John Huston Paterson (1896 - 1945)

Born 1896 in Portage La Prairie, Manitoba, Canada

Ancestors

Died 1945 at about age 49 in United States [uncertain]

Problems/Questions Profile manager: Fred Nix [send private message]

Biography

John (Jack) Huston Paterson is born in or near Portage La Prairie, Manitoba, on May 4, 1896 [1][2]. His birth was registered in August 1925 almost 30 years after the event. An older sister, Ella Irene, confirms that his birthday was May 4, 1894 [3]. At the time of his birth, the family lives on a farm near Portage La Prairie. But the birth registration suggests he was born at home which was 51 12th street in the town of Portage La Prairie. The family did not sell the farm and move into town until 1904, so it is suspected that the address on the registration record is there because someone simply got it wrong 30 years after the birth.

His parents are Andrew J. Paterson (1854-1946) and Elizabeth (Lizzie) Huston (1862-1946).

Jack is in the 1901 census as a four-year old boy living with his family near Portage La Prairie [4]. The record refers to him as “John” but, for here, we will refer to him as “Jack,” as the family did. When they move to town in 1904, it is likely that this is when they move to 51 12th Street N.W.

Jack is still at home with his family at the age of 15 in the 1911 census [5]. He had finished school the year before with grade 8 education [6]. He goes to work in a print shop where, at some point, he loses his fourth and fifth fingers on his right hand in a printing press [7].

On August 13, 1915, Jack joins the Canadian Army and serves for four years during World War I. The following information is from his Army records [8]. These confirm a birth date of May 4, 1896. He was 5 feet, 6 inches tall (1.9 m); he had dark complexion, blue eyes and black hair. He serves in the 79th Overseas Battalion of the Canadian Expeditionary Force which embarked for England in April, 1916 [9].

There are two stories about Jack’s experience in the war. His older sister says he was wounded two months before the war ended – this would be September 1918 – and he then spent two years in a hospital in England before returning to Canada [10]. However, his actual discharge papers, dated December 31, 1917, indicate he was discharged in Winnipeg at the age of 21 in December 1917 [11]. The discharge papers further state “being unfit for further war service” which sounds as if he had suffered from a wound.

So we are not sure of the real story here but we do know that Jack served overseas, we know he was in France, and we think something happened – probably wounded – and that he returned to Winnipeg at the end of 1917. It may be that he was in a Winnipeg hospital for two years before he returned to Portage La Prairie. He works for a while at various odd jobs. In 1923 he decides to move to Detroit, Michigan, to look for a work in the automobile industry. He manages to get to Detroit by taking on a job riding on the railway in a cattle car where he feeds and waters the animals. He is paid $3 a day for this [12].

Jack gets a job with the Ford Motor Company in Highland Park, Detroit, and some time later, he meets Laura Thompson at a church function [13].

Laura Thompson -- her full name is “Gertrude Laura Helen Thompson” – was born in 1907 in Renfrew, Ontario, and her family came to Detroit in 1924.

Jack marries Laura Thompson in Highland Park, Detroit on September 2, 1925 [14]. They have one child:

• Huston Jack (“Pat”) Paterson 1927-1979 + (1949) Beverley Jean Drew 1926-1996

Sometime after the start on the Great Depression in 1929, Jack loses his job at Ford and the young couple move into an apartment where they work as caretakers in return for not paying rent [15]. But after two years, Jack is re-hired by Ford and, in the 1930 census record, he is shown working in an automobile factory [16]. This 1930 census record also shows that Jack’s parents are living a few houses down the street in Dearborn, Michigan. Dearborn is a suburb of Detroit.

In 1937 Jack applies for US citizenship [17]. The application gives the following information about Jack. He lives at 6933 Barrie Avenue, in Dearborn. He is 40-years old and his occupation is a witchman. (To date, no definition of “witchman” has been found.) His colour is “white” and his complexion is “dark.” His height is 5 feet. 8 inches tall (about 2 m). He is missing his 3rd and 4th fingers (the application does not show which hand). His “race” is Irish. (His mother’s ancestors would agree but his father’s ancestors would be embarrassed.) He was born in Portage La Prairie, Canada on May 4, 1896. His wife is Laura, and they were married on September 2, 1925 in Highland Park, Michigan. Laura entered the United States at Sault Ste Marie, Michigan, on January 7. 1924. They have one child, Huston Paterson, who was born on May 9, 1927, in Detroit.

In 1939, Jack borrows enough money to buy a gas station and garage. He does well [18]. In the 1940 census records, Jack is shown as a garage owner [19]. His parents live a few houses down the street. The street address in the 1940 record is 5471 Meade in Dearborn. This is about 12-to-14 kilometres directly west of the centre of Detroit. The 1940 census also shows that Jack has four years of high school education. This may or may not be true as earlier information suggested he only went to grade 8.

In 1945, Jack is killed in an airplane crash [20]. Laura sells the gas station-garage business and, in 1949, she re-marries.

Can you add any information on John Paterson? Please help grow his WikiTree profile. Everything you see here is a collaborative work-in-progress.

