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 .