BATES / EVANS; VA,USA > GA,USA > AL,USA; 1760-

I know that I descend from __________Bates and Sarah Evans.
What I do not know is which Bates. I will explain a bit late how I
idenified Sarah Evans and I will attempt to clearly point out what I
know and what I believe.

        I know that my William M. Walker (son of Churchwell) married
Sarah Ann Bates on 29 December 1838 in Chambers Co., AL. Attached to
the marriage license is a note, "Sir, Mr. Walker wishes license to
marry Sary Ann Bates . I heard the old lady, her mother, say that Sary
was of age and she was pefectly willing for her daughter to have him.
Mr. Walker did not know if it was necessary to have my writing to show
but I assure you it is all right. (signed) T. Shannon". The only
logical conclusion I could draw from the note is that Sarah's mother
was widowed and that it was she alone who made the decision regarding
her daughter's wedding.

        I searched the 1840 census in Chambers County and the
surrounding counties in both Alabama and Georgia and found no male
Bates listed that would refute the above arguement. I did find, in
adjacent Tallapoosa Co., Alabama and 1840 census liting for one Sarah
Bates. The listing 1 male 10/15, 1 male 15/20, 2 males 20/30, 1 female
10/15 and 2 females 50/60.

        In the 1850 Census William and Sarah (Bates) Walker are living
in Coosa Co., Alabama. Living nearby is her mother Sarah (Evans)
Bates, with son Francis M. and daughter Mary Bates. Also nearby are
daughter Hannah H. and her husband Cary Cotton, Daughter Evaline and
her husband John Pate, son William E. and his wife Lucinda Dennis ,son
David M. and his wife Elizabeth May and son William E. who married
Selena Borough. The relationship of these brothers and sisters I have
proved through the estate records in Coosa Co., Alabama of William E.,
Thomas J. and William E. Bates, all of whom died between 1861 and
1864.

        Now, as the the information that my Bates antecedent was
married to Sarah Evans. Arden Evans died in Wilkes Co., Georgia
sometime after 22 November 1861. in his Will of that date, he left his
mother-in-law Mary Rouse five-hundred dollars, provided that his old
negro man Ben be allowed to select his owner and that he be provided
for for life and bequeathed " all the balance of my property both real
and personal be equally devided amoung my neices and nephews that may
be living at the time of my death"...provided that the "amount that
may fall in the division to my nephew Evan Bates , son of my sister
Hannah Bates, shall be surrendered  by my executors to whoever my said
nephew shall select...and be held in trust for the benefit of my
nephew and his children...ect". and then directed the property be sold
for division.

        The list of those named as neices and nephews is long and
includes; F. Marion Bates, Mary Bates, Thomas F. Bates, William E.
Bates William and Sarah Walker and John and Evaline Pate. The only
ones of my line not found in the returns of the estate are Cary and
Hannah H. Cotton and David M. Bates. I suspect that only means that
there are records I have not discovered or which have been lost. Also,
back in Coosa Co., Alabama the estate records of William E. Bates
notes money received from the "estate of A. Evans".

        There are a large number of other neices and nephews listed;
Caroline Bates, Matthew Bates, John W. Bates, D. F. C. Brooks, Arden
Evans Jr., David Evans, John W. Bellamy, J. Walker Boswell, Caroline
Boswell, David Brown, Nasa Jones, John Nowland, Hannah Shaddix, Thomas
Williams, Nancy Williams, John M. Poss, Nelson Vaughn, Barbara Vaughn,
F. M. Streibling, Lester Hopkins, William D. Hardy, David Lunceford,
Daniel Lunceford, John J. Ruff and Sarah Stewart. That is the list as
I have it now but I suspect there are returns yet undiscovered.

        Arden Evans was one of the administrators of his Father David
Evans' Estate, also in Wilkes Cou., Georgia. David Evans died before
28 March 1808, when an inventory of his estate was entered into court
records. There was an estate sale on 1 November 1808 and then, almost
three years later, on 5 August 1811, Arden Evans asked the court to
divide the estate. Samuel Jones, Weaver Cotton and C. W. Gresham were
appointed to make the division. At that time, property "given in his
lifetime by David Evans, to William, Jesse and Arden Evans and John
Bates" was called in by Adren Evans, Administrator. I am about to get
to the speculative part, and I believe the phrase "in his lifetime" is
important to my arguement.

        Later distribution records provide for a share to John W.
Bates, who married Rhoda Evans. But John W. Bates did not marry Rhoda
Evans until 9 December 1817, at least nine years AFTER David Evans'
death. There is I believe, no logical reason for David Evans to have
given in his lifetime (before 1808) property to John W. Bates, who
would not become his son-in-law until 1817 (almost ten years after his
death).
I believe David Evans had two sons-in-law named John Bates, one of who
later used the middle initial "W" to distinquish himself from the
other.

        In census records, all the children of _______ Bates and Sarah
Evans say ther were born in Georgia. Mary, the youngest, says she was
born in 1831. So the family should be listed the 1830 Census of
Georgia. There is only one Bates family in Georgia that fits, that of
John Bates in Campbell County. The record show 2 males under 5, 1 male
5/10, 2 males 10/15, 1 male 60/70, 2 females under 5, 1 female 15/20
and two females 40/50. (note the two females 40/50 in the 1830
Campbell Co., Georgia census and the two females  50/60 listed in the
1840 Tallapoosa Co., Alabama Census)

I know this has been lengthy but I am hopeful that I may find other
researchers who are interested or may find some of their lost family
amoung the names included. I would very much appreciate his
information  anyone might have. Where did the John Bates of Campbell
County, Georgia die? Where are his Estate records located? Anyone who
has an interest in this line or any of my research can get more
information at either of the two URL listed below.

http://personal.cha.bellsouth.net/~dwalker1

http://www.uftree.com/UFT/WebPages/dwalker1/DWALKER1/index.htm

Thanks,

David Walker    

dwalk...@bellsouth.net (David Walker)