Joseph Patterson
| Date of Interment or Death | 02/11/1938 |
|---|---|
| Location | Old Fairview |
| Section | C |
| Block-Lot-Grave | 2-6-2 |
Obituary
Funeral Services for Joseph Patterson to be Held Friday P.M.
Christian Science Society Will Have Charge of Service At Schmitt & Olson Chapel
Pioneer Banker Was Struck By Car
Private Fortune Was Used To Keep Bank Open During Depression of 20’s PROCLAMATION In honor of the late Joseph Patterson, pioneer citizen banker, who gave so much to the community, I, Frank Vertin, mayor of Wahpeton, as that stores and business places close during the hour of the funeral from two to three o’clock Friday afternoon, February 11. Signed, Frank Vertin. Mayor of Wahpeton.
Funeral services for Joseph Patterson, retired Wahpeton banker who suffered severe injuries when struck by a car a fortnight ago and died Wednesday afternoon at the Wahpeton hospital, will be held Friday afternoon at two o’clock from the Schmitt & Olson chapel.
With Mr. Patterson during his illness were his daughter, Mrs. Ervin Halliday of Anaconda, Mont., Mrs. Grace Pegg, of Great Falls Mont., and Mrs. Romain York of York Wis. Another daughter, Mrs. Mike DeFea, of Mibank, S.D., in California, and a son, Ellwood is in Chicago. Other immediate survivors are two brothers Perry Patterson of this city, and Wesley Patterson of Caray, Ohio.
Joseph Patterson was born June 12, 1852, in Ohio, the son of Mr. and Mrs. Wesley Patterson. Mr. Patterson, Sr., was a pioneer banker in North Dakota, operating a bank in Hillsboro for many years. The Patterson family came to Wahpeton in 1888 and Mr. Patterson and his sons, Daniel and Joseph, founded the National Bank of Wahpeton. Daniel Patterson was the first present of the bank and later Mr Patterson, Sr., headed the institution, followed later by Joseph Patterson who served for a quarter of a century as its president. The Patterson family had large farming interest in the county and were successful in business ventures.
During the depression of the “20’s” Joseph Patterson used practically his entire fortune to keep the bank open when conditions threatened it. He justified the trust in which the community had held his family and his bank at the cost of practically his entire private resources.
On October 12, 1893, Mr. Patterson was married to Gussie Galehouse of Devils Lake, who had taught at the Red River Valley University in this city. The wedding took place in Devils Lake. They established their home in Wahpeton in the Patterson residence on Fourth Avenue North, later building the brick residence on Sixth Street North now owned by the A. A. Seifert family.
In addition to the National Bank in Wahpeton, the Patterson family was interested in the First National Bank of Hankinson, the State Bank of Abercrombie and State of Wyndmere, as well as several other small banks in this section of the state. “I consider Mr. Patterson to have been the most honest man who ever lived in Wahpeton.” A friend declared today. “He stood up to his guns when almost any other man would have protected his own interests rather than the public, his importance in community lay in the example he set in extreme honesty.”
Funeral services will be under the direction of Christian Science Society and will be read by Mrs. Torguson. Interment will be at Fairview Cemetery beside his wife who passed away a number of years ago.
Pallbearers will be A. Torguson, W. A. Farnsworth, F. N. Nobel, George Fischer, Oscar J. Olson and P. A. Peschel.
Headstone photograph(s)
Location
Old Fairview is located on the southern half of the cemetery grounds.