Here is a descendant report for John and Peggy, in PDF format.

John Patterson was born in York Co., South Carolina about 1765. This is based on the 1800 and 1810 Buncombe Co., NC censuses. It is more likely that he was born in 1765, than later. He died in the 1840's in Union Co., Ga. Margaret "Peggy" Black was born in York Co., South Carolina also, about 1767, according to the 1850 Union Co., Ga census, as well as other censuses. John and Margaret were married in the Pendleton District area of SC about 1788. That year is based on the fact that their oldest child was born in 1789. Margaret was actually listed two times in the 1850 census, once with son Joseph, and the other with son John. She died during the 1850's. The 1850 census is really the only public document on hand that gives her name, that being Margaret. However, the church minutes from Newfound Baptist Church in Leicester, NC (Buncombe Co) list John Patterson 31 times and Margaret 4 times. The last time Margaret is listed, she's actually listed as Peggy Patterson, that being in 1815. The church began in 1802 and John and Margaret appear to have been there from its inception.

During the mid 1760's, the area of modern day York Co., SC that John and Margaret were born in was called Clark's Fork of Bullock's Creek. This is near Smyrna, SC. At the time, it was actually claimed by Mecklenburg Co NC. Previously, it had been claimed by Anson Co NC, and prior to that, Craven Co SC. By the 1770's, Tryon Co NC claimed this area, until the state boundary line was surveyed and settled once for all. At that time, the late 1770's, it became known as Craven Co SC again briefly, before it was permanently called York Co SC by 1779.

I'm not 100% sure yet who Margaret's parents were. In August 2001 I was contacted by other researchers who descend from the BLACKs of SC, NC, etc. We are trying to decipher the relationships of all the Blacks in the 1800 and 1810 Buncombe Co., NC census records. There were several Blacks of York Co SC who were brothers that settled there in the 1760's approximately (if not earlier), and they (or at least some of them) were sons of Mathew and Mary Black. I am 100% certain that Margaret Black Patterson was a descendant of these Blacks of Clarks Fork. For more information on the BLACK family research you can view my page on the BLACK family, or you can also see my CLAN-SCAN application where we're tracking all of the various BLACK "clans" which lived in the Carolinas and north GA and eastern TN during the 1700s and 1800s.

That being said, I am about 75% certain that Margaret's parents were Joseph BLACK and Sarah Patterson (Black). It is believe that Joseph was a son of Mathew Black, and that Sarah was a daughter of Robert "R" Patterson. This would make John Patterson and Margaret Black 1st cousins!

As for the generations prior to John, see my notes further down on this page. I'm 100% sure that his father was Thomas Patterson (b. ca. 1740-45), who in turn was the son of Robert "R" Patterson (b. ca. 1710).

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John Patterson may have been living in Lancaster Co, SC (Camden District) in 1790. If so, they had two sons and a daughter already. He and his family were found in 1800 and in 1810 in Buncombe Co., NC. In 1820 they were in Haywood Co., NC. 1830 is still a mystery for John and several of his children's families. There was a John Patterson in Habersham Co., Ga in 1830, but I and many others believe this was NOT the same John. If it was, the ages are misrepresented in that record. In 1840, John was listed in Union Co., Ga. As mentioned above, his widow Margaret was listed in 1850 in Union Co., Ga twice. The next section in this page shows the census records for John Patterson. I now believe that John and Margaret may have been buried in Bethlehem Baptist Church Cemetery in Lower Young Cane, Union Co, GA. I cannot prove this, but I think so. See my Union Co Land Lots page for more details regarding this.

