Chart representing Coates families in Virginia (*some relationships are unknown)
The Coates in Virginia have
proven to be a hard pedigree to track.
There were many Coates men who had the same and similar names. They also appeared to move periodically,
wreaking havoc to those of us attempting to assign these men to family
groups. There are assorted family
histories online with few sources providing difficulties separating fact from
fiction. By looking at all of the
information available, this chart provides us with the best look at how the
Coates men were, or may have been, related.
These lines are not etched in stone and there are certainly errors. It does, however, provide Coates researchers
with the most complete observation of the Coates lines, based largely on locality
connections (considering the resources available to us at this time). There may be a point in the future where more
documentation is found – either proving or disproving these associations. Until then, this is how I see it.
Spotsylvania and Caroline County,
Virginia boundaries in 1779 Virginia
John Coates the elder was born
somewhere between 1720 and 1740 and more than likely closer to the dates of
1730 to 1735. This John Coates was
married to Ann at some time before 1779 (some records state Nancy “Ann”
Thompkins but no proof of that connection has been discovered). One deed even reveals his spouse as “Ann
(Nancy), his wife.” There is no evidence
that Ann was the mother of the presumed John Coates sons (William and John Coates,
born in 1760 and 1762) as John and Ann may have married post 1762. John and Ann Coates were Caroline County,
Virginia residents in 1779 and were there as early as 1775 (William Coates
service enlistment location). In 1779,
John and Ann Coates bought two tracts of land in Spotsylvania County, Virginia
(at the time, they were “of Caroline County”).
The first parcel was a 130-acre tract purchased from Ann Mathews and Ann
Shackelford for 500 pounds (could these have been John Coates sisters). The second
was acquired from Richard Dillard and consisted of 100 acres on the north side
of the Pawpaw Swamp. Witnesses to the
first deed were Richard Dillard and Elisha Dismukes (father of Susannah
Dismukes, future wife of William Coates and John Coates future son-in-law). Richard Dillard would later sell John Coates
more land that adjoined the Pawpaw Swamp land (250 acres in 1783 that adjoined
the previous 100 acres. Witnesses for the 1783 deed were William Coates [19-year-old
son], William Rash, and John Shackelford. Also interesting to note, John Waller
was a witness for this deed, probably the same John Waller who witnessed Thomas
Coates deed in 1762).
William Coates may have been the
grandson of Thomas Coats. Though we
currently know very little about the William Coates line prior to 1775, the location
of Coates families may provide a connection between the Coates of the 1770s and
earlier potential relatives. Only one
other Coates man was known to have ties to both Spotsylvania and Caroline
Counties in years prior to 1775, and that was Thomas Coats. Thomas Coats was a resident of St. George
Parish, Caroline County, Virginia in 1747.
He bought 303 acres in Spotsylvania County from Henry Goodloe on 3 May
1747. Thomas Coats appeared to have
moved to his Spotsylvania County land when he was reported on a road order with
Robert Goodloe in Spotsylvania County on 3 June 1755. Finally, Thomas Coats and his wife Elizabeth
of St. George Parish, Spotsylvania County sold their 303-acre tract in
Spotsylvania County to Samuel Wallen on 5 July 1763, the deed witnessed by
Robert Goodloe. No other occurrences of
this Thomas Coats have been found in either county’s records. In this hypothesized relationship, William
Coates (b1760) was the son of John Coates the elder (bca1730), and John Coates
the elder was the son of Thomas Coats (bca1705). When analyzing the dates, Thomas Coats could
have been the brother of John Coates. A
definite relationship has not been determined, yet.