he moved, not only because of his manifest
scholarship and fund of information, but also
and especially from his rare powers of con-
versation, which in a most eminent degree
blended real richness and fertility of thought
with the most mirthful wit and humor. He
everywhere made hosts of friends, and what is
a better proof of his real goodness of heart
he never lost any. He was a member of Spring-
field Commandery, Knights Templar, though
not an active one. He was always noted for
his simplicity in rlress and manner. He was
a man of good ability and of earnest religious
convictions : and though for many years the
victim of a painful malady C general weakness
of the digestive system and hereditary disease
of the liver), he was remarkable to the end for
a sweet and cheerful disposition and genial
bearing. He married, ^^ay 11, 1870, Carrie
E. Patton. born in Sjjringfield, May 7. 1849.
daughter of William and Caroline E. CSikes)
Patton Csee Patton Vll). There was born
of this marriage one child, Harrie W.. next
mentioned.
(XXIT) Harrie William, only living child of
William S. and Carrie E. f Patton") Greene, was
born in Springfield, Massachusetts, October' 9.
187J. Studied medicine and graduated from
Itoston L'niversity School of .Medicine. June O,
i8i>4. He settled in S|iringheld. May. i8tA
jiracticed medicine a short time, and upon the
death of his grandfather ( \\iljiam Patton).
who was a real estate dealer, gave up medicine
and went into real estate.
This is an ancient English sur-
P.\TTOX name dating hack to the very
beginning of the use of sur-
names in luigland and taken, as was often the
case, from a locality. Richard Patten was a
resident of Pattine, near ChelmsfonI, Essex
county, England, as early as 1119. One of
his descendants. Richard Patten, of Wayne-
tleet, was a man of distinction from 1422 to
1462. was bisho]) of Winchester and lord high
chancellor and foimded .Magdalen College at
Oxford. Hector, Robert and William Pat-
ten came from Ireland and settled in New
I'jigland. Nathaniel Patten, of Crewkerne,
England, settled in Dorchester, Massachusetts.
Another W'illiam, mentioned below, came evi-
dently from England but there is no clue to
the place of liis birth, though Somerset has
been suggested.
(I) William Patten of this sketch is first
mentioned in this country in the Cambridge
town records under date of March 13. 1635-
36, when by vote of the townsmen it was agreed
that he should keep one hundred cattle belong-
ing to the inhabitants of the town for the space
of seven months for twenty poimds. one half
to be [laid in money when he had kept half his
time, and the other half in corn (grain) when
he had done keei)ing. In 1638 he also had an
agreement to keej) the town cows. In 1646
P.rotlier Patten was fined for having one hog
without keeper, thrice one shilling. On the
20th day f)f the third month. 1649, .Andrew
Stevenson and William Patten were a[)pointed
to execute the town order concerning hogs,
anfl to levy on all such as shall be fotmd break-
ing that rule, then just penalty of the same
being therein i)rescribed. In the same year
liberty was granted some of the townsmen,
among them William Patten, for the present
hay time to mow the common meadow at
Shawshine "provided they intrench upon noc
f)ropcrty." r)n two or three different occasions
we find him apjiointed as one of the surveyors
of fences, his district being that al>out the
Menf)tomy fields. He was also appointed sur-
veyor of highways on one or two occasions.
Pietwecn 1660 and 1668 William Patten was
granted libertv on several occasions to take
4f)8
MASSACHUSETTS.
luiiibtr Ironi the comuKin "to repair fencez,"
"f'lr a cart," "for a cow house," ""to build a
lean-to and an end to his farm," and to "re-
payre his old house at towne. " He did not
always ask for permission, for in 1662 he was
fined twenty shillings for felling trees on the
common, contrary to town orders. Fines levied
bv the selectmen were sometimes abated, for
in 1663 it ajjpears that a fine imposed upon
William Patten was abated five shillings. In
1642 William Patten was enrolled as a member
of the .Ancient and Honorable .Artillery Com-
pany of IrJoston. He lived on what is now
Massachusetts avenue, opposite the Common.
