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General Patton was made a Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath so normally there would be a stall plate and a banner of his arms in the chapel of that order (the Henry VII chapel in Westminster Abbey). However given that he died so soon after the end of the war it’s unlikely that he got a grant of arms (even if he had been so inclined - Eisenhower had the Bath in the same rank and didn’t bother with arms until the Danes politely insisted). It might be worth writing to the Registrar of the Order. I’m afraid I don’t have a current name and address but the Central Chancery of the Orders of Knighthood at St James’s Palace in London would be a good starting place.
I don’t know the General’s origins but the Patons in Scotland pronounce the name in the same manner (the spelling has varied being found as Paton, Patoun and Patton). The main family, the Patons of Grandhome near Aberdeen, bear
Azure three crescents Argent
James
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The information about Patton’s origins contains information that make me think that he might well have had some connections into NE Scotland since that part of Scotland was (and is) one of the main strongholds of native Episcopalianism. I’m not sure if the Patons of Grandhome are Episcopalian or not. I will have to do more work on them.
A quick search through the IGI this morning seemed to suggest (it was all patron submissions - about which genealogists are always wary when someone famous is involved) that he was from a family that moved to Virginia from Scotland
George Smith Patton Jr (1885-1945)
son of George Smith Patton & Ruth Wilson
George Smith Patton (1856-1927) = Ruth Wilson
son of George Smith Patton & Susan Glassell
George Smith Patton (1833-1864) = Susan Glassell
son of John Mercer Patton & Margaret Williams
John Mercer Patton (1797-) = Margaret Williams
son of Robert William Patton & Anna Mercer
Robert William Patton (c1771-) = Anna Gordon Mercer
Robert is said to have been born in Scotland and there are a number of IGI submissions for a Robert William Patton locating the birth in Kinellar in Aberdeenshire.
All the above may need to be taken with a pinch of salt, but it is interesting to note that General Hugh Mercer (Anna Mercer’s father) and his wife both came from Aberdeenshire so there could have been connections in Scotland that gave Robert Patton entrance into Virginia society.
James
*edited by member*
Except that a biography on line at http://www.pattonhq.com/unknown/chap01.html says
Quote:
The Patton family origins have been traced to Scotland in the 18th century. They go back to a mysterious event that forced a young man to flee his native town of Aberdeen, Scotland, making his way to Fredericksburg, Virginia during the Revolutionary turmoil of the 1770’s. The young man’s real name was wiped from the records upon his departure from Scotland. He probably had reason to obscure it to prevent the authorities from tracking him down in the New World. He traveled under the assumed name of "Robert Patton". He became rich and respectable in the Colonies and married Anna Gordon Mercer, the only daughter of Dr. Hugh Mercer, a physician who served as an Army Surgeon with Colonel George Washington in the Braddock Expedition against Fort Duquesne in 1756.
So it may well be that the Virginia Pattons, while Scottish, were not related to the Scottish Pattons at all.
Also, as to Anglican vs. Presbyterian: Hugh Mercer himself was the son of a line of Presbyterian ministers in Aberdeenshire. He joined the Anglican church after making his fortune and settling in Fredericksburg, Va.—not something that was at all unusual for an upwardly mobile gentleman at a time when the Church of England was the established church in the colony of Virginia. I would not deduce from any Anglican affiliations that Robert Patton or his descendants may have had that he was necessarily an Anglican when he boarded the ship in Leith, or wherever.
George S. Patton’s grandfather, Colonel George S. Patton, died at the Battle of Opequon in 1864. Patton’s father was a friend of Mosby, who would visit the Patton ranch in California and relive battles with the young future general.
George S. Patton, Jr. was in fact GSP III—his father, born George William Patton, legally changed his middle name to Smith to honor his father who died in the War Between the States.
Patton’s grandfather and father both graduated Virginia Military Institute; Patton attended for one year, but transferred to West Point.
By the way, although Patton’s ancestor Robert Patton came from Scotland .... "Patton" was allegedly an assumed name, according to family lore.
Quote:
Robert Patton left Scotland with a price on his head of 50 lbs. [sic, £] On the ship he was on to Burmuda he met up with a Patton whom was ill and did die. In this case he took the man’s name. On his death bed his wife asked him what his real name was after being here in the U.S. for many years and he told her that " he lived a Patton he would die one" so he never told who he really was. This story came from George S. Patton’s sister Ruth. Now just like other stories being handed down in a family, there has to be some truth to it as Robert died in 1828 but then on the other hand after all these years there has never been anything to prove it wrong. His real name has never been found just like the Patton who died on his way from Scotland.
