Mainly original manuscripts, 1790-1821, with a few letters to Draper of widely scattered dates from 1843 to 1885. Patterson's papers, most of which are dated prior to 1805, pertain to his involvement in business and in political and religious affairs in Lexington, to the development of the Cincinnati settlement, to Kentucky militia and military matters such as Josiah Harmar's defeat by the Miami (1790) and Arthur St. Clair's campaign (1791).

Among the manuscripts are an inventory of Robert McConnell's property at his death (1790); a letter (1791) of Robert W. Finley and lists of subscribers (1793, 1798) relating to projects for the Presbyterian church in Lexington; a “Stray Book” listing and evaluating stray cattle, horses, and other domestic animals taken in the Lexington area, 1793-1794; Lexington Lodge lottery tickets; two letters (1794) referring to the Whiskey Rebellion; a list of subscribers to the Kentucky Vineyard Association and a letter (1800) relating to vineyard development; and letters about religious revivals in Kentucky (1801) and Pennsylvania (1803).

Among the correspondents were J [ohn] Brown, John Caldwell, D.C. Cooper, Matthias Denman, Samuel Freeman, Thomas Gist, Adam Goodlet, Abraham Hite, Jr., Israel Ludlow, Duncan McArthur, Alexander McClellan, Robert McClellan, N. McDowell, William McMillan, John R. Mills, Lydia Mould, William Rankin, I, [J?] T. Slater, James H. Stewart, Levi Todd, James Trotter, James Welch, and Elie Williams. Signers of business and legal documents included Patterson himself and also James Brown, John H. Craig, Toliver Craig, John Fowler, Ebenezer Goodlet, Cave Johnson, Henry Lee, Andrew McCalla, John McDowell, Daniel Mayo, James Morrison, Peyton Short, William Steele, Charles Sumption, and Robert Todd. Found in this volume are printed handbills on politics (1798), legislation about sale of lands in Ohio (1800), solicitation of money for a Presbyterian Indian school to be established on the Mad River in Ohio (1801), and a reward for information leading to the identification of a mother of an abandoned baby (undated).