Mrs. Mary M. Patton, Ouachita County, AR -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- SOURCE: Chicago: The Goodspeed Publishing Co., 1889. Contributed by Carol Smith. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- USGENWEB NOTICE: In keeping with our policy of providing free information on the Internet, data may be used by non-commercial entities, as long as this message remains on all copied material. These electronic pages may NOT be reproduced in any format for profit or for presentation by other persons or organizations. Persons or organizations desiring to use this material for purposes other than stated above must obtain the written consent of the file contributor. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Ouachita County, Arkansas - from Goodspeed's History of Arkansas Mrs. Mary M. Patton, widow of James Patton, deceased, one of the oldest settlers of Lafayette Township, and daughter of John Elliott, also one of the oldest settlers of Ouachita County, was born March 15, 1815, in Fairfield District, South Carolina, a daughter of John and Catherine (Sites) Elliott, natives of South Carolina. John Elliott was a son of James and Peggie Elliott, natives of Ireland. They emigrated to this country at an early date, shortly after their marriage and settled in Maryland. They afterward moved to South Carolina, where Mr. Elliott (father of Mrs. Patton) was born. They were the parents of four sons: John (the father of the subject of this sketch, being the eldest), James, Thomas and Robert. James Elliott died when a young man, and Thomas died in this county without leaving a family: Robert Elliott came to this county, where he died, leaving a family of seven children, and John Elliott came to this county in 1840, when there were but few settlers. He purchased a farm for his son-in-law (Mr. Patton) on which Mrs. Patton now lives, and also purchased a farm of his own on which he lived until his death, which occurred in 1862. This farm was for many years one of the old landmarks, being the stopping place for travelers from El Dorado to Camden. He was married , in South Carolina, to Catharine (called Katie) Sites, mother of our subject, daughter of Leonard Sites. The maternal grandparents of our subject were natives of Germany, and emigrated to this country after their marriage. The mother of our subject died in 1845. She and her husband are members of the Presbyterian Church. They were the parents of ten children, five of whom are still living: Subject of this sketch, Elizabeth (widow of Ezekiel Frazier, of this township), Harriet (unmarried and lives with Mrs. Patton), Robert, (a farmer of this county), and Fairfield (also a farmer of this township). Mrs. Patton was reared in South Carolina, and was then married, in 1833, to James Patton, who was born in 1802, in County Down, Ireland, and came to this country in 1820, landing in New York, remained there for one year , and then he came to Pennsylvania. [For his history see sketch of Thomas Patton, of this township.] In 1841 Mr. and Mrs. Patton came to this county with their family, and settled on the farm purchased for them by Mr. Elliott, which then contained only forty acres of land, with only two or three acres cleared, and on which was situated a log-house, which they occupied until they built a larger house, in which they lived until they moved on the present farm in 1850. Mr. Patton died February 22, 1866. Mr. and Mrs. Patton were the parents of thirteen children, five of whom are still living: Elizabeth (now Mrs. Parr of Curtis, Arkansas), Thomas (a farmer of this township, whose sketch appears elsewhere in this work), David (in lumber business in Texas), May (at home), and Albert Harrison (known as Harry Patton throughout the township). Mrs. Patton has lived on the old homestead since the death of her husband, the farm being run, first by Thomas Patton, her son, until he married and commenced for himself, and since that by her youngest son, Harry Patton. Mrs. Patton now owns some 600 or 800 acres of land. She is a member of the Presbyterian Church, and is a highly respected lady, well known throughout the township.