I was interested in Terri's letter about her Bates family from OH and NY: <Edgar Alfred Bates b. 11/6/1921 Elyria, OH d. 10/24/1986 Oakland, CA > Harold Sage Bates b. 5/20/1897 Elyria, OH d. 1/19/1972 Lorain, OH > Alfred Merton Bates b. Avon Twp., OH d. 4/17/1944 Elyria, OH > Alfred Bates b. 4/7/1829 Bennington, NY d. 6/6/1914 Elyria, OH > Daniel Staples Bates b. 6/30/1804 Bennington, VT d. 4/1/1896 Elyria, OH.> We have the following census information on my husband's great-grandparents, Nelson A. and Serepta Parrish Bates, and wonder if Terri sees any possible family connection: 1870 Lorain County, Ohio, Lagrange twp, page 554 197/203 Bates, Nelson 39 Farmer $2850/$687 b. New York Serepta 39 Keeping house b. New York Frank 13 b. Iowa Edgar 11 b. Iowa Ada 5 b. Iowa Darwin 2 b. Ohio 1880 Lorain County, Ohio, Lagrange twp, page 524B 12/12 Bates, Nelson 49 Farmer b. NY, parents b. NY Serepta 48 wf Keeping house b. NY, parents b. NY Ada 15 dau At home b. Iowa Darwin 12 son At school b. Ohio William P 9 son b. Ohio 42/50 Bates, Frank 23 Laborer b. OH Dora 18 wf Keeping house b. OH Edward Bates 20 farm laborer b. Iowa, parents b. NY, l ____________________________________________________________________ Nelson A. Bates, born 1 Nov 1831 in Jefferson County, NY, married Serepta R. Parrish 18 June 1852 in Wellington, Lorain County, OH. Their children were: (1) Arthur Bates, b. 30 Mar 1853, Camden, Lorain County, OH, d. 4 Jan 1863, Toledo, Black Hawk County, IA (age 9) (2) Frank L. Bates, b. 3 Dec 1856, Toledo, Black Hawk, IA (3) Edgar l. Bates, b. 23 July 1859, Toledo, Black Hawk, IA, d. 8 Dec 1931, Floral, KS (age 72) (4) Alice E. Bates, b. 17 Sept 1862, Toledo, Black Hawk, IA, d. 26 Jan 1863, Toledo, Black Hawk, IA (age 4 months) (5) Adah A. Bates, b. 16 Nov 1864, Toledo, Black Hawk, IA (6) Darwin Nelson Bates, b. 26 Mar 1869, Lagrange, OH, d. 27 July 1937, Floral, KS (age 68) (7) William Pitt Bates, b.19 Apr 1871, Lagrange, OH, d. 27 Dec 1951, Pharr, TX (age 80) (8) Charlotte B. Bates, b. 1878, d. 1959, Winfield, KS (age 81)