Mary (Pryor) (Patterson) Cross Story

Date: [unknown] [unknown]
Location: Butler, Pennsylvania, United States
Surname/tag: Pryor, Patterson, McKissick, Cross

The 1850's and 60's must have been hard times for the Butler County Pattersons and McKissicks. Two young fathers died (Robert Patterson about 1850 and William McKissick about 1867), a young mother quickly remarried (Mary Patterson to David Cross), and several children were shunted to homes of siblings or aunts & uncles. This, plus some recording and transcription mistakes in census records, make it very difficult to discover correct family relationships. My method, guided by many others working in this area, was to re-interpret the names on the various conflicting census records in a consistent way that leads to the most reasonable family structure and narrative. A piece of this process is shown on the attached family record for Mary Cross (Year: 1870; Census Place: Clay, Butler, Pennsylvania; Roll: M593_1315; Page: 127B).

The following narrative attempts to thread the various known datapoints in the lives of Mary Prior, her spouses, and her children with their families into a plausible story of their lives in Butler County, Pennsylvania from about 1805 until 1914 and is also consistent with the known records.

Mary Pryor was born in 1805 in Pennsylvania. In 1830, she married Robert Patterson who was born in 1790 in Ireland. She had children Eli 1833, Susan 1836, Daniel 1839, Jane 1840, Isaiah 1843, Abigail 1845, and Mary 1848. Mary's husband Robert died 1850. Then, Mary (Pryor) Patterson married David Cross who was born about 1785 in Pennsylvania.

In the meantime, in about 1858, Mary's daughter Susan Patterson married William McKissick who was born about 1833 in Butler County. They had three children: Robert 1859, Judson 1861, and Mary 1864 before William died about 1868. William's sister, Sarah McKissick born 1844 lived with them in 1860.

Soon after Susan married, her brother Eli married about 1849 Rebecca Ann Bell who was born in 1840 in Pennsylvania. After Eli's father died and before he and Rebecca had any children, three of Eli's siblings, Daniel, Jane, and Abigail moved in with the young couple. His youngest sister, Mary Patterson remained at home with her mother and new husband David Cross.

But then, David Cross apparently died about 1868. So by 1870, 64 year old widow, Mary (Pryor) (Patterson) Cross, had taken in her 33 year old widowed daughter, Susan (Patterson) McKissick, her grandson Judson McKissick, and her granddaughter Mary V McKissick, while her own 23 year old youngest daughter, Abigail Patterson was also still at home.

Also in 1870, Mary's son Eli and daughter-in-law Ann Patterson had a daughter, Laura, born 1866 and nephew Robert McKissick living with them.

In 1880, Abigail Patterson was living with her mother, Mary Cross. And Susan McKissick had re-united with her children, Robert, Judson, and Mary V.

Mary (Pryor) (Patterson) Cross died 1888 in Butler County, Pennsylvania. Eli Patterson died in Butler County in 1906. Susan (Patterson) McKissick followed her sons Judson and Robert to Oklahoma and died there in Washington County in 1914.

- Kent Fox, Dec 2022