Mary Patterson (Fountain) was the oldest daughter of William Craven Patterson, son of Joseph B. Patterson, Sr. Mrs. Fountain took some time late in her life to write down the old family tree as she remembered it. She wrote that information in 1904. In that record she stated that her father's uncle Robert Patterson was married to a Cassie Pulasky, and that they had a son named John Patterson. Nothing further was written down by Mrs. Fountain regarding this.

My interpretation is this: she was born in the 1840's, her parents and grandparents died in the 1850's and 1860's, and she knew a lot about some parts of the family, but minimal details about other parts of the family, particularly those who had left Georgia early on. The latter group included said Robert Patterson (b. 1796).

However, what Mrs. Fountain recorded was fairly accurate, so I cannot disclaim what she wrote about Robert's family simply because I cannot find it anywhere. Rather, I am motivated to keep searching until I do find such records. At the time of this writing (May, 2005) I DO believe Robert was married twice, the first time being to said Cassie Pulasky. However, I don't know where that marriage took place. Robert was born in 1796 in SC and was in Buncombe Co NC with his parents and siblings until ca. 1815 when they moved further southwest to Haywood Co. Robert was NOT living in Haywood Co NC in 1820 with his parents and siblings, though.

I suspect he had possibly moved into GA, or possibly even AL or KY - who knows? I further suspect he married Ms. Pulasky in the 1820's, and fathered this son John Patterson during that same decade. The curious fact is that Robert's parents (John and Peggy Patterson) have not yet been found on the 1830 census. The same can be said for Robert. However, by 1834 most of this Patterson clan was in Union Co GA, excluding Robert. It appears that Robert's parents and another male were living with Robert's brother Amos Patterson in 1834 in Union Co GA. By 1840, John and Peggy were in their own household again, along with their grown, unmarried daughter Ann Patterson, plus a male aged 10-14.

Who was that male? My supposition is that he was their grandson John Patterson, son of Robert Patterson and Cassie Pulasky. If that was the case, then I suspect the other male living in Amos' household in 1834 to have been John also. So where was Robert in 1830? I don't know.

However, I do know that the 39 year old Robert married a widow in Franklin Co., GA in 1835. Her name was Ann M. Johnson, widow of John Strange. She had two daughters by her first marriage. By 1838 or so Robert had moved to Alabama. By the early 1850's they were in Rusk Co, TX. There was a John Patterson in Rusk Co TX in 1850 living with a Ferguson family. He was age 22, and born in GA, which fits. Furthermore, he was living in the household of Elizabeth Ferguson, maiden name Johnson. She was 63 and born in NC. I have to wonder if this Elizabeth Johnson Ferguson was related to Ann Johnson Patterson, Robert's second wife. To see an extract of that census go to ftp://ftp.rootsweb.com/pub/usgenweb/tx/rusk/census/1850/pg00566.txt.

Further research on this Elizabeth Johnson Ferguson has led me to believe that she was indeed related to the Johnsons who were connected to Robert Patterson, et al. This Elizabeth was born in 1787 in NC according to the 1850 census. Some sources say she was born in KY. I simply take that to mean she was born in NC and grew up in KY. She died in 1858 in Gatesville, TX, which is in Coryell County.

One excellent source was submitted by Holly Ferguson to the Aztec Club and they have it posted on a Texas web site at http://terwin.home.texas.net/gems/isaac.html. This site explains in detail how Elizabeth was married to Isaac Ferguson, a very famous man from Illinois and Rusk Co TX. Mr. Ferguson was a military man involved in many campaigns against Indian invasions, etc. in Illinois during the early 1800's. In 1842, Isaac moved his family to Rusk Co Tx. In 1847 Texas was involved in another war with Mexico. Isaac was 70 years old at the time. He organized the last company of Rangers to serve in that war, they being from Rusk Co. He was the oldest person to serve in the war, too. On August 12, 1847 they left for the Rio Grande. Ferguson died on January 1, 1848 in Mexico City, from sickness/disease. He is buried somewhere there in Mexico City. This company was Company I, First Mounted Volunteers.

Some notable names who were part of that company which deserve attention in regards to relatives and neighbors of these Pattersons were as follows:

More evidence regarding Elizabeth Johnson Ferguson and her apparent connection to the Johnsons who were married to the Pattersons.... In the 1850 census of Rusk Tx Elizabeth J. Ferguson was household (HH) 586. HH 596 was her son William T. Ferguson. HH 598 was Allen J. Brinson, a close relative of Col. M.T. Johnson (brother-in-law of Robert Patterson). And HH 599 was B.C.H. Johnson, another member of the Johnson/Patterson clan. HH 604 was Warrick Ferguson, part of Elizabeth Ferguson's family. Then HH 606 was Jeremiah Davis and his wife, Caroline Jowell Davis, and their children, including 13 year old Elizabeth Davis, future wife of W.L. Patterson. And still more Ferguson households followed thereafter.

Additional clues regarding this John Patterson in 1850 are that the next two households after Elizabeth Ferguson were Tomberlins (aka Tumlinson) and Jowells (aka Joel). There were Tumlinsons of the same clan living near or next to our Pattersons in Buncombe Co NC in 1810. As for the Jowells, nine year old Mary F. Jowell (daughter of John D. Jowell) became the future wife of Silas Kimsey Patterson, nephew of Robert Patterson. This would make our young John Patterson and Kimsey Patterson first cousins. I think there is more than just coincidence at work here.

Was this John Patterson of Rusk Co Tx the son of Robert Patterson and Cassie Pulasky? He was born ca. 1828 in GA. That would match the migration pattern of these Pattersons, and it would match the younger male's age living in his grandpa John Patterson's household in 1840, Union Co GA. The latter young male was no longer living in Union Co GA in 1850. I suspect this was him in Rusk Co, TX in 1850, with many other Pattersons to follow during the 1850's, i.e. Robert Patterson, Amos Patterson, and Silas Kimsey Patterson.

More evidence has come to light which further supports the theory that John was Robert and Cassie's son. This John Patterson was John Sydney Patterson, b. August 10, 1828 in SC. He IS the same John that was listed with the Fergusons in 1850 and listed as born in GA, but later census records and other documentation show SC as his birth location. John S. Patterson married between 1851-1853 in Rusk Co TX to Rebecca Ann ______. They had seven children, as follows:

John S. Patterson was a member of the 3rd Brigade, Company D, Texas State Troops. This was the Frontier Troops, or Texas Rangers. In 1863 they were all conscripted into the CSA Army. John's brother-in-law, Tillotson Carlton, was also part of the 3rd Brigade, but within a different company.

John died January 16, 1893 in Nacogdoches Co, TX. His widow was still living in 1900. John S. Patterson was buried in Greenwood Cemetery, which is in Shelby Co TX as I understand it. One of his nephews, Berryman Cicero "Buck" Patterson, was also buried in the same cemetery, lending further credence to their relationship. Buck Patterson was the son of Robert L. Patterson who was the younger half-brother of John S. Patterson. Nacogdoches-Gateway to Texas is one excellent source tha contains a lot of information about John S. Patterson and his children and grandchildren.  

The 1860 Nacogdoches Co Tx census has shed even more light on John S. Patterson and also Thomas T. Patterson. They were living together in the same household, and appear to have been brothers. Perhaps John and Thomas were both sons of Robert Patterson by his first... presumed to be Cassie Pulasky.