The name of BATES, probably originally
BATE, is English in
origin. There are several Bates families which settled in colonial
Massachusetts during the early 1600's and over the years there has been
much confusion about their relationships with one another. A
number of these BATES families came from Lydd in Lincolnshire, England and
Edward has mistakenly been linked with them for years. A
1990 article appearing in The
American Genealogist states that Edward and his wife Susanna PUTNAM
came from Aston-Clinton, Buckinghamshire, England. They were married
there, and immigrated to Weymouth about 1637 on an unknown ship.
While a good portion of the family
stayed in Weymouth and the surrounding area, several branches of this
BATES family moved to Cummington, Hampshire Co., MA. Quite a few
families also moved to New York and northern Ohio. Today,
descendants of Edward BATE[S] can be found in every US State and Canada.
My BATES family moved from Weymouth, MA
to Cummington, Hampshire Co., MA shortly after the Revolutionary War. In 1834 the
family moved again, this time to Chester Geauga Co., OH and about 20 years
later moved again to Dorr Township, Allegan Co., Michigan. Many
members of the family remained in Michigan, although my branch came out
West, first to Washington State and then south to California.
