My DNA sample indicates I am a descendant of John Cate Sr., b ca
1753,
Orange County, NC. My ancestors are John Cate Jr., Gideon Cate, C. C.
Cate, U.J.
Cates, Charlie Columbus Cates, and J. B. Cates. Our surname changed after
U. J. Cate and his new bride Callie Watson moved from Tennessee to Texas.
They
married in Tennessee December 1885, their first child was born In
Orangeville, TX in 1886. He was named Cates not Cate. If you would like
more information
please write; and if you have information concerning C. C. Cate after 1865
please share that information.
I'm a little late joining this thread, and I'm probably going to muddy the
water a little bit. I'm descended from two Cate families in Jefferson
County, Tennessee who in turn were out of Orange County, North Carolina
(except see below for some contrary possibilities for John Cate Sr.). In
particular, I'm descended from John Cate Sr. born 1753 and also from William
P. Cate born about 1760 in Orange County, North Carolina. I deliberately
did not list John Cate Sr. born 1753 as having been born in Orange County,
North Carolina, even though that's the conventional wisdom.
I haven't looked at either of my Cate lines in quite some time, nor at the
Cate DNA project in quite some time. But the last time I looked, the John
Cate Sr. DNA did not appear to be a good match with the Cate family of
Orange County, North Carolina. Also, there is a deed which I believe is for
John Cate Sr. in Washington County, Virginia dated 10 Dec 1788.
I'll try to revisit the Cate DNA project to see what it says about John Cate
Sr. vs. the Cate family of Orange County. In the meantime, I wonder if you
might have a better perspective at this time of the status of the Cate DNA
testing. Are there are number of descendants of Orange County Cates who
have tested, and do they tend to match each other. Are there are number of
descendants of John Cate Sr. born 1753, and do the tend to match each other.
And how close do the two groups come to each other?
By the way, my John Cate Sr. line is John Cate Sr. -> Joshua Cate -> Mary
Ann (Polly Ann) Cate who was also known as Pollyanna. Mary Ann Cate was my
third great grandmother and she married my third great grandfather Peter H.
Bryan about 1846 in Sevier County, Tennessee. Well, I'm guessing it was
Sevier County and that it was about 1846 based on when their children were
born. They lived along the Jefferson County and Sevier County line.
Marriage records for the 1840's are extant for Jefferson County, and there
is no Jefferson County marriage record for them. The Sevier County
courthouse burned down in 1853, so I assume they were married in Sevier
County and that their marriage record was destroyed in the fire.
Jerry Bryan