Compiled by Joshua C. Tate (joshua.tate@aya.yale.edu)
FIRST GENERATION:
SAMUEL TATE, b. ca. 1735, d. 1812
SOME DESCENDANTS OF SAMUEL TATE OF CLAIBORNE COUNTY,
TENNESSEE
AND JAMES MCDONALD TATE OF HAMILTON COUNTY, TENNESSEE
Compiled by Joshua C. Tate (joshua.tate@aya.yale.edu)
FIRST GENERATION:
SAMUEL TATE, b. ca. 1735, d. 1812
Samuel Tate was a Southern pioneer, one of the early settlers in the
Appalachian region of southwestern Virginia and northeastern Tennessee. He
lived in Lee County, Virginia in the 1790s, moved to Claiborne County,
Tennessee in 1797, (n.1) died there in 1812, (n.2) and had a son named John
Tate and probably another son named Samuel Tate, Jr. (n.3) This much we know
for certain, but there is much still to learn, and the search is complicated
by the fact that there was more than one Samuel Tate along the Southern
frontier during this period.
It is not yet known where Samuel Tate was born, or where he lived before
coming to
Scotch-Irish, i.e., Protestants of Scottish ancestry who settled in
Ireland
northern
Thus, it is possible that our Samuel Tate was born in
in one of these mid-Atlantic states.
There is a slight possibility that our Samuel lived in
Carolina
been the most common migration path. Land records from
that a Samuel Tate lived there in the 1760s, and probably left the county in
1767. (n.4) A Rowan County deed from 1767 says that this Samuel Tate's wife
was named "Darcus." (n.5) We know that our Samuel Tate's son, John
Tate, had
two illegitimate children, one named Samuel and one named "Darkess,"
whom he
legitimized in 1816. (n.6) The boy was obviously named after John's father,
and the girl could have been named after John's mother. Both "Darcus"
and
"Darkess" are variant spellings of the female name Dorcas, and one
might
guess that John thought of the name Dorcas for his first daughter because
that was his mother's name. However, Southern pioneers during this period
generally migrated from north to south, and
needs to be done on migration paths during this period.
In the late eighteenth century, the area known today as
part of
county created in this area, in 1778, followed the next year by
earliest period lived in
name Samuel Tate appears in many documents from
1770s and 1780s. For example, a 1783 deed records a land transfer from
Samuel Tate of
wife Ruth. (n.8) This deed is witnessed by a Thomas Hoskins, and we know
that our Samuel later sold some land in
Hoskins. (n.9) It is likely that both documents refer to the same Thomas
Hoskins, and one could infer that this Thomas was dealing with the same
Samuel Tate in both counties.
There are many other deeds transferring land to and from Samuel Tate in
early
twenty pounds for "insulting the Court." (n.10) In 1781 a Samuel Tate
was
fined the exorbitant sum of ten thousand pounds-enough to buy all of
the court later instructed the sheriff to forbear collecting the fine.
(n.12) In 1789, a Samuel Tate was found not guilty of assault and battery.
(n.13) All these records could refer to our Samuel Tate, or they could refer
to his son, or they could refer to another Samuel Tate who is otherwise
unknown. Because our Samuel lived in
possible that none of the Washington County, NC records refer to our Samuel.
Nonetheless, Lee County, Virginia is right across the state line from
Claiborne County, Tennessee, and it is not inconceivable that our Samuel
moved from Washington County, NC to Lee County, Virginia and finally to
Claiborne County, TN. Again, research into migration paths might shed light
on this.
If the Samuel who appears in the
possible that our Samuel Tate served in the Revolutionary War. The North
Carolina Revolutionary Army Accounts for soldiers residing in
two soldiers named Samuel Tate who fought at the pivotal Battle of King's
Mountain, a battle that involved many soldiers from Washington and Sullivan
counties. (n.15) Because there was more than one Samuel Tate, more research
will be necessary to determine if our Samuel was among those who fought for
American independence.
