Patterson, Stephen H.

PATTERSON, TAYLOR, MEDAG, WOODS, MORGETT, MOBERLY, YOUNG, LEACH, MURPHY, SMITH, DONAHEY, BESHEARS, ITSKIN, WELLS

Posted By: Volunteer Transcriber
Date: 8/13/2009 at 18:01:39

Stephen H. Patterson, the owner and occupant of a beautiful rural home adjoining Newton on the east, was born in Newark, NJ, February 7, 1843, and is the second of four children comprising the family of Robert and Sarah F. (Taylor) Patterson. Grandfather Daniel Patterson was a Scotchman by birth and a man of liberal education and an influential member of the Presbyterian Church. While on his way to this country with his family, in mid ocean Robert, his third child, was born.

Reaching the United States, tee family settled in New Jersey. Referring to their history we find that one of the sons, William, became a prominent quarryman and furnished large quantities of stone for the Catholic Cathedral at Philadelphia. He is now an extensive property owner and is living retired in Newark, N J. Samuel, formerly a successful businessman, is living retired in Newark; he is an old bachelor. Barbara married a Mr. Conn, a quarryman of New Jersey, who died more than forty years ago; she resides in Newark. Robert, the third child of the family, at the age of fourteen, commenced to learn the trade of a spring maker, becoming an expert in this business. He is said to have made the first car springs manufactured in the United States. For many years he was foreman in the spring shop located at the corner of Clay and Spring Streets, Newark. Subsequently he worked for two years in the shops at Pittsburgh, PA, whence be returned to Newark.

October 10, 1839, Robert, Patterson married Miss Sarah F. Taylor, a native of New Jersey, who was born near Bloomfield. She was the daughter of Stephen Taylor and a descendant of an old and distinguished New Jersey family. Her brother, John Taylor, was among the first who went to California in 1849, and still makes his home in that state. Another brother, George, learned the cabinet-maker's trade in Newark and went to Georgia, where he followed that occupation. In 1854 he came to Iowa and located at Newton, where he now lives. Cornelia, the only sister of Mr. Patterson, died when a young lady.

Robert Patterson continued to work at his trade in Newark from the time he was married until 1853, when he entered land in Jasper County, Iowa, north of the Skunk River, on the southwest quarter of section 30, Mariposa Township. In the 8pring of 1854 he came west as far as Iowa City, accompanied by his wife and their youngest child, Robert Clinton. The two eldest children, one of whom was our subject, had been left with their grandparents and uncles in New Jersey. In the fall of 1854 the family located in Newton, and in the spring of the following year Mrs. Patterson went east to buy goods with which to open the millinery store at that place. Returning, she brought the other two children with he and they spent the two ensuing years in Newton. They then removed to a farm in this county, where the father died to the spring of l861, leaving a large estate. The widowed mother continued to live on the farm for some years and then located temporarily in Iowa City for the purpose of educating her son Clinton in the State University. She died at Iowa City in 1871, aged fifty-six years.

Of six children comprising the parental family two died young, namely: Sarah Virginia, who died in July 1854, at the age of one year and three months; and Robert Clinton, who was born in January 1846, and died September 22, 1846. Those living are sketched as follows: Cornelia B. was born in Newark, NJ, March 19, 1841, and now resides in Brooklyn, NY; Robert Clinton, who was born June 27, 1850, was named for an older son that died before he was born; he was educated at the Iowa State University, graduating from the law department. He was admitted to the Bar and is now a resident of Boulder, CO.

Forest Taylor, the youngest of the family, was born in Jasper County December 11,1858. He was educated at Newton and in the commercial college at Davenport, and for several years has been in the Employ of the United States Express Company at Newton.

When the family came west, the subject of this sketch was a child of eleven. He remained with his uncle, John Patterson in Newark until his mother brought him to Iowa in February 1855. He grew to manhood upon his father's farm, receiving a liberal education in the schools of the district and in the Iowa City Commercial College, which he entered in 1864. After visiting his relatives in Newark he returned to Jasper County, and August 25,1866, married Miss Hannah Woods, who was born in Jefferson County, Ohio. The parents of Mrs. Patterson, William and Elizabeth (Medag) Woods, came to Iowa in 1865 and settled near what is now Kilduff, IA, Jasper County. Mr. Woods, who was a native of Ohio, died in this county February 2, 1892, aged sixty-eight years, nine months and ten days. He was a prominent member of the Methodist Church, a Mason socially, and in polities a Republican, and during the Civil War served in an Ohio regiment. His widow also a native of Ohio, still lives on the old homestead.

