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William Patterson
Submitted by Pattie Causey
Please note that there is tape over the
edges of some of the pages of the will book and some sentences are therefore
missing, because they are illegible. Please excuse any mistakes in my
transcription. Where a word or a few words are illegible I have question
marks. Where several words or sentences are illegible I have put
multiple periods.
"Preliminary Introduction to my Will.
Having lived beyond the common period alloted
for man (being now in the seventy fifth year of my age) and having seen much
of the world, it may be gratifying to some & useful to others of my
descendants, to give them some account of myself, as well as to notice some
cursory remarks that have struck me in the course of my life, and I have
therefore thought it not inconsistent or improper to commence this my last
Will & Testament with the following sketch.
My Family were of the Episcopal church, the
established Religion of Ireland, in which I was born & brought up with
great care & attentions and from the religious impressions which I then
received, I am under the guidance of a divine & kind providence indebted
for my future conduct & success in life. my Father was a Farmer in
the Country with a large family, his name was William, my mother's name was
Elizabeth (her maiden name was Peoples), they were both descended from a
mixture of English & Scotch families who had settled in Ireland after the
conquest of that Country. I was born on the first of November old stile
in the year seventeen hundred & fifty two, at the place called Fanat in
the County of Donegall Ireland, and was sent by my family at the early age of
fourteen years to Philadelphia for the prospect of being brought up to
Mercantile pursuits, where I arrived in the month of April 1766 and was placed
in the counting house of a Mr. Samuel Jackson an Irish Merchant who was pretty
extensively concerned in the Shipping business, and who in company with others
of his friends usually built a new Ship or vessel almost every year.
this gave me an early knowledge & attachment to that business, a passion
that has followed me through life, and although? I may be said to have been
fortunate, I would not advise any young friend to engage in or to follow the
shipping business, without great caution & in a limited degree to gain
experience, without which it is impossible to succeed. Commerce in the
Shipping trade is one of the most dangerous pursuits that can possibly be
engaged in. I have known the trade of this Country for upwards of sixty
years & I am persuaded that in that ?? (corner torn) not one in fifty
shipping merchants have succeeded, either in New York, Philadelphia or
Baltimore. this is a lamentable consideration but I believe no less
true. I ?? at Philad'a as far back as the year 1773 & 4 and have
continued very largely in the business ever since with various success.
I have transacted business as a Shipping Merchant under four different
governments, namely the British at Philad'a.before the Revolution, the
Dutch at St. Eustatia, & the French at Martinique both in the early part
of the Revolution, and lastly at Baltimore from the time of my arrival in the
year 1778 to the present time. When the American Revolution commenced in
which I took great Interest it appeared to me that one of the great
difficulties we should experience was the want of Powder & Arms, in
consequence of the great precautions taken by the British government to
prevent their being brought to this Country from other places. this
induced me in the year 1775 to embark all the property I then
possessed in parts of two vessels & their cargoes, destined from Philad'a.
to France for the sole purpose of returning with Powder & arms, and in one
of which I embarked myself, one only of these vessels got safe back to
Philad'a. where she arrived in the month of March 1776 with the cargo
intended, and in a most critical time when it was said that General Washington
then before Boston with the Army had not powder sufficient to fire a salute.
On my way from Europe I slept at the Island of St. Eustatia in the month of
February 1776 and I was persuaded by some of my friends to remain and carry on
business with America, and which I was the more induced to do on account of
the great intercourse that soon took place, affording the Americans the
opportunity of collecting & shipping arms & ammunition & almost
everything necessary for carrying on the war. I remained at St. Eustatia
for about eighteen months & finding that the Dutch government (altho'
perfectly well disposed) was ?? able to protect the Americans & their
trade against the British I thought it most advisable to remove from thence to
Martinique where I continued in business until my return to Baltimore. (Note
1)
Having had some valuable friends &
connexions in Europe & America, I established myself with great advantage
at St. Eustatia & M/que. and I soon made what was then considered
(Page 2 Wm. Patterson) a fortune of about? sixty to eighty thousand Dollars,
but as the trade with America was ?? with great hazard & no insurance
could be effected, I lost by British captures & sea ?? in little more than
a month, nearly one half of what I was then worth. This ?? gave me
considerable concern, and brought me to the determination that if ?? live
to come to America (being then in bad health) that I would certainly ??ize one
half at least of what I might possess, and sport with the other half ??
commerce? as a prudent Gambler would do at games of chance for I did then and
? do consider commerce in the Shipping line as a hazardous & a ?? game.