The proprietors' records show that he had "one
house and garden about halfe an .Acre upon
the Cow Common." "In the New Lotts ne.xt
Manotomie two Acres of planteing grounde."
In 1645 forty-seven lots on the west side of
Menotomy river were granted to the several
iidiabitants of the town. In this distribution
William Patten had "Three Acre more or
lesse." June (j, 1652, an agreement was made
by the church as to the division of Shawshine.
In this William Patten was assigned lot 87,
containing eighty acres, yet it is doubtful if
he ever lived there, but remained in Cambridge
until his death. In 1655 "The Great Deed from
the Cambridge Projirietors to the Billerica Pro-
])rietors," making Shawshine or Hillerica an
independent town, was executed and William
Patten was one of the signers. This deed is
still preserved by the town of P)illerica. Will-
iam Patten died December 10, 1668. He left
no will, but on April 2, 1669, his widow filed
with the court an inventory of property amount-
ing to one hundred and ninety-nine jjounds,
three shillings and eight |)ence. The articles
enumerated and their value show him to have
been a citizen in good circumstances. William
Patten married before coming to this country
-Mary , who died September 20, 1(^)73.
Their children were: Mary, W'illiani, Thomas,
Sarah. Xathaniel (died young) and Xathaniel.
ill) Thomas, second son of William and
.Mary Patten, was i)orn at Cambridge, October,
i^y), <lied January 16, ifiijo. He removed in
1654 to I'.illerica, and resided there till his
death. I lis house was on the west of Long
street, south of the ComuKin. near the house
of Francis Richardson, lie owned consider-
able land in liillcrica at the time of his death,
and also owned an interest in a sawmill near
I'attenville. lie does not seem to have taken
an active part in the ]niblic aflfairs of the town :
in the treasurer's account of the town for the
year l'i*i4 l\;ilpb Mill. Sen., and Thnm;is P:it-
ten are charged thirteen shillings each for "not
traininge;" Hillerica being a frontier settle-
ment there was great fear of the Indians atid
much dread of an attack from them. In 1675
an order was passed by the selectmen and
committee of the militia appointing garrison
houses and assigning citizens to them. .An e.x-
tract from the order is as follows: "5. They
apjioint Thomas Pattin's house, for garrison
and to entertain Coldin Aloore, Samuel ffrost,
Jno. Kidder, Roger Toothaker & John Trull ;
seven soldiers and five families." In the same
order overseers were appointed for each garri-
son, whose duty it was to regulate the work of
the garrison and determine what should be
done for fortifying them. Orders were also
issued putting strict regulations on the conduct
of citizens, and giving instructions as to what
be done in case of an attack by the Indians.
.A master was also appointed for each garrison,
Thomas Patten being appointed for his house.
Jaiuiary 14, iCx;o, Patten made a will of which
his wife and his son William were joint exe-
cutors. The inventory of his ])roperty, filed
the .March following, amounted to three hun-
dred and eight i)ounds. Thomas Patten mar-
ried, April I, 1662, Rebecca Paine, of Dedham,
born October 19, 1642, daughter of Thomas
and Rebecca Paine. She died May 19, 1680.
He married (second) May 20, 1686, Sarah
Dunton, of Reading, Her name by some
authorities is given as DidstMi or Ditson. but
the name of Dunton is that given by the Biller-
ica records. .She married (second) December
29. 1690, Thomas Richardson. Thomas and
Rebecca were the parents of : Mary. Thomas,
Nathaniel, William. Rebecca, Sarah, F.lizabeth.
Mehitable and Kendall.
(HI ) Xathaniel, second son of Thomas and
Rebecca ( Paine) Patten, was born in Billerica,
.'-^ciitember 14, 1668, died .April 2, 1718. He
was a thrifty man and left what was for that
time a good estate. He married, December 6.
1695, Hannah Ross, born March 31, 1679,
(laughter of Thomas Ross. She married (sec-
ond ) May 19, 1726, Josejih Emerson. The
children of Xathaniel and Hannah were: llan-
n;di. Xathaniel and John.
