Patrick Anderson (1719–1793) was an American

Patriot A patriot is a person with the quality of patriotism. Patriot may also refer to: Political and military groups United States * Patriot (American Revolution), those who supported the cause of independence in the American Revolution * Patriot m ...

who was an officer in the

French and Indian War The French and Indian War (1754–1763) was a theater of the Seven Years' War, which pitted the North American colonies of the British Empire against those of the French, each side being supported by various Native American tribes. At the ...

and the

American Revolution The American Revolution was an ideological and political revolution that occurred in British America between 1765 and 1791. The Americans in the Thirteen Colonies formed independent states that defeated the British in the American Revolut ...

and later was a member of the

Pennsylvania General Assembly The Pennsylvania General Assembly is the legislature of the U.S. commonwealth of Pennsylvania. The legislature convenes in the State Capitol building in Harrisburg. In colonial times (1682–1776), the legislature was known as the Pennsylvania ...

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Patrick Anderson was the son of James Anderson, an early Scot (c. 1707) immigrant to Pennsylvania and Elizabeth Jerman (Jarman), the daughter of Thomas Jerman, a Welsh Quaker, who purchased one of William Penn’s first grist milling licenses (History of Tredyffrin Twp, P

. Patrick was born at “Anderson Place,” in then

Charlestown Township, Pennsylvania Charlestown Township is a township in Chester County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 6,003 at the 2020 census. Part of the Valley Forge Christian College's campus, formerly the location of the Valley Forge General Hospital, is ...

now

Schuylkill Township, Chester County, Pennsylvania Schuylkill Township is a township in Chester County, Pennsylvania. It contains the village of Valley Forge. The population was 8,516 at the 2010 census. History The Moses Coates Jr. Farm, Gen. Frederick Von Steuben Headquarters, Moore Hall, ...

, near

Valley Forge, Pennsylvania The Village of Valley Forge is an unincorporated settlement located on the west side of Valley Forge National Historical Park at the confluence of Valley Creek and the Schuylkill River in Pennsylvania. The remaining village is in Schuylkill Tow ...

. He was the first person of European descent born in Charlestown Township. He was educated in Philadelphia and returned home to farm. He built, opened and taught at the first school house in the Valley Forge area. He was married 3 times, the first time to Hannah Martin in historic

Christ Church, Philadelphia Christ Church is an Episcopal church in the Old City neighborhood of Philadelphia. Founded in 1695 as a parish of the Church of England, it played an integral role in the founding of the Protestant Episcopal Church in the United States. In 17 ...

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Patrick was captain of a company of Chester County men who served in the French and Indian War. At the time of the Revolution, Patrick was serving on

Anthony Wayne Anthony Wayne (January 1, 1745 – December 15, 1796) was an American soldier, officer, statesman, and one of the Founding Fathers of the United States. He adopted a military career at the outset of the American Revolutionary War, where his mil ...

's first Chester County Committee of Safety. The Assembly sent a Captain's Commission to him, and, although an older man, being 55 at the time, Patrick accepted it, called together his old soldiers, and the entire company of fifty-six men enlisted. His company was known as the Chester County Minute Men of 1775. Patrick paid for and outfitted his entire company but was never compensated by the Continental Congress, and lost half of his farm, which he had mortgaged to a neighbor. In March 1776, he was appointed senior captain of the Pennsylvania Battalion of Musketry (sometimes called Samuel Atlee's Battalion)(Pennsylvania Archives»Series 5»Volume II»The Musketry Battalion. Colonel Samuel J. Atlee. March 6, 1776.(a)»Page 46

and fought for one tour of the Revolution, until the impairment of his health compelled his retirement. He was a member of the

Society of the Cincinnati The Society of the Cincinnati is a fraternal, hereditary society founded in 1783 to commemorate the American Revolutionary War that saw the creation of the United States. Membership is largely restricted to descendants of military officers wh ...

. He fought bravely at the

Battle of Long Island The Battle of Long Island, also known as the Battle of Brooklyn and the Battle of Brooklyn Heights, was an action of the American Revolutionary War fought on August 27, 1776, at the western edge of Long Island in present-day Brooklyn, New Yo ...

Battle of Fort Washington The Battle of Fort Washington was fought in New York on November 16, 1776, during the American Revolutionary War between the United States and Great Britain. It was a British victory that gained the surrender of the remnant of the garrison of ...

