PATTISON, Hugh Craig - 1912 Bio (1868-1943)

PATTISON, GILBERT, CONLEY, ELM, SPEER, STOUT, MILLER, FRY, MCWHIRTER, FRAME

Posted By: Debbie Nash (email)
Date: 7/30/2003 at 21:59:53

From the “History of Jefferson County, Iowa” – 1912, Volume II
Pages 210-212.

HUGH CIAIG (sic - CRAIG) PATTISON.

“One of Jefferson county’s successful farmers, who has long been prominently identified not only with the political life of the township but that of the county, is Hugh Ciaig (sic - Craig) PATTISON, who owns and operates a fine farm in Cedar township. He was born on the farm where he is now living on the 7th of March, 1868, and is the son of Robert and Rosa (GILBERT) PATTISON, both natives of County Antrim, Ireland, the father’s natal day being the 31st of October, 1816, and that of the mother Christmas day, 1828. They were both of Scotch-Irish extraction, the paternal grandmother having gone to Ireland from Scotland with the Ross clan, while the maternal grandfather was born in Scotland. Robert PATTISON emigrated to the United States in 1849, locating in Jefferson county, where he preempted eighty acres of land. He later extended the boundaries of his farm by the addition of another eighty acres, a portion of which he subsequently sold. The maternal grandparents came to this country prior to 1847, settling on a farm located east of Fairfield, now known as the old Gilbert homestead. Here they were later joined by their daughter Rosa and some of their other children. On the 31st of October, 1849, Mr. PATTISON and Miss GILBERT were married, beginning their domestic life on the farm he had already purchased on section 20, Cedar township. There they resided until the father passed away on May 7, 1896, since which the widow has made her home with her daughter, Miss Ellen M. PATTISON, who lives across the road from the old homestead. The family of Mr. and Mrs. PATTISON numbered ten, our subject being the ninth in the family and the youngest son. The others in order of birth are as follows: A. W., who is a contractor and carpenter at Salem, Idaho; John M., who is deceased; Annie, the deceased wife of J. M. CONLEY, of Fort Madison, Iowa; Emma J., the wife of George P. CONLEY, a carpenter of Salem, Idaho; Robert Ross, who is engaged in fruit growing and bee culture in Fowler, Colorado; Mattie B., the wife of John W. ELM, a farmer of Hill City, Kansas; Rosetta M., the deceased wife of A. R. SPEER, a farmer of Cedar township; W. J., who is engaged in the real-estate and insurance business in Claude, Texas; and Ellen M., who is living with her mother.

At the usual age Hugh Ciaig (sic) PATTISON began his education which was pursued in the third district school in Cedar township, and during that time he also assisted in the work about the farm. He remained at home, where he was associated in agricultural pursuits with his father, until his marriage. Subsequent to this event he rented the N. D. Ankrom place, located a mile and a half east of Fairfield, that he operated for two and a half years. Following the death of his father he purchased one hundred and fifty-seven acres of the old homestead, together with the original buildings and here he has ever since resided. He is a good business man and capable agriculturist and is meeting with a gratifying degree of success from his undertakings. His personal attention is given to the tilling of his fields and the harvesting of his crops as well as to the various minor operations about the place, which is kept in excellent condition. He keeps a good grade of cattle, his fields are in a high state of cultivation and the buildings on his farm are in good repair, all manifesting the spirit of thrift and prosperity that invariably accompanies capable supervision.

On the 17th of March, 1896, Mr. PATTISON was married to Miss Eliza STOUT, a daughter of Ephraim and Angeline (MILLER) STOUT, who are mentioned at greater length elsewhere in this work. Mrs. PATTISON is the fourth in order of birth of the six children, the others being as follows: Ella, the wife of S. W. FRY, a farmer of Cedar township; Albert, who is a farmer of Van Buren county; William, who is a farmer of Cedar township; Effie, the wife of William McWHIRTER, also a farmer of this township; and Bertha, the wife of A. FRAME, a farmer and ranchman of North Dakota. Mr. and Mrs. PATTISON have three children: Earl W., who was born on the 30th of April, 1897; Paul E., whose birth occurred on the 18th of March, 1899; and Edna L., who was born on the 30th of June, 1904. They are all attending the third district school.
Mr. PATTISON is very public-spirited, as was also his father, who offered his services to the Union during the Civil war, but they were refused owing to his age. He is a stanch republican, and has always done his best to keep the party together in his township. Ever since he attained his majority he has been prominently connected with the political life of the township, having been under bonds continuously, as he puts it, since long before his marriage. When he was twenty-two years of age he was elected superintendent of roads, under the old law, and served for seven years, while for fourteen years he was secretary of the Cedar township school board. He was elected township trustee, but served in this capacity for only one year, resigning in order to accept the office of county supervisor. He was the youngest man ever elected to this office in Jefferson county, and served from 1904 to January, 1911. Mr. PATTISON is very popular not only among his constituency, but the entire community, where he is recognized as a thoroughly capable and trustworthy official, his record being particularly free from any petty political scandal. In matters of faith both he and his wife and their two older children are Presbyterians, holding membership in the church of Cedar township, of which Mr. PATTISON has been an elder and the clerk of sessions ever since its organization in 1898. Fraternally he is an Odd Fellow and belongs to the lodge at Fairfield. Mr. PATTISON has met with a fair degree of prosperity in his undertakings and in the county where his entire life has been spent is widely known and held in favorable regard by reason of his genuine personal worth and his clean public record.”

I am copying this information for the benefit of genealogical research and am not related to said individuals.