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Note: and covenanter, Volume 1 By John W. Sproull, Thomas Sproull, David Burt Willson, James McLeod Willson Page 377 Died, at Northwood, Logan Co., Ohio, Maroh 31st, 1872, Isaac Patterson, in the 67th year of his age. Mr. Patterson was born near Belfast county, Down, Ireland,and emigrated with his parents to the United States at about the age of thirteen. Their first place of residence was Mercer Co., Pa., where the family remained for two years, at the expiration of which period they removed to Logan Co., Ohio. The deceased was among the early settlers of that part of the county where he resided; and acceded to the communion of the Reformed Presbyterian Church in 1833. At the organization of the Second Miami congregation he was chosen and ordained ruling elder, the duties of which office he continued to discharge till the time of his death. Mr. Patterson was a man of calm, equable temper, and kindly disposition; and was distinguished for strong common sense, and for sterling honesty and integrity. Being among the earliest settlers,he was widely and favorably known in the community; and the confidence had in his judgment and integrity caused him to be resorted to not unfrequently in settling difficulties among neighbors. As a Christian he was plain and unobtrusive, noted for the quiet and punctual discharge of the duties of the Christian life in the family, in the fellowship meeting, and in the assembly of the congregation. In his public trust he had no selfish aims, but was conscientious and upright in the disch irge of official duty, seeking the ends of justice, the advancement of the divine glory, and the promotion of the church's go^d, and as he advanced in life was more and more manifesting a growing and deepening interest in all that pertained to the church's progress and prosperity. His loss will be greatly felt and deplored, and his memory highly cherished not only by the family of which he was the loved and honored head, but also by the congregation of which he was an exemplary and valued member and officer. To the solemn concluding scene, the valley of the shadow of death was, in his case, lighted from heaven; and inexpressibly consoling is the thought that his flesh is resting in hope, that he is sleeping in Jesus, awaiting! 'the voice of the archangel and the trump of God; for if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, them also that sleep in Jesus will God bring with him." Com. GDSS Isaac Patterson was a conductor on the Underground Railroad in Northwood, Ohio. Little is known of Patterson's life. Patterson helped found a Covenanter Church in Northwood in the early 1830s. Covenanters are an offshoot of the Presbyterian Church and primarily consist of people of Scottish heritage. Patterson earned his living through farming and was a conductor on the Underground Railroad in Northwood, which is located in Logan County, Ohio. He usually hid the fugitive slaves in his care in a cave on his property. The runaways descended a ladder into the cave. To gain admittance to the cave, people had to give the password, which was "Boston." The ladder is currently on display at the Logan County Museum. Patterson supposedly hid the slaves in the cave for as long as three weeks, waiting until slave catchers had given up the search for the fugitives. Perhaps as many as thirteen runaways stayed in the cave at one time. Other conductors would then transport the runaway slaves to other stops on the Underground Railroad. Many of these conductors were students at nearby Geneva College. Isaac Patterson represents the growing tensions over slavery between Northerners and Southerners during the early nineteenth century. While many Northern states had provisions outlawing slavery, runaway slaves did not necessarily gain their freedom upon arriving in a free state. Federal law permitted slaveowners to reclaim their runaway slaves. Some slaves managed to escape their owners on their own, while others sometimes received assistance from sympathetic Northerners, such as Patterson.
Note: The Reformed Presbyterian
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