(1\) Xathaniel (2), son of Xatli;uiicl ( 1 )
and Hannah (Ross) Patten, was born in liil-
lerica, Se])tember 10, 1707, died Xovember 2^,
1736. December 7, 1729. Xathaniel Patten,
cooper, and Mary, his wife, convey land and
mill in Oxford to |o^e]ih Reed, of Leicester.
'The following year they convey land also in
()xford to Benoni Twitchell. They are after-
ward rei)orted to have gone to Windham, Con-
//"-^ciAi^
MASSACHlSEI'IS.
469
necticut. where tlieir children are said to have
been born, but on the \\ indhani records the
birth of Mary alone ajipears. lie afterward
went to Stratford, Connecticut, where he re-
mained till his death. His grave and that of
his wife Mary may be seen there at the present
time. .A.t a term of probate court lield at Hart-
ford, September 5. 1757, the following entry
was made: "It was certified to this Court by
Zebulon West, Esc|., Justice of the peace, that
Sarah Fatten a minor thirteen years of age.
daughter of Xathaniel Patten, late of Tolland,
deceased, before him made choice of Xathaniel
Woodward of Coventry in the Court of Wind-
ham, to be guardian, which choice the Court
allows." .At the same session of the court
"Xathaniel Woodward of ("oventry. adminis-
trator in right c)f the wife Mary, the Relict of
.Vath'l I'atten, late of Stafford, deceased, hav-
ing settled their account of administration on
said estate then move to the Court for dis-
tribution." The decree of distribution give?
"to the Rellict of said Dec'd now the wife of
Xathaniel Woodward one third of the movable
estate, e.vclusive of Debts and charges and one
third of the Real F-Istate for iier Improvement
during life and to .Xath'l Fatten, eldest son a
Double share and to John Patten, William Pat-
ten, and to Mary Patten, Hannah I'atten and
Sarah Patten, children of tlie deceased each
of them a single share." Xathaniel Patten
married Mary Kidder, daughter of Enoch and
Mary ( Hayward ) Kidder. They are thought
to be the ones who were living in Oxford in
1729. .-\fter the death of her first husband,
Mrs. Patten married Xathaniel Woodward.
She died Xovember 30. 1789. aged eighty-eight
years. The children of Xathaniel and Mary
(Kidder) Patten were: Mary (died yoimg),
Hannah. Xathaniel. .Mary, Sarah, John and
William.
(V) John, second son of Xathaniel (2) and
Mary (Kidder) I'atten, was born in 1747.
March 18, 1778, he took the oath of fidelity
appointed to be taken by the state of Connec-
ticut and at a freeman's meeting held in Staf-
ford, Connecticut, .\pril 8, 1782, John Patten
took the oath re(|uired by law for freeman.
He was a soldier of the revolution in (>)lonel
Spencer's Second Connecticut Regiment, Third
Company. Captain Roger Knos, of Windham.
He served from May 9 to December 18, I775-
On a list of soldiers from Tolland county who
served in the campaign against Piurgoyne in
1777 appears the name of John Patten, cor-
poral. On a monument in Portland. Connecti-
cut, js this inscription: "John Patten, buried
at West Springfield. .August 13, 1800, aged
fifty-three years. Hannah, wife of John Pat-
ten, died May 17, 1816, aged si.xty-three years."
John Patten by his wife Hainiah, daughter of
Seth Johnston, had five children : .Setli John-
ston, l.ydia, Robert, Hannah ami John.
(\1) Seth Johnston, eldest child of John
and Hannah (Johnston) Patten, was born in
Stafi'ord, Conecticut. I'ebruary 18, 1773, <lied
in W'ilbraham, .Massachusetts, .A|)ril 24, 1855.
The name of Seth J. Patten ajipears on the
roll of Connecticut militia in the war of 181 2,
his service being from .August 6, 1813, to Sej)-
tember id, of the same year. He married,
Xnvemher 2~ . 1800, Huldah Warner, born
Jaiuiary 11, 1779, died in South Wilbraham,
.\[)ril 4. 1859. Their children, born at Ware-
house Point. Cotniecticut. were : Seth J. (died
young). .\<leline. F.liphalet Warner. Huldah,
John, F'.meline, Robert, \\ illiam, Seth J. (died
voung") and Mary .A.
