Obituary: Rock County, Wisconsin: Peter VAN PATTEN ************************************************************************ Submitted by Ruth Ann Montgomery, June 2005 © All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm ************************************************************************ DIED In Evansville, at the residence of his son, Dempster Van Patten, on Sunday morning, March 8th, of old age, Peter Van Patten. He was born in Albany Co., New York, May 19th, 1797, which made him nearly 80 years of age. About the year 1819 he married Miss Lany Relzea by whom he had nine children, six sons and three daughters, who are all living except one son who died in the army. After fifty-one years of married life his wife died and for fifteen years he has lived among his children. He came to Wisconsin in 1842 and settled in the town of Porter on a farm on the banks of the Catfish where he lived for ten years when he sold that and bought a farm near the Wilder school house where he lived until he came to Evansville. He has lived all together about nine years in this village. He was converted and joined the Methodist Episcopal church when he was eighteen years old and has lived a consistent member of that church for about seventy-one years. He had acceptably filled the office of Class Leader, Steward and Trustee until the infirmities of age released him. Two weeks before his death he was in his seat at church and enjoyed the service but he said to his pastor at the close "I am almost through." In the afternoon, he in company with his son Hiram attended the service at the Seminary and left his testimony for Jesus. On Wednesday of that week he was taken sick from which sickness he never rallied, but peacably went downt to the river of death. When his pastor called to see him he said "I am almost through" and selected the text which he desired at his funeral. He died at 1:30 o'clock Sunday morning. His funeral was largely attended at the M. E. church on Monday afternoon, his pastor, Rev. H. Sewell, conducting the services assisted by Prof. Coleman and Rev. Mr. Gowen. March 31, 1886, The Enterprise, Evansville, Wisconsin Mr. Peter Van Patten, one of our oldest citizens, died at the residence of his son, Mr. Dempster Van Patten, at half past one o'clock, Sunday morning, March 28, 1886. He would have been 80 years old had he lived until next May. He was a good christian man and died as he had lived, professing faith in Jesus Christ. For nearly his whole life he had been a member of the Methodist Episcopal church, from thence he was buried Monday afternoon, sermon by Rev. Henry Sewell. Mr. Van Patten moved from Brownville, Jefferson Co., N. Y., and settled in Porter in 1842, where he built a house and raised a fine family of girls and boys, many of whom reside with us and others are scattered away. The writer has been personally known to "Uncle Peter," as he was called, for nearly forty years and does not remember of ought ever uttered to his reproach. It may well be said, "A good man has laid his armor down, and clothed himself with the reward of a faithful, christian." April 2, 1886, Evansville Review, p. 3, col. 4, Evansville, Wisconsin