In a family of eleven children, Mrs. Patterson was next to the eldest. John, a farmer residing in Jasper County, was twice married, the last time with Sarah Morgett. He has one son born of his first union. Margaret Rebecca married William A. Moberly and lives at Dexter, Iowa. Mary Adeline, the wife of Milford Young, is a resident of Warren County. Henry married Anna Leach and they live near Kellogg. Alexander F. married Miss Price Murphy, daughter of John Murphy, for whom the station Murphy was named. William, who is single, resides with his mother near Kellogg, as do also James and Grant. Emma, the wife of Melvin Smith, lives in Sioux County, Iowa. Sarah Matilda, who became the wife of David Donahey, resides near Kellogg.

After his marriage Mr. Patterson worked for a time hauling railroad ties for the Rock Island Railroad Company, and it is said that he did more in that line than any other man in the business for the same length of time. Later he settled in Mariposa Township, Jasper County, whence he removed to Kellogg Township. In 1872 he located on his mother's farm north of Newton and there remained until 1875, when he removed to Newton. During his entire active life he has been a great Christian worker. Reared in the Presbyterian faith, he became greatly interested in the good work being done by the American Tract Society, and in 1875 he commenced to distribute tracts for that association. This he followed in connection with his other business (dealing in stock). In 1877 he returned to his farm north of Newton, although even then, when pressed with business cares he devoted much of his time to Christian work.

In the spring of 1883 Mr. Patterson, with others organized a Sunday school at Laurel, Marshall County, of which he was chosen Superintendent, serving in that capacity for three years. In the spring of 1887 he took charge of the Sunday school work at Van Cleve, Marshall County, and during the ensuing winter, he aided in the organization of the Jasper County Sunday school Association, of which he was elected President. Through his several agencies he distributed something more than two hundred Bibles and Testaments. May 1, 1888, he was appointed by the Jasper County Sunday school Association and commissioned by the American Sunday school Union as a missionary in the Jasper County Sunday-school work, and since that time his life and energies have been given to this great work. To show the amount of labor he has put into the cause and the great good accomplished, we will give a brief statement of the work, as follows: Schools organized, sixty-seven; teachers, two hundred and ninety-six; schools, two thousand and thirteen; Schools reorganized, thirty-seven; teachers, one hundred and forty-four; scholars, one thousand and thirty-five. Schools visited, one hundred and thirty; teachers, six hundred and seventy; scholars, six thousand and- forty-eight. Visits previously reported, one hundred and forty-four; teachers, six hundred and eighty-three; scholars, four thousand, nine hundred and sixty-five; addresses delivered, seven hundred and six; conventions held or assisted in holding, eighty; tracts distributed, thirteen thousand; Superintendent's texts, twenty-one thousand and three hundred: Bibles and Testaments, twelve hundred and fourteen; missionary letters written, two thousand and seventy eight; miles traveled, twenty-one thousand two hundred eighty.

Since 1888, Mr. Patterson has devoted his attention exclusively to his chosen work, in which he has accomplished a great amount of good. He is one of those hard-working, upright Christians that have done so much to bring light out of darkness and to show those cast down by sorrow and affliction that "Behind the clouds the sun is still shining." Mr. and Mrs. Patterson were the parents of nine children, namely: Sarah E., who is the wife of Charles Beshears of South Dakota; Ida May, who married Ralph Itskin of Kellogg; Nettie C. the wife of John Wells, of South Dakota; Mary J.; Samuel E, who was drowned, in August 1893; Stephen II, William B., Lillian H. and Walter L., who live at home. Mr. Patterson was formerly an Elder in the Presbyterian Church, but is now connected with the Congregational Church. In 1892 he went to his beautiful home on his extensive farm just east Newton, where he now resides his sons looking after the farm work, while he attends to the duties connected with his religious labors. Portrait and Biographical Record, Jasper, Marshall and Grundy Counties, IA Page 175.