Patchen, Henry

PATCHEN, BENNETT

Posted By: Volunteer Transcriber
Date: 11/23/2008 at 17:19:33

PATCHEN, Henry; Farmer and stock raiser; Sec. 30; P. O. Prairie City; was born in Warren Co, N. Y., May 12, 1819; came to this county in December, 1865; has 240 acres of land, valued at $9,000. Belongs to the Christian Church. Married Ann BENNETT; she was born in York Co., Penn., September 12, 1822; mother of seven living children-John, Emiline, Clark, Bell, Aaron, George, Cornia. Emigrated from New York to Clearfield Co., Penn., in 1841; lived there fourteen years; in 1856 went to Stephenson Co., Ill.; stopped there a short time; thence to Mahaska Co., Iowa, lived there seven years; thence back to Pennsylvania, lived there two years; thence to Jasper Co., where he has resided since. Worked in the lumber business fourteen years in Pennsylvania; floated their lumber down the Susquehanna River to market it. When he left York State went to Fort Edward, New York, to see a man of the same name of ROGERS to get means to get through to Pennsylvania; could not get the required means and therefore started on foot to make it-some 600 or 800 miles; after traveling a couple of days, stopped over night with a man of the name WILLIAMS; through the night there came one of the worst snow-storms he had ever seen; told Mr. WILLIAMS that he would like a job; said that they wanted a school teacher, thought he was competent; got the school, taught the school through the Winter, and in Spring had money enough to go on his way rejoicing; traveled on foot most of the way; rode only about twenty-five miles. ~ "The History of Jasper County" (Chicago: Western Historical Company, 1878), 644