, the

Battle of Brandywine The Battle of Brandywine, also known as the Battle of Brandywine Creek, was fought between the American Continental Army of General George Washington and the British Army of General Sir William Howe on September 11, 1777, as part of the Ame ...

and

Battle of Germantown The Battle of Germantown was a major engagement in the Philadelphia campaign of the American Revolutionary War. It was fought on October 4, 1777, at Germantown, Pennsylvania, between the British Army led by Sir William Howe, and the American Con ...

. A letter from Patrick to

Benjamin Franklin Benjamin Franklin ( April 17, 1790) was an American polymath who was active as a writer, scientist, inventor, statesman, diplomat, printer, publisher, and political philosopher. Encyclopædia Britannica, Wood, 2021 Among the leading inte ...

describing the disarray of the Pennsylvania troops after the Battle of Long Island is preserved in the Pennsylvania State Archives (Penna. Archives, 1st series, vol. v. p. 26 - quoted here

. Major Patrick Anderson served in the Pennsylvania Assembly from 1778 to 1781.

Wilkes University Election Statistics Project The Wilkes University Election Statistics Project is a free online resource documenting Pennsylvania political election results dating back to 1796. Currently, the database documents Pennsylvania's county-level vote totals for President, Governor ...

In 1781 he was appointed one of the commissioners for the Committee of Navigation of the Schuylkill River. Patrick died in 1793. His service to his country has been commemorated through a pew dedicated in his honor at the

Washington Memorial Chapel Washington Memorial Chapel — located on Pennsylvania Route 23 in Valley Forge National Historical Park — is both a national memorial dedicated to General George Washington and an active Episcopal parish in Valley Forge, Pennsylvania ...

Valley Forge National Park Valley Forge National Historical Park is the site of the third winter encampment of the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War, taking place from December 19, 1777, to June 19, 1778. The National Park Service preserves the site a ...

, the engraved inscription reads: Patrick Anderson plaques at Valley Forge Chapel

Patrick is believed to be buried in the churchyard at St. Peter's of the Great Valley where he was a Vestryman however, his actual grave site has been lost to changes made to the church over the years. A large bronze plaque commemorates his memory inside the old church, almost directly over his presumed burial site. His son

Isaac Anderson (congressman) Isaac Anderson (November 23, 1760October 27, 1838) was a member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Pennsylvania. He documented the history of the Charlestown, PA area. Biography Isaac Anderson was born at "Anderson Place" in Charlest ...

also served in the Revolution and later as a US Congressman representing the area. Patrick is the Great Grandfather of 2 prominent Pennsylvania political figures, Hon.

Matthew S. Quay Matthew Stanley "Matt" Quay (September 30, 1833May 28, 1904) was an American politician of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party who represented Pennsylvania in the United States Senate from 1887 until 1899 and from 1901 until h ...

through the marriage of his daughter, Ascenath Anderson, to Joseph Quay and Gov.

Samuel W. Pennypacker Samuel Whitaker Pennypacker (April 9, 1843 – September 2, 1916) was an American politician serving as the List of governors of Pennsylvania, 23rd Governor of Pennsylvania from 1903 to 1907. He also served Pennsylvania as a judge and wrote abo ...

through the marriage of his granddaughter, Sarah Anderson, to Matthias Pennypacker.

References

A Brief History of Schuylkill Township

Citations

* Smith, G, History of Delaware County, Pennsylvania, Ashmead, 1862 * Futhey, J. Smith & Cope, Gilbert, History of Chester County, Pennsylvania, Louis H. Everts, 1881 * Heathcote, Charles William, History of Chester County Pennsylvania, Horace Temple, 1928 * Pennypacker Gov. Samuel W., Annals of Phoenixville and its Vicinity, Bavis & Pennypacker, 1872 * Pennypacker Gov. Samuel W., Pennsylvania in American History, William J. Campbell, 1910 * Sutton, Isaac C., Notes of Family History: The Anderson, Schofield, Pennypacker, and Other Allied Families, Stephenson Bros., 1948 {{DEFAULTSORT:Anderson, Patrick 1719 births 1793 deaths People of colonial Pennsylvania Pennsylvania militiamen in the American Revolution People of Pennsylvania in the French and Indian War Continental Army officers from Pennsylvania American people of Welsh descent Burials in Pennsylvania People from Chester County, Pennsylvania