John and Margaret (J&M) had at least nine children based on the 1790, 1800, and 1810 census records. They may have had 10 or even 11. The following is a list of their children. The hyper links are to pages devoted to the research of that particular individual and his/her family. In late July of 2002, I reviewed some old census analysis that Marty Grant sent to me in January, 1997. Based on Marty's organization of the children of J&M, I was challenged to reconsider the order of their children as I have them in my files. I think Marty is correct in listing Robert as one of the "3" sons of J&M in the 1810 Buncombe census in the 10-15 age bracket, therefore making Amos the youngest child. This is based on later census records for Amos, as well. I formerly listed Amos as #7, born ca. 1801-03, and had Robert as #9, born ca. 1805. I used to think he had died by 1820, but I no longer believe that. The Robert who died in Rabun Co GA in the early 1820's was most likely John's brother Robert instead of John's son Robert. I believe John's son Robert actually moved away first, and was most likely the Robert Patterson in Rusk Co Tx in 1853 and later. Here's my revised listing of J&M's children:

I descend from George Patterson. 

Also, some researchers have listed Margaret "Peggy" Patterson (who married Gravet Foster) as a daughter of John and Margaret. However, I (and many other researchers) believe that Peggy was their granddaughter (dau. of Joseph Patterson). Peggy was born around 1814-16 (depending on which census you look at). There just was not a daughter that age listed for John and Margaret in the 1820 Haywood county census. There was one daughter listed for Joseph Patterson in that census, which brings up another question. Many researchers have listed a Sarah Patterson as the oldest child of Joseph B. Patterson, with her being born about 1811. She married a William Carroll. I do not find these individuals around Joseph Patterson, nor can I substantiate a Sarah being the daughter of Joseph. I have removed her from my files as a daughter of Joseph until someone can show me (or until I find) evidence to change it back.

I have recently located John and Peggy's land in Buncombe Co, NC. It appears they lived with Thomas Patterson (John's father) from the years 1797 until 1802 when John bought 100 acres from Richard Morrow. John followed that purchase with another purchase in 1805, 170 acres from Reuben Black. Both tracts of land were connected to each other, both lying on both sides of Jenkins Branch, near Alexander, NC. Indeed, this land is located within the postal district of Alexander, NC, very close to the French Broad River. I found the land on Friday, May 19, 2006. I took some pictures and video footage of the land and have posted them on my Jenkins Branch Pictures page. It appears that John and Peggy moved between 1819 and 1820 to Haywood Co, NC just west of Buncombe. They purchased land on the SW side of Pigeon River. John witnessed a deed in Buncombe in 1819, with the appearance that he still resided in said county. However, in 1820 he sold his last 100 acre tract to Peggy's 1st cousin, James Black (and Elizabeth Ray). That deed described John as "of Haywood County".

1790 - 96th District, Pendleton Co., SC
[males 16 and over - males under 16 - females - other - other]
1-1-1-0-0
(John abt 25 - Joseph 1 - Margaret 23 - 0 - 0)
Comments: John was born ca. 1765; Joseph B. was born 1789; Margaret was born ca. 1767. 

 - OR -

1790 - Camden District, Lancaster Co., SC
[males 16 and over - males under 16 - females - other - other]
1-2-2-0-0
(John abt 25 - (son 2 or 3) & Joseph 1 - Margaret 23 & dau age 0 - 0 - 0)
Comments: John was born ca. 1765; Joseph B. was born 1789; Margaret was born ca. 1767. 

1800 Buncombe Co., NC
[0 to 9 - 10 to 15 - 16 to 25 - 26 to 44 - 45+]
males: 1-1-0-1-0 (Robert 4 - Joseph 11 - 0 - John 33 to 35)
females: 3-0-0-1-0 (3 daughters including Amey 7 - 0 - 0 - Margaret 33 - 0)
other: 0-1 (1 slave)
Comments: By the time of the census in 1800, three daughters and another son were born to John and Margaret. The fourth son George was born later in the year after the 1800 census. For some reason, John Jr. (third son, b. 1798) does not appear to have been recorded. The oldest daughter was born about 1790, name unknown at this time. It could have been Margaret or "Peggy", which is the nickname for Margaret. Many researchers have mistakenly attributed the 1816 Peggy Patterson Foster as the daughter of John and Margaret. She was actually their granddaughter. But I've wondered many times if that mistake was made due to the fact that old family lists DID have a Margaret as the oldest daughter. The second daughter may have been an Isabella who later married a Price and was living next to John and Margaret in 1840. Isabella was born in 1792. The third daughter was Amey Jane who was born in 1793. The oldest children were all born in SC. John Jr. was born in Buncombe Co., NC in 1798, as were the rest of the children later. This indicates that John and Margaret moved from Camden District to Buncombe b/w 1796-1798. In 1800, Thomas Patterson and his wife, and a younger female listed in the 16-25 age bracket were living very close to J&M (if not right next to them). This could have been a younger daughter of Thomas. This Thomas Patterson was John's father.

