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John Patten, Sr. and John Patten, Jr. papers

 Digital Record
Identifier: MSSSC128
Image of John Patten, Sr. and John Patten, Jr. papers
Image of John Patten, Sr. and John Patten, Jr. papers

Dates

  • 1827-1900

Creator

Conditions Governing Access

Open for public research.

Conditions Governing Use

It is the responsibility of the researcher to obtain any necessary copyright clearances. Permission to publish material from John Patten, Sr. and John Patten, Jr. papers must be obtained from the Supervisor of Reference Services and/or the L. Tom Perry Special Collections Board of Curators.

Biographical History

John Patten, Sr. (1787-1847) was an early convert to the Mormon Church in Indiana, experienced the persecutions of the Church in Missouri, and served on the high council in Iowa Territory.

John Patten, Sr. was born April 14, 1787, in Westmoreland, New Hampshire to Benoni Patten and Edith Cole. In 1812 he married Abigail Stiles, who died 9 years later in 1821 after bearing five children. Patten would remarry in 1824 to Hannah Ingersoll, and they had six children together. In 1832, John and his family joined the Mormon Church and was ordained an elder while living in Fairplay, Indiana. They moved to Jackson County, Missouri and experienced the persecutions of the Church there. The Patten family later moved to Lee County, Iowa, and John was called as a member of the high council in the Iowa Territory. On April 12, 1847, while his family was stationed at Winter Quarters preparing to migrate to the Great Basin, John Patten died suddenly and was buried in the pioneer cemetery.

Biographical History

John Patten, Jr. (1825-1903) was an early member of the Mormon Church from Indiana and pioneer in Manti, Utah. He participated in two Indian Wars; served as a representative to the Utah Terrtorial Legislature; and, later apostatized from the Church in the 1880s and became a Presbyterian.

John Patten, Jr. was born on June 20, 1825, in Fairplay, Indiana to John Patten, Sr. (1787-1847) and Hannah Ingersoll (1787-1853). His family joined the Mormon Church in 1832 in Indiana; moved to Jackson County, Missouri in 1833; and later moved to Lee County, Iowa. While in Iowa, John worked in the Wisconsin Pineries. His father died suddenly in 1847 while his family was in Winter Quarters, Nebraska. John's family joined the Aaron Johnson Company and arrived in the Salt Lake Valley in 1850. His family located in Manti, Utah, and he assisted in building the fort there. John took part in the Walker and Black Hawk Indian wars; was a representative to the Utah Territorial Legislature; sheriff of Sanpete County; and, a member of the Manti City Council. Patten married Candace Smith in 1853 and they had five children together. He later married Candace’s widowed sister, Emily Smith Taylor. Emily had five children from her previous marriage, and John and Emily would have two more children together. Patten helped dig the irrigation pond in Manti Canyon known as the “Patten Reservoir” and helped construct the “Patten Ditch” that carried water along the eastern foothills of Sanpete County from Manti to Ephraim. During the 1880s, John Patten became disenchanted with the Mormon Church and apostatized; he became active in the Manti Parish of the Presbyterian Church. He died November 27, 1903 and is buried in the Manti Cemetery.

Extent

11 items

Language of Materials

English

Custodial History

Donated in 1974.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Donated; 1974.

General Note

Holograph and photocopy.

General Note

Materials include papers of John Patten (1787-1847) and his son John Patten, Jr. (1825-1903), early converts to the Mormon Church from Indiana.

Papers of John Patten, Sr. include a deed from Grace Fields to John Patten, Sr. filed in Green County, Indiana, March 26, 1827; Mormon Church membership and priesthood ordination certificate, signed by Elisha Groves and John Lemmon, November 18, 1832; receipt for payment for land in Lee County, Iowa, signed by Robert B. Thompson, secretary to Joseph Smith, August 25, 1840; and two copies of handwritten family genealogical information for himself, wives, and children, both of which were copied from the original source by John Patten, Jr., in 1869.

Papers of John Patten, Jr. include a patriarchal blessing by Isaac Morley, dated December 5, 1852; tithing receipt for 1851-1855, dated January 31, 1857; tax receipt, dated 1856; certificate for ordination to the Twelfth Quorum of the Seventy on August 23, 1854, and filed on March 20, 1857; and a receipt related to the estate of his son George Patten, dated December 6, 1900. George Patten died in an insane asylum that year.

Processing Information

Processed; Elisa Visick; 2010.

Repository Details

Part of the L. Tom Perry Special Collections Repository

Contact:
1130 HBLL
Brigham Young University
Provo Utah 84602 United States