I arrived in Baltimore from M/que in the month
of July 17 ?? and brought with me in fast sailing vessels, Cash &
Merchandise more than ?? hundred thousand dollars value rated at the
standard value of gold ?? continental ?? money was then the only currency in
circulation (bottom corner torn)..........
............the first thing I thought of after
my arrival was to put my former resolution into practice by investing about
one half the proceeds of my property in real estate. And? this I
accomplished as soon as practicable, and the purchases I then made remain in
my possession to the present day, having made it a rule never to purchase real
property on speculation with a view to sell again, & never but when I had
the money to ?? without running into debt, & by adhering to this rule I
have from time to time increased my purchases of real property as fast as I
made money by commerce, never risking more at any time than one half what I
was worth, considering that were I even to lose that half I had still left a
sufficiency to make myself & my family comfortable & independent.
a merchant possessing a fortune should never put more at risk than one-half
what he is worth, & should he have the misfortune to lose that half (which
is more than probable) he ought to retire immediatly from business, or it is
fifty to one that he will lose the other half & be left a beggar.
Want of this precaution has been the cause of many failures after people had
made fortunes, but unfortunately merchants consider thenselves entitled or
rather disgraced, unless they will trade not only up to their capital but as
far beyond it as they can obtain credit. What better is this than a
Gambler staking his ?? on games of chance & doubling his betts every
time he wins: it is true that chance may? favor him for a time, luck however
(as it is termed by the thoughtless) must change ? is soon broke &
ruined, & such is the fate of Merchants who make use of all their capital
& credit in commerce in the Shipping line, nor have I ever known one to
succeed ? this principle for any length of time.
I am perfectly sensible that had I have placed
my spare money at Interest instead of investing it in real estate that it
would have been much more productive in my own life time. this however
was not my object, because ? life was uncertain & I might have a
young family to take chance in the world, considering myself therefore acting
for my posterity, I have thought it better to have more real Estate than money
or stocks, the two latter being too easy parted with, whilst the former is
more likely to stick by them, & is the last thing that young people think
of selling after everything else is disposed of. ~
In the course of an active & extensive
pursuit in commerce for more than half a century, it now affords me some
pleasure, to believe & to say, that in the course of that ? I have
made the fortunes of some, saved others from ruin, and have found employment
& Bread for thousands of my fellow mortals, and I can further say with
satisfaction, that no one could ever come to me & say, Neighbor, or
friend, you got the advantage of me. I was uninformed of the late news
& the rise of the market, nor could any one ? say to me, you acted
unfriendly or ungenerously by me, first in taking advantage ? necessities
by resisting me for the moment & afterward in obtaining my property at
a..............
.............In order to get through the world
with ease & satisfaction in large concerns, It is not only necessary to be
always just but often generous, nor is there any thing lost by this when it is
considered, that those who act on this principle will generally have a
prefernce in all their dealings with others. ~
In early life at Philad'a. I experienced
considerable inconvenience in not being able ti find young people suitable for
companions. they were almost all more or less tainted with folly or vice
and did not seem to suit my turn of mind. this obliged me to associate
with people much older than myself, & to take to the study of Books to
fill up my time, both of which I found of great advantage as it led to warm
friendships that lasted through life without a single exception. at this
time I applied myself pretty much to the study of natural Philosophy for which
I had a great propensity, & had I then possessed an independence of two
thousand dollars a year, Neptune should never have sported with my fortune
& feelings in future life. ~
On my arrival in the West Indies in the year
1776 it opened quite a new scene to me for which I was little qualified, for I
had previously lived all my life among religious people of correct principles,
and it was quite the contrary with most of my new acquaintances &
those I had to transact business with. no one came there to settle for
life, all were in quest of fortune to retire & spend it elsewhere,
character was little thought of, of course it required the utmost
circumspection & caution to steer clear of difficulties, a kind
superintending providence in this as in many other concerns of my life
enabled me however to surmount every difficulty young & inexperienced as I
then was.
