hi- I found a little bit of information on BENJAMIN BATES in The Hampshire History, 300 yr anniversary edition. Listed under the Chesterfield section:(on why some left Chesterfield) Some went west because indemnification land was granted to them by the government. One of these was Captain Benjamin Bates whos whaling vessel had been commandeered by Congress during the Revolution. Twenty years after the end of the war, he received a grant of land in the Western Reserve and although he was then eighty-four, he made his way out with his family (1808), a two month's journey, traveling in a convoy of some 100 wagons. Only other mention of Bates: In February of 1950, following adjournment of town meeting, a citizen' meeting was held to consider medical problems. Ath the meeting Mrs. harry (Florence) Bates, a registered nurse who had long served the town, asked for bolunteers to serve with her on a committee to investigate ways and means of securing adequate medical service. Hope some of this helps. Sandy -----Original Message----- From: Jbbrum@aol.com <Jbbrum@aol.com> To: MAHAMPSH-L@rootsweb.com <MAHAMPSH-L@rootsweb.com> Date: Saturday, April 08, 2000 12:06 PM Subject: [MAHAMPSH-L] (MAHAMPSH-L) Is there a Franklin Co. List? >Hello, >My ancestor Benjamin Bates of Chesterfield (son of James, nephew of the Benj. >Bates who was a councilman) married Hannah Kelley of Ashfield (dau. of Abner) >in 1794. I found this in the Ashfield Vital Records book, but I can find no >official documentation of the births of their five children, only what is in >the Bates Family Newsletters of the 1920s. The latter gave the exact names >and dates, so must have gotten them from somewhere. Where? The first three >children, James, Phineas, and Emily Litchfield Bates, were born before 1800, >probably in the Chesterfield-Ashfield area. Where? The family moved >westward after that, although it appears that young James 's marriage and >birth of children took place in Chesterfield (History of Chesterfield). > >I am looking for the birthplace and some record of Emily, especially. Is >there a Rootsweb list for Franklin County? > >Thank you very much, > >Jane . > > >==== MAHAMPSH Mailing List ==== >For questions or comments about the Hampshire Massachusetts Mailing List, please contact Peggy Tebbetts: tcf@genealogist.net > >============================== >Search ALL of RootsWeb's mailing lists in real time. >RootsWeb's Personalized Mailing Lists: >http://pml.rootsweb.com/ >