Robert Patterson was born b. abt. 1736, perhaps in Ireland or perhaps in PA. This birth date is computed from his tomb stone in Round Hill Cemetery, Allegheny County. (See Round Hill burial transcriptions, Chapter VII.) Robert was therefore the youngest of the four Patterson brothers about whom Ellis wrote in History of Fayette County. We do not at this time know the names of his parents.

Robert Patterson married Mary Stewart 10 Apr 1764 in Paxtang, Lancaster (Dauphin) Co., PA.  (Rev. Cuthbertson’s journal)  Robert’s wife, Mary Stewart, was b.in 1740 in Lancaster Co., and was the fourth child of Samuel and Mary (McClay) Stewart.  (Ayres’ History of the Stewart Family)  Mary (Stewart) Patterson d. 1813 and is buried in Round Hill Cemetery with her husband. (Her Round Hill headstone says “died 1813 age 73.”)

Robert probably did not live in the Paxtang area of Lancaster Co., as did his brother Peter, William and James. I believe that Robert stayed near his aging parents in Drumore Twp., Lancaster Co.  I believe that the Robert Patterson listed on the 1771, 1772, 1773, 1779 and 1782 Drumore Twp. tax lists is “our” Robert.  (See these tax lists in Chapter VI.) This would also explain why Robert did not enlist in Captain Cowden’s Co. (mustered in Paxtang/Hanover) as did his three brothers.

As were all the Patterson brothers, Robert Patterson was a Revolutionary War Soldier.  There is a Revolutionary War marker on his grave at Round Hill.  Information from Ray Popp, Treasurer of the Rostraver Historical Society, says that Robert served in the 10th Battalion of Lancaster Co., PA Militia, under Wm. McClure (PA Archives, Series 5, Vol. 7, p. 1029)

Robert and Mary (Stewart) Patterson had the following children as listed in the order of Robert’s Will: (The will of “Robert Patterson of Rostraver” was written 27 Oct 1827 and proven 4 March 1831.  I thank a fellow Patterson researcher, Laura Harrison of Florida, for sending me a copy of this will. (I’ve have added the baptism dates for each child from Rev. Cuthbertson’s journal.)

1. James             bapt. 26 Oct 1766 in Middle Octoraro

2. Samuel             bapt. 2 Feb 1768 in Middle Octoraro

3. Jane             bapt “Jean” 12 Nov 1769 in Middle Octoraro

4. John             bapt. 25 Feb 1775 in Middle Octoraro

5. Elijah             bapt 21 May 1778 in Lower Chanceford*

6. Thomas             bapt. 10/11 Mar [sic] 1783 in Middle Octoraro

7. Mary             bapt. 9 Apr 1780 in Middle Octoraro

8. William             bapt 28 Apr 1771 in Middle Octoraro

9. Sarah (NOT listed in will) bapt. 23 Apr 1765 in Middle Octoraro; perhaps she     d. bef 1827 when Robert’s Will was written

            No wife was mentioned in Robert’s Will (Mary died in 1813). Granddaughter “Sarah” was mentioned. Executors were sons John, Elijah and Thomas.  Witnesses were William, James and John Orr.

 *Helen Fields writes in her Register of Marriages and Baptisms Performed by Rev. John Cuthbertson p. 208, that Lower Chanceford was in an area “including Muddy Run and Muddy Creek societies. Lower Chanceford is known as ‘The Barrens’.”

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The names of Robert Pattersons’s children, as listed in his Will, substantiate my assumption that this is the Robert Patterson who m. Mary Stewart in Paxtang.  Note that the

second son’s name is Samuel, after Mary’s father Samuel Stewart.  Also note the son named Elijah, undoubtedly named after Mary’s brother, Elijah Stewart, with whom Mary’s brothers (Peter, William and James) served in Capt. Cowden’s Company.

Bucher Ayres, in his History of the Stewart Family, writes that Robert and Mary (Stewart) Patterson “moved to West Newton, Westmoreland Co., Pa.  In 1792 had seven sons and two daughters.” * (The town of West Newton straddles the township borders of Rostraver and South Huntingdon in Westmoreland County.) Robert’s will lists six sons and 2 daughters.  Perhaps there was another son who was not mentioned because he had died, or perhaps because he had already been given property by his father.  Still, there is no Cuthbertson baptism record for an additional son.

A Robert Patterson is listed on the 1783 Westmoreland County list of inhabitants. He is not shown as owning any land—just some personal property. There are seven white inhabitants in his household.  (See tax lists, Chapter VII) I am not sure if this Robert on the 1783 Westmoreland Co. list of inhabitants is Peter’s brother.  Ellis wrote in History of Fayette County that the four Patterson brothers (Peter, William, James and Robert) came west together with their families. Perhaps this is so, and Robert did accompany his brothers in 1778-79, in which case this could be Peter’s brother, Robert, on the 1783 list of inhabitants. However, if Robert came west that early I believe he returned to Lancaster County for a time.

Two things make me think that Robert either settled permanently in southwest PA later than his brothers, or that he came with them but then returned back east for over a decade. 

First, Rev. Cuthbertson made several journal entries that indicate this is so.  On 16 Oct 1782 Cuthbertson wrote in his journal: “rode 8 miles and to Robert and James Paterson’s now widow.” The only Robert Patterson in Cuthbertson’s “flock” was the Robert Patterson who was Peter’s brother.  We know that Peter had left Lancaster Co. and, by no later than Oct 1779, was in the area of Westmoreland Co., which later became Fayette Co.  This Cuthbertson journal entry proves that in 1782 Robert was not in Westmoreland Co., but was in Lancaster Co.  Another Cuthbertson journal entry, for 19 May 1788, reads: “rode 8 miles from Robert Patterson’s home.”** It is evident that even as late as 1788 Robert was in Lancaster County.

