Stephen Gates (abt. 1597 - bef. 1662)

Born about 26 Dec 1597 in Coney Weston, Suffolk, England

Ancestors

Husband of Ann (Neave) Gates — married 5 May 1628 in Hingham, Norfolk, England

Descendants

Died before 29 Sep 1662 before about age 64 in Cambridge, Middlesex County, Massachusetts Bay Colony

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Stephen Gates migrated to New England during the Puritan Great Migration (1621-1640). (See The Directory, by R. C. Anderson, p. 128) Join: Puritan Great Migration Project Discuss: pgm

Origins

The earlier idea that Stephen was the son of Sir Thomas Gates has been disproved by later research. Stephen was the son of Eustace Gates and Rose Wright, and born in Coney Weston, Suffolk (16 miles south of Hingham:^[1]

For a couple discussions of the facts see: Robert Cady Gates in GenForum

• Eustis Cates & Rose Wright, m. 4 March 1592
• Thomas Gates, son of Eustis, bapt 6 Dec 1593(*)
• Rose Gates, day of Eustis, bp 29 Dec 1594
• William Gates, son of Eustis, bp 18 Apr 1596(*)
• Stephen Gates, son of Eustis, bp 26 Dec 1597(*)
• Alice Gate, day of Eustis, aft 21 Apr 1599
• Mary [the elder] Gates, day of Eustis, bp 25 Dec 1601
• Bridgett Gates, day of Eustis, bp 1 May 1603; bur 20 Mar 1616
• Simon Gates, son of Eustis, bp 22 Mar 1606
• Mary [the younger] Gates, day of Eustis, bp 5 Nov 1609

• Eustace Jayettes [Gates], bur 26 Apr 1626 - that he was Gates is proven by his will below.

(*) Marriage records for these names (Thomas, William, Stephen, in that order) are found in Hingham parish records; no burials found for them either. Note that Stephen Gates the immigrant named a son Simon (bapt 1646 Hingham MA).

Elizabeth Wright [alias] Mower, widow [from] Coney Weston, made a will dated March 1598, naming daughter "Rose ux [wife of] Eustaci Gates"... and "Thomas Gates the sonne of Rose her daughter."^[2]

"Eustace Jacques of Cony Weston... laborer" made will dated 16 Mar 1625/6, proved 5 Jun 1626, naming "Rose Jaques my wife... Rose Jaques, Ales Jaques, Marie Jaques the elder and Marie Jaques the younger my fowre daughters... William Jaques, Thomas Jaques, Stephen Jaques and Symond Jaques my fowre sonnies... my brother in law William Wright of great Ellingam in the countie of Norff yeoman."^[3]

For a list of Stephen's siblings and his parents' data see Robert Cady Gates' pdf file of Stephen's ancestry

Biography

Stephen Gates was born in Suffolk, England.

Steven (Stephen) Gates was baptized 26 Dec 1597 in Coney Weston, Suffolk, England.^[4]

Daniel Cushing, an early resident of Hingham, Mass., left a record of persons who came from Hingham and towns adjacent in County Norfolk, England.^[5] The list included Stephen Gates, who came in The Diligent in 1638 from "Old Hingham" with his wife and two children, Elizabeth and Mary. They sailed from Ipswich, Suffolk, in June 1638 (or April 26 from Gravesend) and arrived August 10, 1638 at Boston, with about one hundred passengers, principally from Hingham, Norfolk, destined for Hingham in the Massachusetts Bay Colony.^[6]

That her name was Ann Veare is from the Hingham, England parish register recording their marriage:

"Stephen Gates & Ann Veare - May 5, 1628"

But a 2009 article questions the accuracy of "Veare" and suggests instead that she was Ann Neave.^[7] (Ann d. Stow, Massachusetts 5 or 19 Feb 1682/3.)

The first record of a child to them wasn't until 1636 (Hingham England Baptisms):

"Marie Gates, da. Steven & Ann - Oct. 15, 1636"

Seems probably that additional children were born and baptized elsewhere between 1628 and 1636, suggesting that Stephen and family lived elsewhere for many years but returning to Hingham in 1636.

His last four children were baptized 3 May 1646 Hingham MA.

Lee J. Streepey (email address redacted) reports (2/97) that 'Genealogy of the Chew Family' gives a daughter, Ann Gates, m. ca. 1650 at Hingham, MA John Chew (b. ca. 1650 in NJ) [but Streepey also goes with the subsequently disproven descent from a Thomas Gates].

Life in New England

Stephen Gates resided initially at Hingham in the Massachusetts Bay Colony and then Lancaster, Mass. in 1656 and finally Cambridge (where he died).

'The Gates blood seems to have been of decided tropical nature. The daughter, Mary, very boldly contradicted the minister in public assembly. Stephen Gates quarrelled with his neighbors, the Whitcombs, was deprived of his constable's staff, and moved away from Lancaster after less than three years residence. ...his sons attempted, without success, to break his will, alleging that their father was not of disposing mind.' By his will Stephen, eldest son, received the house in Lancaster. His widow, Ann, later married Richard Woodward age 45 who came (says Chute) with wife Rose age 50 in 1634 - Rose died in 1662 and he then married Ann and he lived until 16 Feb 1665, Ann resuming the surname Gates after his death.^[8]

Stephen Gates, d. Cambridge, MA, between June 9 and Sep 29, 1662. He was buried Oct 1662 in Lancaster, Worcester, Massachusetts.^{[citation needed]} (Others say Cambridge.)^{[citation needed]}.

