FATHER

Challis Safford

MOTHER

Rebecca Winslow

HUSBAND

Benjamin Patterson

CHILDREN

1. John Patterson 
    b. 16 July 1775
    m. Mar 1797 Jane Burney
    m. 30 Nov 1804 Alley Rice
    d. Aft. 1828

2. Lucretia Patterson 
    b. 02 July 1777
    m. 28 Feb 1795 John Shepherd
    m. 10 Oct 1815 James G Jones
    d. Aft. 1817

3. Benning Patterson 
    b. 23 July 1779
    d. 14 April 1807

4. Elizabeth Patterson 
    b. 02 July 1781
    m. 29 Jul 1799 Francis Hudson
    m. 9 Sep 1823 Robert Rogers

5. Challes Patterson   
    b. 13 Nov 1783
    d. 1793

6. Rebeckah Patterson 
    b. 07 May 1786
    m. 7 Sep 1804 Benjamin Myers
    d. 24 Mar 1807

7. Hiram Patterson
    b. 04 May 1789
    d. 1807

8. Isaac Patterson 
    b. 07 April 1791
    m. Elizabeth Compton
    d. 3 Jan 1833   

9.  Sophia Patterson 
    b. 22 Nov 1794
    m. 4 Aug 1810 David Curtis
    d. 25 Jan 1837

10.Challes Patterson 
    b. 06 June 1799

Elizabeth Safford
by Susan Brooke
Jun 2023

Elizabeth Safford was born on 07 Dec 1755 in Hardwick, Worcester, NY. (1) Her mother, Rebecca Winslow Safford, died when Elizabeth was under 5 years old.  Her younger sister died at about the same time. Her father, Challis Safford, remarried on 8 Feb 1760 and he and his second wife, Lydia Warner Safford, had another 5 children.  Elizabeth's father then died at the age of 38 in 1771 when Elizabeth was only 15 years old. leaving her to the care of her step-mother. 
Elizabeth married  Benjamin Patterson on 21 Jul 1774 a the age of 19. (2) Her husband was an interesting man.  He was into land speculation in Piermont, NH and went to prison for selling some land twice.  They then moved to Quebec, Canada, where he may have been a spy.  After that they moved to PA where he again got into some land disputes and got so angry at Thomas Pickering who had been sent there to settle the disputes, that Benjamin took Pickering out to the woods and left him to die, but then changed his mind and rescued him.  After that they moved to Belpre, OH where her husband was a ranger.  A man who roomed with them was killed by the Indians and her son Challes died of smallpox.  By 1797 they had moved to the Spanish Territory of New Madrid, Missouri.  Her husband got sick and had to mortgage some land to Richard Jones Waters and then got so mad at him that he "despoiled the house and property" of Mr. Waters. 
Elizabeth and Benjamin Patterson had 10 children by this time.  Two of their sons and a daughter died in 1807.  A monumental earthquake struck three times in New Madrid in 1811/12.  They again lost everything.  They then moved to Breckinridge Co., KY to be near three of their children: John, who was married with several children,  Lucretia Shepherd, who was a widow with several children and Isaac who was single.  Their other two surviving children, Elizabeth and Sophia were living elsewhere.
Elizabeth Safford Patterson died in Cloverport, Breckinridge, KY on 10 Jul 1828 just a few days short of their 54th wedding anniversary.  She was  72 years old. (3)

Sources

(1) Massachusetts Births and Christenings
Elisabeth Safford, 7 Dec 1755 Hardwick, Worcester, Massachusetts Bay
Father: Chillis Safford

(2) Marriage Record

21 Jul n1774 Rockingham, Vermont

(3) The Massac County IL historical society is inside the home of Elijah Patterson Curtis. A granddaughter, Mignon Amelia Curtis Woodson, donated items. They have this date of death for Elizabeth Abagail Safford Patterson.

"Capt. Patterson married Elizabeth (Betsey) Safford – B. Dec. 7, 1755; D. July 10, 1828."