Phebe Morgan (Reed) Gates, b 1805 d 1869 Illinois, authored 2006

July 2018 Preface

Phebe Morgan (Reed) Gates, b 1805 d 1869 Illinois, authored 2006

This story is principally about Phebe Morgan Reed collected from the files and last revised in 2006.  There are tidbits that are now known, July 2018, that I will add in this preface material but do not intend to do more that superficial edits to the body of this document.  This was to be Chapter X of a larger collection.  I note that the 1850 Rockford Il U.S. Census was discovered when I was in Washington, D.C. although I do not recall when exactly (I think the early 1980's) -- it was a major breakthrough.

One fact has been added already, her middle name was extracted from her mother's maiden name.
Although not so relevant to Phebe's story I see that I included her son's (William N) wife and the consternation again about her last name.  Now, in July 2018, I can record that it is most likely Osmon and her family has been found in Wisconsin and Ohio ... although now I have seen more variants than I recorded in 2006.

I also know more about the marriages and families of her children -- to be completed another time

I never compiled anything extensive (at least at the time this story was originally written) about the Reed's in Birmingham, Erie Co, Ohio but I think they are there to be connected.  A road trip to Birmingham's cemetery and vague recollection of some county histories make me think so. 

I should mention one recalled detail from her son Leland's Civil War records.  He says the family home burned down (where - Gratiot or Warren or ?).  I took some time, unsuccessfully to look for newspaper stories etc. 

Based on Paul Gates discovery that Ashbel has a building in Praire du Chien, the Old Rock School,    on the National Register of Historic Places .  I need to examine the Census of 1860 if they were living there.

So perhaps some of the questions and tentativeness of the original story are unnecessary.  Some of the "unknowns" should be written as unrecorded or just not filled in.

Part x. Reed

Phebe M (Reed) Gates certainly has a presence in land transactions of Jo Davies and Winnebago County IL. However beyond knowing her parents names we can only guess that she was born in New York or Pennsylvania?  

Phebe M. Reed

~1805 - Ohio/Pennsylvania(?),

Parents: f. John, m. Charlotte _____

Paternal Grandparents: gf. unknown

Maternal Granparents: gf. unknown

Phebe's siblings: unknown

m1. Ashbel Gates

m2. John Glendenning

Family Link: William Noah Gates (f. Noah, m. Ruth Olmsted, gf. Samuel, gm. Rachel Hayes)

Ancestors Introduced

Phebe’s surname and her parents are known to us as a consequence of her second marriage. After Ashbel Gates died Phebe married Johnathan Glendenning 1868 April 6^th and her parents names are given on the registration (WI Vital Records) of that document as John and Charlotte Reed. Searches of Census records has provided no other clues partly due the numerous possibilities and spelling variants of the surname.

Some Descendants Introduced

Ashbel Gates – Phebe M. Reed

William Noah Gates – Alvira [? Osmon, Osman, Osmond, Olson, etc]

Charles Leroy Gates – Emma Arminta Briggs

Eldon Earl Gates – Katherine Erval Homuth

Phebe’s Children:

Of Ashbel Gates

John Reed Hayes Gates

b. ~1828

m. Harriet

d. unknown

Allen

b. NY ~1830

m. unknown

d. unknown

Jane Abigail [www1990sCovell]

b. 1834 May 17 [1850 Census implies 1837]

m1. George M. Senter

m2. Harlow Landphair, 1862 July 19^th (his 2^nd marriage d. Rush, Jo Davies County IL, 1913 August 14^th)

d. 1929 May 9^th

William Noah

b. Birmingham, Erie County, OH 1833 October 8^th (some record 1834)

m. Our Subject

d. 1923

Charlotte Anne Eliza

b.

m. Willoughby

d. Milwaukee WI 1914 January 21st

Hannah

b. MI ~1840

m. Armstrong

d. unknown

Leland

b. MI ~ 1842

m. Landphair

d. unknown

(Francis) Caroline [1850 CensusIL][www1990sCovell]

b. MI ~ 1844

m.

Phebe M. Reed in Context:

Geographic Chronology

1805 Ohio/Pennsylvania – Birth

Phebe M. Reed is born.

1826 January 12^th – Marriage

Phebe M. Reed and Ashbel Gates were married 1826 January 12^th [1999Gates PC]. From the birthplace of the first son John Reed Hayes Gates one can infer they were married in Saratoga County NY. Furthermore by the place of residence of deceased grandparents and a living uncle, Coleman Gates, probably in Malta or Ballston of that county.