(\'I1) William (2), fifth son of Seth J. and
llul<l;di ( W ariKT ) I'atten, was born at Ware-
house point, Connecticut, October 25, 1819,
(lied in .Springfield. .Massachusetts. Xovember
30. iS(;8. In early life he changed the s|)elling
of the name to Patton. He was educated in
the common schools of Enfield and Warehouse
Point and for a time taught penmanship in
the comTuon schof)ls. He then became a ])eddler
of notions and from his cart sold wares in
various parts of .Xew England. In this busi-
ness he was a success and accumulated money.
Seeing how he could make his business more
extensive and more i)rofitable. he came to
Sjiringfield Xovember, 1848, and opened a store
where he sold general notions, small wares,
arms, etc., and kei)t a number of men on the
road selling from wagons and distributing goods
all over .Xew England, except Rhode Island.
Later these jieddlers were succeedefi by com-
mercial travelers of the modern tyjie, and he
emj)loved about fifteen men, clerks and trav-
elers. This enterprise was very successful and
Mr. Patton cleared a large amount of money
before January 11, 1875, when he sold out his
business to D. I'rank Hale. He was engaged
in the real estate business from an early date,
and built up much in Siiringfield. He made
his first purchase at the corner of llamixlen
and Main streets, l-'ebruary \(^. 1857. In 1864
he built at 270-276 Main street, corner of
Ham]Klen. a building four stories high of sev-
enty-five feet front anrl eighty feet depth, a
large business structure for Springfield in those
days. In this building he had his store from
January. hS'').;. to January, 1875. In 1870 he
470
MASSACHUSETTS.
built behind this block of stores another on
Hampden street ; and in 1874 another block
on Hani]Klen street which has recently been
taken down by William Patton, Jr., and on the
site he is now erecting a much handsomer and
more costly building. Foreseeing the inevit-
able extension of Springfield toward the north,
Mr. Patton bought part of a piece of land then
used as ])asture. and two years later bought
tlie remainder extending from Main to Chest-
nut streets, two blocks wide through the center
(^f which he laid out Patton street. Continuing
to indulge his penchant for architecture, he
began to build residences on this tract in 1878,
when he erected two houses. Continuing he
erected four houses in 1879, four in 1880, six
in 18S1, two in 1886, one in 1887, six in 1888,
and many others in the years following till the
time of his death, covering the land he had
bought with well-built, two-story houses, a
total of fifty-eight, all but two of which he
continued to own and rent. He made large
real estate deals, in which he was a gainer, and
at the time of his death his property had vastly
increased in value. Mr. Patton was a Repub-
lican. I"or many years he was a member of
Christ Church (Episcopal) and one of its
vestrymen. He was a Vfason and a metnber
of the W'inthrop Club. Mr. Patton was twice
abroad, his first visit to Europe including Eng-
land. Scotland and France ; and the second Hol-
land. Belgium and Ciermany. He was an en-
thusiastic sportsman and greatly enjoyed hunt-
ing and fishing. He traveled much over the
United States and spent winters in Florida
where he found ample opportunity to indulge
his desire to fish and hunt. Mr. Patton was
net wholly absorbed in the pursuit of business
and money getting in which he was so very
successful, but was one of the best informed
men in history, mythology, as well as general
literature, a deep thinker, a great student and
a pleasing conversationalist.
William Patton married, in Sufiield, Con-
necticut, .\pril 2. 1846. Caroline E. Sikcs, born
April 6, 1825, daughter of .Amos and .Anne
( Xortham) Sikes, of Suffield. She died Janu-
ary \>). 1888. Two children were born to them:
Carrie E. and William. Carrie K., born May
7, 1849: married. May II, 1870, William S.
Creene, and resides in Springfield (see Greene
XXl). To Mr. and ^irs. (Greene was born
one child, Harrie W., October 9. 1872.
(Vni) William (3), only son of William
(2) and Caroline E. (Sikes") Patton. was born
in .Springfield, Massachusetts, .\ugiist 4. 1855.
