Family Tree Maker's Genealogy Site: Genealogy Report: Descendants of William Yates, R.S.

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Descendants of William Yates, R.S.

Generation No. 1

1. WILLIAM¹ YATES, R.S. was born 1757 in Lunenburg Co., Virginia (?), and died Aft. 1836 in Heard Co., Ga. (?)¹.

Notes for WILLIAM YATES, R.S.:
William Yates appears to be identical with the William Yeats who was living in Cheraw Precinct, South Carolina, northeast of Camden, in 1790 with his wife, two males under 16 and another female, probably a daughter. One of William's apparent children, James, reported being born in South Carolina in 1776. There is a William Yates, Revolutionary Soldier, listed among the early settlers of Cheraw in Alexander Gregg's HISTORY OF THE OLD CHERAWS (Columbia, 1925), p. 414. Next door was a Robert Dowling, resident since 1773 (perhaps this became Darling, a family name among later Yateses; p. 360 on the microfilm), and there were also Rowlands, Burrells, Goodsons, Kimbroughs and Mitchells, Indian mixed blood families the Yates men later intermarried with. William Yates platted 477 acres on Lake Swamp in Cheraw District on December 2, 1794, as surveyed by Robert Ellison. Robert Dowling was a resident of Cheraw as early as 1773, when he filed a complaint in the April Assizes, Northern Circuit, against a drunkard (Gregg, p. 199).
A final account of his war services was made with the state in 1782. His name is on a list of returned accounts for Revolutionary veterans from the South Carolina legislature sent in March 1785. Two middle sons William and Eli claimed to have been born in Georgia and it is likely William, Sr. served on the Georgia frontier during the Revolution and lived in South Carolina before it. If so it would be fruitless to look for his service record in the armies of Virginia or North Carolina.
He may also be the same as a William Gates who appeared on a muster roll on October 1, 1793 in Franklin County, Georgia, in Cherokee territory, where he owned land. The reasoning behind this assumption revolves around the names of several Cawthorns or Cawthons associated with the Yateses there: Burrell Yates, William's son, married Sarah Cothern, daughter of Josiah Cothern and Mary Smith (a Cherokee), and migrated with this family to North Florida. The Cawthons were a Scottish trading family.
The more distant origin of the Yateses was in Virginia, as recalled by descendants of Joseph Dahling Yates. It was probably Pittsylvania County, Virginia on the Dan River north of Yanceyville in the 1740s and 1750s. The Yates Blockhouse near Gretna, Virginia was one of the first such forts built beyond the fall line in Virginia, about 1750, but a John Yates is not associated with it for sure until 1770. It was 12 miles from the Indian Saponi Town, near Altavista, and Indian campgrounds are mentioned in deeds made on nearby Potters and Reddies Creeks.
There was a possibly related clan of Yateses in early Caswell County, North Carolina from Bedford, Virginia. This John Yates took his family UP the Shenandoah valley and thus came from the Virginia/North Carolina line before. The ultimate common ancestor may be John Yates, the immigrant to Elizabeth City (Hampton), Virginia, 1635. Peter, Edward and John Yates (Gates) enlisted in the Wilmington militia in the Revolution. A John Yates, Esquire, was living in Bladen County, in the Wilmington hinterland near the South Carolina line, in the 1790 and 1800 censuses, with son John and nine slaves. According to a family tradition, three Yates brothers came to America before the Revolution. These may have been Peter, Edward and John Yates of the Wilmington area. If true, these Yateses are probably not related to William Yates, whose family had deeper roots in America. Perhaps Peter and William Yates met in South Carolina or Georgia and assumed a kinship; both families passed down the Dowling/Dahling/Darling name, also the Manaen/Manning name.
LAND RECORDS. As early as September 22, 1798, John Broch of Jefferson County sold 200 acres next to John Lott on the Peedee Reedy Branch and Ohoopee River in Montgomery County to William Yates of Burke Co. If this was the same William, a month later on October 22, 1798 he was bonded for administration of the estate of John Yates in Caswell County, North Carolina. Evidently, this is the same land William sold on February 14, 1803, complete with house, garden and timber to John (or Samuel) Hartley, recorded April 27, 1807 and witnessed by Amos Doughlas and John Rhynon. The original grantee was William Renfro on August 18, 1792. In the meantime, William had bought 275 acres on Blake's Branch and Barber's Creek from John Blake (transaction dated October 10, 1800 and recorded June 12, 1802). This second tract of land was sold on December 23, 1807 to John Pig, recorded November 27, 1809. The Piggs also came from Pittsylvania County, Virginia and were neighbors of the Yateses there. The Piggs were also neighbors of the Yateses in Norfolk County, Virginia.
In 1805 and 1806, William Yates paid tax on 200 acres of "pine land" in Montgomery County, living next to Peter Yates, thought on the basis of this and other coincidences to be his brother. It could also have been his son Peter. Down the way were Eli, James, Burrell and William, apparently sons. In 1807, he drew land in Wilkinson County as "William Sr." but did not take it up. He was still in Montgomery County in 1811, when he moved to Laurens County and sold part of his land there to his son Burrell. William Sr. and Jr. paid tax in Laurens in 1813. He served as a juror in September 1817 and was counted in the 1820 Laurens Co. census living between James, evidently his son, and William McDaniel. Nearby was apparently also his grandson James B. Yates, 19, with his family, including great-grandson James C. Yates.
In 1816 there was a William Yates, evidently a soldier, in Alabama Territory, Washington District, near Mobile.
William drew land in Carroll County in the 1827 land lottery as a Revolutionary Soldier (R.S.). His draw accounts for how his son Eli, grandson James and great-grandson James got to Heard County, Ga., which was formed from Carroll County in 1830. The land, which fell in NW Heard County and became known as Texas Court Ground outside Franklin, was claimed by him November 28, 1836, showing he was still alive in his eighties. He probably survived his wife.
William is often confused with the Revolutionary soldier William Yeates of Wake County, North Carolina, who was married to Mary Tapp, and also with a William said to be their son married to Mary Wimberly, but there is no evidence that these Williams ever came to Georgia. In fact, they are counted on the N.C. censuses during the years when William Yates lived and owned land in Georgia.The confusion goes back to Folks Huxford's work. These Yateses were Irish or Scotch-Irish and came down the Shenandoah Valley from Virginia or Pennsylvania. They apparently originated the famous Yates apple, since old William Yates operated an apple cidery in North Carolina.

