Last week, I posted what I know about Jackie Patterson from his birth about 1794 in South Carolina up until his marriage to Jane Chapman in 1828 in Hall County, Georgia. This is part of my attempt to pull everything together and make sense of all the bits of information that I’ve found so far.
1830 Census, Hall County, Georgia
1830 is the first year that Jackie Patterson appeared as head of household. He is the only John Patterson enumerated in Hall County and the composition of the household perfectly matches his known family. (A John Patterson appeared in nearby Habersham County, but the ages of the family members aren’t even close; moreover, Habersham County John had 8 slaves, whereas my John never appeared with slaves, nor did his parents or any of his siblings).
John "Jackie" Patterson - 1830 Census
| Category | Number in household | Names |
|---|---|---|
| Free White Persons - Males - 30 to 39 | 1 | certainly John |
| Free White Persons - Females - Under 5 | 1 | probably Nancy |
| Free White Persons - Females - 15 to 19 | 1 | probably Jane (Chapman) |
1834 State Census, Lumpkin County, Georgia
I found several references and transcriptions online of the 1834 Georgia State Census, which show John Patterson living in Lumpkin County with a total of four free whites. This matches the make-up of his family at the time, with the four likely being himself, wife Jane (Chapman), daughter Nancy, and son Jerry. Jackie’s brothers, William and Hiram Patterson, his sister Elizabeth (Patterson) Cantrell, and at least one Chapman cousin also appear on the 1834 census in Lumpkin County. Lumpkin was formed in 1832 from parts of Hall, Habersham and Cherokee counties, so Jackie and his family either lived in the part of Hall County that became Lumpkin or they moved between 1830 and 1834. (The 1834 Georgia State Census is available on microfilm from the Family History Library, so ordering a copy of the film is on my to-do list.)
North Georgia Map - 1846
1840 Census, Gilmer County, Georgia
By 1840, several of the Patterson/Chapman clan had moved to adjacent Gilmer County. Jackie (enumerated as “John”), his brother Hiram Patterson, Jane’s brother Fields Chapman, and mother Christina Chapman, all appeared on the same census page.
| Category | Number in household | Names |
|---|---|---|
| Free White Persons - Males - 5 to 9 | 1 | probably Jerry |
| Free White Persons - Males - 40 to 49 | 1 | certainly John |
| Free White Persons - Females - Under 5 | 2 | probably Malinda and Louisa |
| Free White Persons - Females - 10 to 14 | 1 | probably Nancy |
| Free White Persons - Females - 20 to 29 | 1 | probably Jane (Chapman) |
Since we have one person employed in agriculture, it is reasonable to assume that John was a farmer.
1850 Census, Gilmer County, Georgia
Finally, an every-name census! Jackie and Jane (enumerated as Jinny) were still in Gilmer County in 1850 with five of their children at home. John Patterson (56) appeared as head of household. He was a farmer who owned $1,000 in real estate (the neighborhood average was $244). His birthplace was reported as South Carolina. The household included Jinny (36), Jeremiah (17, a farmer)*, Malinda (14), Louisa (9), Henson (7), John (4), and Gallatin (4/12). The children were all born in Georgia.
*Jeremiah “Jerry” was my third great-grandfather.
1851 Residence
Two of Jackie and Jane’s grandsons filed Eastern Cherokee applications; both stated that their grandparents resided in Gilmer County in 1851.
Jackie’s Death in the 1850’s
I have secondary information from two researchers that states Jackie died on April 18, 1854 in Fannin County, Georgia. Fannin County was created in 1854 from parts of Gilmer and Union counties, so it is possible that Jackie and Jane lived in the part of Gilmer County that became Fannin. However, I think Fannin County is unlikely, since Jane continued to appear in Gilmer County on the next three censuses. I don’t have any primary information regarding Jackie’s death date, but he certainly died before 1860, as Jane appeared that year as head of household.
Next Research Steps:
- Probate records are the next logical step. They will narrow the date of his death, as well as potentially providing other information.
- The 1850 census tells us that he owned real estate in Gilmer County, so deed records should be search there and in Fannin County, in case he did live in the portion of Gilmer that became Fannin.
- I also need to obtain the 1831 Hall County deed which names Nancy Patterson and her children.
