Biographical Sketch of Robert Patterson of Craven Co., SC
© 2003, Charles Wesley (Wes) Patterson, Sr.

Page 10 of 17
Table of Contents  |  Previous Page  |  Next Page  |  End Notes

Robert Patterson’s Dates

Evidence has been shown to support the belief that the mother of Robert Patterson of LC was Margaret Donnell and that Robert’s father was William Patterson. However, can it be determined when William and Margaret and their son Robert were born? Where were they born? When did they die?

Margaret Donnell died in 1770, presumably between February 1st and March 15th. This is based on evidence suggested earlier. The final probate of her Will was recorded in Augusta Co., VA on May 15, 1770, as seen below.

Figure 13 - Final Probate of Margaret Adams’ Will on May 15, 1770

Both of Margaret’s husbands were dead by the time she wrote her Will in September 1744. Her son Robert Patterson stated in his Disclaimer in 1770 that he was disclaiming any rights to the land on Linville Creek which had been “taken up by Margaret Adams the Widow of John Adams Deceased”. It is known that this area was Orange Co., VA when she would have acquired the land. Until the records of Orange Co. are searched it won’t be known exactly when she moved there. Even then, there may not be any definite date that would indicate when she “took up” this land.

Therefore, it is hard to determine when John Adams died, at least from the Virginia records. Most of the pioneers of that area had entered the valley during the 1730’s and early 1740’s. It’s possible that Margaret had just acquired the land in 1744 and was then writing a Will for the purpose of protecting her children’s inheritance. However, it appears that Margaret Adams was already widowed in 1727 in Sussex Co DE as she is named as a witness to a deed then. Nothing is mentioned of a husband at that time. Her two Adams children appear to have been born 1720-25, so it is assumed that John Adams died ca. 1724-27.

If John Adams died 1724-27, when was he born? It seems that all of HIS grandchildren (by Jane and Samuel) were born after Margaret’s will was written in 1744. This writer previously believed that John and Margaret Adams’ oldest children were born before 1712, but this is no longer accepted now. It now seems that John and Margaret were not married before 1720, and perhaps as late as 1723-24. Therefore, it would seem logical that John Adams was born no later than 1705. Naturally, he could have been born as early as 1680 or even earlier, but there is no evidence to suggest that. Some writers have suggested that John Adams was born in 1706 and was the son of Francis Adams, Jr., but this has not been proven. Under the circumstances now, it seems to be in the realm of possibility.

Given the dates of the previous line of thinking, it would stand to reason that if Margaret Donnell Patterson married John Adams about 1720-24, then her first husband William Patterson must have died prior to that time. At the latest then, William Patterson must have died by 1720, and perhaps by 1710, at the earliest.

Using the same time frames, it seems logical that William and Margaret Patterson’s son Robert Patterson would have been born about 1700 – 1710, more specifically ca. 1705 - 1710. It has already been stated that Robert married ca. 1735 – 1738. Based on the assumed birth year of ca. 1705 for Robert, his parents may have been born around 1685, perhaps as early as 1675 for William. The one thing to consider for William Patterson is the possibility that he may have had a previous marriage before Margaret Donnell. That obviously would put his birth year earlier, but at this time there is NO indication of any such previous marriage.

Therefore, this writer’s best “guestimate” is that William Patterson was born ca. 1675 – 1685, married Margaret Donnell ca. 1700 – 1705, and died ca. 1710 - 1720. Margaret Donnell was born ca. 1680 – 1685 and died in 1770 in Augusta Co., VA. John Adams was born 1680 - 1705, married Margaret Donnell Patterson 1720 – 1724, and died 1724 – 1727.

As for Robert Patterson, son of William and Margaret Donnell Patterson, he was most likely born ca. 1705 – 1710. One thing to remember when solving date questions, there are always other factors at work that may not be at one’s disposal, therefore, short of any “official” record that explicitly documents the date in question, the only remaining option is logical, evidence-based estimates. This writer has attempted to do this, knowing completely that more evidence may be uncovered next week that could totally change the outlook on part of the picture (and that’s okay).

But where was Robert Patterson born? This question is still un-answered. However, descendants of Robert have always been told by older members of the family they are Scotch-Irish (Scots-Irish or Ulster-Scots). This would indicate that the family was from Scotland, migrated to Ireland (N. Ireland) for a period of time, before finally migrating to the New World. It is feasible that Robert WAS the immigrant ancestor, along with his mother, and perhaps this Adams family also. It is still unclear how early they immigrated or where to, although 1710 – 1730 is the most likely scenario, with Delaware or Maryland as the potential port of entry. Owing to the fact that the associated families this Patterson and Adams group lived near and married into had migrated from the Delaware (DE) River area (Sussex Co., DE, and western New Jersey, and eastern Maryland; SLGT), it seems logical that the Pattersons and Adams migrated to the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia from the same DE River area. This in fact was proven to be the case in August 2003 when Harald Reksten found the Sussex Co DE deeds showing that Margaret Adams was there in 1727 already. Even though no record for Robert Patterson is seen until 1732, it would stand to reason that he and all of his siblings were there in 1727, too.

Biographical Sketch of Robert Patterson of Craven Co., SC
© 2003, Charles Wesley (Wes) Patterson, Sr.

Page 10 of 17
Table of Contents  |  Previous Page  |  Next Page  |  End Notes