More About WILLIAM YATES, R.S.:
Fact 1: 1798, Burke County, Georgia
Fact 2: 1800, Montgomery County, Georgia
Fact 3: 1813, Laurens County, Georgia
Fact 4: 1827, Revolutionary veteran in Laurens Co.
Fact 5: 1836, Claims land in Heard Co.
Occupation: Farmer and soldier (Revolutionary War)
Residence: 1782, Cheraw District, S.C.; then Georgia

Children of WILLIAM YATES, R.S. are:

2.	i.		BURRELL² YATES, b. 1771; d. Abt. 1839, Florida.
	ii.		PETER YATES, b. 1775; d. Aft. 1840, Washington Co., Ga. (?).

Notes for PETER YATES:
Not to be confused with Peter Yates, the Revolutionary Soldier whose widow was later living in Fayette Co. Both Peters drew land in Early County in Clarke County in the 1820 Land Lottery. According to Huxford, a Peter Yates died single in Clarke County before 1825.

More About PETER YATES:
Fact 2: 1805, Montgomery County Tax List
Fact 3: 1830, Emanuel County Census
Fact 4: 1840, Washington County Census

3.	iii.	JAMES YATES, b. 1776, South Carolina; d. Florida.
4.	iv.	WILLIAM I. (OR S. OR T.) YATES, b. Abt. 1778, Georgia; d. Aft. 1860, Florida (?).
5.	v.	ELI YATES, b. 1778, Georgia; d. June 1859, Heard Co., Ga..
	vi.	SALLY YATES, b. Abt. 1780.

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