In The History of Lapeer County, I found an entry for Aaron B. Patterson under the Hadley, MI heading. It says "The following list of original land entries will show the original distribution of land in the township prior to 1841". It goes on to state that Aaron B. Patterson purchased land in Sect. 23 on 06/03/1836.

I found the same type of entry for Owosso, MI dated July, 1838 in Section 29, and that one confirms he is the Aaron B. Patterson for whom I'm looking because it says he was from Monroe County, NY.

Can anyone explain what these entries mean? It appears that Aaron bought two parcels of land in various counties in Michigan. However, the census records show him living in Pittsford, NY by 1850 and I cannot locate him in any prior census records. His two sons, Ezra and Mortimer, were both born in Monroe County, NY in the 1840s.

Would Aaron have bought the land just to turn around and re-sell it? I'm at a loss to explain this. Can anyone assist me? Thanks!