They moved from the state of New York to the area that became Green Isle township in 1857, raising a large family and living out their remaining 50 years there.

Patrick's obituary in the Green Isle Record in 1907 was titled "Sibley County Pioneer Dead", and stated that at the time of his arrival the area was "then but a wilderness".

The railroad tracks between Norwood and Morton, cutting through Green Isle Township, were originally built by the Minneapolis and St. Louis Railway (M&StL) around 1880.

This enabled Green Isle Township farmers to easily transport their grain to Minneapolis mills, or vegetables to Twin Cities markets.

By the early 1900s Green Isle township was divided into hundreds of separate farms.