John Bates- The New Head of the Line
I intended to go on with storytimes this week but I’m running a fever and hurting all over so I’ll probably just be giving you quick snippets this week. It was almost exactly two years ago that I made a huge discovery about John C. BATES (also spelled BAITS) who was my 3rd great grandfather- Civil War prisoner of war and killed in action. Later in the year my cousin guest-wrote a post for my blog about the prison this John was in. The POW John BATES is the grandson of the John BATES we’re talking about today. Today’s John BATES is my maternal 5th great grandfather. When I wrote those posts about the POW John BATES, I didn’t even know about today’s John BATES yet!
In September and October of last year I was fortunate to get to spend a few weeks in Georgia with Bart while he was working a job there. I spent a lot of time in libraries, archives, courthouses, cemeteries, etc researching my POW John BATES. While there I discovered the people I believe to be POW John BATES’ parents and grandparents. I base this on records I found in the courthouses there. I believe that POW John BATES’ parents are Jesse and Delila AARON/ARENT BATES and his grandparents are John and Frances L. BURNETT BATES. I base this, in part, on land records I found in Cherokee County, Georgia. The elder John BATES’ family had ties in the land records to POW John BATES’ wife’s (Mary Jane MOBLEY BATES) family. I’m going to post some photos today of the land records I found on John BATES including one where he witnessed a land record for Mary Jane MOBLEY BATES’ dad, Burwell MOBLEY. Here are the photos and I hope that later in the year I can tell you a more complete story about the elder John BATES. Today, however, I need to rest and get well.
Earliest John BATES deed I found- 1833 Cherokee County, Georgia.
Two MOBLEY deeds witnessed by John BATES.
Until tomorrow,
Lisa @ Days of Our Lives