Chapter
VII – PETER PATTERSON IN WESTMORELAND & FAYETTE
COUNTIES
64
RECORDS OF REV. JOHN
CUTHBERTSON
The earliest record of a Peter Paterson west of the Allegheny
Mountains is this entry in Rev. Cuthbertson’s journal: “Oct. 3, 1779
– rode 8 mi. from “Sa.
Scot” [in what is now Washington Co., according to Helen Fields] to
Peter Paterson’s, Red Sto.”
Remember, we record Peter saying, in the 1779 military
appeal, that he was going to “Westmoreland immediately,” and parts
of the area Cuthbertson visited are in other counties today, but
were then in Westmoreland County. At any rate, Fayette Co. Deed Bk.
D, pp. 101-102 records Peter and wife “Agness” buying land on
“Little Redstone Creek,” so we feel sure that the Peter Paterson of
“Red Sto.” who was visited by Rev. Cuthbertson was indeed “our”
Peter.
WESTMORELAND COUNTY LAND
RECORDS
We searched the index of Deeds at both
the Fayette County and Westmoreland County courthouses, and found no
entries for a Peter Paterson or Peter Patterson, as either Grantor
or Grantee. We think now that there must be another index
for Fayette Co. Deeds, for an earlier time period, which we were not
aware of. We say this because we have found proof of Peter owning
and paying tax on land in what is now Fayette Co., as early as 1783.
(See Peter’s Chapter, in which deeds for land he owned are cited,
and see the tax lists below.) No Peter Paterson or Patterson appears
on the following list of Warranties of Land in Westmoreland County
(from which Fayette County was formed in 1783), but—for the benefit
of future Patterson researchers—we are listing the Pattersons who
were included on this list:
Warranties of Land in
Westmoreland Co.
1773-1893
The Pennsylvania Archives, Series 3, Vol. XXVI, pp.
442-492 lists the following Pattersons in “Warranties of Land in the
County of Westmoreland 1773-1892”:
1. Robert
Patterson
400 acres July 26,
1784
2. William
Patterson
300
acres Mar 14,
1785
3. John
Patterson
268 acres Mar 21,
1785
4. John
Patterson 228.5
acres Apr 2,
1785
5.
Alexander
Patterson
250 acres Dec 17,
1784
6. James
Patterson
300
acres Mar 8,
1786
7. James
Patterson
250
acres Aug 11,
1786
8. Samuel
Patterson
200 acres
Sept 6,
1787
9. James
Patterson
350
acres Nov 27,
1787
10.
James Patterson
87.25 acres Feb 21,
1789
11. Alexander
Patterson
150
acres Jan 2,
1793
12. Alexander
Patterson
200 acres
Jan 2,
1793
13.
Thomas
Patterson
400
acres May 9,
1794
14. John
Patterson
400
acres May 9,
1794
15.
Alexander
Patterson
400
acres May 9,
1794
16. Samuel
Patterson
140 acres
Sept 11,
1794
17. Samuel
Patterson
9
acres Dec 15,
1818
The
following land records involving Peter Patterson were found in
abstracts submitted in the mid-1960’s to Patterson &
Pattison Assn. (Vol. 2 p. 85) by Mrs. Kingston Smallhouse; these
records were “sent to her by the researcher, Mrs. Ralph L. Cox, 301
E. Connellsville, Pa. Uniontown, Pa. [sic].” We are transcribing
these records exactly as they appeared in the Patterson &
Pattison Assn. journal.
[Deed Bk. D] p. 101. Peter Patterson & wife
Agness of Washington Twp., to Sam’l Cope of same patent Feb. 5,
1798, Castleman’s Flats on waters of Little Reedstone adj. John
Cope, James Finey, said Patterson land, Wit.: John Patterson (note:
this is no error, J.W.C.)* Sept. 18, 1798. Rec. Sept. 25,
1798.
[Deed Bk.
D] p. 102. Peter
Patterson & wife Agness of Washington Twp. Sept. 18, 1798 to
their son Thomas, of the same place, patent Feb. 5, 1798 to Peter,
tract on Little Redstone called Castleman’s Flats, 261 A. Survey to
Peter Patterson June 14, 1785, adj. Marg. Brown, Eleazer Brown,
James Finney. Wit.: John Patterson & Sam’l Cope. Rec. Sept. 26,
1798.
