EARL PATTEN, one of the best known and most prominent of the younger residents of Shelburn, was born in the city where he now resides, April 11, 1870, a son of Isaac and Jane (Pugh) Patten. The father was born in Fairbanks township, Sullivan county, in 1829, and is now living near Graysville, in this state, while the mother was born in Fairbanks township in 1833 and died in Shelburn on the 31st of August, 1884. She now lies buried in the Littleflock cemetery. Her parents, John and Mahala (Harris) Pugh, came to this county from Kentucky and located on the farm which they entered from the government in Fairbanks township. The father was a flatboatman as well as farmer, sailing down the Wabash, Ohio and Mississippi rivers to New Orleans, his death occurring at Evansville, Indiana, on one of his return trips, and he was buried there. Of the eleven children born to Isaac and Jane (Pugh) Patten, five are now living: Isaac, Jr., whose home is in Shelburn; John W. and Ira, who are also residing in Shelburn; William G., of Missouri; and Earl.


Earl Patten started out to battle for himself when but eleven years of age, working for a brother in the grocery business, and for two years following this was in the employ of Robert Linn, a general merchant. Returning then to the store of his brother John, he worked for him until his enlistment in the United States army as a musician of the Fifteenth Infantry, in 1892. He served two years and was honorably discharged on the 4th of June, 1894, and during his service in the army he was qualified as a sharpshooter, in 1893. After the close of his military career he again entered the employ of his brother John and continued with him until he embarked in the clothing business with Harry Banister in 1904, the firm of Patten & Banister continuing for a year, when Mr. Patten sold his interest to his partner, and during the following years was in the grocery and meat market business. On the 25th of July, 1905. he entered the employ of the Kettle Creek Mining Company in the capacity of a bookkeeper, and served in that capacity until October, 1908, when he was promoted to superintendent of the mines. Mr. Patten was obliged to leave school when a little lad of eleven years, but despite this disadvantage he continued his studies and never missed a day of school while in the army. He has thus been the architect of his own fortunes from early youth, and is rapidly winning for himself a name and place in the front ranks of the business men of Sullivan county. His politics are Democratic, a stanch supporter of the principles, and as the representative of this party he was made the clerk and treasurer of Shelburn, taking charge of those offices on the 1st of January, 1900, and his term of office will continue until the 1st of January, 1910.


On the 1st of January, 1900, Mr. Patten was married to Mayme Banister, born January 22, 1877, to George and Mary (Dix) Banister, and the one child of this union is Georgia Carmen, born on the 13th of October, 1901. Mr. Patten has fraternal relations with the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, Prairie Lodge, No. 420, at Shelburn, and he is identified with all its branches and twice served as a delegate to the Grand Lodge. Mrs. Patten also served as a delegate to its auxiliary, the Rebekahs, in 1901. Mr. Patten is a member of the Utah Tribe of Red Men at Sherman. Religiously, they are attendants of the Christian church, and Mrs. Patten is a member of that denomination.