(Note 2)
I have never sought for Offices of Honor or
profit, when I have in any way acted in a public capacity. it was from a
sense of duty which I could not well avoid, for I considered that every
good Citizen should contribute more or less for the good of Society when he
can do it without too much ? inconvenience to himself. I always
considered it a duty to my family to keep ? as much as possible under my
own eye so that I have seldom in my life left home either on business or
pleasure since I had a family. my great desire to keep my sons in view
induced me to pass them all (seven in number) through my own Counting house,
this was a kind of useful finish to their education as it gave them a
knowledge of accounts & business, & qualified them ? future life
be their pursuits what it might, and ever since ? it has been an
invariable rule with me to be the............ see that the fires & lights
were secured before I retired..........I found two advantages. one was
that there was little.........under my own roof, and the other that it induced
my family to keep regular hours. ~
(Wm. Patterson Page 3)
I inherited nothing of any consequence from my
forefathers, nor have I benefited any thing from public favors or
appointments. what I possess is solely the fruits of my own Industry
& labour, and what I shall leave my descendants ought to satisfy ? in
a Country & under a government like ours, where industry, frugality &
merit are the only sure and certain road to respect & consequence.
I think it was Doctor Franklin who observed,
that he would have no objection ? live his life over again provided it
was so ordered. in this I cannot altogether agree with the Doctor,
my life has been attended with too much care & anxiety, and had ?option, I
cannot say that I would desire it, yet if I had my life to live over again, I
am not conscious that I could improve it in any particular or at any period. ~
I have thought it necessary to say thus much
for the benefit of my descendants, and by way of justification for the
contents of my following Will, wherein it may be considered by some that I
have been rather liberal in the Legacies & bequests I shall make,
otherwise than to my family & connexions.
________________________________________________________
In the name of God, Amen!
I William Patterson of the City of Baltimore
& State of Maryland, Merchant, being of sound & disposing mind memory
& understanding, praised be Almighty God for the same, do hereby make
ordain & publish this as my Last Will & Testament in manner & form
following, vizt.
I do will & direct that my Executors herein
after named, cause my body to be buried in ? family burying ground at my cold
Strem place, opposite the centre of the middle wall that leads up from the
gate or entrance, and that they cause to be erected over the grave, a small
marble monument with four or six sides, for the purpose of engraving thereon
my name & age, the name & age of my dear departed wife Dorcas and the
names & ages of all our dear children who may have departed this life
before ?.
In addition to the two squares of ground lately
conveyed by me to the Mayor & City Council of Baltimore on Hamstead Hill
for a public walk? I do hereby Will & devise to the ? Mayor &
City Council of Baltimore & to their successors in office for the
time being ? hundred & fifty shares of my United States Bank Stock in
trust, for the purpose herein after mentioned, first for erecting a temple of
Liberty on the two squares above mentioned, also two monuments, one to the
memory of Christopher Columbus who found the way to this Western World, and
the other to the memory of the ? Marquis (now General) La Fayette,
who risked his life & sacrificed his fortune..........through his means
& interest that France joined & continued with us in the Revolutionary
War and that without their aid & assistance at the time we could not
otherwise have obtained our Independence when we did, but as the value of
those 150 shares of United States Bank Stock must fall greatly short of the
objects I have in view of erecting a temple of Liberty & the two monuments
above mentioned, I must here earnestly request & recommend of the trustees
of this fund for the time being, that the said 150 shares of U.S. Bank Stock,
or the value, or the proceeds thereof, be kept & continued at interest,
together with the dividends & interest that may be received from time to
time, until the principal & interest shall so accumulate as to reach &
produce the sum of half a million of dollars, (which if well managed will take
place in about sixty years after my death) after which that the Interest only
of this sum shall be made use of & expended annually, first in the erction
of the temple of Liberty, & when completed, then in the erection of the
two monuments in the order above mentioned, and after the completion of the
Temple of Liberty & the two monuments from the annual Interest of the
above fund of $500,000, it is then my wish & desire that the annual
Interest of the said fund of $500,000 be employed in preserving the navigation
of the Harbour of Baltimore yearly & every year without breaking in upon
or touching on the principal so long as the fund shall exist, or in case the
Interest may not be required for the preservation of the navigastion, then it
may be employed to any other useful purpose of public improvement, at the
discretion of the Mayor & City Council for the time being, and it is
further my request & desire, that the trustees for the said fund for the
time being, shall at the expiration of two years after my decease, cause a
gold medal of the value of one hundred Dollars to be provided and given to the
author of the best piece Essay or production on, Liberty, not exceeding one
hundred lines in either prose or verse by a native American, and that the like
reward be given for the same purpose at the end of every fifth year thereafter
during the existence of the fund.
