Existing comment:
John Williams Patterson, scion of Revolutionary War and War of 1812 soldiers, was an engineer. Almira Wendt was an orphan. At the age of 23, they met and fell in love. On March 2, 1859, John Patterson wrote to Almira's uncle requesting permission to marry her.
I love her most devoutly and She returns my love with equal ardor and fervency... I have... received from her the promise of her hand in Marriage. All that now remains to be done is to obtain your consent, approval, and blessing and we shall then be made happy for life. I may not bring her wealth but I trust by the blessing of God that I do bring her a faithful loving heart and willing hands by which I can... make her happy through life.
A month later the couple married and settled in Birmingham, Pennsylvania, near Pittsburgh. Their marriage produced three children: Frederick (b 1860), Agnes (b 1861), and Mary (d 1863). |