Outagamie County, WI - Biography of Cornelius James VAN PATTEN of Bovina Twp

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Contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives
SUBJECT: Biography of Cornelius James VAN PATTEN of Bovina Twp
SUBMITTER: County Coordinator 
EMAIL: jmmarasch@aol.com
DATE SUBMITTED: 28 Feb 2000
SURNAMES: VanPatten
SOURCE: Commemorative Biographical Record of the Fox River Valley Counties of Brown,
Outagamie and Winnebago, J.H. Beers & Co, p. 585-587, 1895


BIOGRAPHY:

CORNELIUS JAMES VAN PATTEN.  The genealogy of the VanPatten family dates back to the
great-grandfather, who came from Amsterdam, Holland, and bought a part of the noted
Schenectady (N.Y.) patent or land grant of seventy-five thousand acres of land.  He was one of
twelve Hollanders who secured the grant, the land of which is now owned and occupied by some
of his descendants.
Simon, his son, and grandfather of our subject, was also a man of considerable importance in
that vicinity, inheriting much of his father's ability, and he owned a large tract of land which he
divided among his children.  He was born in America, and when the Revolutionary war broke
out he enlisted in the service to help in securing American independence, taking an active part in
many a notable battle, and being present when Gen. Burgoyne surrendered to Gen. Gates after
the battle of Saratoga, October 17, 1777.   Surviving the war, he returned to his home in
Schenectady county, N. Y., and lived to a good old age, when eighty years old retaining his sight,
memory and wonderful activity.  His wife was the daughter of Simon Fairley, of Glasgow,
Scotland, and by her he had seven children; she too, lived, to be an octogenarian.  They both
belonged to the Dutch Reformed Church, and were widely known for their generous hospitality.
     Their son, John Baptist Van Patten, father of our subject, was born in Glenville,
Schenectady Co., N. Y., and was reared to farming, becoming a very energetic and industrious
man.  He inherited a small sum of money which, with the fruits of his industry for a number of
years, made a small fortune; but this he lost through the dishonesty of pretended friends whom
he had trusted.  Undaunted by this misfortune, he turned his face westward and settled in
Painesville, Lake Co., Ohio, where he proceeded to accumulate more property.  On March 9,
1806, he was married to Miss Betsey Elizabeth Van Patten, a very distant relative, whose father,
Frederick VanPatten, was also a Revolutionary patriot.  John B. Van Patten finally came to Wis-

consin, settling in Plymouth township, Sheboygan county, where he died at the advanced age of
eighty-four years.  He was a large, robust man, retaining his strength and weight up to the time of
his death.  His wife, who was a very active woman, died when eighty years of age.  They had a
family of eleven children, of whom ten reached maturity.
     Cornelius James Van Patten, the subject proper of these lines, was born March 12, 1828,
in Glenville, Schenectady Co., N.Y., was there reared, and was a young lad when his parents
removed to Ohio.  There he received three months' schooling, in which brief time he mastered
the rudiments of the primary branches, and being reared on a farm he naturally took up that
vocation.  In October, 1846, he came to Sheboygan county, Wis., where he followed agricultural
pursuits eleven years; then went to Clark county, Mo., where he resided until 1861, in which
year he returned to Sheboygan county, Wis., farming until he enlisted in the army.  While in
Missouri he had become a member of the "Sons of Malta," a secret organization which bound its
members by oath to protect the Union, and they were furnished guns and ammunition.  This
military organization, under the direction of John C. Fremont, did much to preserve the State of
Missouri from seceding from the Union; their colonel was David Moore, of Ohio, who led them
in several engagements which took the form of regular battles, one of which was fought on the
banks of the Des Moines river, near the Iowa State line.  The Rebel force, with nearly fifteen
hundred men and two pieces of artillery, made an attack on the Union force, which consisted of
only 256 men, but the Confederates were repulsed, beating a hasty retreat.  In August, 1864, Mr.
Van Patten enlisted in Company B, Twenty-seventh Wis.  V. I., and joining the regiment at Little
Rock, Ark., he moved south with the army, where he assisted in the capture of the Rebel towns
and forts.  His regiment was then sent to Texas, and here it remained until July 14, 1865, when
Mr. Van Patten was honorably discharged and returned to Wisconsin, resuming the vocation of
farming.  Selling his farm in Sheboygan county nine years later, he removed to Bovina township,
Outagamie Co., Wis., where he purchased forty-three acres of land in the northeastern part of the
township; subsequently he bought more land until he had a farm of 187 acres, which he still
owns and cultivates.  In February, 1894, having been appointed postmaster at Shiocton under
President Cleveland, he removed to that village.
Mr. Van Patten was married, in Sheboygan county, to a lady from Maine, who died while they
were living in Missouri. His second wife was Miss Margaret Horn, daughter of Martin Horn, and
they had two children: Jennie, now Mrs. August Krull, of Cicero; and Martin H., who is
managing his father's farm, is married to Miss Eva Trader, and has one son, Cornelius.  Mrs.
Margaret Van Patten died December 19, 1862, and on May 23, 1866. our subject was married to
her sister, Miss Nancy Horn.  In politics Mr. Van Patten has been a lifelong Democrat, although
he voted for Gen. Fremont in 1856, and for Abraham Lincoln in 1860.   He has been chairman of
the board of supervisors two years, besides filling other township offices.