Dear Coates Rootswebbers: I have been following the discussions about "Little" John COATES & also about his son Capt. Henry COATES with his wives. Someone mentioned he might have had a third wife because of finding him with a wife named Mary. Hasn't anyone mentioned that Polly is the nickname for Mary? Mary & Polly could both used in different deeds & documents for the same wife! Henry's two wives were sisters (1) Elizabeth Long; called "Betsy" (2) Mary Long called "Polly". Anyhow-it is nice to have my "Little" John COATES line discussed once again on the Rootsweb. I appreciate all the hard work you all do. Thanks for sharing your research so freely!!!!!!!!!!! You are the BEST!!! JRC

JRC, Glad you are enjoying the discussion. We all keep each other on our toes. The problem is that the deed that mentions Mary, wife of Henry is in 1792 and Henry son of Little John does not get married to Mary Long until 1808 if memory serves. Because the deed is land next to Little John's.... my guess is that it's still his son Henry, but one who is an unknown first wife. The other possibility is that the Henry who buys land next to Little John in 1792 is the Henry Coate married to Mary/Molly Pitts by 1784 whom we haven't figured out how he connects into the family yet.... Many genealogies have placed him as theory as the son of Henry and Esther Wilson Coate or brother to Little John... This all fits with the facts above except for the fact that he appears to be much much younger than Henry's other known sons.... by about 30 years.... Let's however flow with the idea that the 1792 deed for a Henry Coate is the one that's married to Mary Pitts... Timing and name wise it does fit because of the following. He marries Mary Pitts before 1784, he buys land on Goose Pond in 1771 and again in 1772. He sells land on Goose Pond in 1790. He buys land in 1792 south of Newberry next to Little John's Land??? .... No conflicts in time or in marriage.... He's also the only other known Henry to have a wife named Mary. Worth a theory. At 09:21 PM 1/1/2001 -0500, you wrote: >Dear Coates Rootswebbers: > I have been following the discussions about "Little" John COATES & >also about his son Capt. Henry COATES with his wives. Someone mentioned he >might have had a third wife because of finding him with a wife named Mary. >Hasn't anyone mentioned that Polly is the nickname for Mary? Mary & Polly >could both used in different deeds & documents for the same wife! Henry's >two wives were sisters (1) Elizabeth Long; called "Betsy" (2) Mary Long >called "Polly". > Anyhow-it is nice to have my "Little" John COATES line discussed once >again on the Rootsweb. I appreciate all the hard work you all do. Thanks for >sharing your research so freely!!!!!!!!!!! You are the BEST!!! > JRC > > > >==== COATES Mailing List ====