This is the second post on the 7th generation of my family tree. Counting myself as Generation 1, the 7th generation is my 4X Great Grandparents. Thomas Patterson and Elizabeth Wells are the parents of my 3X Great Grandmother Lucina Patterson who is the mother of my 2X Great Grandfather Glenn Pocock, and Glen is the father of my Great Grandmother Blanche Pocock who married Ben Mauser.
I’ve spoken with several other family members and we all find that researching this particular Patterson family branch is always fun. I’m not sure if it’s because they left so many good records, had such varied experiences in their lives, or what it is, but they are always a fun family to do research on.
Thomas surveyed the town of Magnolia, IL in 1836. This is the oldest settlement in Putnam County, and the Black Hawk wars of the area just ended in 1832. From there the family went to Rock Bluff, Nebraska just after the Nebraska Territory opened in 1855. Rock Bluff is no longer a town and Plattsmouth, NE has grown up where Rock Bluff was.
This family left their Bible record with the Cass County Historical Society, so we have records of all the births and deaths in the family. Their youngest son Fred Patterson was murdered in Rock Bluffs in 1931 for the statement that he knew who had committed an earlier murder in the town. I’ll include the newspaper story in the images below for anyone interested.
It always breaks my heart to read the accounts in the family Bible of all the babies who died so young. The 1830s – 1850’s were a hard time to have babies when you were living outside of settled areas.
Enjoy the photos and details of the lives of these pioneers who are recognized with the Nebraska Genealogical Society as “First Families of Nebraska”. I have several other documents on this family, so if you’re interested just ask
Clicking on a photo will open the gallery. In the gallery there is an option to “view full size” after selecting that you can click on a photo to zoom in and better read some of the newspaper stories. The caption on each should provide details on what you are reading
Cory and Nicole Family History 