1830 – Census, Birmingham, Erie County OH

1833 October 8^th – Birth

William Noah Gates - Birmingham, Erie County OH

It is not certain when Ashbel Gates and Phebe came to Ohio but certainly by mid-1830 and probably rather directly from New York. There are many indications of William Noah’s birth date from Civil War Pension records and Census sources and even his obituary. [www1990sCovell] provides us with Jane Abigail’s birth date as 1834 May 17^th. This is William Noah Gates’s sister and from this evidence it seems more probable that William Noah Gates was born in 1833 October 8^th rather than in 1834. If William was born in 1834 then he was conceived immediately after Jane’s birth and was born in eight months later. Perhaps other records can clarify this point and the possibility that Jane’s birth date is incorrect.

1838 September 10^th - Bureau of Land Management Patent Purchase

Ashbel Gates purchased a patent from the Bronson Land Office (now Kalamazoo), St. Joseph County MI … Document Number 7513 Acccesion /Serial Number MI1250__.431. The legal land description is as follows:

• E½SE  21/  6-S  10-W  Yes  Michigan-Toledo Strip  MI  St Joseph.

His brother (an inference) Hiram made two purchases on the same date, essentially adjacent:

• NWSW  21/  6-S  10-W  No  Michigan-Toledo Strip  MI  St Joseph

• NWNE  21/  6-S  10-W  No  Michigan-Toledo Strip  MI  St Joseph

The brothers are described as of St. Joseph County MI which may or may not be an artifact of the transaction itself. Another Hiram was making similar purchases in Ohio. There are other transactions which may be of interest especially in Huron County OH.

[http://www.glorecords.blm.gov/PatentSearch] 

[http://www.glorecords.blm.gov/PatentSearch] 

1840 – Census , Alleghan County MI

1850 -- December 25^th – Census, Rockford, Winnebago County Il

The late date of the Census provides an opportunity to examine ages. Ashbel is 47 years old implying birth in 1803. Allen is 20 implying birth in 1830 OH. (William) Noah is 16 implying birth in 1834 OH. Jane is 13 implying birth in 1837 OH. Hannah is 10 implying birth in 1840 MI. Leland’s implied birth year is 1842 MI and Caroline’s is 1844 MI.

The eldest son, John in his own household, is 22 implying birth in 1828 NY.

Charlotte Anne Eliza has married J. Willoughby.

Phebe (Reed) Gates is 45 implying her birth year as 1805 OH.

1855 WI State Census

Ashbel and family are recorded as residents of Gratiot, Lafayette County WI.

1860 Census

Several searches of Census records have not yielded where Ashbel and Phebe are residing in 1860. Ashbel lived until 1863 and Phebe until 1869 according to their gravestones. Ashbel’s family was recorded in the WI State Census of 1855 as of Gratiot WI. One would expect Gratiot WI or Warren Il but neither has yielded any positive results.

Death of Phebe – Gravestone in Warren, Jo Davies County Il - 1869 May 24^th

Phebe probably died in Warren Il and was buried here along with information on gravestones about both husbands. She is survived by her second husband, John Glendening (aka Glendenning, Blindenning and Clendening).

In this instance from a family stone in the Elmwood Cemetery, Warren Il the name looks as if it begins with a “C” and ends with a “G” although the style of the “C” could still be a “G”. Other examples from other stones do not appear to make the distinction … need to follow up. The marriage registration makes it look like a small letter “b”.

[newspapers]

[census]

[1999Gates PC] personal communication from Donald R. Gates, 1999 February 10^th.

Dates are provided from the Ashbel and Phebe (Reed) Gates, Family Bible noted as from 1849 by date of publication. This transcript from Donald R. Gates contains invaluable information but several confusing details so one must be careful and use corroboration facts where possible.

[www1990sCovell] Al Covell, various website sources.

Al Covell has been widely collecting Gates information for a lengthy period of time, probably since before 1990. His material has been widely published on the www and copied by many researchers. As with many compilations he has probably used/copied others as well and in the www versions there is little information as to original sources, some of which is in error and other information which simply has to be questioned until source information is found or provided. His inclusion of the English Ancestry (as of this date 2006) of Geoffrey Gates (1898 Otis) has been quite positively discounted.

[pre1907WVR] Wisconsin Vital Records pre-1907, microfiche indexes and microfilms, Births, Marriages and Deaths.

These vital records help immensely to fill in details that might otherwise be unavailable. However if after using the indexes you cannot find the person you are looking for you should still do an area search by county. In searching for five of William Noah and Alivra Gates’s daughters only two were in the index but four of five marriages (there may not be a fifth) were found in the records by searching at the county level.

[1966Torrey] , Clarence Almond Torrey Ph.B., NEHGR 1966:261