He attended the i)ul)lic schools of .Springfield
until he had comjjleted a 3'ear in the high school
and then went to Williston Seminary, East
1 lampden, where he took two years of the
three years scientific course. His service in his
father's store then began and this continued
until the latter sold out his mercantile business.
The following nine years he was in Xew York
city as a clerk with John B. Alden & Comj>any,
then a famous jjublishing house. In July, 1888,
he returned to Springfield and from that time
had the chief care of his father's realty and
real estate business. By the death of his father,
he has become a large holder in real property
w hich he has managed with skill and profit. At
the present time (1909) he is about to finish a
handsome building on Hampden street. He is
the owner of one-half of the property on
Patterson street. He has a handsome residence
at 80 Cornell street. In politics he is a Re-
publican. In foreign travel he finds entertain-
ment and instruction, and the art galleries of
the old world have much that he admires. He
lias made six tours to the countries of South-
western Europe.
The origin of the name
RICHARDSOX Richardson dates back
centuries, and came from
the name Richard, Richardson meaning son of
Richard. This tradition was a matter of course,
and the name has been widely spread in Eng-
l:'rd, .Scotland, Wales and Ireland, .\mong
the name are found men of letters, barristers,
clrTgymen. baronets, bisho]is, painters, authors,
statesmen, professors, merchants and manu-
facturers. The different family seats bore
arms, and it would be impossible to correctly
give a coat-of-arms that would apply to all the
different families, as few if any of the immi-
grants had the same.
I I ) Samuel, one of the three noted Richard-
son brothers who were among tlie earliest set-
tlers of Woburn, Massachusetts, was baptized
at West Mill, county Herts, F.ngland, Decem-
ber 22. 1602 or 1604, and died in Woburn,
Massachu.setts. March 23, 1658. He was son
of Thomas and Katherine (Durford) Rich-
ardson, of West Mill, who were married .Au-
gust 24, 1590. He was second in age of the
three brothers, Ezekiel, Samuel and Thomas,
and the last of the three to come to Xew Eng-
land. His wife Joanna, surname unknown,
])robably died in 1678. She was living as late
as December 10, iC>77. when she is mentioned
as receiving fifty-five acres of land at a meet-
ing of the proprietors held that date. Her will
(Iati'<l 20th, 4th, 1666. mentions sons John.
MASSACHlSl-.irS.
471
Joseph. Samuel and Sie])lien ; and daughters
Elizabeth and Mary Mousall. Elizabeth and
Mary married brothers, sons of Ralph Mousall,
of Charlestown. Elizabeth marrying John, and
Marj- marrying Thomas. Samuel Richartlsou
was executor of his father's will in England,
dated March 4. 1630. ami inherited his mother's
part of his father's estate. The will was pre-
sented at court in i<)34 by Samuel Richardson.
Samuel was married before he left West Mill,
and two of his children were baptized there —
Samuel, 1633. and Elizabeth. 1^)33. It was
after 1635 that he and his brother Thomas
sailed for Xew England. In 1636 he located
in Charlestown. lie was a selectman of W'o-
burn. 1644-46-49-51, and his name appears on
the first tax list of W'oburn in 1645. He was
one of the signer.s of W'oburn town orders of
1640. He released certain lands, with his
brothers, to the inhabitants of W'oburn in 1644.
and helped found the first church of W'oburn
in 1642. His estate was locate<l on the 'Rich-
ard.son Row Road" of early times, and an
estate known a century ago as the Job Miller
estate, on present Washington street, in the
present limits of the town of Winchester, was
the more modern e(|uivalent. This estate de-
scended in a direct line from Samuel (I), to
Samuel (11). thence to Jonathan (III), and
thence to Jonathan ( I\' ) Richar(l>on. The
last Jonathan bec|ueathed it to his niece. Sarah
Miller, wife of Job Miller. Jonathan Richard-
son ( I\' ). who was born in \\'obnrn. had lived
elsewhere during a part of his life, and return-
ing in his latter days to W'oburn. died in his
native town October 31. 1798. Job Miller that
year occui^ied the house, which was a very old
one at that time, thirty-six by eighteen feet in
lateral dimensions, and two stories high. The
adjoining farm contained fifty acres. The
family of Samuel Richardson (II) was attack-
ed by Indians on this ])lace: Ajjril 10. 1676, and
three of the family were killed. The father
was at work on the afternoon of that day,
with a young son for company, in his field.
