William Patterson came to New Brunswick as a single young man on the Brig Cornelius of Sunderland in 1837, with the first settlers of Harvey.    He formally commenced settlement of Land Grant Lot #9 second tier (South), 98 acres, in Harvey Settlement in 1841, receiving formal title to the land in 1851 when he received his deed along with many other of the Harvey Settlers.

He was married to Sarah Ann Jane Dibblee on 28 Mar 1842 in Fredericton. By Reverend Daniel McCurdy (Presbyterian) 

   

From Weekly Chronicle, Saint John, 8 Apr 1842:   "Married Fredericton, York Co., by Rev. D. McCurdy, Wednesday, William Patterson, Harvey and Miss Sarah Ann Jane Dibblee, Fredericton parish."

   

PANB #F15551, p. 189:   "William Patterson of the Parish of Kingsclear and Sarah Anne Jane Dibble of the Parish of Fredericton were married by Banns being of age this Thirteenth day of March one thousand eight hundred and forty two by me   -- Danl McCurdy, Minister.  

   

This marriage was solomnized between us:   William Patterson, Sarah Anne Jane Dibble

 

In the presence of Isabella Johnston, John Johnston, William Robison."

   

They had the following children:

2 i. William George Patterson
3 ii. James Wesley "Jim" Patterson
4 iii. Margaret Isabel "Belle" Patterson
5 iv. Alexander Robert Patterson

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According to the 1844 agricultural return by L.A. Wilmot, Commissioner for Harvey Settlement (p. xciv) in 1843 William Patterson had 10 acres in crop, 4 acres of new land prepared for crop the next year, 6 acres of meadow, 1 acre in pasture for a total of 21 acres of improved land. During the 1843 season he produced 5 tons of hay, 3 tons of straw, 330 bushels of potatoes, 16 bushels of wheat, 100 bushels of oats, and 15 bushels of barley and buckwheat. He had 2 cows and 3 calves, 1 horse, 4 swine. He had a house, barn and two other out buildings. The total value of his land and improvements was estimated at £120, although Commissioner Wilmot notes that as these estimates “is exclusive of the Buildings,... no Settler would part with his Lot at the stated value.” These returns compare very favorably with the agricultural production of settlers who had taken up their farms as much as 5 years earlier. This suggests that although William Patterson only took up formal occupation of his farm in 1842 he obviously was working his eventual grant at least part time prior to moving to Harvey with his new wife. With the long commute through the woods it would have taken a lot of effort to prepare this much land. Perhaps he boarded with friends in the community for months at a time in the years between 1838 and 1842 to get his land ready for occupation. Some settlers (e.g. William Grieve - see Johnstone 1851) took advantage of higher wages earned elsewhere to hire men within Harvey Settlement to clear land for them when they were not in residence. William Patterson may also have made a similar arrangement to have had so much land cleared and in crop, not to mention a house, barn, and outbuildings, within a year of obtaining his grant.

   

The 1851 Census indicate that both William and Sarah Ann are "Scotch" and came to N.B. in 1837, and were farmers.   In 1851 they had four children, all born in New Brunswick.    Sarah Ann was actually a New Brunswick native and most likely a descendant of one of two Dibblee brothers Frederick or more likely Fyler, United Empire Loyalists who came to the province from Connecticut in 1783.

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Sarah died in 1855 of unknown causes when she was only 35 leaving William to care for their young family. She is buried in the Harvey Settlement Cemetery. Date of death was determined from an entry in a Patterson family bible (Beryl Johnston, April 1990) and from the inscription on a heavily damaged gravestone in Harvey Settler Cemetery, which reads “In memory of Sarah A.J. wife of William Patterson, died 8th Nov 1855 (rest broken off). In 1998 the pieces of the broken stone were placed in a bed of marble chips.