When Daniel Boone cut the historic Transylvanic Trail from the
to
several other pioneers who helped open
April 1, 1775, Boone wrote to Col. Henderson to say, "On March the 28 as we
were hunting for provisions we found Samuel Tate's son, who gave us an
account that the Indians fired on their camp on the 27 day." (n.17) Of
course, this might very well be a different Samuel Tate, and one wonders
whether our Samuel Tate would have gone with Boone into
return to
Tate, Jr., (n.18) but his son may not have been old enough to go along with
Boone in 1775. Samuel Tate and his wife had at least one son, John Tate, and
probably another son Samuel Tate, Jr. Thus, we may begin our family tree:
1. SAMUEL TATE, b. ca. 1735, d. 1812 in
m. UNK (poss. Dorcas?). (n.19)
Children of Samuel Tate and UNK:
2. John Tate, b. ca. 1760 in poss.
3. Samuel Tate, Jr., b. ca. 1760 in poss. Virginia or NC.
SECOND GENERATION:
JOHN TATE, SR., b. ca. 1760, d. 1826
Like his father, John Tate, Sr. may or may not have lived in
County
John Tate appears in the
(n.20) In a deed from
purchased a tract adjacent to land owned by a Samuel Tate. (n.21) This may
be our John Tate, and the Samuel living next door could be his father or his
brother Samuel, Jr. But it is not possible to say for sure. What is certain
is that our John Tate, Sr. ended up in
As discussed above, John Tate had two children born out of wedlock-Samuel
and Dorcas-whom he later legitimized. (n.22) It is not known why John Tate
did not marry the mother of these children; it is possible that he simply
never went to the trouble of finding a preacher, or that the mother died
before he could marry her. In any event, it is clear that John later married
and that his subsequent children were legitimate. (n.23) On Feb. 18, 1789, a
John Tate married Elizabeth Parkeson in
(n.24) This is about the right time for our John to get married, as he was
probably born in the 1760s. Again, however, there was more than one John
Tate, and other researchers claim that this John was part of a different
family who later settled in
John Tate, Sr. was a slaveowner. Toward the end of his life, he had twelve
slaves working on his plantation. (n.25) In 1826, John Tate, Sr. gave his
children slaves as well as horses and tracts of land, "in consideration of
.
. . paternal love and affection." (n.26) These Tates lived in a world where
slavery was an accepted and unquestioned part of agricultural life.
Whatever the name of John Tate's wife, they had at least five legitimate
children. (n.27) Thus, we may continue our family tree:
2. JOHN TATE, SR., b. ca. 1760 in poss.
Children of John Tate and unknown consort (born out of wedlock):
4. Dorcas Tate, b. ca. 1780s in poss.
1836. (n.28)
5. Samuel Tate, b. ca. 1780s in poss.
m. Unk, poss. Elizabeth Parkeson in
1789?
Children of John Tate and wife:
6. Mary Tate, b. ca. 1790s in poss. Lee County, VA, m. FNU Reagan.
7. John Tate, Jr., b. 29 Feb. 1794 in prob. Tennessee or Virginia, m. three
times, d. 6 Jan. 1869 in Collin County, TX. (n.30)
8. Vincent Benham Tate, b. ca. 1795 in prob. Lee County, VA, m. Sarah Hall
Whiteside in abt. 1818, d. bef. 1836. (n.31)
9. Alfred Carter Tate, b. 14 Nov. 1797 in prob. Claiborne County, TN, m.
Elizabeth McDonald on 4 Sep. 1820, d. 31 Aug. 1867 in poss. TX. (n.32)
10. Robert Tate, b. abt. 1800 in prob.
THIRD GENERATION:
REV. JOHN TATE, JR., b. 29 Feb. 1794, d. 6 Jan. 1869
John Tate, Jr. was born near the end of the eighteenth century in either
a camp meeting in 1820 at the Cave Springs Presbyterian Church, the young
John "professed religion" and decided to enter the ministry. (n.34)
For the
rest of his life, John would be known as the Rev. John Tate, a minister of
the Cumberland Presbyterian Church.
