Hi All,
I am an inveterate lurker since I don't work on my genealogy stuff very
often. However, I might have some information to share in regard to Charlie's
comments that many Cate/Cates families went to TN from Orange (and Person)
Counties and settled in different areas.
Through an oral history from my uncle Otis Cates a number of years ago, I
know that is true. Here is some of what he shared with me a few months before
his death. While he suffered from emphesema, his mind was still pretty good
so I think that this has some validity, although most of the details I have
not connected to records yet. There is a question that there was a John in
here somewhere as well (from my aunt, Otis's sister) and John shows up in
Middle TN and Civil War records. I haven't been able to connect them through
documentation.
1) Otis Cates, born and died, Skullbone, TN.
2) Father, William Anderson (Bill) Cates, b. 1853 -d 1926. Died Gibson
County, (Skullbone) TN. Ran a saw mill close to Shades Bridge in Weakley
County, TN. First two wives died young, each with 3-4 children each.
Third wife, Dell Baker,
was Otis's mother.
3) Grandfather, Solomon Cates, dates unknown. Based on Bill's birthdate and
summarily giving a minimum age of 20 to Solomon, Solomon could have been
born in early 1830's. Burial place not known. He may have lived in the
Graball or Cades area between Bradford and Milan, TN.
Otis related that Solomon and a brother (name unknown) came from Ireland
to Raleigh, NC. This to date is unverified. They settled there, later moved to
Middle TN, but it was too rocky to farm there. Then they moved to W. TN
in a covered wagon with Solomon settling in Gibson County (30 miles south
of KY border) and his brother settling about 40 miles southeast in Crockett
County (near Alamo, TN). There are Cates still in the Crockett County area
but no work has been done with them to date. Years ago, in Louisville,
KY, I ran across a
nun, Sister Mary Frances Cates, St. Frances Convent, Mishawaka, IN, who
was from Alamo, TN, and she had a brother there named Robert. I don't
know if Sister Mary Frances is still living.
My uncle thought perhaps Solomon's wife's name was Nancy. She may have
been an Ott(s) or Benson. He also thought that Solomon was married twice with
two sets of children. He thought perhaps Solomon served in the Civil War
as well but I have found no records of this.
For what it is worth. . . .
Carolyn Stewart
Soon moving to Gilbertsville, KY from Redondo Beach, CA