Archive:Patterson, David Williams (1824-1892)
Archives > Archive:Biographies > Patterson, David Williams (1824-1892)
David Williams Patterson, the famous genealogist and historian, died at his home in Newark Valley, N. Y., November 18, 1892. He was born in Union, N. Y., July 15, 1824. Receiving a common-school education, he studied dentistry in Rochester, and finally located in West Winsted, in this State, in 1846, in the practice of his profession. He was very successful, and in 1865 abandoned his profession, returned to his father's home in Newark Valley, and devoted his entire time through life to historical and genealogical studies, for which he had always a great fondness. His most elaborate work was the "Whitney Genealogy," in three large quarto volumes, prepared by order of a wealthy member of the family. He spent five years of time and $30,000 in money upon it.
Dr. Patterson left a large collection of unpublished manuscripts, which, it is hoped, will now come into the possession of some society which is able to give them to the public.
A friend of Dr. Patterson gives this estimate of his character: "He was a man of great firmness of character, one who thoroughly detested sham and humbug, and whose rugged honesty was such that he always gave open and free expression to his dislike of men and things; and this disposition was not lessened by the natural irritation that came of the exacting nature of his work, which is especially trying to a sensitive organization. He was most scrupulously honest, and in all his transactions he was rigidly correct. Quick to resent a wrong, real or fancied, he was equally considerate of the legal rights of others. His friendships were as strong as his dislikes, and his best friends were those who understood and appreciated his work, and were in sympathy with his peculiar literary tastes."
The most important event of the year was the acquisition of the Patterson library. The following report on this library was presented to the society at its March meeting:
REPORT ON PATTERSON LIBRARY.
March 6, 1894.
At the last meeting of the Society it was stated that at this meeting a report would be made by the librarian upon the Patterson library. As no instructions were given, your librarian was left somewhat in doubt as to the nature and extent of the expected report; but he will endeavor to touch upon such points as already have been or are likely to be made the subject of inquiry.
Leaving the historical manuscripts and old newspapers out of consideration, the most valuable as well as the most consulted departments of our library are the genealogies and local histories. While the Society already had a very respectable collection on these lines, yet there was still much to be desired. The announcement of the death of Dr. D. Williams Patterson, and that his working library of genealogy and local history was to be offered for sale by his executor caused the question to be asked among our members—Cannot some arrangement be made by which we can obtain this library ? The story of the effort to raise sufficient funds and the details of the correspondence resulting in its purchase are too familiar to need repeating at this time. Volume of genealogical notes on Patterson families.
On January 23d the library arrived carefully packed in thirtyeight boxes and two barrels. The opening of the boxes revealed, besides the manuscript collection, which is of the utmost importance and will be considered in detail later, a rich collection of standard works of genealogy and local history, interspersed with biography, rare imprints and reprints, and such general works as might be expected in any similar collection of books. The library consists of about 1,100 bound volumes and fully as many unbound volumes and pamphlets, or 2,200 titles in all, for your librarian has given up in despair the attempt to make a close distinction between a volume .bound or unbound and a pamphlet.
The local histories, which number about 200 bound volumes, embrace works on each of the New England States, New York and Pennsylvania, particularly the Wyoming region, a few on New Jersey and Ohio, and some scattered works on other States, even to an early history of Texas. Among these may be named, speaking at random, Shattuck's History of Concord, Felt's Annals of Salem, Bolton's History of Westchester County, Littell's Genealogies of the Passaic Valley, Early Settlers of Stamford, Conn., and Early Settlers of South old, Long Island.
The genealogies consist principally of the older works printed, for the most part, before 1870. Many of these are rare and very difficult to obtain. Some, in fact, have not been priced for years in the dealers' catalogues. Among these may be named Clark, Holt, Griffing, Morse, Mudge, Shattuck, and Richardson. They number about 33o works, and not a day has passed that some of them have not been used.
There are a number of reprints of rare books, such as Mather's Early History of New England, of which 260 copies were issued to subscribers; also privately printed books, such as Bushnell's Crumbs for Antiquaries, of the first number of which 5o copies were printed. There are also the Sabin and Woodward series of reprints, a part of the Hamilton Club series, and a number issued by Hoffman. These were all issued in small editions, seldom over 300 copies, while in one case only 28 copies were printed.
The bound volumes not classed as genealogies, local histories, or rare reprints number about 300.
The pamphlets number over 800, and while very miscellaneous, are as a lot exceedingly valuable. Among them are to be found many small local histories, historical sermons and addresses, funeral and other sermons, college catalogues and addresses, reports of various institutions, about 75 church catalogues, biographical sketches, etc.