[Deed]
Bk. K. p. 415 Fayette Co., Pa. 261 A. – Feb. 5, 1798,
grant to Peter Patterson of Washington Twp., Fayette Co. – warrant
June 14, 1785 – conveyed to son Thomas, survey 133A. Peter & wife Mary,
remainder of land transferred to Thomas Patterson where on he now
dwells to James Patterson (ap. Peter) & Peter Patterson Jr., son
of said James. Dated March 2, 1816, Wit.: Jesse Coldren, James
Montgomery. Rec. March
22, 1816.
*We have no idea whatsoever what this
“this is no error” means.
“J.W.C.” is probably Mrs.
Cox.
Deed Bk. S. p.
87. April 13, 1823.
Jesse Greer & wife Nancy to Sam’l Cope Jr., and Dorsey Cope,
patent to Peter Patterson, etc. Peter Patterson & wife Mary,
March 2, 1816, to James Patterson, his son. & Peter son of
James, child of James—Peter & wife Jane. [Peter’s
grandson, Peter “Jr.”, m. Jane McKnight; see Chapter III.]
William & wife Srah released rights to land adj. Heirs of Thomas
Patterson on which Peter Patterson formerly lived, quit-claim, Mary
Wiley & Sam., Rebecca Patterson, & Sarah & Nath’l
Poynts. Rec. April 13, 1833. [Peter d. in
1821. Prior to his
death he had given land to several of his sons. The meaning of this Deed Bk.
entry, and the identities of the various Pattersons named, is
clearer after reading Peter’s Will, transcribed further in this
chapter.]
WASHINGTON COUNTY, PA LAND RECORDS (added Nov
2004)
Washington Co., PA Warranties of Land
1784-1892
(PA Archives Series 3 Vol XXVI, pp.
594-597)
Name Acres
Date
Note: In 1781
Petter [sic] Patterson is listed on a tax list in Strabane Twp.,
Washington Co. “Petter” owns no land but has 3 horses, 3
cattle and 7 sheep. Also in Strabane in 1781 is James Patterson, who owns 150
acres, 2 horses, 2 cattle, 2 sheep. After 1781, Peter Patterson is
not found on the Effective Supply Tax list for Washington Co. (PA
Archives, Series 3, Vol. XXII, pp.
779-780)
Transcript of Property with # Inhabitants,
Westmoreland Co.,
1783
In
1783 Peter Patterson is listed on a tax list in Rostraver Twp.,
Westmoreland
Co.
(prior to the formation of Fayette Co.) as owning 130 acres, 2
horses, 3 cattle, 6 sheep; there are 6 white inhabitants in his
household and no blacks.
The
Pennsylvania Archives, Series 3, Volume XXII, pp. 377-426 lists the
following Pattersons in “Transcript of Property with Number of
Inhabitants 1783”:
Township
# acres
Horses
Cattle
Sheep
Whites
Blacks
1. Peter Patterson
Rostraver *
130
2 3
6
6
--
2. Thomas Patterson
(single) “
150
1
1
--
1
--
3.
John Patterson
(single)
“
150
1
--
--
1
--
4. John Patterson (smith)
“
300
3
3
3
7
--
5.
Robert Patterson
“
---
3
3
--
7
--
6. James Patterson (single)
“
150
1
--
--
1
--
7. Wm. Patterson
Franklyn
200
4
4
8
8
--
8. Jn’o Patterson, d’o
“
100
1
--
--
1
--
10. James
Patterson
“
150
2
4
8
8
--
11.
Sam’l Patterson
Derry
300
----------[blank]-------------------
12. Fra’s
Patterson
Huntingdon
---
1
2 -- [2 columns not
visible]
13. Jn’o.
Patterson
“
---
1
1
--
“
“
14. Ja’s.
Patterson
“
100
2
3
2
“
“
15. Jn’o
Patterson
Springhill
--- 1
--
--
“
“
Note: Though we were not searching for
Espys in these records we noticed: p. 432 Jacob Espy in Mt.
Pleasant;
p. 390 Wm. Espy in Tryone; p. 442 Wm.
Espy in ?
*Later in 1783 Fayette County was formed from part of
Westmoreland County.
The part of Rostraver Twp. where Peter was
listed on the above tax list became Washington Twp., Fayette Co.
[then, later, by the time Ellis wrote
History of Fayette County, this part of Washington Twp. had
become Jefferson Twp., Fayette
Co.]
Transcript of Property with # of Inhabitants, Westmoreland
Co., 1786*
*Strangely, there is no number of
inhabitants listed!--the only information given is amount of
tax.