1810 Buncombe Co., NC
[0 to 9 - 10 to 15 - 16 to 25 - 26 to 44 - 45+]
males: 1-3-0-0-1 (Amos 6 - George 10, John Jr 12, Robert 14 - 0 - 0 - John 45)
females: 1-0-1-1-1 (Ann 7 - 0 - Amey 17 - Margaret 43 - John's Mother or Step Mother? 45+)
other:  0-1 (1 slave)
Comments: The 1810 census is a critical census record in the research of John and Margaret Patterson. Without the 1810 census showing 4 younger sons (in addition to their oldest son Joseph) we would never know by the census that they had 5 sons. Their son Robert was already on the move, but cannot be found in 1820 thus far.

This 1810 Buncombe census also records the one slave that was also recorded in 1800, helping to ensure that this was the same John. We also know that John and Margaret were at the same church from 1803-1815 according to the church minutes. The 1810 census also throws monkey wrenches into the mix. The fact that "3" sons are listed in the 10-15 age bracket can be confusing. Nonetheless, careful study can help clear this up by using later census records as verification. The oldest son Joseph was listed as the head of his own household in 1810, just four households away. Next to Joseph was a Reuben Black. That Reuben Black was born ca. 1771 and shows up later in Cocke Co., TN, along with one of the many Joseph Blacks. Joseph Black was also in Buncombe in 1810, and he was born ca. 1780. There's strong evidence to believe that Joseph and Reuben were brothers, and that they were cousins of Margaret Black Patterson. The Newfound Baptist Church records shed light on the Pattersons and Blacks and it's possible that John Patterson's sister was named Sarah "Sary" Patterson, and that she married this Joseph Black, brother of Reuben, and later moved to Cocke Co TN.

On the other side of Joseph B. Patterson was a James Patterson, who was also just three households away from John and Margaret Patterson. According to Marty Grant, James was born ca. 1784. James was married to Sarah Marr/Morrow, later in 1810. I believe this James MAY have been a cousin to John Patterson, and son of Peter Patterson. There was a Robert Patterson listed on the same page with the rest of these households. This Robert was born ca. 1765-74. John, James, Robert, and Joseph Patterson were all in Haywood Co., NC by 1820. John was apparently the older brother of Robert.

The "3" sons listed as 10-15 were actually Robert (14), John Jr (12), and George (10). I used to think Amos was one of these "3", but Marty's analysis, plus later census records for Amos, have shown that Amos must have been the youngest of the 5 sons. The youngest daughter was Ann (or Anna) who never married. She was actually about 7 years old at that time. She was born in October of 1802. The female in the 16-25 bracket was most likely Amey Jane who wasn't married to William D. Kincaid until 1815 in Haywood Co. The next age bracket was 26-44 which could have been Margaret. She would have been about 43 years old then. It definitely was NOT a daughter of John and Margaret. So if it was Margaret then the oldest female (45+) had to have been the mother of John or Margaret, most likely John's. She could have been Thomas's widow. The only other option I can see is that the female who was 16-25 in 1800 in Thomas's household COULD be this 26-44 female in John's 1810 household, in which case Margaret would be the 45+. I don't think this is the case, though, but it has to be considered as a possibility. It is also a possibility that John's mother died ca 1770-1773, so this wife of Thomas would have been John's step-mother, if that were the case.

