Abigail (Betts) Gates and Noah Gates: Journey from Connecticut to Ohio 1766 - 1842

Abigail (Betts) Gates and Noah Gates:  Journey from Connecticut to Ohio  1766 - 1842

(authored 2004)

Preface

It has been a long journey in itself to discover Abigail and Noah. The beginning and the end of this story are told in the title. However, the story then and now, in between, is to me just as interesting. The large and small events of the times and the impact on personal and local history are all intertwined. There have been many participants in making discoveries and untangling the details but especially two cousins, Don Gates and Elmer Gates, both of whom I encountered on the Internet, that I consider most responsible for making the connection to Abigail and Noah, as they were on their own journey. Long before I encountered either of my cousins I was quite certain that my missing grandfather was one of three brothers, Noah, Moses or Coleman Gates and of these Noah was the most probable. Obviously I had no clue that Abigail Betts was the missing grandmother or even her first name.

From the beginning of my interest in the 1950s my first real discovery came from an aunt who had the commission to Lieutenant of my great-grandfather, William Noah Gates, just before he was mustered out of the Wisconsin Volunteers following the end of the Civil War. Later, along my journey I discovered the book about Stephen Gates by Charles Otis Gates, Stephen Gates of Hingham and Lancaster Massachusetts and his Descendants. A Preliminary Work Subject to Addition and Correction [1898Gates]. Eventually I encountered [1966Torrey] Clarence Almon Torrey, Ph.B. Stephen Gates of Hingham, Lancaster, and Cambridge, Mass., and some of His Descendants, in the NEHGR and tried to trace both backward and forward. As I became more aware of resources I worked on geographical areas and connections between individuals building more confidence that I was missing only two generations in the connection to Stephen Gates. Census records, Vital Statistics Records and Land Records in Wisconsin and Illinois eventually revealed Phebe M. Reed and Ashbel Gates as William Noah's parents. So then who and where were Ashbel's parents (Phebe's parents were an even deeper question ... or so it seemed for many years)?

Abigail and Noah in Connecticut

Abigail and Noah began their life together in Connecticut. We have evidence that Noah's parents Ruth Olmsted and Samuel Gates were married in the Wilton Congregational Church. I do not have specific evidence of when or where Abigail Betts and Noah Gates were married but there is evidence from records of the Wilton church that Noah had children baptized in that church (but Abigail is not identified). The same source seems to make it a safe inference that Noah was Samuel's son.

Abigail as a Betts was of a numerous family making it still a mystery as to which family she properly belongs. There are many guesses about her family and some good evidence but nonetheless nothing absolutely certain. But even 10 years ago her first and last name were not known (at least to me). Similarly Noah was the unknown grandfather. For many years all I knew was that my great-grandfather's name was William Noah Gates. Civil War records revealed that William Noah was born in Birmingham, Erie County, Ohio where I have chosen to end the story of this journey. So both Abigail and Noah were the lost grandparents.

Settlement of Connecticut

The “English” settlement of Connecticut has been told by many authors. The truth is that much of New England had been depopulated of native peoples through the previous decades of exposure to disease from maritime visits by the English and others. Nonetheless there were still more conflicts between periods of trust or uneasy coexistence. Connecticut may have been one of better examples of coexistence until the Pequot War 1637-1638. In the 1630s, determined by the coast or access by river, the Connecticut River Valley was sparsely settled by the English. In a larger perspective the settlement was at least partly to offset the Dutch influence in New York across the Long Island Sound.

We are mostly interested in a later period and about Norwalk, Ridgefield and Wilton in Fairfield County, Connecticut. The story of Ridgefield has been told by George L. Rockwell in his book The History of Ridgefield Connecticut [1927Rockwell]. The story of Wilton has been told by Robert H. Russell in his book, Wilton Connecticut: Three Centuries of People, Places and Progress [2004Russell]. The Betts surname figures prominently in both books but more with the original Norwalk and then Wilton. The Gates are in Connecticut by say 1709/10 and in Ridgefield before 1732 and those we wish to follow were in Norwalk or Wilton for sometime before they left for the vicinity of Stillwater and Ballston, Saratoga County, New York circa 1800. Land Records may reveal more particulars but largely remain to be examined.

