Patrickr
4105 Calhoun Street
Gary, Indiana 46408
Friday 12 Sept 1986
Dear Howell,
First let me acknowledge receipt of and thank you ever so much for the two
excellent books you sent me: The Mapmakers, by John Wilford, and The Compleat
Plattmaker, edited by Norman Thrower. I'm about one-third way through read-
ing each of the two books. I have the habit of reading a dozen or more books
at one time, almost always non-fiction. Most of the books I'm currently
reading are the 50 cent variety I pick up at library sales and flea markets,
so your two brand new books from Barnes & Noble Bookstores on Fifth Ave. in
New York have a place of honor on my nightstand.
In The Compleat Plattmaker there is one section entitled "Geographie Is M--t-
ter than Divinitie", by Helen Wallis, map librarian from London. In it, she
mentions an anecdote from Peter Heylyn's Cosmographie, published in 1652,
wherein Heylyn was encountered in his passage from Westminster to Whitehall
by a tall big gentleman, who thrusting him rudely from the wall, and looking
over his shoulder on him in a scornful manner, said in a hoarse voice these
words: "Geographie is better than Divinitiel" In case I didn't mention it to
you at the Davie Co. library, I am a geography teacher here in Lake CoQnty,
Indiana. The reason I mention the above anecdote is as follows:
Back in early August when I visited the Rowan Co. library and was unable to
get 6 particular pages from a journal photocopied (concerning my Patrick ances-
tors) due to the librarians' unwillingness to "bend the rules", Father Kim-
brough ernestly volunteered to copy the material for me "in a week or two".
Feeling that if I couldn't trust a ptiest, I couldn't trust anybody, I left
Father Kimbrough 4 dollars to send me the material in late August. Well,
Howell, rosie-fingered dawn has come and gone 37 times since that evening,
and I still haven't heard from Father K. If I don't hear from him soon, I
better get hold of some prayer beads to hasten his reply. Maybe I should light
a few novena candles or something. If I never do hear from the good Father,
I can conjure up in my mind thrusting him fudely from the wall of the Rowan
Co. library, looking over my shoulder in a scornful manner and saying in a
hoarse voice, "Geography is better than Divinity!"
Thanks too, Howell, for the Boone monument postcard telling me the address
of Fred Hughes who made the historic county maps. As it happened, when I was
in the Davie Co. Library I came across one drawer of maps which included
several of Hughes' maps for counties other than Davie. I did find many sur-
names in which I was interested and photocopied portions of those maps, for
example, Surry Co. and Rockingham Co. There seems to be a Patrick family
cemetery in Rockingham Co., according to the Journal of Rockingham Co. Hist.
& Gen., volume 39 no. 19 p. 17. In fact, that's what I'm waiting for Father
Kimbrough to send me: pages 5, 89 17, and a few other pages which mention
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the Patricks. I know that my gt.-gt.--gt.-grandmother's name was Polly Pat-
rick and that she married "my" James Wm. Owings in Rowan (now Davie) Co., N.C.,
in 1811. I'm trying to establish her ancestry, so my current theory is that
her father might have been a Jeremiah Patrick born perhaps in the 1760's and
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that her grandfather might have been a William Patrick born in the 17401s, but
Itm a long way from proving it, since I live so far from my source material.
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I really appreciate all the help given me in the library by you, Mrs. Doris
Frye, and Mr. Charles Williams. I feel a lot was accomplished during the two
days I was in Davie County. Some day Itd like to come back and accomplish even
more. I made great strides in my Owens/Owings branch. That afternoon, after
you left and we said goodby, I was able to find out just a little bit about my
Patrick branch. I found in the 1790 census for Rowan Co. (presumably the Davie
portion) three Patricks: William (perhaps the "jr." of the one I'm looking for),
Jeremiah, and Hezekiah. Since "my" Polly Patrick named one of her sons Jeremiah
but none Hezekiah, I'm leaning towards Jeremiah being my blood ancestor rather
than Hezekiah.
From the 1790 census for Rockingham Co., I found Hugh Patrick, a widow Mary
Patrick ( who could be the widow of "my" William?), and a James Patrick. I
found 6 Patrick marriages in Rowan/Davie Co, but the only one I'm certain is
tied in with my ancestry is the Polley Patrick to James Owings 19 Dec 1812.
I did find out that a James Owings witnessed the sale of land next to Jeremiah
Patrick on Hunting Creek in 1816. In the 1860 Indiana census James & Polley
Owings had a 30 -year-old son named Jeremiah, so I'm leaning towards the Jeremiah
Patrick of Davie Co. being Polley's father.
I explored Davie County in my auto to see what the land looked like near where
some of my ancestors lived. I took that Boone Farm Road, just to see what was
back there. I saw one mailbox with the surname Boone on it, and since you told
me you were the only Boone in the county anymore, I surmised that must have been
your residence. When I received your much appreciated box of books, the address
on the label told me that yes, indeed, I had accidentally happened upon your
house. I marvel at the fortuitous circumstances which allowed me to meet The
Boone of Davie County at the history/genealogy room of the Davie Co. library.
Of course, I wondered why the accent in speaking didn't match the geographical
locale. One expert once said that he could pinpoint the birthplace of anyone
in the eastern portion of our country within 35 milesby listening carefully to
that person's pronunciation and articulation of about 100 key words. Just as
I speak with an Indiana Hoosier accent tempered by a suburban Chicago or Calumet
Regionese (of northwestern Indiana) accent, I detected that you sure didn't
sound like a Davie County North Carolinan. I thought I had taken a wrong turn
somewhere and ended up in Flushing, Queens, Great Neck, or somewhere else by the
East River or Long Island Sound.
I don't know whether or not you've done any research on the Boones of Indiana.
I believe you told me you were descended from Jonathan Boone as well as having
ties with Benjamin, William, and Daniel, etc. Down in southern Indiana there's
a Boone's Mill from 1804. It is a working water -powered grist mill, where they
sell stone buhr ground corn meal, grits, whole wheat four, biscuit mix, buck-
wheat pancake mix, etc. It's at Squire Boone Caverns & Village, 33 miles west
of Louisville, Ky., via I-64. As I mentioned, Boone's mill was originally built
in 1804 by Squire Boone, brother of Daniel Boone.
Jonathan, Isaiah, Moses, and Enoch Boone accompanied their father and mother out
of Kentucky in 1804 to find a settlement place in Indiana. A peaceful valley
was located some 25 miles southwest of Louisville, and here Boone Township was
established. Squire began the construction of a stone house and built a mill
near the opening of a good spring at the mouth of a large cave. Boone's mill
was in operation until it burned in 1852. It's been rebuilt and restored.
There's free admission, and it's open daily Mmorial Oay weekend through labor
Day, and open weekends in September & October. P �O,an'� PUbIiC ubraiY
Da►�i
—p.2— MO&S' le, NC
In conclusion, let me thank you again for the two fine books
I wish there were some way I could repay you. The best I can
the moment sitting here in my den/library surrounded by IDooks
Old Irish "Toast":
about mapmakers.
think of at
and maps is an
May the road rise up to meet you...
May the wind be always at your back...
May the sun shine warm upon your face...
May the rain fall soft upon your fields...
And may you be in Heaven a half hour before the Devil knows you're dead.
Sincerely,
jAJZ... dyL�
Ngkc
U�Iari
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