So this means there were two daughters of John and Margaret not listed in their household in 1810. The oldest (possibly a "Peggy") would have been 19 by this point, so she clearly could have been married by then. The other one may have been Isabella Patterson Price, who was born 10 April 1792. She clearly could have married by 1810. The other option is that one or both of these "unknown" daughters could have died between 1800 and 1810. I'll pass on a note about this here. ALL family records that I was ever given back in the early 1980s (the same records I've seen other researchers have) did NOT list a third daughter born in the 1790s. They listed a "Peggy" and an "Amy". Regardless, we know Amy survived, and Isabella Price was apparently some relation, but exactly how is not known.

1820 Haywood Co., NC
[males: 0 to 9 - 10 to 15 - 16 to 18 - 16 to 25 - 26 to 44 - 45+]
[females: 0 to 9 - 10 to 15 - 16 to 25 - 26 to 44 - 45+]
males:  0-0-1-2-0-1 (0 - 0 - Amos 16/17 - George 20, John 22 - 0 - John 55)
females: 0-1-0-0-1 (0 - Ann 17 - 0 - 0 - Margaret 53)
Comments: In 1820, John Jr, George, and Amos had not married and were not listed in their own households. It's a little confusing when trying to decipher the ages of Amos and Ann. Ann was born in October of 1802 so she would have been 17 years old when the 1820 census took place. Yet, they have her listed in the 10 to 15 column. On the other hand, the youngest son is listed in the 16 to 18 column which fits Amos. I believe that Robert had moved on to GA by this time.

1830 Not located yet.
I am convinced that if you find Amos Patterson, you'll most likely find John and Margaret, also. It's possible that they just could have been missed in the census.

1834 (?Union Co., Ga)
No one has yet found John and Margaret Black Patterson in 1830 or 1834, conclusively. I believe these years have something in common. Since we also cannot find two of John's children, Amey Jane Kincaid and Amos Patterson, in 1830, it is a pretty safe bet that all three households were probably in the same area, wherever that was.

But, in 1834, William and Amey Jane Patterson Kincaid were in Union Co., Ga. And so was Amos and Elizabeth Wilson Patterson. At first glance, we don't see John and Margaret Patterson. However, let's look at the numbers listed for Amos' household. [males-5 and females-2]: In that "census" the ages were not recorded for the individuals, only the numbers of males and females. We do know that Amos and Elizabeth Wilson Patterson had two sons and no daughters by March of 1834, which was when this census was completed. In August 2002 I discovered Amos Patterson in the 1860 Rusk Co Tx census. I know that his two sons Wilson Lumpkin and John Joseph were there in the 1850's and 1860's. However, this 1860 census listed Amos's two sons as Lumpkin and J. J. This proves to me that the oldest son was Wilson Lumpkin Patterson, therefore there were only two sons (that we know of) for Amos in 1834... not a William L., and a Lumpkin, and a John Joseph.

So that should register 3 males and 1 female for their household. So who were the extra 2 males and 1 female? Any number of possibilities may exist, but most of them would simply be conjecture, with no factual basis, per se. There are really only two credible possibilities. The most obvious is that John and Margaret could have been living with them. It would not have been unusual for them to be living with their youngest son and his family. The other possibility for the "extra" female was that Amos' oldest daughter was supposedly born in 1835. Was she born earlier than thought? Well, that's possible, but that would have been one to two years earlier than all other records indicate, and that still wouldn't explain the other 2 males.

So, if we do assume that John and Margaret were living with son Amos in 1834, great! But what about Amos' sister Ann Patterson who never married and typically lived with her parents in LATER census years. That may be explained by looking at Joseph's household (Joseph was Amos' oldest brother). Joseph had four females listed in his household in 1834. They would have been Joseph's wife, his daughter Peggy, but who were the other two females? In 1850 a Sary Durham was living with them. Some have thought she was the mother of Joseph's first wife, but that CANNOT be true. Joseph's first wife was most certainly Polly DUNKIN. I believe Sarah/Sary Durham MAY HAVE BEEN the sister of Margaret Black Patterson, but I cannot prove that right now. Sary Durham may have been with them in 1834, in addition to 1850. But who was the 4th female? I believe that may have been Ann, Joseph's sister. In 1829 and 1830, both Joseph and Amos Patterson were married to Wilsons, in Hall county. I believe it's a very distinct possibility that both of these households were close to each other as well as to their parents and the unmarried sister Ann. The additional male in Amos' 1834 household could have been another son that we don't have a name for, or he could have been a relative from the Wilson side of their family.

