It is my confirmed opinion that all the families named Cates are in fact
derived from families named Cate. This dogmatic statement may draw some
protest and I may be proven wrong. However, these are some reasons for making
it.
Robert CATE (about 1670) of Virginia is generally agreed to be the patriarch
of the southern Cate families. He and six sons (Robert Jr, Richard, William,
Thomas Sr, Benjamin, and John Sr) all of whom spelled their name Cate.
From this second generation forward things get to be al little
confused. I
once asked Dr. Banks Cates about this name confusion and he pointed out
the
following items of interest to me.
My 4th Great Grandfather (Thomas-3) spelled his name Cate when he lived
in North Carolina but in his advanced years when he moved to South Carolina to
be with his children, he started spelling his name as Cates. His signature on
the wills of his sons Aaron and Isaiah evidences this. It is speculated that
the reason for his name change was because Aaron was very influential in SC
and used the surname Cates, and signed his will as Aaron Cates. On the other
hand Isaiah signed his will as Isaiah Cate.
The Rev. J.M.D. Cates letters of 1886 from the McClung Collection
indicate that J.M.D. was aware of the name discrepancy. He said: " Some write
it Cate and others Cates, all the same family." He also said: Cates all
Baptists" but that is another argument.
Over the years I have found it to be difficult to keep my surname as singular.
When asked for my name I say "S-Y-D-N-E-Y C-A-T-E" and carefully spell it
out, only to find it as Sidney Cates. There is a compulsive need to add the
"s". How my family has managed to remain Cate for eleven generations is
nothing short of dogged determination. I often think it would be easier to
let the clerks have their way.
Does "Cates" sound better than "Cate" just as "Bates" sounds
better than
"Bate" or "Gates" sound better than "Gate"? On the other
hand "Pate" sounds
better than "Pates" and "Tate" sounds better than "Tates".
To answer the recent question of Bob Spencer I would say that I know of no
family lines that have consistently spell their names as Cates. I really
doubt that this consistency exists. And to Talbert Brown I would say that I
venture that if you go back four generations before James F. Cates, you will
find a Cate. OK, maybe five generations.
Also, looking in my Cate Name file I see a recent note from Roberta Pierson in
which she says: "I think the discussion on Cate/Cates would really be helpful
to the List. I know I have run across a couple of Cates researchers that
didn't know that they were originally Cate."
So now you have two of us to convince that Cates and Cate are not the same
family. The List is now open for discussion.
Sydney Cate (singular)