Before our branch of the Patrick family settled in the Republic of Texas, they lived in Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Virginia and Kentucky.  Our story cannot be told without revisiting this very important period.   

The marriage of John Fitz Patrick, to Elizabeth Callaway took place on November, 26 1787, in Bedford County,Virginia.  

Records show that John Patrick was the champion realtor of the family.  While it's true he was a farmer, he owned over 40,000 acres in Virginia and Kentucky.  This explains his familiarity with the Callaway Family of Virginia, as they were also planters with large tracks of land.

George Washington was a close personal friend of both Colonel James Callaway (Elizabeth’s uncle), and John's father Hugh Patrick.  James Callaway was the County Lieutenant or Commander in Chief of the Bedford County Militia during the American Revolutionary War.  He built the first iron furnace south of the James River and was a member of the House of Burgesses from 1766 to 1769.   He was a leading citizen of Bedford Counties Patriotic Committee of 1774.  James was excused from military service, by George Washington, who felt that it would be of more importance to our nation, if his iron furnace continued to produce greatly needed military items.  James Callaway’s son-in-law James Steptoe was a personal friend of Thomas Jefferson, and served for 54 years as the first clerk of Bedford County.

James Callaway’s father, (Elizabeth’s maternal grandfather) was Colonel William Callaway.  He was born 1714, and became a very successful and prominent gentleman.  William patented 15,000 acres of land from King Richard and eventually held land grants in Virginia for over 27,000 acres.  William Callaway presided at the first court held in Bedford County, and was in the House of Burgesses of Virginia for thirteen sessions, being the first Burgess from Bedford.  His commission to Colonel also came from the French and Indian Wars (he served at Pig River Fort).  In 1754, he gave 100 acres of land for a town, courthouse, and prison, to be called New London, the County seat of Bedford. 

Elizabeth Callaway’s paternal grandfather was a gentleman, and early pioneer that played an important roll in the development and growth of the United States.  Colonel Richard Callaway was born June, 1722 in Caroline County Virginia.  He served in the French and Indian Wars, and was Colonel of Militia during the Revolutionary War.  Richard is credited in bringing in the first crop of corn raised by white settlers, in Madison County Kentucky, in 1775.  He originally traveled too and settled in Kentucky with Daniel Boone, and helped establish the Town, (or Fort) of Boonesbourgh.  Richard petitioned the General Assembly of Virginia, to allow him to erect a public ferry at Boonesbourgh, across the Kentucky River.  His petition was granted, and he built his ferry, only to be captured, and killed by the Indians, on March 8, 1780.  Richard and William Callaway were brothers.