First Known Generation
Benjamin Bates (and first wife, name unknown)
of Amenia (and Washington), Great Nine Partners Patent, Dutchess County NY
b. ca. 1768 in NY, per 1850 census data
2nd wife Sally born ca. 1783, in CT, per 1850 census data; m. 1835
Listed in the Poughkeepsie Journal as the father, in the announcements of his oldest and youngest daughters' weddings:
Found in Dutchess Co censuses of 1800, and 1810 in Washington, 1820 and 1830 in Amenia, and 1840 and 1850 in Stanford.
1800 Dutchess Co. census, he is listed in Washington with 3 sons under 10, one daughter under 10, and a wife over 26 and under 45. This makes me think that Sally is probably a second wife, as she would have only been 17 in 1800, AND a bit young to have 4 kids! Or perhaps her age was just reported incorrectly in 1850.
1810 Dutchess Co. census, he is listed with what appears to be a wife, 3 sons and three daughters, in Washington.
1820 census, he is shown with a wife 26>45, 2 daughters 10>16 & 16>26 and 2 sons 10>16 & 16>26 in Amenia. Next door is a Terry Bates family, who COULD be the missing son (and is that the missing daughter 16>26 living next door with her brother's family, and helping to care for his FOUR young daughters >10?).
1830 Dutchess Co. census, Benjamin aged 60>70 is found in Amenia, with wife aged 50>60, and two young children, M>5 and F 10>15. I'm thinking they are probably grandkids, but whose?
1835, Nov 17th, Benjamin Bates married Sally Rust, by Lumon Burtch, at the Baptist Church in Bangall, Dutchess Co., NY. There is also a listing for a Benjamin Bates who married a Widow Palmer, both listed as of Stanford, Nov 2nd 1836. I don't know if this was a 3rd wife for my Benjamin, or if it was another Benjamin or what. In 1850, Benjamin is shown with a Sally, but perhaps the widows given name was Sally too!?!
1840 Dutchess Co. census, Benjamin aged 70>80 is in Stanford, with new wife aged 50>60 (this where Sally entered the picture), M 10>15 and the female is gone.
By the 1850 census, he is shown as an 82 year old Laborer, with wife Sally, aged 67, and son-in-law Levi Rust, aged 42, of CT. Almira must have died, as she is not shown, nor are there any Rust children. Value of Benjamin's property is 300, and the whole family group is enumerated under head of household Hugh Knuckenbaker (sp?), age 44, with no wife and 3 or 4 kids, and property valued at 4000. Could this be the husband of Benjamin's middle daughter? who was also already deceased?
At the same time, there is a Benjamin Bates in Sharon, CT; listed in the census there in 1800, 1810, 1820, 1830 and 1840. He died in 1849. They are obviously not the same man, but I believe them to be from the same family, definitely of the same generation, perhaps first cousins.
Daughters were both married by Rev C.P. Wilson, who was a Baptist minister in Amenia; assumption is that the families were at least nominally Baptist.
In the Sharon Burying Ground in Sharon CT, are buried more than a dozen Bates family members. There are 2 Benjamin Bates there, though I now know neither was my Dutchess Co, NY Benjamin. However, I do think there is a family connection.
Sources:
census data as cited
"Burying Grounds of Sharon, Connecticut, Amenia and North East, New York" by L. Van Alystyne 1903/1983
American Baptist-Samuel Colgate Historical Library Not that they were helpful at all, but this is where the records, such as they were, of the defunct Baptist Church of Amenia ended up.
"Marriage Notices from Dutchess County New York Newspapers 1826-1851", Kinship Press, Rhinebeck, NY; Compliled by Arthur C.M. Kelly, copyright 1983
"10,00 Vital Records of Eastern New York, 1777-1834" by Fred Q. Bowman, 1987
Bangall Church records obtained from the Stanford Town Historian, who in turn got them from the collections of the Long Island Historical Society; consists of records "copied from the original book kept by Lumon Burtch, and loaned to Evelyn Briggs Baldwin by the owner, Mrs. Sarah (Sackett) Kilmer, of Bangall, Dutchess County, New York, May 1905."