Edward Bates (bef. 1616 - abt. 1644)

Born before 1616 in England

Husband of Lydia (Unknown) Fletcher — married 1641 in Boston, Massachusetts Bay Colony

Descendants

Died about 1644 after about age 28 in Boston, Suffolk, Massachusetts Bay Colony

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Edward Bates migrated to New England during the Puritan Great Migration (1621-1640). (See Great Migration Begins, by R. C. Anderson, Vol. 1, p. 131) Join: Puritan Great Migration Project Discuss: pgm

Disputed Parents

A previous version of this profile had attached as parents Edmund Bates and Elizabeth Leverett who married 3 September 1592 North Searles, Linconshire, England. As Edward did come to New England as a servant to Thomas Leverett of Boston, Linconshire, England, these parents are possible, but more research is needed to prove the relationship.

Biography

Edward Bates was born by 1616 based on date of freemanship, but origins unknown. He was not the same as Edward Bates of Weymouth (contrary to Pope).^[1][2]

He arrived in New England 1633, settling in Boston. Some (but not Anderson), believe he arrived September 18, 1633 on board the Griffin. On that ship were 100 passengers, including Anne Hutchinson who would play a part in his life. Most on the Griffin were likely followers of Reverend John Cotton who had already made his way to Boston. On the passenger list was the Reverend Jonathan Lothrop who had conducted separatist services in Edgerton, Kent and London, and the Rev. Zachariah Symmes of Canterbury, Kent.

We do not know how much Edward Bates may have been involved in the religious discussion that most likely occurred on the Griffin but we do know that he found something he liked in what Anne Hutchinson had to say, if not then, in the near future.^[3]

Edward came as a servant to Thomas Leverett, (a lawyer Alderman from Boston, England who had come previously with John Cotton and would also be an Elder in the First Church of Boston), but he soon earned his freedom, and became a freeman in 1637. He married Lydia _____ (some say Fairbanks; Anderson does not) about 1640 in Boston, and embarked on a brief but colorful life in the new Boston.

"Some secondary sources suggest that Lydia (_____) (Bates) Fletcher may have been daughter of Richard Fairbanks of Boston [Snow-Estes 1:296; Farwell Gen 1:45]. The latter source, for instance, says "there is evidence of some association between the two families" (Richard Fairbanks and Henry Farwell), but does not produce the evidence. Nothing in the career of Richard Fairbanks suggests that he had a daughter Lydia.^[4]

In 1638, Edward was disarmed and excommunicated for heresy as a follower of Anne Hutchinson during what was called the Antinomian Controversy.^[5] In addition to holding religious views different from the established church leaders, she also led discussions and prayer meetings, infuriating the male clergy who ultimately banished her from Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1638. Some of her supporters recanted (including Edward), others lost their arms (weapons) and right to vote; others followed her in her exile to Rhode Island.

Edward was excommunicated again on 26 November 1642 "for sundry scandalous thefts Committed by him and for many lyes and uncleane dallyances with another mans wife." But readmitted 28 April 1644 "upon his Repentance openly Confessed for the Sinnes for the which he formerly was Cast out." (This is the last known record of Edward).^[6]

Edward is mentioned several times in the Boston Town Records. He was given 14 acres of land on Pullen Poynt (now the town of Winthrop, where a Bates Road still exists). He almost lost the land because he sailed off to Sable Island to hunt instead of tending to the required house building but the town fathers relented and gave him an extension of time.

His only child, John, was born in 1641 and baptized in the First Church of Boston. The date and circumstances of Edward’s death aren’t known, but in 1645 his widow married William Fletcher in Concord.^[7]

He died after 28 April 1644 and before 7 Nov 1645 when his widow remarried. His widow was probably the Lydia Bates who married in Concord 7 Nov 1645 William Fletcher with whom she had many children; she died at Chelmsford 12 Oct 1704.

Edward and Lydia had one child:

1. John Bates, b 9 Jan 1641/2 (calc.), bp. Boston 23 Jan 1641/2 "being about 14 days old"^[8]; m Chelmsford 22 Dec 1664 Mary Farwell.