As a man of the cloth, the Rev. John Tate moved many times, first to McMinn
County, TN, (n.35) then to Monroe County, TN, (n.36) and finally to Collin
County, TX. (n.37) The Rev. John served as a commissioner to several
assemblies of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church. (n.38) Like his father,
the Rev. John was a slaveowner, but he seems to have sold his slaves in the
1830s. (n.39) Married three times, John outlived his first wife and divorced
his second, only to be survived by a third. Continuing our family tree, we
have:
7. JOHN TATE, JR., b. 29 Feb. 1794 in prob.
1869 in Collin County, TX.
m (1). FNU McDonald (d. 1822), m. prob. ca. 1815-20 in
(n.40)
Children of John Tate, Jr. and FNU McDonald:
11. Nancy Jane Tate b. abt. 1815-20 in
12. Margaret Tate b. abt. 1815-20 in
13. James McDonald Tate b. Sept. 18, 1822 in Overton County, TN, m. Jane
Catherine Pickel (b. Sept. 3, 1828 in TN, d. Feb. 7, 1883 in TN) on Sept.
30, 1847 in Monroe County, TN, d. March 2, 1858 in Hamilton County, TN.
(n.41)
m (2). Eliza Jane Wear, m. 30 Jul. 1829 in McMinn County, TN. (n.42)
Child of John Tate, Jr. and Eliza Jane Wear:
14. George W. Tate, b. 1830-39 in TN.
John Tate, Jr. and Eliza Jane Wear were divorced after the birth of their
only child.
m (3). Cynthia Hamilton (b. ca. 1815 d. aft. 1880 census), m. ca. 1840 prob.
in McMinn or Monroe County, TN.
Children of John Tate, Jr. and Cynthia Hamilton:
15. Robert H. Tate, b. ca. 1841 in TN, (n.43) m. Elizabeth Cornelia Taylor
in Collin County, TX ca. 1860.
16. Mary E. Tate, b. ca. 1845 in TN. (n.44)
17. John H. Tate, b. ca. 1846 in TN. (n.45)
18. Martha C. Tate, b. ca. 1848 in TN. (n.46)
19. William E. Tate, b. ca. 1851 in TN. (n.47)
20. David B. Tate, b. ca. 1854 in TN. (n.48)
FOURTH GENERATION:
JAMES McDONALD TATE, b. Sept. 18, 1822, d. March 2, 1858 After following his
father around from county to county, James McDonald Tate met Jane Catherine
Pickel of Monroe County and married her on Sept. 30, 1847. The young couple
then moved to nearby
however, James decided to move to
carved out of the former Cherokee reservation some years before. Many
settlers were moving into the southeastern area of
mid-nineteenth-century. Unfortunately for James, he did not live to see his
family prosper in
thirty-five. James is buried in old Mitchell Cemetery, located on a hill
near the intersection of Snow Hill Road and Mountain View Road just off the
Lee Highway in Ooltewah, TN. (n.50) Continuing our family tree:
13. JAMES MCDONALD TATE b. Sept. 18, 1822 in Overton County, TN, d. March 2,
1858 in Hamilton County, TN.
m. Jane Catherine Pickel (b. Sept. 3, 1828 in TN, d. Feb. 7, 1883 in TN), m.
Sept. 30, 1847 in Monroe County, TN.
Children of James McDonald Tate and Jane Catherine Pickel:
21. John Harvey Tate, b. Jun. 21, 1848 in TN, m. Julia Hostetler ca. 1883,
(n.51) d. Dec. 1901. (n.52)
22. James J. Tate, b. ca. 1849 in TN, died as infant. (n.53)
23. Thomas S. Tate, b. Jan. 11, 1850 in TN, m. Narcissa Elizabeth Hall (b.
21 Oct. 1848, d. 16 Oct. 1907) on July 2, 1872 in TN, d. 19 May 1916 in
Hamilton County, TN. (n.54)