All of the above mentioned are new material not previously to be found in this society or the adjoining Watkinson Library; and this brings me to the matter of duplicates. The number of books and pamphlets found in the Patterson library which were already owned by this Society or the Watkinson Library is considerable ; but they are without exception works which will find a ready sale at good prices. Such are Savage's Genealogical Dictionary, Bond's History of Watertown, and the New England Historical and Genealogical Register.
- The following is a list of the principal manuscripts :
- Folk-book of East Haddam.
- Genealogies of Norwalk and Ridgefield, Conn.
- Records of Thomas Lee of Lyme.
- Some records of the Willard family.
- Manuscript for Historical Gazetteer of Tioga County. It includes
- the Boston Purchase and the early householders of Berkshire,
- Newark Valley, and Richford.
- Extracts from records of East Haddam.
- Booge family. [Has been printed.]
- First Presbyterian Church of Norristown, N. J. —genealogical cata-
- logue of its members.
- Percival genealogy.
- Alvord records.
- Higbe papers.
- Genealogies of Isbell and Kingman families. [Has been printed.]
- Some fragments of genealogies of Lyme, Conn.
- Records of some of the descendants of John Holmes of Woodstock,
- Conn.
- Miscellaneous [Newark Valley] genealogies.
- Watson genealogy. [Has been printed.]
- Burials and baptisms in East Windsor.
- Genealogical notes of the Porter family.
- Notes on the Tinker family.
- Cone genealogy.
- Pattersons of Connecticut.
- First Congregational Church of Tioga, now Newark Valley, N. Y. —
- Catalogue of members and abstract of records, with genealogi-
- cal notes.
- Volume of genealogical notes from Lyme records.
- Descendants of Charles Williams of Colchester, Conn.
- Inscriptions from Old Cove cemetery.
- Massachusetts Whitneys, Cortland and Tioga County branches,
- descendants of Jonathan.
- Volume of miscellaneous genealogies, Vol. I.
- Volume containing church records of Newington, Conn., and miscel-
- laneous genealogical and historical notes of first settlers of
- Tioga, N. Y.
- Ball family of New Haven, with notes on the Tolles family.
- East Haddam church records.
- Chart of ancestry of Frederick Kellogg Arnold, Sheffield, Mass.
- Gates genealogy.
- Records of the Sears family.
- Whitney genealogy [apparently of various scattered families].
- Hope cemetery records.
- Hope cemetery records on cards.
- Volume of miscellaneous genealogies, Vol. 2.
- Prentice records.
- Matthias St. John, Norwalk, and some of his descendants.
- Records of the Willey family. [Has been printed.]
- Volume of genealogical notes [Winchester, Conn.].
- Crocker genealogy.
- Descendants of Robert Coe.
- Rockwell family of Stamford. [Has perhaps been printed.]
- John Stoddard of Wethersfield and his descendants. [Has been
- printed.]
- Grant genealogy. [In Stiles' Windsor.]
- Genealogies of William Rockwell of Dorchester, and Robert Hins-
- dale of Dedham.
- Ralph Keeler and his descendants.
- Gay family papers.
- Whitney family of Massachusetts.
- Joshua Whitney and his descendants.
- William Whitney of Canaan and Salisbury, Conn.
- Records of and burials in Hope cemetery.
- Extracts from Isaac Curtis' diary.
- Records of descendants of Jean Mersereau of France.
- Palmer family of Stonington.
- Jonathan Day of Union and Elias B. Day of Newark Valley and
- their descendants.
- Lyme Smiths. Smiths of Milford. [Different from the genealogy printed in the
- New England Register.]
- Moores of Simsbury.
- Footholds — Gates, Osborn, and Smith of Ridgefield.
- Descendants of Widow Ford.
- The holy ones of Lisle.
- Genealogies of Christopher, Crocker, and Mareau families.
- Brockway family. [Has been printed.]
- Descendants of Benjamin and Lois Kellogg Whitney.
- Boston Purchase folk-book.
In addition, envelopes and packages of genealogical notes and letters are found with such endorsements as the following :
- Notes and additions to Stoddard genealogy.
- Waters records.
- Rue and Rewey papers.
- Waldo records.
- Griffing notes.
- Records of Slossen and Westcott.
- Knowlton letters.
- Wood genealogy.
- Notes on the Marshall family.
- Notes relating to the Fuller family.
- And many others.
Finally, there are thousands of letters received by Doctor Patterson during his genealogical work; and the large and miscellaneous assortment of bits and scraps, an assortment made up of odd facts and scattered data whose value it is difficult to estimate. Included in these miscellany are the "pumps," as the Doctor facetiously called them, large sheets of questions by means of which he was wont to secure needed genealogical information.
Already several letters have been received from points as far distant as Chicago asking for information from these manuscripts.