            The second reason for believing that Robert settled permanently in southwest Pennsylvania much later than his brothers is census information.  In 1790 there is no Robert Patterson listed in Westmoreland County (or in Fayette Co., either).  There is, however, a Robert Patterson listed on the 1790 census of Drumore Twp., Lancaster Co.,

*A submission to the Patterson & Patterson Assn. Vol. 2 p. 73 says that Robert and Mary (Stewart) Patterson had “7 sons and 7 daughters. The submitter claims to have gotten this information from Egle’s Pennsylvania Genealogies but this is not what Egle wrote; he wrote, correctly, “7 sons and 2 daughters.” So the submitter made a “typo” and it got published

**Cuthbertson computed these distances to and from his home in Middle Octoraro, Lancaster Co. Therefore Robert lived about 8 miles from Rev. Cuthbertson’s house.

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and I believe this Robert to be Peter’s brother. Robert’s household consists of 4 males >16, 3 males <16 and 3 females.  These people would be “our” Robert plus his first three sons (James, Samuel, John); his next three oldest sons (Elijah, Thomas, William); his wife and their two daughters (Jane, Mary). The household information matches perfectly that of “our” Robert, Peter’s brother.

            Therefore, in 1790 Robert and his family were living in Drumore Twp., Lancaster Co., PA, next to Robert’s widowed mother, and very close to his cousin Agnes and her husband, John Robert Kirkpatrick.

            Listed immediately after Robert on the 1790 Drumore census is “Widow Patterson.”*  I believe this to be the wife of the James Patterson referred to in Rev. Cuthbertson’s 1782 journal entry (“James Paterson’s now widow”).  This is the primary reason why I believe the name of the father of William, Peter, James and Robert was James, not “Peter Sr.” as some have written. (More of this in Chapter VIII, “Who Was Peter’s Father?”).

            I must mention here the household listed after that of “Widow Patterson” on this 1790 Drumore Twp., Lancaster Co. census.  It is that of “Robert Kirkpatrick.”  John Robert Kirkpatrick married Agnes Patterson, daughter of Peter Patterson of Drumore Twp.  (Peter of Drumore’s 1786 will says daughter married Robert Kirkpatrick—see Chapter VI records; also, Cuthbertson baptized Agnes, dau. of Peter 2 Oct 1751—see Chapter VI records; also Covenanter minister Alexander Dobbin married Robt. Kirkpatrick and Agnes Patterson 24 Mar 1774 in “Drummore”—see Chapter VI records)

I believe that James of Drumore was the brother of Peter of Drumore, that these two brothers owned land in Drumore next to each other; and, futher,  I believe that James of Drumore was father to the “four Patterson brothers” William, Peter, James and Robert. Agnes Patterson, wife of John Robert Kirkpatrick, would then be cousin to “our” Robert Patterson next to whom she was living in 1790 in Drumore.  Further, I believe that Robert and Mary (Stewart) Patterson moved west, sometime about 1792, with John Robert and Agnes (Patterson) Kirkpatrick.

            Robert Patterson is listed on the 1798 Rostraver Twp., Westmoreland Co. Direct Tax List (sometimes referred to as the 1798 “Glass Tax” because the tax was based to some extent on the number of windows in the houses!)  In 1798 Robert owned 1 “dwelling house” made of “logs” (28 x 26 w/2 doors, 7 windows and 75 “lights”) as well as 1 “spring house” made of “logs” (15 x 10).  This list was transcribed from microfilm and submitted to the Westmoreland County Historical Society, where I found this record.  I failed to note the name of the submitter or the microfilm roll number.  It is not clear from the information found on the transcription of this list whether Robert actually owned any land in 1798.

The 1800 Rostraver Twp., Westmoreland Co. census is missing and perhaps cannot be recovered.  It appears that this census was either not microfilmed, or—if it was—it was named something other than Rostraver and so who knows where to find it. An on-line search under names of several known residents of Rostraver in 1790 and 1810 yields no results, so I think it simply was not microfilmed.

             Robert Patterson is listed on the 1810 Rostraver Twp., Westmoreland Co. census.  His household consists of 1 male 16-26, 2 males 26-45, and himself age 45+; 

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also 1 female 0-10, 1 female 26-45 and 1 female age 45+. (Robert was not listed on the ancestry.com index for Rostraver 1810—they missed him!)

Robert Patterson is listed on the 1820 Rostraver Twp., Westmoreland Co. census.  His household consists of 1 male age 0-10, 2 males age 26-45, and himself, age

45+; also 1 female age 0-10, 2 females age 10-16, and either 2 or 3 females age 26-45. There is no female age 45+ as there was in the previous census, so presumably his wife, Mary, has died.  This agrees with some Stewart researchers who give an 1813 death date for Mary and it also agrees with the headstone information for a Mary Patterson buried in Round Hill cemetery (Allegheny Co., PA).

            Robert Patterson is not listed on the 1830 Rostraver Twp., Westmoreland Co. census. His will was probated 4 Mar 1831; perhaps he died in 1830 before the census was taken, or perhaps he was ill and in the household of one of his children.

            Since Robert Patterson is said to have resided in West Newton, Rostraver Twp., Westmoreland County, one might expect to see him among the burials in the West Newton Cemetery, but he is not listed there. (See “Burials” in Chapter II.)  This is because the West Newton Cemetery Association does not have such early burials. As noted above, he is buried in nearby Round Hill Cemetery in Allegheny County.

Note: A list of possible descendants of Robert is contained in Chapter VIII of this paper.  It is not (yet) included in Robert’s chapter because this list contains some “conjecture.”