24. Robert Mitchell Tate, b. 10 Sept. 1852 in TN, m. Martha Ellen Hall (b.
1862 in TN, d. 1954 in TX) ca. 1880 in TN, d. 30 Jan. 1905 in TX. (n.55)
25. Mary K. Tate b. Feb. 26, 1855 in TN, d. Nov. 1861. (n.56)
FIFTH GENERATION:
THOMAS S. TATE, b. 11 Jan. 1850, d. 19 May 1916
While Thomas S. Tate was not the oldest son of James McDonald Tate, he was
the first and oldest to have children. Unlike his younger brother Robert,
who moved to
young. Thomas himself lived to be 66. Continuing with our family tree:
23. THOMAS S. TATE, b. Jan. 11, 1850 in TN, d. 19 May 1916 in
m. Narcissa Elizabeth Hall (b. 21 Oct. 1848, d. 16 Oct. 1907) on July 2,
1872 in TN.
Children of Thomas S. Tate and Narcissa Elizabeth Hall:
26. Luther Lewis Tate, b. 16 Jul. 1874 in TN, m (1). Nina Gordon Crowe (b.
circa 1885, d. 11 Jan. 1913) on 6 Oct. 1908 in TN, m (2). Fanny L. Kingsbury
(b. circa 1885, d. 19 Jan. 1931) on 1 Aug. 1918 in TN, d. 26 May 1925.
27. Annie Pearl Tate, b. 25 Feb. 1880 in TN, m. George Franklin Smith circa
1900, d. 6 Nov. 1909 in TN.
28. Samuel Anderson Tate, b. 31 Dec. 1884 in TN, m. Margaret Hayes on 24
Jul. 1910, d. 4 Jan. 1919.
ROBERT MITCHELL TATE, (n.57) b. 10 Sept. 1852, d. 30 Jan. 1905
Robert Mitchell Tate was, in a sense, the last of the pioneers in our Tate
family. In the 1880s, Robert left his childhood home in
with his young wife Martha Ellen Hall, and moved to the Tarrant/Denton
County area of
apparently born in Tennesseee, but their two younger sons, Earl and
Clarence, were born in
family tree:
24. ROBERT MITCHELL TATE, b. 10 Sept. 1852 in TN, d. 30 Jan. 1905 in TX.
m. Martha Ellen Hall (b. 1862 in TN, d. 1954 in TX), ca. 1880 in prob.
Hamilton County, TN.
Children of Robert Mitchell Tate and Martha Ellen Hall:
29. James Arthur Tate, b. 28 Sept. 1881 in TN, m. Laura Dolah Haire (b. 29
Jan. 1882, d. 2 Sept. 1971) ca. 1900 in TX, d. 20 Feb. 1967 in TX.
30. Lula May Tate, b. 1 Jun 1884 in TN, m (1). Jess E. Crawford, m (2).
William White Ratliff, d. 10 Jun. 1924.
31. Earl Otto Tate, b. 18 Jan. 1887 in TX, m. Myrtle Esther Maud Nowlin (b.
12 Mar. 1889 in Smithfield, TX, d. 3 Jul. 1961 in TX) on 5 Jul. 1908 in TX,
d. 6 Nov. 1955 in TX.
32. Clarence Mitchell Tate, b. 11 Nov. 1888 in TX, m. Zella Pearl Hallford,
d. 2 Feb. 1943 in TX.
SIXTH GENERATION
26. LUTHER LEWIS TATE, b. 16 Jul. 1874 in TN, d. 26 May 1925.
m (1). Nina Gordon Crowe (b. circa 1885, d. 11 Jan. 1913) on 6 Oct. 1908 in
TN.
Children of Luther Lewis Tate and Nina Gordon Crowe:
33. Gordon Yarnell Tate, Sr., b. 23 Aug. 1909 in TN, m. Aldena Grant, d.
1963 in Hamilton County, TN.
34. Lewis Russell Tate, b. 13 May 1911 in TN, m. Edna Copeland, d. 17 Apr.
1992 in
35. Luther Marshall Tate, b. 4 Jan. 1913 in TN, m. Ann Jackson (b. 1920 in
NC), d. May 1979 in Chattanooga, TN.
m (2). Fanny L. Kingsbury (b. circa 1885, d. 19 Jan. 1931) on 1 Aug. 1918 in
TN.