[ancestry tree attached]
Quote:
The Patton family origins have been traced to Scotland in the 18th century. They go back to a mysterious event that forced a young man to flee his native town of Aberdeen, Scotland, making his way to Fredericksburg, Virginia during the Revolutionary turmoil of the 1770’s. The young man’s real name was wiped from the records upon his departure from Scotland. He probably had reason to obscure it to prevent the authorities from tracking him down in the New World. He traveled under the assumed name of "Robert Patton". He became rich and respectable in the Colonies and married Anna Gordon Mercer, the only daughter of Dr. Hugh Mercer, a physician who served as an Army Surgeon with Colonel George Washington in the Braddock Expedition against Fort Duquesne in 1756. General Mercer later was Surgeon-General in the Revolutionary War of Independence.
Aberdeen!!! Sheesh, no wonder he left.
Cheers,
—Guy
Joseph McMillan wrote:
Except that a biography on line at http://www.pattonhq.com/unknown/chap01.html says
So it may well be that the Virginia Pattons, while Scottish, were not related to the Scottish Pattons at all.
Also, as to Anglican vs. Presbyterian: Hugh Mercer himself was the son of a line of Presbyterian ministers in Aberdeenshire. He joined the Anglican church after making his fortune and settling in Fredericksburg, Va.—not something that was at all unusual for an upwardly mobile gentleman at a time when the Church of England was the established church in the colony of Virginia. I would not deduce from any Anglican affiliations that Robert Patton or his descendants may have had that he was necessarily an Anglican when he boarded the ship in Leith, or wherever.
Wow; I really appreciate your post of this romantic story of the possible origins of the Pattons.
Absolutely fascinating! Thanks for all this information, shedding light on the genealogy and family history of this great man.
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/7/7c/Patton_at_VMI_1907.jpg
Patton at West Point, 1907
Cheers,
Guy Power wrote:
Aberdeen!!! Sheesh, no wonder he left.
Cheers,
—Guy
Thanks Guy, I knew you’d remember that I was born in Aberdeen :-D
As for the romantic story - names being wiped from records and the like. Well, like as not 90% of such stories are exaggerated even when there is some truth to them. Would someone who fled Aberdeen - after committing a crime apparently so awful that his name was erased from the records - end up in the society of the very people in the fledgling US who were most likely to recognise him - people with Aberdeen connections?
It’s a truism of those of us doing family history research in Scotland that if all the Scots whose US descendants claim left Scotland as a result of the ‘45 had been in the ‘45, Bonnie Prince Charlie would have conquered the whole of Europe and only been stopped at the gates of Peking, not Derby. We tend to take romantic origin stories with a good deal of seasoning.
Let’s just say that I’m doubtful as to the detail of the story and think it still worth looking for a Robert William Patton in the Aberdeen area. That’s not to say that he might not have had to get out in a hurry for something essentially minor but immediately serious (like getting the wrong lassie into trouble) but for every romantic fugitive there are dozens of younger sons seeking to better themselves.
BTW if he was a Patton born in the parish of Kinellar then there’s a good chance that he was a connection of the Pattons of Kinaldie who’s arms were:
Azure a sword in pale point upwards Argent hilted and pomelled Or between three crescents of the second
Arms even more appropriate for the general.
James
Hello James!
James Dempster wrote:
Thanks Guy, I knew you’d remember that I was born in Aberdeen :-D
Yes, I remembered. The nearest I ever came to your neck of the woods was "Inner-beness"—which seemed like a major city after being on Skye!
Quote:
BTW if he was a Patton born in the parish of Kinellar then there’s a good chance that he was a connection of the Pattons of Kinaldie who’s arms were:
Azure a sword in pale point upwards Argent hilted and pomelled Or between three crescents of the second
Arms even more appropriate for the general.
Very nice—it takes the "stem" arms of Patton and adds the sword. Very nice indeed.
I wonder if anyone in the Patton line has done an Y-DNA test—that could verify whether or not the romantic name-change story is true.
Cheers,
—Guy
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Not directly about Patton, but I thought that members might like to see the following story about Patton’s undoubted ancestor General Hugh Mercer.
http://www.clanmunro.org.uk/people/mercer/hughmercer.htm
James
The president of the Patton Society’s input will be interesting indeed, since he was the author of the biography I quoted in my post.
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