Although Norwalk, Ridgefield and Wilton may seem like a physically small area the “lay of the land” in the 17^th century certainly affected how you got to a place, and how long it took, and therefore who and how you associated with other people in the region. For example, it was going to take a couple of days to travel comfortably from Norwalk, on the coast, to Wilton, to Ridgebury in the north of Ridgefield. This is borne out by the organization of parishes and local government of the time. There were several petitions to establish, due to travel times and conditions, new churches in Ridgebury and Wilton.

The Betts in Norwalk

The Betts in Norwalk and thus Wilton and Ridgefield, Fairfield, Connecticut, were present from the start of English/Puritan settlement so it no suprise that there is much to be sorted out, including a lack of standard spelling for the last name. A Thomas Betts (b. d.) is reported to be the ancestor of most [2004Russell]. It seems obvious that Noah Gates and Samuel Gates were contemporary with the numerous Betts after 1732 which is the earliest of our Gates in the area.

Connecticut has been well covered by historians and genealogists to collect ancient vital statistics and church records. Our problem is that there is no Abigail Betts among these records (at least known to this compiler) that fits as an identified family member that might have married Noah Gates. There is a later family Bible which by its chain of posession and notes recorded in it that Abigail's father was Thaddeus and that he was alive at least until 1814. Thaddeus was a rather common first name among the Betts, including later a doctor and U.S. Senator of the area.

As we shall later see a Thaddeus Betts was also in Saratoga (then part of Albany?), New York as early at 1786 and travel between the two areas was not infrequent, the Hudson River being a convienent highway.

But again given the well covered plethora of Connecticut records there is no family documented containing Thaddeus as its head that could also contain an Abigail, even if not documented (subject to revision). So what is one to conclude?

Perhaps a family of Betts containing a Thaddeus who reached a marriageable age left the area but remained in contact with family and had his own family such that Noah became acquainted with a daughter Abigail. Noah then became the transition in migration perhaps of four Gates households (Samuel, the father, Noah, Moses and Coleman, sons) from Connecticut and New York. Otherwise we have to conclude perhaps more reasonably that we just have an incomplete enumeration of Betts family in Wilton or Norwalk and our Thaddeus and Abigail are yet to be discovered or linked.

The Olmsted in Norwalk

The Gates in Norwalk, Ridgefield and Wilton Connecticut

Jonathan Gates and Sarah Keeler

The Three Sisters

Saratoga County New York

Saratoga become a county in 1791.

Stillwater

Stillwater is located north of Albany with the eastern edge on the Hudson River. In 1762, most of the congregation (something less than 100 members) of the Congregational Church in Canaan, CT, moved to the area [1899StillwaterNY].

Malta

In the excerpt below one can recognize surnames of many from Norwalk, Wilton and Ridgefield, Connecticut: Keeler, Dunning, Rockwell, Gregory and Samuel Gates, of which we may speculate is the husband of Ruth Olmsted and father of Noah Gates.

Malta was formed from Stillwater March 3, 1802. A portion of Saratoga was added March 28, 1805. The first town meeting was held at the house of Michael Dunning, jr., April 6, 1802, when these officers were elected:

Supervisor, Samuel Clark; clerk, Ashbel Andrews, jr.; assessors, Joseph Rockwell, Luther Landon, Dean Chase; commissioners of highways, Abraham Valentine, Ebenezer Dibble, Uriah Hawkins; overseers of the poor, William Dunning, Samuel Gates; constables, Pontius Hooper, Eleazer Millard, jr.; collector, Pontius Hooper; overseers of highways, Obadiah Tompkins, Elisha Wood, Samuel Gregory, David Keeler, Reuben Doolittle, Jesse How, Cornelius Abeel, Stephen Ireland, Timothy Shipman; fence-viewers, Obadiah Mather, Robert Hunter; poundkeeper, William Dunning. [1899SaratogaNY]