27. ANNIE PEARL TATE, b. 25 Feb. 1880 in TN, d. 6 Nov. 1909 in TN.
m. George Franklin Smith circa 1900.
Child of Annie Pearl Tate and George Franklin Smith:
36. Ruth Tate Smith, m. Lester Patton.
29. JAMES ARTHUR TATE, b. 28 Sept. 1881, d. 20 Feb. 1967 in TX.
m. Laura Dolah Haire (b. 29 Jan. 1882, d. 2 Sept. 1971), ca. 1900 in TX.
Children of James Arthur Tate and Laura Dolah Haire:
37. Ardo Tate, b. 12 Oct. 1903 in TX, d. 17 Dec. 1906.
38. Arvel Mitchell Tate, b. 28 May 1907 in TX, m. Hazel Pearl Neal (b. 31
Aug. 1911, d. ca. 1970) ca. 1929 in TX, d. May 1983.
39. James Doris Tate, b. 1909 in TX, m. Georgia Katherine Thutt (b. 15 Feb.
1915, d. 24 Jul. 1986), d. 1941.
40. Jessie Mae Tate, b. 28 Jul. 1912 in TX, d. 2 Jan. 1916.
41. Arthur Hurmon Tate, b. 23 Oct. 1915 in TX, m. Clella Mae Whisenhunt (b.
13 Sept. 1915), d. 1 Jun. 1972.
42. John Robert Tate, living.
30. LULA MAY TATE, b. 1 Jun 1884 in TN, d. 10 Jun. 1924.
m (1). Jess E. Crawford.
m (2). William White Ratliff.
Children of Lula May Tate and William White Ratliff:
43. Robert Tate Ratliff, living.
44. Wallace White Ratliff, b. 1916, m. Mary Doris Pearson, d. ca. 1975.
45. James Earl Ratliff, b. 1918, m. Freda Kate Gordon (b. in
1944, d. ca. 1973.
31. EARL OTTO TATE, b. 18 Jan. 1887 in TX, d. 6 Nov. 1955 in TX.
m. Myrtle Esther Maud Nowlin (b. 12 Mar. 1889 in
1961 in TX) on 5 Jul. 1908 in TX.
Children of Earl Otto Tate and Myrtle Esther Maud Nowlin:
46. Gordon Douglas Tate, b. 24 Dec. 1909 in Denton County, TX, m. Annie
Louise Bennett (b. 2 Sept. 1910, d. 29 Apr. 1993) on 29 Jul. 1934 in TX, d.
23 Jun. 1968.
47. Erman Granville Tate, b. 13 May 1915 in
Ruth Starr (b. 25 Nov. 1916 in TX, d. 7 Feb. 1975 in
25 May 1940 in TX, m (2). Helen Frances Painter (b. 30 Apr. 1915 in
County
48. Weldon Clois Tate, b. 18 Dec. 1916 in Denton County, TX, m. Lena
Cunningham Davis on 30 Jul. 1950 in TX (no children), d. 18 Sept. 1993 in
Tarrant County, TX.
49. Dorothy Dee Tate, b. 28 Dec. 1918 in Denton County, TX, m. Owen Wilson
Lawrence Barnett (b. 5 Aug. 1916, d. 17 Aug. 1975) in ca. 1936 in TX, d. 11
Aug. 2000 in TX.
50. Marjorie Tate, b. 5 Aug. 1921 in
51. Ellen Marie Tate, b. 4 Mar. 1924 in
in TX.
32. CLARENCE MITCHELL TATE, b. 11 Nov. 1888 in TX, d. 2 Feb. 1943 in TX.
m. Zella Pearl Hallford.
Children of Clarence Mitchell Tate and Zella Pearl Hallford:
52. Robert Eli Tate, b. 3 Oct. 1913 in TX, m. Kate Tervooren on 6 Oct. 1945,
d. 7 Dec. 1989.
53. Emmet Ray "Bunk" Tate, b. 23 Apr. 1915 in TX, m. Maurine Tervooren,
d. 1
Mar. 1992.
54. Edna Ruth Tate, living.
55. Clarence Mitchell Tate, Jr., living.
56. James Earl "Jimmy" Tate, b. 27 Jul. 1923, d. 22 Mar. 1943.
57. Helen Tate, living.
58. Billy Joe Tate, b. 11 Apr. 1933, m. Jackie Watkins, d. 1975.
NOTES
I wish to thank all those who have helped me in my research. Our distant
cousin Martha Southernwood has worked tirelessly to trace the early Tate
family history; she has provided me with extensive documentation and pointed
me in the right direction. Ann Blomquist, a professional researcher, also
provided helpful information on the early Tates. I am grateful to our cousin
Gordon Y. Tate of Tennessee for sending me a copy of the family history
pages from the Tate Family Bible, providing much useful information, and
graciously hosting me in Chattanooga, and to Becky Edinger for inviting me
to join her Tate genealogy internet group. I would also like to thank the
following cousins for the information they have provided on later Tate
generations: Doris Gibson, Robert Ratliff, Merrill Dean Stacy, Laura Mae
Sword, Clarence Mitchell Tate, Jr., Elaine Tate, Johnny Tate, Randall Tate,
and Sandra Kay Tate. Merrill Dean and Rick Stacy also deserve special
thanks for organizing the Tate reunion in Grapevine,
reported in the Fort Worth Star Telegram on January 11, 2004:
http://www.dfw.com/mld/dfw/news/columnists/pat_riddle/7684832.htm.
Notes:
1) Samuel moved to
later inherit from his father and stating that Samuel Tate was "of
1803, see Deed from Samuel Tate to Thomas Hoskins,
Feb. 19, 1803 (Deed Book A, p. 63), and probably died there.
2) John and Samuel Tate were admitted to administer Samuel Tate's estate
in
Tate, Sr. died in 1812.
3) See Deed from John Tate, Sr. to John & Robert Tate,
Jan. 5, 1826 (Deed Book E, p. 568). This deed mentions a "tract, situate in
the County of Claibourne, in the Eastern end of the . . . state of Tennessee
. . . that descended to me as heir to Samuel Tate, my deceased father."
This
deed proves the line of succession from Samuel Tate to John Tate, Sr., to
John Tate, Jr. of Overton County.
4) See Deed from Granville to Samuel Tate,
(Deed Book 5, p. 134); Deed from Samuel Tate and wife Darcus to Hugh
Montgomery, March 30, 1767 (Deed Book 6, p. 385). These two deeds transfer
the same tract of land, 577 acres on the banks of the
branch of Dutchman's Creek. Because Samuel Tate did not purchase any more
property in
after selling this tract (assuming this is our Samuel).
5) Deed from Samuel Tate and wife Darcus to Hugh Montgomery,
6)
7) Pat Alderman, The Overmountain Men (Overmountain Press 1986), pp. 35,
47.
8) Deed from Samuel Tate to John and Ruth Hoskins, Washington County, NC,
April 10, 1783 (Deed Book 1, p. 111).
9) See supra note 1.
10)
11)
12)
13)
14) Penelope Johnson Allen, Tennessee Soldiers in the Revolution
(Genealogical Publishing Co., reprinted 1996), p. 30.
15) Alderman, The Overmountain Men, pp. 119, 126.
16) http://gesswhoto.com/olden-daze/index31.html.
17) http://www.logansfort.org/1775.html.
18) This is based on the assumption that the Samuel Tate who was appointed
co-administrator of Samuel Tate's estate was a son of the elder Samuel and
brother of John. See supra note 2.
19) Samuel's wife was probably dead by the time Samuel reached
from that county. She was certainly dead by the time Samuel moved to
would have been a party in order to extinguish her right of dower in the
property.
20) I have seen references to a John Tate, Jr. in the
court records from the late 1700s. This John Tate is not likely to be our
John Tate, as his father was Samuel, not John (although "Jr." was
sometimes
used in the eighteenth century to designate the younger of two men even when
the elder was the younger man's uncle or cousin, not his father).
21) Deed from State of North Carolina to John Tate, Washington County, NC,
Nov. 17, 1790 (Deed Book 7, p. 207).
