Tucker County, West Virginia Biography of WILLIAM E. PATTERSON This biography was submitted by Valerie Crook, E-mail address: The submitter does not have a connection to the subject of this sketch. This file may be freely copied by individuals and non-profit organizations for their private use. All other rights reserved. Any other use, including publication, storage in a retrieval system, or transmission by electronic, mechanical, or other means requires the written approval of the file's author. This file is part of the WVGenWeb Archives. If you arrived here inside a frame or from a link from somewhere else, our front door is at http://www.usgwarchives.org/wv/wvfiles.htm The History of West Virginia, Old and New Published 1923, The American Historical Society, Inc., Chicago and New York, Volume III, pg. 583-584 WILLIAM E. PATTERSON, who served five years as post- master of Davis, came to that lumber center thirty years ago, was in the service of two of the leading milling com- panies that worked up the timber resources of this region, and is still in business and an influential factor in the mod- ern life of the community. Mr. Patterson was born on Little Capon, Gore District, Hampshire County, West Virginia, July 4, 1871. His fa- ther Silas B. Patterson, was born in the same county and in the same locality in April, 1832. He was the son of Silas, who came from Pennsylvania, but he never saw his father, being reared by his widowed mother, who had two sons and two daughters. She was of Irish birth. These children were: James, who spent his life as a fanner in Gore District of Hampshire County; Johanna, who mar- ried Silas Stanholtzer and spent her life in the old commu- nity; Catherine, who married Silas Burkett and moved to Elmwood, Illinois; and Silas Barton. Silas Barton Patter- son was a Confederate soldier during the Civil war. He went into the army practically at the beginning of the war, served in General Imboden's command in West Virginia and Virginia, and was also under the command of Stone- wall Jackson. While fighting in the Valley of Virginia he received a slight wound in the leg, but that did not keep him away from active duty. Finally he was captured and confined in the military prison at Fort Delaware until ex- changed just before the war ended when he returned home. In his private life he was a man of great industry, and always employed his time usefully at something. He oper- ated a small farm in Hampshire County, and lived there until his death in 1897. He was a democrat and a member of the Baptist Church. His wife was Martha Alkire, old- est of the children born to the marriage of her father, Peter Alkire, to Miss Howard. She was born in Hamp- shire County in May, 1842, and died in 1915, near the old home where her life had been spent. Her children were: Alcinda, Mrs. Jasper N. Carter, of Mineral County, West Virginia; Sallie, wife of A. N. Pownall, of Hampshire County; Ida, wife of Rev. H. H. Pownall, of Cedar Grove, West Virginia; Alberta, Mrs. R. F. Sanders, of Hampshire County; Nannie, wife of William Peters, of that county; William E.; Charles A., who enlisted in the regular army in 1904, is still in the service with the rank of first lieu- tenant, and during the World war was assigned to duty in training troops at Camp Grant and Camp Pike; Emma, Mrs. Pearl Strohsnier, of Preston County; Otie, wife of E. N. Patterson, of Elkins; Ellis H., who married Gertie San- ders and lives in Pennsylvania; and Lester Virginia, a resi- dent of Fairmont. The boyhood and early manhood of William Patterson were spent on the old farm in Hampshire County. He acquired a common school education, and qualified himself to teach, beginning work in the school room as a teacher at the age of seventeen. He followed this vocation for three years, and soon afterward left the old home vicinity and came to Davis, Tucker County. Davis was then a mining camp without any municipal improvements, but a large population was gathered here employed in the mills and in the timber. Mr. Patterson's first employment was in the saw-mill of the Blackwater Lumber Company. When that mill was burned he went with the Beaver Creek Lumber Company, with which he spent several years, the greater part of the time as a lum- ber inspector. Subsequently he rejoined the Babcock Lum- ber Company, successors of the Blackwater Company, and was on duty with that corporation as lumber inspector dur- ing summer seasons until he took charge of the post office. He became postmaster in July, 1916, as successor of J. E. Houston, and his service continued until January 1, 1922. He was appointed postmaster without a contest. Upon civil service examination under the ruling of the re- publican administration he headed the list for appointment, but political influence turned the office to a republican. Mr. Patterson was elected city recorder of Davis thirteen times, served one term as member of the Board of Educa- tion of Davis District, and twice was appointed secretary of the Board of Education. In January, 1922, he was elected mayor without opposition, and as successor of John Raese. As mayor, outside of the routine administra- tion, his chief function has been to handle the strike situa- tion so far as it affected the town of Davis. Mr. Patter- son was reared in a democratic household, cast his first vote for Grover Cleveland, and in old convention days at- tended local conventions and was a delegate to the state convention at Parkersburg and that of Charleston. He was a spectator at the national convention in Baltimore where Woodrow Wilson was first nominated for president. At Romney, West Virginia, July 5, 1892, Mr. Patterson married Miss Bettie Montgomery, daughter of William and Caroline (Alkire) Montgomery. Her father was born in Allegany County, Maryland, spent his early life as a fanner and then became a shoemaker. He was a Confederate sol- dier in Company A of the Thirty-third Virginia Regiment, and served four years, two months and thirteen days in behalf of the lost cause. William Montgomery died in Hampshire County, West Virginia, June 6, 1821, at the age of eighty-three. His wife when he married her was a widow, Caroline (Alkire) Bryan. She was a native of Hampshire County, daughter of John Alkire, a farmer and old resi- dent of that section. She died in 1912, at the age of eighty-five. The only child of William Montgomery and wife is Mrs. Patterson, who was born August 22, 1872. Her mother's children by her marriage to Mr. Bryan are: James Bryan, of Luke, Maryland; Flora, wife of William Patterson, of Springfield, West Virginia; Doctor Lannas Bryan, of Springfield; and John Bryan, of Masonic, Cali- fornia. Ruth, oldest of the children of William Patterson and wife, is the wife of William Miller, of Davis, and they have two children, Billie and Caroline. The two sons of the family are Barton M., a mechanic at Davis, and Carl W., an automobile mechanic in the same town. Barton M., who married Alda Olson and has a daughter, Bettie, was a volunteer at the time of the World war and served as an instructor in the Students' Army Training Corps at Rich- mond. Mr. and Mrs. Patterson are active members of the Pres- byterian Church at Davis. He is a past noble grand of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, a past representative to the Grand Lodge, and is a past worthy president and past representative of the fraternal Order of Eagles. He is a stockholder of the National Bank of Davis, and since leaving the post office he has been in the service of the Davis Coal and Coke Company.