3d. I give & devise to Nancy
Patterson Widow of my son William, in case she should survive me, an annuity
of five hundred dollars a year to be paid her by my Executors yearly &
every year during her natural life, likewise to Miss Nancy Spear on like
conditions an annuity of one hundred dollars a year, but on this express
condition that she shall never after my death attend any of the sessions of
Congress at Washington or elsewhere, for this annuity is solely intended to
provide against the calls & infirmities of old age, & not for the
gratification of folly or ambition, likewise to Sarah Wheeler my present house
keeper provided she remains in my service till my death, an annuity of fifty
Dollars a year during her natural life. Madam Volenbrune who lives in
one of my Houses in Harrison Street paid her rent regularly for many years,
but from a change in her circumstances is now owing rent for several years
past. It is my Will & desire that she shall not be called on or
troubled for the rent she owes or may owe & that she shall be suffered to
remain in the said House rent free during her natural life for ? able, I
have no doubts but she will pay all she owes or and .has occupied a house of
mine behind that of .
4th. The Charitable Marine Society of the
City of Baltimore being one of the best & most meritorius Institutions
that I know of, and I cannot but here regret that so many of our wealthy
Citizens who have departed this life (Page 4 Wm. Patterson) already have
omitted or neglected to make any provision for this very useful Institution, I
do therefore hereby give & devise to the said Charitable Marine Society of
the City of Baltimore thirty (say 30) shares of my United States Bank Stock or
the value thereof as provided for hereafter in the following fifth clause of
my Will. ~
5th. I give & devise to the following
persons, or to such of them as may survive me, the following shares of my
United States Bank Stock vizt. to my grand son William, son od William twenty
(20) shares, to my grandson Jerome Napolean twenty (20) shares, to my son
Joseph's three children, William, Charlotte & Joseph, each ten (10)
shares, and to my Son Edward's three children, Margaret, Laura, & Edward,
each ten (10) shares, and to Mrs. Providence Garvin (wife of John Garvin Esqr,
of Gettisburg) ten (10) shares, and it is my will & desire that any monies
borrowed or that may hereafter be borrowed on a pledge of all or of any part
of my United States Bank Stock shares be paid off & discharged out of some
other part or parts of my personal Estate, or at all events so, that the
shares now devised to the several Institutions & individuals shall be left
clear & free & unincumbered, so that they may be transferred to the
several parties without unnecessary delay or difficulty, but should it so
happen from any cause whatever, that the said shares of Stock here devised,
cannot be made over & transferred to the several parties here intend, then
& in that case, I will & devise that each & every of them shall
receive out of my other personal Estate, or Leasehold property a sum in money
at the rate of one hundred Dollars a share for each & every share here
intended for each & every of them the said parties. But I do not
mean or intend that my real Estate shall be bound or liable in any respect for
the whole or for any part of the Legacies mentioned in this my last Will &
Testament.
6th. I give & devise to my two sons
Joseph & Edward in trust for the use & benefit of Matilda? Summers
(Daughter of Mrs. Providence Summers, now the wife of John Garvin Esqr.
of Gettisburg Pennsylvania) born at Lancaster in Pennsylvania in the month of
March 1817, first the lower brick slated Store & Lot on the west side of
Commerce street lately purchased from the City Bank , Second the store &
Lot on the east side of South Street purchased of General John Stricker.
(to be continued)
__________________________
Note 1? (on side of first page)
Hylegar? at the second and the
Marquis de Buttie at the latter, they are all since dead, but to their
memories to observe, that they one & all contributed great; in promoting
the Interest of America in affording every facility in their power to the
Americans who lived under their Governments. Governor de Graff
in particular was called home to Holland to answer for the partiality shown
the American."
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