Family lore says William was on the Trail of Tears at a young age from Tennessee with his parents (names unknown) who did not survive the journey. In the family, his spouse is referred to as “his French wife, Sara”.From Oklahoma he went to Missouri with his son, George Washington Patterson and a daughter who expired on the journey. George Washington Patterson is rumored to have attended school in Bernie Missouri (this is unsubstantiated).George Washington Patterson married Cora Crawford and they lived in Missouri. George Washington Patterson (1862-1936) is interred in Bernie, Stoddard County Missouri. Many of William’s ancestors migrated to Michigan primarily during the Great Depression to find work. I am trying to substantiate if William Patterson was on the Trail of Tears for my daughter who is very interested in claiming her Cherokee heritage. Any assistance would be greatly appreciated.
Regions: Missouri, Michigan, Oklahoma, Texas,Tennessee
I would like to know too. I share 9 cM with a descendant of your George Washington Patterson. I believe William’s parents were not on the trail. They went to Illinois. William was probably a brother of my 3rd great-grandfather, Mansfield Patterson. He falsely stated in census records that he and his mother were born in Kentucky, they were born in Rhea County, Tennessee. His parents were John Patterson from Ireland, and Elizabeth Fields. Her father John was 1/8th Cherokee, and her mother, Elizabeth, was 3/4th Cherokee, daughter of 1/2 Cherokee Kate Parris.