No Peter Patterson is found on this Westmoreland County list
in 1786. This is
undoubtedly because the land on which he settled was in the part of
Westmoreland
that
became part of Fayette County in 1783. (See 1785 Fayette Tax List
which follows.)
The
PA Archives, Series 3, Vol. XXII, pp. 468-530, lists the following
Pattersons:
Township
Amt. of Tax
1. James Patterson
Rostraver
4.3
2.
Robert Patterson “
10
3.
Jn’o. Patterson Derry
4.4
4.
Garard Patterson
“
9
5. Jn’o. Patterson “
1.6
6. Samuel Paterson
“
2.10
7. James Patterson
Huntingdon (S. Dist.)
4.3
8. Alex’r. Patterson
“
“
6
9. Wm. Patterson Armstrong
[?] 5.10
Note: Though we were not searching for
names other than Patterson in these records, we noticed: p. 461 Wm.
Espy, Col. Robt.
Elder, Joshua Elder Esq., Roert Elder Sr. & John Elder in
Armstrong.
Return of State Tax,
Fayette Co., 1785
Peter Patterson is listed as living in Washington Twp.,
Fayette Co. in 1785.
The PA Archives, Series 3, Vol. XXII, pp. 546-586
lists the following
Pattersons:
1. William Patterson
Washington Twp.
14.9
2. William Patterson
“
7.6
3.
Peter Patterson Washington
Twp.
8.9 &
1/2
4. James
Patterson
“
8.5
5. Thomas Patterson
“
15.5 & 3/4
6. John Patterson
“
8.5
7. John Patterson
“
1.3.1
8.
Thomas Patterson “
13.0
9.
Alexander Paterson [sic]
“
1.5 &
1/2
10. Thomas Patterson
Franklin
6.6
11. James Patterson
“
10.4
12. John Patterson
“
5.8
13. William Patterson
George [sic]
2.6 & 1/4
14. John Patterson
“
2.6 & 1/4
Note: Though we were not searching for names other
than Patterson in these records, we noticed: p. 567
Hugh Espy and William Espy in Tyrone; and p. 545
Thomas Espy in Franklin.
Return of
State Tax, Fayette Co.,
1786
Peter Patterson is listed as living in
Washington Twp., Fayette Co. in
1786.
The PA Archives, Series 3, Vol. XXII, pp. 598-636
lists the following
Pattersons:
1. Thomas Patterson
Washington Twp.
9.5
2. Alexander Patterson
“
9.5
3. John Patterson
“
1.2.3
4. William Patterson
“
15.8
5. William Patterson (single man)
“
10.0
6.
Peter Patterson Washington
Twp.
11.2
7. Thomas
Patterson (single man)
“
1.2.2
8. John Paterson [sic]
“
2.0
9. Thomas Patterson
Franklin
6.3
10. John Patterson
Franklin
6.4
11. James Patterson
Franklin
10.0 [not
indexed!]
12. John Patterson
George’s [sic]
2.8
13. William Patterson
“
2.2
14. John Patterson
German
14.0
Note: Though we were
not searching for names other than Patterson in these records, we
noticed: p. 597 Thomas Espy in Franklin; p. 613 George Aspy [sic] in Manallen
[sic]; and
p. 605 William Aspy [sic],
single man, in
Tyrone.
66
Direct Tax, Fayette Co.,
1798
Note: This information is from an index of Roll 23 of
Microcopy 372, U.S. Direct Tax of 1798 for the State of PA, prepared
by G.J. Gregord, CGRS, 123 Keifer Drive, Pittsburg, PA 15241,
1986. This index was
sent to us upon request by the D.A.R. Library in Washington,
D.C.
Peter Patterson’s
name is not found on the above-described index, probably because
this list is incomplete and shows returns for only several of
Fayette County’s
townships.
Pattersons contained on the list
are:
1. Hugh Patterson
Franklin
2. James Patterson
Franklin
3. John Patterson
Franklin
4. John Patterson
Luzerne
5. Samuel Patterson Franklin
6. Thomas Patterson Franklin
7. William Patterson Franklin
8. Hugh “Patteson” Franklin
9. John “Patteson”
Franklin
Tax List Washington Twp., Fayette Co.,
1820
Two Peter Pattersons are listed on the
1820 Washington Twp., Fayette Co.
tax list
(transcribed from
microfilm):
Occupation
Value
Land
Tax on
Land?
Peter Patterson
“Allegheny”* --
124
1860
Peter
Patterson
“old man”
--
--
--
*In 1821 a notation next to this Peter on
the tax rolls says “NR”
[non-resident].
ALL Pattersons on this list
are:
