William Noah Gates : Civil War Pension 800415 Form 3-173 filed 19031016 per request of Department of the Interior

William Noah Gates : Civil War Pension 800415

Form 3-173 filed 19031016 per request of Department of the Interior authored February 2018

This form (3-173) was mailed to William N Gates in Middletown, Des Moines County, Iowa in 1903. It concerns mostly questions about marriages and children. Taken at face value it is a valuable genealogical document. However after much research it is more like an approximation than a totally accurate document. Although he signed the document it appears someone else supplied the written answers/transcription probably supplied from his memory as a roughly 70 year old. Corrections and other facts about the family are being added within this summary.

For example it says he is a currently married (Elizabeth Sumner) but his first wife, Elvira (Osmon), died in 1893 in Lawler, Iowa at the home of her daughter. She actually, by newspaper reports, died in 1896 and her maiden name is not Osborn; it is Osmon. Her family has recently (2018) been located in early Census records of Bath, Allen County, Ohio (1850) and subsequently Wisconsin. He and Elizabeth are living apart.

Many of the first names of the children are at best nicknames and/or of poor readability. The provision of geo-location, age, married surname and then corroboration with other records has been used to get them in some order.

Taking them as provided on Question 4 -

The first mentioned daughter looks like “Loui-- McDowell”. She is listed as about 30 years old and living in Osages, Minnesota. The age and geo-location make it much more likely this is “Loah Gertrude” who married Charles Wesley McDaniel (verified in Wisconsin Vital Records and newspaper accounts). They lived mostly in Osages and he was a real estate agent according to several Census.

The last mentioned daughter is “Ella McDowell” described as about 32 years old and living in Lawler, Iowa. This is most likely “Lo Ella” who married George McDowell. George was involved with different regional newspapers from before his marriage. Ella's mother Elvira was evidently living with them when she died in 1896. Ella is the only daughter that married a McDowell.

The second daughter is identified as “Retta Gates”. Again, very recently in 2019, Retta's formal first name has been verified in several records, Census and burial, as Viretta. She was known as “Retta” when younger and Viretta at the end of her life. She was probably in Kansas and Montana but by 1940 she was in California. She was married to Edward A Slightam. He is buried near Yuba City, California near a son and she is buried in Maryland, FAG #167614996, near a daughter.

Charles Gates and Willie Gates have their ages reversed. Although William states he does not know where Charles is residing he was in in southwestern Wisconsin most of his life except for a period of time in Osages, Minnesota. His daughter, Dorothy May, and my aunt told this to me. Now knowing that C W McDaniel was a real estate agent we perhaps have a connection as to why they were ever in Minnesota. My aunt told me stories of wolves howling and a disastrous growing season before they returned to Wisconsin.

Willie Gates has disappeared from the scene. He may be a cook in Kansas and if so, single.

“Belle Hoff” is said to be 45 years old and living in the State of Washington. She is by age and other Wisconsin Vital Records most certainly “Lillie L (Belle) Poff”. If she made it to Washington it was after her husband died in Sherman County, Kansas. Dr. J M Poff died 18940106, FAG #187851105. At the time of his death they had two surviving children, names unknown. Did she remarry a “Hoff”? They lost their first child as born in Wisconsin and a Clyde Poff is buried in Sherman County, Kansas, 1887. This county seems to contain a relatively large number of Poff memorials in FAG.

Ethel Gates, about 22 years, is reported as in Osages Minnesota. This was verified and that she was married to first a George Lewis and then later in Ohio to a George H Norden.

Finally, William Noah failed to identify Ora Belle, about 26 in 1903 and married to L E Peckham. Two other daughters died in their infancy.

There are a large number of details omitted in this recounting but to the best degree possible the included details should be a better place to start again.

As a final footnote please consider -

In William Noah Gates obituary it states that he had nine children but of seven living only Charley was able to be with him at the end. From family conversations I believe the obituary may have been provided by Sarah Carver (Charlie's mother-in-law and William's caretaker).

A note from the Crawford County Journal, 18881210 states that a seventh daughter was born to the William Gates family (this may have been placed by George McDowell – check editor).

In the family of Wm. Gates was recorded last Wednesday morning the birth of a seventh daughter, and its name shall be finis, so saith the prophet.

The list of children in this genealogy numbers ten and eight daughters.

The difference is from including an FAG entry #70970287 and standalone burial stone of W & E Gates of another young daughter, Elma Gates in the vicinity of Soldiers Grove.

If she is a daughter then she would be the seventh. The FAG makes the attrbution but the image of the stone is not readable and the text entry for her death begs the question of why she was not listed on the 1880 Census.

So did William Noah Gates and Elvira (Osmon) Gates have nine children or ten?