Matilda Jane Patterson

     Matilda Jane Patterson was born on 9 December 1845 at Clarenceville, Missisquoi Co, Quebec.^1,2 She married Francis Eugene Guertin, son of Alexander Guertin and Mary Courville, on 9 October 1869 at Alburgh, Grand Isle Co, Vermont; Matilda's obituary mentions they were married 26 Sept 1865 at Clarenceville.³ Matilda Jane Patterson died on 21 July 1939 at Lake Park, Dickinson Co, Iowa, at age 93; "Grandma Guertin, oldest resident of Lake Park, passed away quietly at the home of her daughter, Mrs. John Boyer, on Friday evening...Her last illness was only since July 5, when she began to fail rapidly and had to remain in bed. She was unconscious the last week and unable to take nourishment. Her passing ends a very active life for she was the mother of 15 children and in her later years had been busy knitting and crocheting things for her children and grandchildren. She had made knitted lace for 35 pairs of pillowcases when she was 90 years old and this summer had knitted all but three scallops of lace for a pair of pillowcases for her daughter, Mrs. John Boyer..."
"Matilda Jane Patterson was a twin of John and Sara Patterson, born at Clarenceville, Quebec, Canada, December 9, 1845...Her parents and twin brother passed away several years ago and she had no other near relatives except two nephews and a niece in Des Moines."
Four of her children preceded her in death: Jess, who died at the age of 27; Emory, who died in Spokane, Washington, at the age of 48; Lorenzo, who was 2 1/2, and a 12 day-old baby, who died in Canada.^2,4,5 She was buried at Gilman Cemetery, Ashton, Osceola Co, Iowa.⁶
     She and Francis Eugene Guertin appeared on the census of 1920 at Lake Park, Dickenson Co, Iowa; Lydia Wood, 56, widow, b. Illinois, Eugene Guertin, 79 and Miltalde, 73, both b. Canada, came to the US in 1879 and were naturalized in 1881.⁷