Benjamin Franklin 'Frank' Patterson

PATTERSON, SHAWEN, FERGUSON, BLOOMFIELD, ALVERSON, ONEILL, COUGHENOUR, BRAYNARD, BURGESS, NERNESS, CRAM, BANKS, FAIRLEY, SWALWELL

Posted By: Deborah Gilbert (email)
Date: 9/9/2016 at 13:36:55

Maxwell Book: 1883-1983

Benjamin Franklin (Frank) Patterson and Ruth Matilda
Shawen were married February 28, 1892 in Vandalia, Illinois. An opportunity to deliver some horses to Collins, Iowa to be sold also served as their honeymoon. Frank was impressed by the rich, black Iowa soil and decided to stay and make this his home. He worked by the month in the Collins area until the spring of 1899 when he and Ruth moved to the L.R. Shepherd farm east of Peoria where he farmed for twenty years.

Frank and Ruth had a family of eight children born as follows: Iva Ella, August 31, 1893; Roy Manuel, June 20, 1896; Charles Amos, June 19, 1898; Baby Girl, July 21, 1902; Elizabeth Florence, June 6, 1906; Joe Carroll, May 15, 1908; Inez Fern, October 18, 1910; Grace Louise, June 16, 1913.

Tragedy in the form of tuberculosis struck and took the life of his oldest daughter, Iva, in 1910, and finally his wife, Ruth, in 1917. Frank kept his family together on the farm east of Peoria with the help of various housekeepers. One of these was Anna Ferguson who later became the wife of his son Charles.

The Campbell farm south of Collins became the next home for a period of about ten years until Frank bought eighty acres known as the Dodd farm in the Collins area. After three depression years he decided to let it go back to the owner and rented the Dennison farm west of Collins where he lived until his retirement in 1936.

Frank made his home with his son, Charles and his wife, Anna (Ferguson), for a short time before he once again set up housekeeping by renting the front portion of the house of his old neighbor, George Bloomfield, west of Collins. Later he bought a home in the town of Collins where he lived until failing health made it necessary for him to make his home with his daughter, Florence (Alverson). He lived there until his death in September of 1946.

The oldest son, Roy, was married to Nina Fairley in the fall of 1946 and farmed near Waukonda, South Dakota where he lived until his death in 1969. His wife, Nina, continues to live in South Dakota. They had no children.

The second son, Charles, was married to Anna Ferguson on June 26, 1918 in Newton, Iowa. They farmed in the Maxwell area and lived for 21 years on the same L.R. Shepherd farm where Frank and Ruth began farming. They had two children: DeLane Charles (Pete) and Colleen Miriam (Mrs. Dudley Swalwell). Anna passed away in 1945, DeLane in 1946 and Charles in 1952.

Elizabeth Florence and Fred Alverson were married on June 1, 1925 in Clarion, Iowa. Fred worked for Standard Oil and has been retired for sixteen years. They have a son Richard (Spud) and a daughter, Beverley (Mrs. Vernon Coughenour). Most of their married life has been spent in Maxwell and they continue to live there.

Joe was married to Maude O'Neil on August 23, 1932 in Nevada, Iowa. Joe farmed for a while and then worked for John Deere for twenty-five years. He and Maude made their home in Maxwell and have one daughter, Helen Marie, (Mrs. Perry Braynard). Joe had been retired from John Deere for eight years at the time of his death in 1981. Maude continues to live in Maxwell.

Ine Fern and Fred Burgess were married in Des Moines, Iowa on March 14, 1931. They had five children: Jessie Irene, Betty Ann (Mrs. Robert Nerness), Jim, Phyllis, and Frances (Mrs. Marion Cram. Fred worked for the railroad and passed away in 1978. One daughter, Jessie Irene, preceded him in death on December 24, 1936. Fern still lives in Maxwell.

Grace Louise and Harry Burgess were married in Colo, Iowa on July 4, 1935. They had four children: Irma Jane (Mrs. Gerald Banks), Karen June, Bruce Roy and Gale Ray. Karen passed away in 1940 and Bruce in 1946. Harry worked at the tile factory, on the railroad and for the college of Ames. He has been retired for twenty years and makes his home in the Veterans Home in Marshalltown. Grace lives in Nevada.