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William L Patterson
WILLIAM L. PATTERSON, justice of the peace in Gilpin township, Armstrong
county, Pa., and field manager for the Gilpin and Acme Gas Companies in that
district, is a very well known citizen of his section and belongs to an old
Pennsylvania family. He was born in South Buffalo township, Armstrong county,
Feb. 24, 1868, a son of John A. Patterson and a grandson of James Patterson.James Patterson lived and died on his farm, which was situated along the
Freeport and Kittanning road, two miles out of Freeport. He became one of the
venerable residents of that section, living to the age of eighty years. He
married Ann Polly Murphy, and both are buried at Freeport, Pa. They were the
parents of the following children: Samuel, who lived in Butler county, had two
sons, James and Joseph; James, who settled in Nebraska had William (deceased),
Homer, Molly, Galen, Thomas and Jessie; Betsy (Elizabeth) who married James
Reddick, had two children, Patterson and Samuel; Lindsey W. (deceased) had
three children, James H. (deceased), Elizabeth and Ella (he was a mason);
Thomas, who died in July, 1909, never married; John A. was the father of
William L. Patterson.John A. Patterson was born in Armstrong county in
1823. He was a blacksmith by trade and also operated oil wells in Clarion
county, Pa., and in Virginia, drilling many wells. He was interested in
manufacturing salt along the Allegheny river, shipping it by boat to
Pittsburgh. In 1849 he was one of that great army that endured danger and
hardship in order to reach the reputed gold fields of California, and was
successful in prospecting and mining. After traveling in different parts of
the United States he returned to Armstrong county and bought a farm at State
Lick, Pa., which he subsequently sold. He then purchased the old Israel Hill
farm in Gilpin township, along the Kittanning road, which property was later
bought by Jeremiah Klingensmith, who divided it and sold it to different
parties. John A. Patterson was naturally a man of fine intellect and well
read, and his travels and association with men served to make him one of the
best informed persons in his community. He was a Republican in politics. He
was a charter member of the United Presbyterian Church at Leechburg, Pa., and
was on the building committee when the present church edifice was erected. His
death occurred April 25, 1885.John A. Patterson married Elizabeth
Hill, daughter of Israel and Catherine (Shaffer) Hill. She died April 19,
1903, and was buried in the Freeport cemetery, as was also her husband. They
had the following children: Kate died unmarried in 1895; James, of Long Beach,
Cal., married Laura Forker of Knox, Pa.; Frank, who married Sadie M. Lafferty
and left two children, Bessie and Mary, died when thirty-two years old; Agnes
married Joseph Bowers, of Pittsburgh, and is the mother of three children, J.
Lindsey, Charles Lewis and John; Thomas was accidentally killed when aged six
years, six months, five days; William L. is mentioned later; Maggie E. married
James Fryer, of Leechburg, Pa., and they have five children, Rebecca, Helen,
Henry, Lindsey and Rhoda; Rebecca A. married Walter Klug, of Leechburg, Pa.,
and they have three children, Olive, William and Kathryn; Robert A. died when
aged twenty-four years.William L. Patterson attended the public
schools of Gilpin township and the Leechburg Academy for one term, when he was
under the instruction of Professor Duff. From then on until he was
twenty-seven years of age he devoted the main part of his time and attention
to farming and since has been variously but ever busily and usefully employed.
For some three years he worked in the oil fields as a tool dresser, for one
year was foreman of a pipe line, for one year worked in the Leechburg mill,
and then was appointed mail carrier, the second appointment on Route No. 1 out
of Leechburg, being thus engaged six and a half months. Then for eleven years
he was engaged in drilling water wells, operating three machines in this work,
and for three years was foreman for J. W. Crosby in the natural gas business.
Subsequently he accepted his present position as manager in the Gilpin and
Acme Gas Companies’ fields here and looks carefully after the interests of
these concerns.On Oct. 9, 1894, Mr. Patterson was married (first) to
Elgie A. Cook, who died March 7, 1904. His second marriage took place on Sept.
5, 1905, to Iva M. Myers. They have no children. For thirteen years Mr.
Patterson lived at Georgetown, in Gilpin township, coming from there to his
present location near the Forks Church in 1909, and erecting his present
comfortable residence on the Kittanning road in 1911. In politics Mr.
Patterson is a Republican, and at different times has served his party
officially, belonging to the working force on several committees. In May,
1910, he was elected a justice of the peace for a term of five years. He is a
member of the United Presbyterian Church.Source Armstrong County, Pa., Her People, Past and
Present, J.H. Beers & Co., 1914
Transcribed January 2012 by Sara Stewart for the Armstrong County
Beers Project
Contributed for use by the Armstrong County Genealogy Project (http://www.pa-roots.com/armstrong/)Armstrong County Genealogy Project Notice:
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