Sources

[1] The 1968 Paterson family tree by Marjorie Paterson shows John as the 3rd child of Andrew & Elizabeth; it shows his spouse as Laura Thomson, and it shows one child: Huston + Jean Drew.

[2] The birth record may be viewed at -- https://vitalstats.gov.mb.ca/ListView.php Levi Paterson, the great-grandson of John (Jack) Huston Paterson, sent the author a copy of the actual 1925 birth registration in November 2021. This shows the birth date as 4th day of May 1896 and it shows the location as 51 12th St N.W. Portage La Prairie. It shows the parents as Andrew J. Paterson & Elizabeth Huston. It shows Andrew’s residence at 51 12th St N.W. and it shows his occupation as a merchant. It shows Andrew’s birthplace as Scarboro, Ontario. The registration date is Aug 10, 1925.

[3] Notes of Ella Irene Paterson (1889-1992): these were made available to the author by Levi Paterson in October 2021.

[4] 1901 census, Manitoba, Macdonald #8, Portage La Prairie L-1, pg 6, household #52, Andrew J. Patterson (sic) (46) born Nov 9, 1854; Elizabeth (38), born Sept 6, 1862; Verna (14), born Nov 1, 1886; Ella (11), born May 5, 1889; John (4), born May 4, 1896. The children were born in Manitoba; the parents in Ontario. Elizabeth is listed as Irish; the rest of the family is Scotch. The family’s religion is Presbyterian. It is not possible to read the occupation of Andrew, but it doesn’t look like “farmer.” 2 children are in school.

[5] 1911 census, Manitoba, Portage La Prairie, 50, pg 14, household #134: A.J. Patterson (sic) (54), occupation [difficult to read ?”engineer”] at the water works; Elizabeth (?4); Ella (20) born May 1890 [?or 1891], [she has an occupation, difficult to read, could be a stenographer at [?railway], Jack (15), born June 1896, no occupation shown, The family lives at 119 [?Haggerty?] The parents were born in Ontario; the children in Manitoba. The father and children are labelled “Scotch,” Elizabeth is “Irish.” The family’s religion is Presbyterian.

[6] Notes of Ella Irene Paterson

[7] Notes of Ella Irene Paterson

[8] https://www.bac-lac.gc.ca/eng/discover/military-heritage/first-world-war/personnel-records/Pages/item.aspx?IdNumber=569581

[9] The rest of John Huston Paterson’s service file appears to be blank, so we don’t know what he did when he went overseas. We do know that the 79th Overseas Battalion embarked for England on April 24, 1916.

[10] Notes of Ella Irene Paterson

[11] the actual discharge papers were sent to the author by Levi Paterson in November 2021.

[12] Notes of Ella Irene Paterson

[13] Notes of Ella Irene Paterson

[14] Notes of Marg Henderson. These were made available to the author by Levi Paterson in October 2021. Levi is the great-grandson of John (Jack) Huston Paterson and Gertrude Laura Ellen Thompson. It is not known who Marg Henderson is but, in her notes, she writes “[I] followed Laura to Detroit in 1928.” The information on the date and location of the wedding is from Jack’s citizenship application.

[15] Notes of Marg Henderson.

[16] United States Census, 1930, index and images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/X7M2-GSS : accessed 29 Dec 2013), Jack H Patterson, Dearborn, Wayne, Michigan, United States; citing enumeration district (ED) 0895, sheet , family #102, NARA microfilm publication . This record shows Jack H. Patterson (sic), aged 33, who entered the USA in 1923 and has a 22-yr old wife, Laura G., who was also born in Canada and who came to the United States in 1924.. The couple has a 2-yr old boy, “Houston J. Patterson” who was born in Michigan. Jack has a job in an automobile factory (but the name of the job is not legible). Two other points to note about the census record: (1) the correct spelling for the son’s name is “Huston,” and (2) family #98 on this record is the parents of Jack H. Patterson [Paterson].

[17] "Michigan, Eastern and Western Districts, Naturalization Records, 1837-1993", database, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:4YJ7-K22M : 21 July 2020), Jack Huston Paterson, 1937.

[18] Notes of Marg Henderson.

[19] United States Census, 1940, index and images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/KHMM-687 : accessed 29 Dec 2013), Jack Patterson, Tract 832, Dearborn, Dearborn City, Wayne, Michigan, United States; citing enumeration district (ED) 82-19, sheet 9B, family 193, NARA digital publication of T627, roll 1825. The record shows a 42-yr old Jack Patterson (sic), born in Canada in abt 1898. His occupation is a garage owner. His wife is a 32-yr old wife, “Laure Patterson” who was born in Canada. And they have a 12-yr old son, Huston Patterson who was born in Michigan. The street address is 5471 Meade. The record shows that Jack had 4-years of high school and Laura had 2-years of high school.

[20] Notes of Marg Henderson.

Acknowledgments

Thank you to Fred Nix for creating Paterson-784 on 3 Oct 13. Click the Changes tab for the details on contributions by Fred and others.

The author -- Fred Paterson Nix -- is Jack's first cousin, twice removed.