William Bates

When was William Bates born? We can narrow the date down by looking at census records. In the 1830 census he is listed in Hiram, Portage, Ohio as between the ages of 60 and 70. This means he would have to be born between 1760 and 1770. In the 1820 census he is in the same place and is over 45 years old, meaning he was born prior to 1775. In 1810, William is in Otsego county, New York and is between the ages of 26 and 45, meaning he was born between 1765 and 1776. In 1800, he is listed in Otsego county, New York, still between 26 and 45 years of age, meaning he was born between 1755 and 1774. So, let's do a quick analysis of the possible dates:

1830     1760-1770
1820     before 1775
1810     1765-1776
1800     1755-1774

Logically, William's birthdate could not have been prior to 1765 (according to the 1810 census) or later than 1770 (according to the 1830 census). So, of course, he must have been born sometime between 1765 and 1770. This narrows the field for possible Williams when trying to decipher where he was born and who his parents were. Still, there are some important clues as to his parents from the Otsego County records.

In the 90s, Sally Hayler, a genealogist studying the descendants of Loudon Arnold Bates and Charles Bates, sent me copies of some land records from Otsego County, New York. In 1803, William Bates ("resident owner") and his wife, Sarah, sold land to William Hills. The land transfer was witnessed by John Bates and Isaac Thornton. It would make sense that John Bates might be a relative to William. (It was noted at the time that the land was still subject to a mortgage to William Cooper.) William and Sarah sold land in 1805 to Henry Converss.

So, Sally Hayler, had already established a clear link between the Bates family in Hiram, Ohio and Otsego County, New York. There was also a query in the April 1909 issue of The Bates Bulletin: "William Bates and his wife, Sarah Culver Bates, moved from New York State to Ohio, probably in Portage County, nearly a century ago. Their children, Charles, Waterman, Arnold, Riley, Samuel, and Sheldon were born before the family removed to Ohio. Sheldon Bates was born Aug. 11, 1808. Who can give the ancestry of this William Bates, or from what place in New York State the family came?" (p. 4)

Census and other vital records for the children of William and Sarah, establish the fact that they were born and/or lived in Otsego and Herkimer Counties in New York State. Link to the other posts to see evidence.

Another clue to William's parents can be found in the Otsego County 1800 census where he, "William Baits" is listed following Charles Burlingham who is listed just after "John Baits." (Charles Burlingame is probably John Bates' brother-in-law and a distant cousin to Sarah Colvin.) This John Baits, I believe, is William's brother. Their father is John Bates of Otsego, Otsego, New York.

Up to this point, however, one might say that the evidence regarding William's parents is circumstantial--a signature on a land transfer and a name on a census; the neighbor could be a brother or cousin. However, last year our family took a trip to Illinois and found some clear evidence that John is, indeed, the name of William's father. William Bates' oldest son, Charles, had a daughter, Mary Bates, who married Noble Rogers. Noble Rogers and his brother, Noah, were prominent members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons) and, at one point, Noble and Mary (Bates) Rogers lived in Nauvoo, a historic Mormon settlement on the Mississippi River. At that time the Mormons had begun performing vicarious baptisms on behalf of their deceased ancestors. We found a record in Nauvoo stating that Mary (Bates) Rogers had a baptism performed on behalf of her great-grandfather, John Bates! Her grandfather, of course, would be William Bates and his father, John Bates.

So, there it is. William Bates, son of John Bates, was born between 1765 and 1770.