MS 1190 - John Vanetton Patterson Papers/Paul Tremewan Collection
MLA Citation
Tags
| Title | MS 1190 - John Vanetton Patterson Papers/Paul Tremewan Collection |
|---|---|
| Subject | Civil War |
| Introduction | The John Venetton Patterson Papers consist of a series of Civil War era letters written by John V. Patterson while serving in the 21st Ohio Volunteer Infantry during the Civil War. The collection spans the period of his service from 1861 to 1865. These letters have been enhanced with research done by the donor, Paul Tremewan, which forms the remainder of the collection. The collection was first donated to the Center for Archival Collections by Paul Tremewan of Murphy, NC on Feb, 5, 2009, with the research files later donated in August 2013 from Mr. Tremewan through the cooperation of Barry McGhan. No restrictions exist on the use of this collection. Duplication is permitted for the purposes of preservation and research. The collection was processed and register prepared by Marilyn Levinson, Curator of Manuscripts in 2013. |
| Biographical Sketch | John Vanetton Patterson served as a Lieutenant during the Civil War with Co.K and Co.C of the 21st Ohio Volunteer Infantry Regiment. Born around 1835 in Milton Township, Mahoning County, Ohio, to Hugh and Ann Vanetton Patterson, John moved to Webster Township, Wood County, Ohio around 1858 where he bought land and married Victoria Celeste Thompson on July 8, 1858. In 1860 he went into partnership with Ira Banks, opening a general store in Pemberville, Ohio. With the start of the Civil War in 1861 Patterson responded to a recruiting appeal from Silas S. Canfield, who was a neighbor of Patterson’s in-laws in Scotch Ridge. Mustering in on September 19, 1861 as a 2nd Lieutenant with Co.K of the 21st Ohio Volunteer Infantry, he was promoted to 1st Lieutenant of Co.C on Dec. 20, 1862. He was captured on September 20, 1863 at the Battle of Chickamauga and was prisoner of war at Libby Prison and other locations until he escaped in November 1864. He was mustered out April 5, 1865 from Goldsboro, NC. After the death of his wife Victoria, probably sometime shortly after the war, he moved to Chillicothe, Missouri where he worked as a stock raiser and livery. He is listed in the 1880 census living in Chillicothe with his two daughters Celia and Florence (in 1870 the two girls were living in Milton, Mahoning County, Ohio with his parents). He remarried in Chillicothe on July 23, 1885 to Adaline McHolland. He was killed in an incident with a runaway horse on Sept.1, 1889. Paul Tremewan was born in Flint, Michigan on September 9, 1941 and lived in Flint and the Flint area until he retired in 1996. He then moved, first to Florida, and later to North Carolina. He now lives back in Michigan. He attended Flint schools, graduating from Central High School in 1959. He then attended Flint Junior College and the Flint University of Michigan, graduating in 1963 with a BA in education. He became a social studies teacher at Whittier Jr. High (his own junior high) in the Flint District that same year. He obtained a Master’s degree in education from Eastern Michigan University in 1976 and became a staff specialist in reading for the Flint Schools that same year, a position he held until 1994 when he returned to teaching, again at Whittier. His interest in history led him to purchase the John Patterson Letters from his sister-in-law in the mid-1980s, after she discovered them in the window seat of a Flint house where she lived. Those letters set him on a course of study and research into the Civil War and Patterson’s life – including Civil War re-enacting – that led to the publication of his book about John Patterson and the 21st Ohio “As Near Hell As I Ever Expect to be …” published by Xlibris Corporation in 2011. |
| Scope and Content | The collection of letters written by Lieut. John V. Patterson consists of forty-two original letters from J. V. Patterson to his wife Victoria, unless otherwise indicated. The letters span the period of his service with Co.K and Co.C of the 21st Ohio Volunteer Infantry between 1861 and early 1865 and include both active duty letters and some written while he was a prisoner of the Confederates. Letters listed in italics are the prison letters. Transcripts of the letters are accessible in the copy of “As near Hell as I ever expect to be”, which Paul Tremewan compiled, annotated, and edited. The letters contain a wealth of information on the 21st Ohio Volunteer Infantry and its men, with frequent references to men in Company K and C. There are also oblique references to information that Victoria wrote to him about the children, his family, and local events. As a representation of events and activities on both the home-front and in the field the letters are a resource for the big picture of the war and also the personal aspects. The letters are greatly enhanced by the research files compiled by Paul Tremewan. The files consist of copies of a variety of background sources related to the individuals who served in Co.K and Co.C of the 21st Ohio Volunteer Infantry. Some of the data may include the soldiers’ service and burial records; pension, veterans, and survivors records; census records [mostly from U.S. Census]; genealogical records; and Paul Tremewan’s handwritten data collection forms. The various files are arranged in separate groups, alphabetically by the individuals in Co.K and Co.C, other files on individuals mentioned in the correspondence, and two pension files for Sidney Patterson (J.V. Patterson’s brother) and Aaron Thompson (J.V. Patterson’s father-in-law), both of whom served in Company K as privates under John V. Patterson’s command. Included with the collection is an early draft of “As near Hell as I ever expect to be”, the later published version, and a copy of the 1893 regimental history of the 21st Ohio Volunteer Infantry written by Silas. S. Canfield. |
| Series Description | CORRESPONDENCE JOHN VANETTON PATTERSON CORRESPONDENCE SUBJECT FILES INDIVIDUAL INFORMATION – CO. K INDIVIDUAL INFORMATION – CO. C INDIVIDUAL INFORMATION – MISCELLANEOUS INDIVIDUAL INFORMATION – FAMILY MEMBERS PENSION FILES GENERAL TOPICAL FILES - COMPANY K GENERAL TOPICAL FILES - COMPANY C LITERARY PRODUCTIONS “AS NEAR HELL AS I EVER EXPECT TO BE” PRINTED MATERIALS BOOK - “AS NEAR HELL AS I EVER EXPECT TO BE” |
| Inventory | Box 1 - John V. Patterson Letters Folder 1 - 1861
Folder 2 - 1862
Folder 3 - 1863 (letters with italics written while a prisoner)
Folder 4 - 1864-1865
Folder 5
Folder 6
Folder 7
Folder 8
Folder 9
Box 2 - Tremewan Subject files - Individual Soldiers – Co.K Folders
Box 3 - Tremewan Subject files - Individual Soldiers – Co.K Folders
Box 4 - Tremewan Subject files - Individual Soldiers – Co.K Folders
Box 5 - Tremewan Subject files - Individual Soldiers – Co.K Folders
Box 6 - Tremewan Subject files - Individual Soldiers – Co.K Folders
Box 7 - Tremewan Subject files - Individual Soldiers – Co.C Folders
Box 8 - Tremewan Subject files - Individuals Mentioned in Correspondence Folders
Box 9 - Tremewan Subject files - Family Member files Folders
Box 10 - Tremewan Subject files - Topical Company files Folders
Box 11 - Literary Productions/Printed Material Folders
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