A Gates Family Review:Information about Arba Gates
Arba Gates (b. May 18, 1800, d. May 29, 1888)
Notes for Arba Gates:excerpt from the:
CHRONOLOGICAL RECORD
of
ARBA GATES, Sr. and his Descendents from 1800 to 1909
Compiled by Merrit C. Gates
ARBA GATES, Sr.,-Was born in Winsor county, Vermont, MAY 18,1800.
Nothingisknownofhisancestors, fartherthanfour
brothersby the name of Gates,came fromEngland tothis
countryinaveryearlyday,andthathisparentage
originatedfrom one of these brothers.I have met inthe
west many men by the name of Gates, and all with whom I have
talked,tracetheir origin back to one of thesebrothers;
butlikeusare unable to go farther,ortoclaimany
particular one of them as their forefather.If this is true
ofall,itis safe to conclude that all wholegitimately
bear the name of Gates,are in some degree related,but in
most cases so remote as to be almost obscure.The fact that
we,as a family,cannot trace our origin farther back than
ArbaGates,Sr.,is conclusive evidence that somerecord
shouldbe made by the present generation,on whichfuture
generations can build.
Arba Gates, Sr., was a man ofsplendid physique.All times
andlocalitieshavetheirbasisofaristocracy,the
aristocracy of his day,was not based on fine houses, lands
ormoney,but on physical strength andactivity,andin
these things he was an aristocrat.
Butfewmenpossessed the physical strengthandcourage
accorded to him, and when aroused he became a power that was
almost irresistible;but it can be said to his creditthat
heneverusedhisstrengthinoppressingthoseless
fortunate,butalwaysin defending the weakagainstthe
tyranny of some big bully.It was not an uncommon thing in
those days,for a man to get the notion that on accountof
hissize he could intimidate all those with whom he came in
contact,andoften one of these fellows would appear ina
communityandcause great commotion byhisboastingand
abuse;andwhen his actions became intolerablethey would
send for Arba,and when he got through with him,henever
looked for other worlds to conquer.
Thewriter remembers an instance,when a mereboy,that
illustrateshis courage and his high sense ofjustice,as
well as his readiness to defend the weak against the strong.
Inaccordance with a long deferred promise,Iaccompanied
himtoOgdensBurg (a city on the lake,)inthosedays
farmers made cheese in the summer months, and hauled them in
the winter to the city, and because of this immense traffic,
hotels were located all along the route at intervals of four
or five miles.On this trip of which I speak, we arrived at
one of these inns just after dark, and when we drove up, the
proprietor and his hostler came out with lanterns,and when
theydiscoveredwho it was,seemed greatlypleased,and
remarkedthat they were never so glad to see himasthen;
andexplained there was a big bully in the house,that had
beenterrorizing the little town for several days,andno
one dared to interfere; that they had been wishing that Arba
Gates would come along.Father said that he was gettingto
old for such things, and had better go on to the next hotel.
Butin the mean time his team was unhitched and on theway
to the barn, and we were ushered into the hotel office.The
firstthing I saw was a great big burly fellow;withcoat
andvestoff,andsleeves rolled up,wasmakinggreat
demonstrations-by striking terrific blows against thewall,
each side of a young man's head,that he had backed up in a
corner.The size of the man,and his ferociousness struck
me with horror, and I clutched father's coat for protection.
Suddenlythecoatdropped at my feet,and Isawfather
stridingacrossthe room.The big fellowhadhisback
toward us, and did not see father until he reached past him,
andcaught the young man by the arm and pulling him outof
thecornerandpromptly took his place andinformedthe
bully"thata man,and not a boy confrontedhim."This
bully like most men of his class was naturally a coward, and
the change was so sudden and the confident determinationof
the man before him was so evident,that his boasted courage
left him, and father literallykicked him out of the house.
Whilethisinstance wasno test of his strength,itwas
certainlya good test of his courage and hisreadinessto
champion the cause of the weak;especially when we consider
thathehadarrived at an age when mostmenwouldhave
considered themselves down and out.
Irememberhimasamanwithtwoespeciallystrong
characteristics;one was his love and admiration for a good
horse.The other, his strong likes and dislikes.If he did
notlike a man he preferred to have nothing to do with him;
while upon the other hand,if he liked a man,he would not
onlyplace implicit confidence in him,but would scornto
protect himself in any large business transaction againsta
possiblemistake,apparentlydeeming such a courseasa
breach of confidence, or an act of disloyalty to a friend.
If his judgmentof men had always been correct,this trait
wouldnot have proven so disastrous to him,but toooften
some designing rascal would gain his confidence, and swindle
him out of all he had.And after each case of this kind he
wouldshowremarkable courage and ability inrecuperating
hislosses,onlyto be again swept away inlikemanner.
Thosewho were true and honest,seemed to so outweighthe
failureofothersthathedidnotprofitbythese
experiences and seemingly could not question the loyaltyof
oneheliked.While this trait made himanundesirable
enemy it made him a very true and loyal friend.
In 1819 he was married to Miss Susan Clintsman,and settled
in Jefferson County,N.Y.Together they endured all the
privations and hardships incident to the making of a home in
thatnewandheavilytimberedcountry.In1851he
accompaniedhis son,Issac,to California,returningin
1853.Two years later he emigrated toWaupun,Wisconsin,
andin1862 to Fillmore county,Minnesota,returningto
Wisconsin in 1874,and died there May 29th,1888,aged 88
years and 11 days.
Politicallyhe was a Republican,and a radical Unionman.
In religion, a Methodist.
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Source Information:
Census Place Alto, Fond Du Lac, Wisconsin
Family History Library Film1255425
NA Film NumberT9-1425
Page Number17D
1880 Census
More About Arba Gates and Susan Clintsman:
Marriage: 1819, Lewis, Essex, New York.
Children of Arba Gates and Susan Clintsman are:
- +Luther Lee Gates, b. June 07, 1835, Hermon, St Lawrence, New York, d. October 02, 1913, Webb City, Jasper County, Missouri.
- +Elizabeth Gates, b. January 17, 1821, Antwerp, Jefferson County, Newy York, d. May 07, 1899, Waupun, River Fall, Pierce, Wisconsin.
- +Abram Francis Gates, b. May 18, 1823, Chaumont, Jefferson County, New York, d. January 21, 1896, Hailsboro, New York.
- +Isaac Gates, b. July 30, 1825, New York, d. February 01, 1853, San Francisco, California.
- +John F. Gates, b. October 13, 1827, Martinsburg, Lewis County, New York, d. date unknown.
- +Arba Jr. Gates, b. July 24, 1830, Lewis County, New York, d. July 06, 1925, Cavendish, Vermont.
- +Susan A. Gates, b. February 24, 1833, d. date unknown.
- Sarahrett Gates, b. February 28, 1838, Hermon, St Lawrence, New York, d. date unknown.
- Wallace Gates, b. April 02, 1840, d. August 12, 1845.
- Emma M. Gates, b. March 07, 1842, Hermon, St Lawrence, New York, d. date unknown.
- +Merrit C. Gates, b. July 27, 1844, St. Lawrence County, New York, d. date unknown.