In the Lincoln's History of Hingham, Stephen was "from Hingham England, with his wIfe and two children came to New England in the ship "Diligent," of which Capt. John Martin was master, and settled in our Hingham a.d. 1638. In 1652 he removed to Cambridge, and thence the year following to Lancaster, Massachusetts. Freeman, 1656; and in 1657 constable. He returned shortly after to Cambridge, and died there 1662. In his will made 9 June,1662, proved 7 Oct. following, (he) calls himself of Cambridge. The christian name of his wife was Ann. She survived him, and married secondly, 1663, Richard Woodward, whom she outlived, and died 5 Feb. 1683, at Stowbridge, where two of her sons resided."^[9]

Ward lists 71 persons between 1635 to 1640 who were granted land by the Town of Hingham of whom Stephen Gates was one.^[10]

Descendants

Children:^[11]

1. Elizabeth b. prob. co Norfolk, England about 1630; d. in Hingham 3 Aug 1704; m. 29 Nov 1649 John Lazell
2. Stephen b. prob. co Norfolk, England about 1634; died in Stow, Massachusetts 9 July 1707
3. Mary bpt in Hingham, Eng. 15 Oct 1636; m. in Sudbury Mass 5 April 1658 John Maynard.
4. Simon bpt Hingham, Mass 3 May 1646
5. Thomas bpt Hingham, Mass 3 May 1646
6. Isaac bpt Hingham, Mass 3 May 1646; died 3 Spt 1651
7. Rebecca bpt Hingham, Mass 3 May 1646; died Jan 1650

Sources

1. ↑ Harrison (2006); See discussion of that research.
2. ↑ Harrison (2006)
3. ↑ Harrison (2006)
4. ↑ Harrison (2006)
5. ↑ NEHGR, 15:25-27
6. ↑ Banks, Charles Edward, The Planters of the Commonwealth ... 1620-1640. (Boston, Houghton Mifflin Co., 1930), pages 191-2. Borrow on Archive.org.
7. ↑ Harrison (2009)
8. ↑ Nourse, Henry: "Annals of Lancaster"; page 268
9. ↑ History of the Town of Hingham, Massachusetts (The Town of Hingham, Massachusetts, 1893) Vol II, p.264
10. ↑ First Settlers of Hingham, Communicated by Andrew H. Ward, Esq., Extracted from "New England Historical & Genealogical Register," Vol 2, p 250 to 252, July 1848
11. ↑ Torrey: NEHGR 120: p163

See also:

• Edward J. Harrison, "Ann Neave, wife of Stephen Gates, 1638 Immigrant to Massachusetts," in NEHGR, Boston, MA: NEHGS 163(2009):134-136 -- makes the case that Ann, wife of Stephen Gates was named Neave, not Veare, noting the presence of Neave (31 times), but not of Veare in the Hingham parish record. The author found a baptism of Ann Neave in Hingham, day of Thomas Neave, 16 Jun 1611, which is a bit young, but possible. The author admits she may have been baptized before the 1600 date when the parish records began.
• Edward J. Harrison, "The English Origins of Stephen Gates, 1638 Immigrant to Massachusetts," in NEHGR, Boston, MA: NEHGS, 160(2006):7-14 -- proposes that Stephen Gates was son of Eustace Gates and Rose Wright (dau of Martin and Elizabeth ----- Wright); also proposes that "Veare" as maiden name of Ann was a transcription error.
• Frances E. Sage, "Stephen Gates of Hingham, Lancaster and Cambridge, Massachusetts," in Register, Boston, MA: NEHGS 137(1983):574 - challenged Stephen's descent from Peter Gates and Mary Josselyn as chronologically impossible
• Charles Otis Gates, Stephen Gates of Hingham and Lancaster, Massachusetts and his Descendants p9-10; published in 1898 by Willis McDonald and Co. of New York & available at Hathi Trust Digital Library - claims that Stephen was son of Thomas of Norwich, England, citing Harleian Society v14 p574, but the pedigree on that page in that publication includes neither Thomas the supposed father or Stephen the immigrant.
• Clarence Almon Torrey, "Stephen Gates of Hingham, Lancaster and Cambridge, Mass. and Some of his Descendants" published in New England Historical and Genealogical Register (NEHGR) of Boston, MA by NEHGS in 1966 v120 p161-163, 161-70, 260-72; 121 (1967):45-54, 217-23, 250-60
• Clarence Almon Torrey, "English Origin of Stephen Gates" in The American Genealogist 1933 v10 p199 - suggests that Stephen, Thomas and William Gates of Hingham, England were brothers, all sons of Rose Gates.
• American Genealogist, New Haven, Connecticut: D. L. Jacobus 1984 v60 p55 New England Historic Genealogical Society (Online Database for issues older than than 5 years).
• "The Great Migration: Immigrants to New England 1634-1635" v7 T-Y p530 by Robert Charles Anderson & New England Historic Genealogical Society of Boston, MA in 2011.
• "Ancestry of Bill Gates" compiled by William Addams Reitwiesner, with contributions by Robert Battle, Christopher Challender Child and Gary Boyd Roberts (genealogist of royal & presidential lines).
• Maynard, Carl W. Jr. Colonial Maynards'. Wilmingtonm Del; Salt Lake City; 1982. Microfiche Filmed by the Genealogical Society of Utah, 1983.
• Lazell, Theodore Studley, John Lazell of Hingham and Some of His Descendants, Haverhill, Massachusetts: The Record Publishing Company (1936), 5, Ancestry.com (Online Database).
• "History of Marlborough MA" p366
• Find A Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com : accessed 01 July 2019), memorial page for Stephen Gates (26 Dec 1597–Sep 1662), Find A Grave: Memorial #73490123, ; Maintained by Bushnell (contributor 47234417) Unknown.