martha ______.

I just did a follow up search and found that some Sandlin researchers believe Martha to have been a Patterson, but cannot prove it. Martha was born in 1790 in SC. She most certainly could be the 3rd daughter of Peter Patterson.

Get this... they supposedly married in SC around 1807, according to one source. They moved to NC about then and their children were all born in Buncombe. I also know that James Patterson (m Sarah Marr/Morrow) moved to Buncombe b/w 1805-1810.

Ezekiel Sandlin was the son of William Sandlin and they were from York Co SC, Kings Creek area - probably not far from the Ponders. After they moved to Buncombe, guess where they lived. Here's the abstract, followed by explanation:

(Buncombe Co NC)
(E 155) 5/12/1807 (8/22/1812)
Ezekiel Sandlin to James Patterson, 70 acres, "…Newfound Creek, joins George Black and Thomas Patterson's lands…, beginning on a ridge Black's corner running east to Thomas Patterson's corner…"
Witnesses: John Love & Daniel Ponders

(12/271) 3/8/1816
James Patterson to Reuben Black, 70 acres, (same land James Patterson had bought from Ezekiel Sandlin in 1807.) - "…Ridley Pence's corner…. (both men living in Buncombe at this time)"
Witnesses: Nathaniel Harrison & Jane Harrison

This means that Ezekiel Sandlin lived on the western side of Thomas Patterson. My John Patterson lived on the eastern side of Thomas Patterson. George Black lived to the south of them all. George Black was the brother in law of John Patterson. It appears now that Ezekiel Sandlin may have been the brother in law of James Patterson, as this was the same James who married Sarah Morrow. Remember that John Patterson had bought a different tract of land a little further away from a Richard Morrow.

Furthermore, Thomas Patterson's land was sold by the sheriff, and it changed hands a few times and ended up being owned by this same James Patterson. The land that John was living on next to Thomas's land had been bought by John from Reuben Black, son of Matthew Black of Burke Co NC and formerly of York Co SC. We see that James P later sells this Sandlin tract to Reuben Black. It is believed that Reuben's grandparents were Robert and Madge Cravens Black, by the way.

And last but not least, Nathaniel and Jane Harrison were siblings, and children of Joseph Harrison, and grandchildren of Nathaniel Harrison who signed Robert Patterson's 1775 will in SC.

Oh, and one more caveat. Notice that Ridley Pence lived next to them also, in 1816. John Patterson sold his land next to all this to Abram Pence, no doubt some relation to Ridley. These Pattersons were selling their land from 1815 to 1820 and moving a little further west into Haywood Co NC. A few years later, Abram Pence shows up next to John Patterson and his oldest son Joseph Black Patterson in Haywood. Abram Pence's daughter, Cassey Pence, married John Marion Patterson, brother of the above James Patterson.

Confused yet?

I don't see how this Martha could be a daughter of my Thomas, nor your Robert. If she's from the Robert "R" clan, it has to be Peter. We can't forget the daughters of Robert "R", but this Martha couldn't have been Sarah's (m Joseph Black), nor could she have been Lydia's (m John Black). While it's possible she could have been Elizabeth's (m Daniel Ponder), according to Ponder researchers, the youngest daughter they had was born in 1788, so it doesn't seem likely that she could be Elizabeth's daughter.

I am of the opinion that this Martha Sandlin was the third daughter of Peter Patterson.

Your thoughts?

Wes

P.S. I'm doing a quick review right now of your York SC deed abstracts and noticed this:

O-005-071 (Charleston) 18 February 1785 James Wilson of Camden District, farmer to John Wilson of same 4 pounds sterling, 200 acres the lower end of a survey in said district on Kings Creek adjacent Wilkinsons branch. Witnesses: Robt. Patterson, Willm. Sandlin. Proved: 19 February 1785 in Camden District by William Champion. Recorded: 15 March 1785.

Willm. Sandlin was the father in law of this Martha whom I'm suggesting is the daughter of Peter Patterson!

Did Robert "R" Patterson's sons remain in VA to work that farm?

An email to Harald Reksten concerning a question he had asked me:

Been thinking on your question a little more... did one or more of Robert's sons stay in Va to work the land?

Your Robert (II) married late. Was that because he stayed behind and ran the farm in Va?

Peter never acquired a land grant in SC (that I know of). Was that because he stayed behind in Va, and then later bought land in SC from someone else?

Did Thomas stay a while in Va but then move south later? His son John was born ca 1765 (pretty solid date), supposedly in SC.

Thomas could have stayed in Va and then gone back and forth, but then acquiring the other Va land in 1773 negated his need for a share in his father's land.

Another angle... Robert II and Peter may have been left the land since they stayed and worked it the most, thus earning their right to inherit it.

Another thought... Robert II and Peter were not listed as Loyalists from York Co SC. Why? I'm sure there's several possible reasons, but one could be that they were not living there all the time, or as vocal there due to their interests in Va. That said, Robert and Peter do later come down and buy up land, but that may have been due to the fact that the Loyalist factions of the family were being "driven out". I remember seeing a book at the SC Archives that documented that Joseph Black's land on Clarks Fork was confiscated and then resold in 1783. Did you know that? It's my understanding that Nathaniel Harrison's was, too. And George Julian, as well. Some of them got their lands back, but apparently Joseph Black didn't.

I need to get over to Randolph Co NC and search through their records and try to determine if those Pattersons there in 1790 were my Thomas and his clan or not. I've gotta be honest with you, I'm 50/50 on it right now. Normally, I'd be 20/80, meaning I think there's an 80% chance it was NOT him. I'm more like 10/90 on the Dorchester SC Thomas now. I've seen much of the records surrounding that Thomas and it just doesn't look like mine. It COULD have been, but this Randolph group seems more likely, for more reasons.

Back to the Va lands... this means those families around Muddy Creek, Linville Creek, etc are more likely to be the families those sons married into (Thomas, Robert II, Peter). Just a possibility we have to consider.

Wes