It can be quite confusing for a biographer having to deal with families naming their children after their ancestors. The detective work involved in figuring out what Frederick, Helen, or Willard—in the case of the Ayers, Herrs, and Holbrooks, respectively—is referred to in correspondence and official documents is enough to turn one’s hair gray. At least Beatrice was the first so named in the family, until her daughter was born in 1911, leading to the creation of Big Bea and Little Bee.
Things get even more maddening when family members decide to defy logic, which is the case with the Pattons and their Georges. In the third and fourth generations, numerous exasperated letters were exchanged between spouses, debating the appropriate use of numerals and suffixes. In the span of almost two centuries, there were two official name changes, the omission of the Third, and the introduction of two Juniors. (To further complicate matters, consider the numerous nicknames, some of which were also passed down, such as Georgie.)
In addition, many seem unaware that there is actually a General Patton and a Major General Patton, so let’s get the story straight.
Colonel George Smith Patton (1833-1864) – Grandfather
The first George in the Patton family was the fourth child of John Mercer Patton and Margaret “Peggy” French Williams. George followed in his father’s footsteps and attended the Virginia Military Institute, graduating in 1852. He practiced law in Charleston, West Virginia, until the outbreak of the Civil War, when he became commander of the 22nd Virginia Infantry Regiment. He survived being wounded at Scary Creek and the Battle of Giles Courthouse and emerged from the Battle of New Market unscathed, but his luck ran out at the Third Battle of Winchester. He left behind a wife, Susan Thornton Glassell, and four children, including…
George (William) Smith Patton Sr. (1856-1927) – Father
The Pattons were left destitute after the Civil War, leaving Susan no choice but to use the little money she had left to move to California, where her brother had already made a better life for himself. When the widow married her husband’s cousin, Colonel George Hugh Smith, her son officially changed his name from George William Patton to George Smith Patton (Sr.). He did so in honor of his father and stepfather, hoping to be worthy of the name, but it turned out that not all Pattons were “natural warriors.” After graduating from VMI in 1877, he moved back to Los Angeles to study law, becoming a prominent lawyer and politician. He married Ruth Wilson, the daughter of Don Benito Wilson, in 1884, and had two children, including…
General George Smith Patton Jr. (1885-1945)
After one year at VMI, George entered West Point in 1904. He graduated in 1909, eager for a chance to fulfill his destiny. Throughout his military career, he fought in the Mexican Punitive Expedition, World War I, and World War II, supported by the formidable Beatrice Banning Ayer (subject of my biography, Lady of the Army). Desperate for a son to carry on the Patton name, Beatrice finally gave birth to the long-awaited…
Major General George Smith Patton (IV) (1923-2004) – Son
After much debate, the fourth George in the lineage received the numeral IV, staying true to the generational order but ignoring precedence. He graduated from the Military Academy in 1946, just six months after his father’s tragic passing. It was at this point that he officially changed his name to simply George Smith Patton. He served with distinction in the Korean and Vietnam Wars, and turned his ancestral home into Green Meadows Farm after his retirement. He had five children with his wife of fifty-two years, Joanne Holbrook Patton—a stalwart of the Army community and the subject of my next book—including…
George Smith Patton Jr. (1955-2023) – Grandson
Named after his grandfather, so as to “confuse history,” as Joanne liked to joke, the last George of the line was a talented equestrian and artist. Born with a developmental disability, he lived a full life surrounded by a supportive family. Endowed with the same competitiveness as his ancestors, he became, among many other things, an accomplished Western rider and barrel racer, a farmhand, and a Gold Medal winner at the International Special Olympics.
Minnegate Press 
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