Books Published by Wes Patterson
Wes began publishing books in 2022 where he served as the editor of the Newfound Baptist Church Minutes 1802-1865. Wes’ ancestors attended this church during the early years of 1802-1815 and his family members were named numerous times during those years. This church was (and still is) located in Leicester, NC in Buncombe Co.
Starting in 2024, Wes began publishing books on his family ancestors under the series heading of Butterfly Biographies. The first two volumes of that series were released in 2024. The first featured John Patterson and the second focused on Elijah Chastain. Both men were 4xG-Grandfathers of Wes Patterson.
Butterfly Biographies Series
What is a Butterfly Biography? To answer that I’ll have to tell a quick story.
During the month of August 2015 I frequently sat at my breakfast table looking out the French doors at the large butterfly bush some 20 feet away on the bank beyond the patio. It was the second summer since we had planted the bush, but it was the first summer it had bloomed in such grandeur. And the butterflies came in droves that month! We had never seen butterflies like that at our house in the 10 years we’d lived there. My dad (Frank Patterson) had just died on 31 July 2015. It was a difficult time as I had never experienced that type of loss. Throughout those weeks I was reminded of the reality that butterflies symbolize the journey we are on. We live our lives, then we are changed. Simply put – we die. We are transformed from this life, this body, into a new life, a new body. Figuratively speaking, the caterpillar likewise lives its life, then “dies” as it enters its cocoon – its “grave”. It is then transformed into a new body, a new life, as a butterfly. We see the butterfly in its brilliant colors, and its graceful flight. They put a smile on your face. They attract the attention of children and other enthusiasts.
As I write these biographies, my thoughts settle on key people, and key events in their lives – the highlights, per se. We see the bright color of their lives – whether positive or negative in some cases – and we gracefully move from one memory to another. We’re no longer able to see the person living among us, but we can see the colorful glimpses of their lives in stories that are told or written, or in pictures that may have been taken at various times in their lives. The memories of them are like butterflies in a sense. My desire is to provide a simple biography of these men and women, and to memorialize their colorful memories. I’d like to think of this biography as their “butterfly”. My wish is to put a smile on your face, and to attract the attention of people – especially younger generations – who want to learn more about these people.
vol. I
John Patterson of Jenkins Branch, Buncombe Co, NC
✓ 405 pages
✓ Fully indexed
✓ Charts, Maps, QR Codes
John Patterson was my 4xG-Grandfather. He was born circa 1762/3 in what is now York Co, SC along Clarks Fork of Bullocks Creek, just south of the North Carolina state line and also just south of the Kings Mountain State Park and Kings Mountain Military Park. John married Margaret (Peggy) Black circa 1786/8, presumably in York Co, SC. They later moved to Buncombe Co, NC along Jenkins Branch just south of the modern town of Alexander. This is about 8 miles or so NW of Asheville, NC. They later moved to Iron Duff, Haywood Co, NC, followed by Patterson Gap, Rabun Co, GA, and then finally Lower Young Cane, Union Co, GA. John Patterson died there in the 1840’s, and Peggy died there in the 1850’s.
vol. II
Elijah Chastain of Caney Fork, Haywood Co, NC
✓ 422 pages
✓ Fully indexed
✓ Charts, Maps, QR Codes
Elijah Chastain was my 4xG-Grandfather. He was born on 25 Mar 1776 in what is now Buckingham Co, VA. Elijah Chastain died on 08 Mar 1853 in Gilmer Co, GA. He had at least 23 children by three wives – Hannah Adams, Anna Middleton, and Catherine (Kathy) Carson. In the book I will show as many details as I’ve gathered on these 23 children, 20 of whom married and had their own children. The numbers I documented from my exhaustive research and have included in the book are:
- 23 Children
- 168+ Grandchildren
- 806+ Great-Grandchildren
There were also at least 91 descendants or husbands of descendants of Elijah Chastain who served in the Civil War. Details regarding them are also included.
I do not know of any other published work that has covered all three of Elijah’s families. Some have focused one or the other, or perhaps two of them, but not all three.
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Also written by Wes Patterson
Wes has also contributed to published works in other ways, as well.
In 2022 a book was published with Wes as the editor regarding the monthly minutes of Newfound Baptist Church in Leicester, Buncombe Co, NC.
In 2019 Wes provided a chapter with historical documentation for a book that was being written by another person, Debbie McCann. Her book was focusing on the old Bowman Gray Jr. family home and farm located on Brookberry Farm in Winston-Salem, Forsyth Co, NC. Wes’ chapter to be included in the back of the book was titled “The Origin of Modern Settlement on and Around Brookberry Farm: 1748“. As of 2025, this book has not yet been published.
In 2003 Wes wrote an article that was published in The Virginia Genealogist quarterly publication by John Frederick Dorman. The article was titled “Elizabeth Patterson, First Wife of ‘Old Jeremiah’ Harrison, from Sussex County, Delaware to Linville Creek, Augusta County, Virginia“.
See below for more details.
Newfound Baptist Church Minutes 1802-1865
✓ 149 pages
✓ Partially indexed
The book on Newfound Baptist Church Minutes 1802-1865 is available for purchase and is a great resource for various families from Buncombe Co, NC in the early 1800’s. Some of the families recorded in these minutes include Abel, Addington, Ball, Black, Brookshire, Cole, Duncan, Freeman, Goldman, Grantham, Gudger, Gunter, Harrison, Huckaby, Ingram, Kelly, Longmire, Macombe, Miles, Miller, Morrow, Mullins, Patterson, Plemmons, Ponder, Roberts, Sams, Sandlin, Snelson, Webb, Wever, Wilson, Wood, Woodfin, Worth and many others.
The Origin of Modern Settlement on and Around Brookberry Farm: 1748
✓ 12 pages
✓ Maps
The earliest known records for white settlers moving into the Brookberry Farm area were from the late 1740’s. Many families began moving into the Yadkin Valley from the Virginia and Pennsylvania frontier during the 1750’s, but some began speculating in land here as early as 1748.
This chapter was not meant to be a treatise on these families. However, a brief glimpse was taken at some of the families who had an early impact on the area just west of Muddy Creek and on the east side of the Yadkin River – specifically where the modern-day Brookberry Farm is located in Winston-Salem, NC.
Elizabeth Patterson, First Wife of ‘Old Jeremiah’ Harrison, from Sussex County, Delaware to Linville Creek, Augusta County, Virginia
✓ 13 pages
✓ Pictures
From this original version [of the 1744 Will of Margaret Addams], it is evident that the third signer was NOT Esther Harrison, but her mother, Elizabeth Harrison. Elizabeth was the daughter of Margaret Addams, thus she could be included in the “we, the children of …” statement. Furthermore, Daniel Love would have known what his sister-in-law’s name was. This single document is the only existing proof this writer knows of which shows that Elizabeth, the daughter of Margaret Adams, was in fact the mother of Esther Harrison. It also means Elizabeth was the first wife of Jeremiah Harrison – not Catherine.