History of Oakland County Michigan a narrative account of its historic progress, its people, its principal interests / compiled from the official records of the county, the newspapers and data of personal interviews, under the editorial supervision of Thaddeus D. Seeley.

HISTORY OF OAKLAND COUNTY

141

county, New York, in 1836. He is a son of James and Eliza (Patten)
Patterson, both of whom were born in the Peach Bottom valley of the
Susquehanna river, York county, of Revolutionary parentage, and the
father of this sketch was a veteran of the War of 1812. He moved
from York county, Pennsylvania, to Canandaigua, New York, early in
life, later locating in Monroe county, New York. In I839 he became
one of the great number of New Yorkers who moved to Michigan, and
he made a home in Holly township, Oakland county, to which he brought
his family in 1845. Nine children were born to them, five sons and
four daughters, all of whom are now deceased except the subject of
this sketch.
Judge Patterson was about ten years old when he came with his
father and other members of the family to Holly, and he immediately
began attendance at the district school of the town. He recalls today
his first teacher there,-one David A. Eliot, the school being known as
the Patterson district school. lie attended Clarkson Academy and the
Collegiate Institute at Bridgeport, New York, a full term, the school
being now in the state normal class. Soon after his graduation he
returned from New York to Michigan, and then continued the study of
law. In 1863 he was admitted to the bar at Pontiac, and has the distinction of being the oldest member of the Oakland county bar. In
addition to his law practice, Judge Patterson served for seventeen years
as supervisor from Holly township, and for nine years was chairman
of the board of supervisors. In I884 he was elected judge of the probate court, which position he filled with honor and credit for a period
of sixteen years. In I866 the law firm of Patterson & Patterson came
into life, and was composed of Judge Patterson and his nephew, James
K. Patterson, the latter serving as prosecuting attorney of Oakland
county from I874 to I879. The name of the firm is still retained, however, and the offices of the firm are maintained at Pontiac, John H.
Patterson, his son, and Samuel J. Patterson, his grand-nephew, are now
the active members of the firm. It was during Judge Patterson's term
as supervisor of Holly township that so large a contingent was sent to
swell the Union ranks, that township as such having the record for
furnishing the largest number of any township in the county.
In I856 Judge Patterson married Eunice A. Hadley, a member of
one of the oldest families in the county. She was born in Rose township, Oakland county, in I840, and died at Holly on August 5, I902.
She was the daughter of John and Eunice Hadley. Four children were
born of this union, three sons and a daughter: John H., Stuard D., and
William F., who resides on the home farm adjacent to Holly village.
Marion E. died in October, I896, in her twentieth year.
In I904, on June 30th, Mr. Patterson again united in marriage to
Miss Alice I. Allen, daughter of Ira and Emily Eliot Allen of Holly,
both her father and mother being among the very first actual settlers
in Holly township. Mrs. Patterson's father was a son of Jonathan T.
Allen, long a resident of Holly, having located several sub-divisions of
land on section 35 in Holly in I835. On one sub-division of eighty
acres, the father of Mrs. Patterson lived continuously since 1835, until