About the Author

James Patton was born on February 13, 1756 in Northern Ireland. When he was twenty-eight, he came to the United States, where he intended to make enough money to support his family back home. Patton worked at various jobs, struggling with poverty and illness, until he began selling dry goods. As a merchant, Patton traveled between Philadelphia and North Carolina selling his wares along the way. His family eventually immigrated, settling near him in Philadelphia. James Patton died in Asheville, North Carolina in 1845.