Research Notes

Possible baptism records: Following are records suggested to be baptisms for Edward Bate(s). More research is needed to connect any of these records to Edward Bate of New England:

• FindAGrave/FamilySearch tree show 26 November 1606 in Boston, Lincolnshire or 23 November 1606 Aston Clinton, Buckinghamshire, son of William.^[9]

Sources

1. ↑ Anderson, Robert Charles. The Great Migration Begins: Immigrants to New England 1620-1633, Volumes I-III, 3 vols., (Boston: New England Historic Genealogical Society. 1995). pp 131, 132 Online database: AmericanAncestors.org
2. ↑ Pope, Charles Henry. The Pioneers of Massachusetts (Boston, Mass., 1900) Pages 37-38.
3. ↑ Charles Edward Banks, The Planters of the Commonwealth
4. ↑ Anderson, p 133
5. ↑ Shurtleff, Nathaniel. Records of the Governor and Company of the Massachusetts Bay in New England (William White, Boston, 1853) Vol 1, Page 211.
6. ↑ The Records of the First Church in Boston, 1630-1868, Publications of the Colonial Society of Massachusetts, Richard D. Pierce, ed. (Boston 1961) Vol 39, p 41. Text: "Our brother Edward Bates upon his Repentance openly Confessed for the Sinnes for the which he formerly was Cast out of the Church was againe Received into the Fellowship thereof, with their Consent therunto by their silence."
7. ↑ Robert Charles Anderson, Great Migration Begins, Boston MA: NEHGS, 1995, p 131-133
8. ↑ The Records of the First Church in Boston, 1630-1868, Publications of the Colonial Society of Massachusetts, Richard D. Pierce, ed. (Boston 1961) Vol 39, p 289.
9. ↑ "England, Buckinghamshire, Church Records, 1217-1994", database, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:685S-Y759 : 19 October 2021), Edward Bate, 1606.

See also:

• Find A Grave: Memorial #73186759 accessed 10 February 2020, memorial page for Edward “Edward of Boston” Bates citing Kings Chapel Burying Ground, Boston, Suffolk County, Massachusetts, USA. Note: not an actual burial record. Location assumed based on time/location of birth
• Lucius R. Paige, List of Freemen of Massachusetts, Boston, MA, USA: New England Historical and Genealogical Society, 1849. Page 11.

Acknowledgements:

Robin Craig, Alyson X, Jon Myers and Sandy Culver and others who contributed to this profile. Click on the Changes tab to see the details of edits.

Information by Wayne Haight through the import of Haight tree.ged on Jun 3, 2014.

Additional Information

From The Bates Bulletin (Series VII, Volume II, Spring/Summer 1995) by Mary Jean Evans - Edward of Boston and His Descendants: Free-Thinkers, Heretics, Patriots:

Edward Bates & Lydia _________

It is a puzzle to imagine what things occupied the time of these emigrants for ten weeks on the crowded decks of the small vessels which took them across the three thousand miles that lay between the continents. Even to-day with our many permitted diversions time hangs heavily. Certainly those residents of the rural hamlets left nothing of interest behind them, and so missed nothing in their drab lives when exchanging their pithless parochial existence ashore for the monotonous doldrums of a swaying deck at sea.

Ships carrying religious groups, like the Mayflower or the Arbella, indulged in daily services when their spiritual leaders 'exercised' the Godly in prayer and sermon. We can readily believe that Mistress Anne Hutchinson furnished enough excitement aboard the Griffin when she engaged the Reverend John Lothrop and the Reverend Zachariah Symmes in theological bouts, but these were exceptional ships, as the vast majority of emigrants came without ministerial leaders to entertain them. If the voyage were stormy, they were obliged to go below decks and kill time in the darkness. Doubtless they went to bed at sundown, as there was no way to light the decks. They rose at the break of day to begin another round of nothing in particular.

We do not know how much Edward Bates may have been involved in the religious discussion that most likely occurred on the Griffin but we do know that he found something he liked in what Anne Hutchinson had to say, if not then, in the near future.

Edward came as a servant to Thomas Leverett, [a lawyer Alderman from Boston, England who had come previously with John Cotton and would also be an Elder in the First Church of Boston], but he soon earned his freedom, and became a freeman in 1637. He married Lydia Fairbanks and embarked on a brief but colorful life in the new Boston. "In the 9th month (1633) List to First Church . . . Edward Baytes, Anthony Harker, our brother Thos. Leverett's men servants."Memorial History of Boston, page 567

His only child, John, was born in 1641 and baptized in the First Church of Boston. The date and circumstances of Edward's death aren't known, but in 1645 his widow married William Fletcher in Concord. Mr. Fletcher raised John along with the children he had with Lydia: Joshua, Lydia, Samuel and Paul. Thus began the Bates history in Chelmsford. All of the children were presented to the church in Chelmsford in 1656.