He noticed a commotion at the house, and
hastening there found his wife Hannah and his
son Thomas had been slain by a band of skulk-
ing Indians, so called, who after robbing some
gardens of linen articles, at Cambridge, had
on their retreat ()erformed this mischief and
slaughter. .\ further search revealed the fact
that his infant daughter Hannah had also been
killed. Her nurse had fled with her in her
arms in the direction of a neighboring garri-
son house, and being closely pursued by the
Indians, in order to save herself, she dropped
the child, which the Inilians dispatched. The
father |nirsued the Indians with a rallying
party, and coming upon them seated beside a
swamj) in the woods, the party shot at iheni
and hit one of them fatally, as the body was
found afterwards in the woods, buried under
leaves where his associates had laid him. The
fact of his being wounded was jjroved by
traces of blood which were found in the woods
from the ])oint where he was first after he was
shot: at this i)lacc the Indians left behind a
bundle of linen in w'hich was found wrapjied
up the scaljjs of one or more of their victims.
The .*^mith place represents the original estate
of Job Miller. I'rince avenue traverses the
original Samuel Richardson estate. The estate
of the first Samuel extended from the present
tracks of the I'.oston & Maine railroad, near
Nathaniel .\. Richardson's house, to the Stone-
ham and Winchester town line, the homestead
being on the estate known to many of the
))rcsent generation as the Josiah E. Stone place.
A ])art of the lands now owned by Nathaniel
.\. Richardson were included in the original
estate. The Miller house was built by the
second Samuel, but the first Samuel is sup-
posed to have lived on the other side of the
|)resent Washington street, and oi)i)osite the
Miller |)lace. His house stood in a little valley.
,ind disa|)peared before the year 1800.
Children : I. Samuel, baptized at West Mill,
Herts, l-'ngland. July 3. 1633. 2. Elizabeth,
baptized at West Mill. -May 22. 1635: married
John .Mousall. of Charlestown ; died at Charles-
town. .\ugust 16, 1685. 3. Mary, baptized at
Charlestown. Eebruary 25, 16)37-8; married
Thomas Mousall. of Charlestown. 4. John,
baptized at Charlestown, Xoveiuber 12. i63<j;
married (first) October 22, 1658. h:iizabeth
I'.acon; (second) October 28. 1672. Mary I'ier-
son; (third) Margaret Willing. 5. Hannah,
born at W'oburn. March 8. 1641-42. died .Aijril
8. 1642. 6. Joseph, born July 27. 1643; mar-
ried. N'oveml) r 5. i6/)6. Hannah Creen. 7.
.Samuel, born May 22. 1646. 8. Ste|)hen. born
.Xugiist 13. i'M'^ mentioned below. 9. Thomas,
born December 31. i()3i. died Sei)tember 2T,
•^'57-
(II) .Stijjhen. son of Sanniel Richardson,
was born at Woljurn, Massachusetts, .Xugust
13. i^4<>. diid there .March 22. 1717-18. He
resirled in W oburn which then included Murl-
ington. a jiart of Wilmington, and his land ex-
tended into I'.iilcrica which then joined Wo-
burn. He was a freeman in \(*)n. His will
was dated .\ugust 15. I7i3,and proved .\pril 22.
1718 (see Midfllesex probate records, vol. 15.
472
MASSAC I ILSETTS.
pp. 157-163). In it he mentions as living wife
Abigail, danghters Abigail \inton and Ir'ru-
dence Kendall, sons Stephen, William, Francis,
Timothy, Seth, Daniel and Solomon. He mar-
ried, January 2, 1674-75, at Billerica, Abigail
\Vyman, born 1659, died September 7, 1720,