22) See supra note 6.
23) See id. John testified that he had these legitimate children
"previous
to his intermarriage with his present wife."
24) http://www.rootsweb.com/~tnwashin/marriages/marr1787_99.htm#T.
25) 1820 U.S. Census,
26) See, e.g., deeds to Thomas Simpson and Alfred Tate.
27) Ann Blomquist has a sixth child, Sarah, born abt. 1808, but I do not
know what evidence this is based on.
28) See supra note 6; Will of Robert Tate, 17 Nov. 1836 mentions Dorcas
Simpson, sister of Robert.
29) Will of Robert Tate, 17 Nov. 1836, does not mention Samuel; either he
was dead or Robert did not see fit to provide him anything in his will.
30) Census records say that the Rev. John Tate, Jr. was born in
but, given that his father lived in
this may be error. Birth and death dates for Rev. John Tate, Jr. are from
his tombstone. See http://beckyswebsite.faithweb.com/page4.html.
31) Robert Tate's will of 1836, supra note 29, states that Vincent Benham
Tate is deceased. In her AFT posting, Ann Blomquist gives his approximate
birth date, wife's name, and approximate date of marriage.
32) This information is taken from Ann Blomquist's AFT posting. Alfred
Carter Tate had many descendants, who are not yet included on this tree.
33) Robert Tate's will was recorded 30 Dec. 1837. Ann Blomquist has his
birthdate as about 1804, but this seems like a long gap between children.
34) http://www.cumberland.org/hfcpc/churches/CaveSpTN.htm.
35) 1830 U.S. Census, McMinn County, TN, p. 174 (Ancestry.com img. 82);
1840 U.S. Census, McMinn County, TN, p. 137 (Ancestry.com img. 125).
36) 1850 U.S. Census,
37) 1860 U.S. Census, Collin County, TX, Precinct 6, p. 77 (Ancestry.com
img. 5). John Tate, Jr. moved to
Mitchell Tate. I am not certain whether James McDonald Tate was still alive
when his father moved to
in Grapevine descended from John's grandson Robert Mitchell Tate.
38) http://www.cumberland.org/hfcpc/minister/TateJ.htm.
39) In 1820, John seems to have owned one young male slave. 1820
Census,
one male slave between 10-24 years old, 3 female slaves under 10, and 1
female slave between 10-24. In 1840, John owned no slaves. I have not
checked the slave schedules for later years.
40) James McDonald Tate, youngest son of John Tate, Jr. and his wife FNU
McDonald, was born Sept. 18, 1822. See Tate Family Bible (copies in
possession of Gordon Y. Tate, Jr.). A few weeks later, John McDonald left
property to the benefit of "Nancy Jane Tate, Puggy Simson Tate, and James
McDonnold Tate, children of John Tate Junior." Deed from John McDonald to
the interest of Nancy Jane Tate and others,
1822. The best explanation for this generosity is that John McDonald was the
grandfather of these children, and his daughter had recently died, probably
from complications of childbirth.
41) Dates are from the Tate Family Bible. This is our ancestor, the father
of Robert Mitchell Tate and Thomas S. Tate. In records from
and in the Tate Family Bible, James's middle name is always abbreviated as
"M." Because James was buried in
Robert Mitchell Tate, our family has generally assumed that James's middle
name was also Mitchell. As discussed infra note 59, however, Robert's middle
name Mitchell probably came from his mother's side, and the fact that James
is buried in
research has led me to the conviction that James's middle name was McDonald,
and that he was the son of the Rev. John Tate, Jr. First, it is clear that
John Tate, Jr. had a son James McDonald Tate. This son was born after the
1820 census of
in a deed. We know that our James M. Tate was born Sept. 18, 1822, which
fits perfectly into what we know of James McDonald Tate. Second, the Rev.