However, some family records indicate Joseph had another son, Judson. Nothing much is known of him, if he existed. It is possible that his mother died in childbirth with him in 1828. It also seems likely he was the younger male living with his grandparents (John and Margaret) in 1840. So, it is very likely that he was living with his grandparents in 1834, as well - in Uncle Amos' household.

So, was this young Judson living with his grandparents, John and Margaret Patterson? Well, he COULD HAVE BEEN the other male in Amos' household in 1834 Union GA if John and Margaret were living with Amos. Then, in 1840 (next section) there was a young male living with John and Margaret. The younger male from 1840 doesn't appear to be in Union by 1850. My gut feeling is that this Judson Patterson was indeed the son of Joseph and grandson of John and Margaret, and that he was living with John and Margaret in Amos' household in 1834, and then John and Margaret's household in 1840 (next to Isabella Price).

1840 Union Co., Ga
[males: 0-5-10-15-20-30-40-50-60-70]
[females: 0-5-10-15-20-30-40-50-60-70]
males: 0010000001 (possibly one of John's grandsons 10-14; and John 75)
females: 0000010001 (Ann 37, Margaret 73)
Comments: Who was the younger male in their household? Was he a grandson by Joseph? Probably so. The daughter listed there in 1840 for John was Ann who was about 37 at the time. John died before the 1850 census. Margaret was listed in 1850 in both Joseph's and John Jr's households, age 83 both times.

For several generations, my Patterson relatives have talked about 5 or 6 brothers (some say 3) coming over together from Ireland (they were Scotch-Irish) and at some point, "they all became separated". I take that to simply mean that they followed pretty much the same course of action that most other pioneers were taking in that time.... spreading out to find their own land to settle on. But for now, the search continues. I do believe that John's immigrant ancestors were two or three generations before him.  As for John's parents, I believe that John's father was a Thomas Patterson who was born ca. 1738-42, MOST LIKELY in Augusta Co., Va. They lived in the area that is now Harrisonburg, Va on land that is next to Linville's Creek, in modern day Rockingham Co., Va. I believe he was the same Thomas Patterson living next to John Patterson in the 1800 Buncombe Co., NC census. For more details on this linkage, and also the immigrant ancestors, take a look at another page I have totally dedicated to this research, called Patterson Roots. We also now know that Thomas' wife was Margaret Harrison. They married 24 Dec 1761 in Augusta Co, VA at the Peaked Mountain Church.

In July, 2002 a friend of mine and cousin from the Patterson line (Harald Reksten) made an important trip to the South Carolina Archives to do on-site research of Robert Patterson's 1775 will. Robert Patterson was my GGGGGG-Grandfather, who lived from the early 1700's until 1775. Harald was able to take some very good quality photos of the different sections of this will in an effort to share with us the handwriting and signatures of different family members during the different stages of probation on this will (1775, 1775, 1791). Harald very graciously allowed me to share HIS notes and photos with everyone on my web site so that we all may view his findings, and possibly add insight as well. Thanks, Harald. You may view this 1775 will on my web site at http://wespatterson.com/patt/robert-r.1775will.asp. This is a must read! Please allow about 5 - 10 seconds for the page to load. There are 12 images (photos) that will need to load in your web browser while this page loads. Thanks.

In May 2002 I added a page called BUNCOMBE that focuses on the 1810 Buncombe Co NC census and page 248 specifically (where John Patterson was listed) and shows some in depth study on the families of that page and the deeds that took place during the 1790's - 1830's in Buncombe Co involving these families, and other known related families. This page has some incredible evidence that points to Thomas Patterson as the father of John Patterson who married Margaret Black. The details from this study show the conclusive evidence that links THIS John Patterson AND Margaret Black, as well, to the Pattersons and Blacks of what is now York Co SC.

Please let me know of any additions or corrections that you would like to contribute to this heritage. Thanks.