Thaddeus Betts in Ballston, Saratoga County, New York

Thaddeus Betts appears in the 1790 census (2 males16 up, 1 under 16 and 5 females) as do Joseph and Jeremiah Betts as well as Elijah Gates within 5 households. Thaddeus Betts appears again in the 1800 Census. His household has 2 males under 10 and 2 females 16 to 26 plus himself and 1 female both 45 and over. Thaddeus Betts appears again in the 1810 Census at Ballston as the head of household with himself and one female 45 years and over. Ira Betts, Taylor Betts and a Joseph Gates(?) are very nearby on the same page. In the next census, 1820, Thaddeus Betts, Taylor Betts and Joseph Gates appear in the same order. Both Taylor and Ira Betts appear to be younger than Thaddeus. Thaddeus's household in 1820 includes himself and one female 45 and up plus one male under 10 years of age. Assuming that all three Thaddeus are one and the same he was no longer in Stillwater in 1830 (by inspection). He would have at least been 75 in 1830 so he may not be living.

Is this Thaddeus the father of Abigail? I have assumed that Abigail as a Betts was born in Connecticut and probably lived somewhat nearby the Samuel Gates family and thus made the acquaintance of Noah Gates. Now one needs to believe that the Gates and the Betts (with the Betts leaving 10 years earlier) left Norwalk for New York about the same time and continued in contact for sometime. There are several reasons to think so but none can be considered more than a theory.

Other evidence of a connection can be piled on as noted in the bibliography [1935Bullard] but it remains on the the outer edge of the theory and counts on Thaddeus being born in the 1740s..

Dorothy Betts (husband Giles Fitch - a Revolutionary War soldier) is identified as the daughter of Thaddeus Betts (of Ballston, New York). The Fitches were from Norwalk Connecticut. About 1786 she migrates (with Giles and a few interesting others) to St. John's Corners, Greenfield, New York from Ballston Spa. Giles Fitche's sister Hannah married Capt. John St. John. Both he and his brother Ebenezer Fitch migrated together.

We hope Dorothy had at least one sister (Abigail). Dorothy died 25 February 1815 at age 52 which implies her birth as about 1763 [1935Bullard p84]. Abigail according to others (no references provided) was born 1765 April 22^nd.

The Dunning Street Cemetery

http://www.usgennet.org/usa/ny/county/saratoga1/family/fammikedunning.htm

Michael DUNNING was the son of John & Sarah (LAMBERT) DUNNING & grandson of Benjamin DUNNING

1 MICHAEL  DUNNING b: June 03, 1726 in Newtown, Fairfield Co., Connecticut   d: November 29, 1813 in Malta, Saratoga Co., New York

.. +HANNAH GREEN b: 1723 in Connecticut d: January 09, 1775 in Malta, Saratoga Co., New York

The Erie Canal

The Military Tract of Central New York - Revolutionary War Bounty Lands

The Military Tract contained the present New York counties of Onondaga, Cortland, Cayuga, and Seneca and portions of Oswego, Schuyler, Tompkins, Yates and Wayne. As an incentive to raise regiments, required per Congress 1776, to fight the Revolutionary War, the state of New York decided to use land. Eight Military Tract Townships were eventually surveyed and soldiers or their heirs were to receive 600 acres. Keep in mind that these tracts do not map directly to today's Towns in these counties and the process was a little more complicated. It was 1790 before New York actually accomplished the task of assignment and only after new treaties with several Indian tribes were negotiated.

Given the area is described as 1.75 million acres it is difficult to imagine how this all took place, assignees designated, disputes settled, trades and transfers accomplished and recorded [1825RevWarBounty].

Abigail and Noah Gates were living in this area before 1810 and probably as early as 1806 given his resignation from the New York Miltia (41^st) of Saratoga County. This conclusion requires several inferences based on Census, family histories, county histories and cemeteries. Land Records are still to be examined.

Cayuga County New York

Cayuga became county in 1799, formed from Onondoga.

Livingston County New York

Livingston became a county in 1821.

Mt. Morris

Connecticut's Western Reserve

The Firelands of Ohio

Postscript:  This document was a work in progress as each of the "blank" entries for titles show (added note 20180528)