John Coates-County Durham England
by Robert C. Johnston, Jr.
Dear List members,
I am new to Coates research and new to this list, so I'd like to post a
query on my family in hopes of finding someone who could help me locate
information and possible connections with my line. I am trying to find
information out on a John Coates who married Hannah Elizabeth Donnison
in March, 1849 in Weardale, County Durham, England. They were listed in
the 1861 English Census along with three children, Mary, Robert, and
Thomas Coates. I found a Thomas D. Coates who was born June, 1859 in
Easington, County Durham, England. Also, in June, 1873, there was an
Elizabeth Coates who married Thomas Johnson in Sculcoates, County
Yorkshire, England. Does anybody know anything about the Coates families
who lived in County Durham England during the mid 1800s?
What about the village of "Sculcoates" in Yorkshire? Does the name have
anything to do with the Coates family?
The reason I'm searching for these families is because my
great-grandfather, Thomas Daniel Johnson/Johnston is believed to be the
one above. According to his death certificate he was born June 1, 1859
in Thornley, England. According to his 1888 Marriage License, he gave
his parents names as "Thomas Johnson" and "Elizabeth Coates". I have
been told that old English marriage practices was if a widow remarried,
then not only she used her new husband's last name, but her children
also assumed the last name as well. This would make since with the above
records.
If anyone knows anything about this Coates family or could help me learn
what happened to john Coates from 1859 to 1873 and if these families can
be found in the 1871-1901 census, I would be forever grateful. Any help
would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks,
Robert Johnston
Wetumpka, Alabama