Recently discovered these items and thought I would post them, hoping that perhaps someone could elaborate on them. I suspect that the Ralph Coates cited at the end is identical with the Ralph Coates who was Clerk of the Council in Albemarle Dist(Pasquotank)in the 1680s. From: SURRY COUNTY RECORDS SURRY COUNTY VIRGINIA, 1652-1684 by Davis. p. 16 "Page 61. Mar. 31, 1655. Capt. Geo. Jordan petitions to the Grand Assembly in regard to reports concerning his marriage with Eliza. Coates...and declares that it may be just lawful. Edw. Hill, speaker. Cha. Norwood, Clk of Assembly, Rec. 20 Apr 1655." "Page 62. At a Quarter Court held at James Cittye the 26th of Mar. 1655. Present: Rich. Bennett, Esq. Gov: Coll. Wm. Clairborne: Coll. Thomas Pettus. Coll BRidge: Freeman Esqs. Mr. Edward Diggs. Coll. Wm Tayler. Capt. George Jordan produced certain papers to prove his case that sd Eliza: Coates was formerly married to Daniel Coates...that sd Daniel Coates deceased on 13 April last in Ireland, wherefore it is now lawful for sd Eliza: to marry who she pleased...The Court did conceive that the last is so and that the marriage to Geo. Jordan is Judged Both by Civil and Common law of England and so Certified. Rec. 20 April 1655. p. 11 "Page 37. Edward Sanderson testified that when he came to Virginia, and meeting with his brother, Montagne Sanderson, the Latter being an associate and acquaintance of Mr. Daniel Coates, found that Mrs. Daniel Coates was married to Richard Esell..."(Note: not specified, but I would think that this entry was also for 1655). Note: I ran out of time before I could get the last entry verbatim, but essentially it is this: On p. 74 of the same book, there is an entry for a Jury Inquest dated 25 April 1665 which stipulates that the servant boy of Ralph Coates had died and that the Inquest found that he died of natural causes. Again: seems likely to me that this Surry Co. Coates simply moved south in Albemarle Dist. sometime after 1665. Now to my observations: I could find nothing else on-line regarding this Daniel Coates IN Ireland, but it may be that I found him back in England; there is an IGI christening record pertaining to a Daniel Coates, christened 30 Sept 1623 at St. Mary in the South Bailey,Durham, Co. Durham. His father is listed as Thomas Coates. And while I could still be wrong about the Pasquotank Co. Coates families deriving from Durham via Ireland to NC, I cannot help but recall that Henry Coates of Albemarle Dist. in NC(liv. there c. 1716-18)matches up nicely with some related( but conflicting?) records showing a Henry Coates b.23 Sept 1680, Cockfield, Co. Durham and a Henry Coates b.c. 1684 at Kilcock, Co. Kildare, Ireland. In the case of each Henry, the father is given as Thomas Coates. Moreover, in Ireland, there was a Coates family settled at Kilcock, Co. Kildare, beginning, I think with a Wm Coates, b.c. 1680, d. 1766. From him, the line at Kilcock descends as follows: Thomas>Matthew>Matthew>Arthur>Arthur>William. I am searching for more on this Co. Kildare family, but the going in Ireland is always slow. And, I should also note that there are a number of Ralph Coateses in Co. Durham(along with other familiar Coates names, e.g. Matthew, George, Henry, Thomas, Joseph,etc.etc.)all in the mid 17th Century time-frame. Nothing conclusive yet, but I am still piecing together bits and pieces. If anyone has anything to add regarding these Irish Coates lines, please chime in. Regards to all Larry D.H. Coats