John Tate's son James McDonald Tate was still alive in 1836, when he is
mentioned in Robert Tate's will, and was living with his father in 1840 in
was no longer living with his father, and James was deceased in 1868 when
John Tate, Jr. wrote his will. This also fits with what we know of our James
M. Tate: he died in 1858. Finally, it is important to note that the Rev.
John Tate, Jr. was living in
Pickel family. Our James M. Tate married Jane Catherine Pickel in
James McDonald Tate, son of the Rev. John Tate, Jr., and our James M. Tate
are one and the same person. Of the Tates living in eastern
mid-1800s, only the Rev. John Tate could be the father of our James M. Tate.
If our James M. Tate was not a son of the Rev. John Tate, then his father
must have escaped the notice of census takers for decades. The only way to
make sense of the evidence is to assume that our James was a son of the Rev.
John Tate, and I have proceeded on this assumption.
42) From the AFT posting of Ann Blomquist.
43) See 1850
44) Id. Ann Blomquist has a son Samuel W. Tate born between Robert and
Mary, but he is not attested in census records, and she gives no source.
45)
46)
47) 1860 Collin County, TX Census, supra note 37.
48)
49) See Deed from James Johnson to James M. Tate,
8, 1853 (online at www.hctgs.org).
50) I visited this cemetery with Gordon Y. Tate, Jr. on May 25, 2003,
where
we found James M. Tate's tombstone. The cemetery had recently been surveyed,
and neighbors said that the cemetery might be moved soon.
51) Birthdate from Tate Family Bible. For marriage, see 1900 U.S. Census,
52) Obituary of John Harvey Tate.
53) See 1850 U.S. Census,
54) Tate Family Bible.
55) Birthdate from Tate Family Bible and tombstone record at Flower Mound
(see http://www.rootsweb.com/~txdenton/cemeteries/flowermound/page1.htm).
Marriage date based on first child James Arthur, born in 1881. Date of death
based on tombstone record. Martha Ellen Hall's maiden name is attested in
James Arthur Tate's birth certificate and a clipping from a Grapevine
newspaper from the 1950s. While Robert Mitchell Tate and his brother
Thomas
S. Tate both married girls named Hall, their wives were not sisters. Martha
Ellen Hall's sisters were named Margaret, Malinda, Sara, Eva, and Mary, as
shown by the obituary of Margaret E. Hall Varnell in the Chattanooga Times,
Aug. 8, 1928. See also Letter from Grady L. Poe to Gordon Tate, 22 Mar.
1950, listing the known sisters of Gordon's grandmother as Mary, Malindie,
Addie, and Maggie. (Addie and Eva seem to have been different names or
nicknames for the same woman. Martha also had an older half-brother named
Sam Hall who moved to
U.S. Census for
(Ancestry.com img. 257). Census records show that Martha Ellen Hall and her
sisters were daughters of William Henry Hall and his wife Harriet Heaton.
(See Margaret E. Hall Varnell death certificate, online at
http://www.hctgs.org/DeathCertificates/death_varnell_margaret.jpg, for
Harriet's maiden name.) By contrast, Narcissa Hall who married Thomas S.
Tate was a daughter of Lewis Hall. See 1860 U.S. Census,
different fathers. It is not known if they were related, but Hall was a very
common surname in the South, so there may have been no connection between
Narcissa Hall and Martha Ellen Hall apart from their having married two Tate
brothers.
56) Tate Family Bible.
57) Robert was the first Tate to have the middle name of Mitchell, which
has become a tradition in our family (see the many Tates in subsequent
generations whose middle name is Mitchell). While the source of this name is
not known, it almost certainly came from Robert's mother's side. Robert's
mother, Jane Catherine Pickel, had a brother Lewis Mitchell Pickel, who
moved to
also had a brother named James H. Pickel, see Monroe County, TN, Chancery
Court Records, #555; 1880 U.S. Census, Monroe County, TN, Dist. 1, p. 11A
(Ancestry.com img. 21), whose son James Mitchell Pickel moved to Denton
County, TX and is buried at Pilot Point Cemetery. See
http://ftp.rootsweb.com/pub/usgenweb/tx/denton/cemeteries/ppcempz.txt. For
whatever reason, the name Mitchell was popular among the Pickels, and Jane
gave her son Robert the same middle name as her brother and her nephew.