My Patterson family line starts with Mary Elizabeth, my great-great grandmother. She was born 7 Feb 1867 in Gilmer County, Georgia, where she lived until after her marriage. She married William E. Whitener in 1883 and they moved to Murray County, Georgia sometime in the next year or two. Between 1904 and 1907, they moved to Oklahoma and stayed there until Mary’s death on 6 Apr 1920. She is buried in Ward’s Grove Cemetery in Foyil, Oklahoma.
2nd Generation
Mary’s father was Jeremiah “Jerry” Patterson, who was born about 1833, probably in Lumpkin County, Georgia. By 1840, the Pattersons had moved to Gilmer County. Jerry married Elizabeth Sarah Davis, probably around 1857 or 1858. He died on 15 September 1872.
Children from this marriage were:
- William Henson Patterson was born 23 April 1859 in Gilmer County, Georgia. William married Susan Anne Tatum in 1878. They had five children.
- John W. Patterson was born March 1866, probably in Gilmer County. He married Martha Ledbetter on 4 Mar 1890. They had three children. John and Martha divorced before 1910. Both are found in Oklahoma in subsequent years, so it is unknown if they divorced before or after moving west.
- Mary Elizabeth Patterson (see first generation above).
- Andrew Jackson Patterson was born Jun 1870 in Gilmer County. He married Julia Anne Terry on 1 April 1887, also in Gilmer County. They lived in Cherokee County, North Carolina and Monroe County, Tennessee, and then returned to Georgia, living in Murray County and possibly Whitfield County, where they both died. Andrew and Julia had four children.
3rd Generation
Jerry’s parents were John “Jackie” Patterson and Jane “Jinny” Chapman. Jackie was born about 1794, likely in Pendleton District, South Carolina. He and Jinny were married on 6 October 1828 in Hall County, Georgia. They had moved to Gilmer County by 1840 and Jackie died in adjacent Fannin County on 18 April 1854.
Children from this marriage were:
- Nancy Patterson, born 28 November 1829 in Hall County, Georgia. Nancy married her first cousin, Samuel Patterson about 1848 or 1849. They had 10 children. Nancy died 19 August 1919 in Hall County.
- Jeremiah Patterson (see 2nd generation above).
- Malinda Patterson was born about 1836 in Gilmer County and died 10 Apr 1894.
- Louisa J. Patterson was born about 1839 in Gilmer County and died there on 10 April 1897. She married John Burch. Louisa had a son named William Patterson.
- Henson Patterson was born about 1843 in Gilmer County. He died 16 December 1864 in Nashville, Tennessee from wounds received in the Battle of Nashville.
- John Patterson was born about 1845 in Gilmer County. He died 25 December 1878.
- Julia Anne Patterson was born about 1848 in Gilmer County.
- James G. Patterson was born about 1850 in Gilmer County. He married a woman named Francis and had three children.
- Fields C. Patterson was born about 1852 in Gilmer County. He married a woman named Martha and had two children.
4th Generation
Jackie’s parents were John Patterson and Nancy Chapman. John was born between 1755 and 1774, possibly in Ireland. In 1790, he appeared as head of household in Pendleton District, South Carolina. He died between 1807 and 1810 in Pendleton District.
Children from this marriage were:
- Hannah Patterson
- Joseph Patterson, born between 1790 and 1794, likely in Pendleton District. Joseph had 12 children.
- Jeremiah Patterson, born between 1794 and 1800, likely in Pendleton District. Jeremiah had seven children.
- John “Jackie” Patterson (see 3rd generation).
- William Patterson, born 17 December 1795 in Pendleton District. He married Martha Welch about 1818. He died 16 April 1895 in Forsyth County, Georgia.
- George W. Patterson, born about 1796 or 1797, likely in Pendleton District. He married a woman named Mary and had eight children. George died about 1870, probably in Fannin County, Georgia.
- Hiram Patterson, born about 1801 in South Carolina. Hiram married Elizabeth Cantrell on 26 August 1830 in Hall County, Georgia. They had five children.
- Enoch Patterson, born about 1802.
- Samuel Patterson, born between 1804 and 1810.
- Elizabeth Patterson, born 18 Jun 1808. Elizabeth married James Cantrell and had 10 children.
Patterson Surname Fun Facts
Patterson is of Scottish and Northern English origin. It is a patronymic, meaning “son of Patrick.” In 1840, there were 3,015 Patterson households in the United States; 5% lived in Georgia or South Carolina. In 1880, there were 50,255 Pattersons in the U. S., with 7% in Georgia or South Carolina. In 1920, there were 28,328 Pattersons living in the United States: 6% were in Georgia or South Carolina. I wonder what happened between 1880 and 1920 to cause the frequency of this surname to decrease by almost half?
More about the Patterson Family
- A complete list of deceased Patterson family members in my database.
- Posts about Patterson ancestors and relatives in this blog.
- Patterson documents, photos, and headstones.
If you would like more information about this family or would like to share what you know, please contact me.
This post is part of ongoing series focusing on specific surnames. To see all posts in the series, click here.
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