William Findley Gates

William married Jemima Crooks on 17 Mar 1857. Jemima was born on 5 Jul 1838 in Kingston, Ontario, Canada; died on 23 Jun 1919. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

1. Eliza Jane Gates was born on 11 Feb 1858 in Kingston, Ontario, Canada; died on 26 Jun 1939.
2. William F. Gates was born in 1859 in Kingston, Ontario, Canada; died before Jan 1953.
3. John Edward Gates was born on 1 Feb 1860 in Kingston, Ontario, Canada; died on 29 Jun 1901 in Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, USA.
4. Charles Alfred Gates was born on 30 Jul 1862 in Kingston, Ontario, Canada; died on 8 Oct 1876 in Kingston, Ontario, Canada.
5. Frederick James Gates was born on 3 Aug 1864 in Kingston, Ontario, Canada; died on 8 Jan 1953 in Kingston, Ontario, Canada.
6. Martha Ann Gates was born on 12 Apr 1868 in Kingston, Ontario, Canada; died on 10 Jul 1921.
7. William Henry Gates was born on 23 Feb 1870 in Kingston, Ontario, Canada; died on 17 Jun 1955.
8. George Albert Gates was born on 4 Apr 1875 in Westbrook, Ontario, Canada; died on 27 Dec 1947 in Kingston, Ontario, Canada.
9. Allen Stuart Gates was born on 2 Mar 1879; died on 26 Apr 1926.

Notes:

John Gates , Yeoman, was born in Canada West 1804. West included the area around Kingston,Canada. The City of Kingston, Canada surrounds the old Fort Frontenac which was originally built by the French in 1673. The British captured Fort Frontenac in 1758 and formally took possession of the area in 1760. The area immediately surrounding Kingston was included in the County of Frontenac.
About 12 miles from the Fort a small settlement known as Westbrook was formed. Approximately 1 mile from the settlement was the homestead of John Gate and Caroline Eliza Bryan. This homestead is shown on a map of the area which reflects the ownership of the land in 1878. In addition, the census of Westbrook, Ontario Canada for 1851 states as Follows : John Gates, yeoman , born Canada West, age 48, living in a one story log house. His wife Caroline Elizaa Bryan age 40, the children were : William age 20 , John Henery age 18, Eliza J. age 16, Lydiiaa A. age 14, James age 12, Ellen age 10, Ann Maria age 8 ,and George age 8.
Although little is known about John Gates, other then he was a farmer , the Directory of Ontario for 1871 states that John Gates of Westbrook was the Justice of the Peace. Some members of the Gates family { Family of John Gates } are buried in the Methodist Church yard in the village of Catarqui, which is about one mile from the village of Westbrook Ontario Canada.
John Gates homestead originally consisted of 100 acres. He added to this by purchasing 50 acres across the road, and 75 acres down the road { which he purchased in George Okill Stuart Gates name his youngest son } and 150 acres in the vicinity which he gave William Finley Gates his eldest son.
At this point of time little is known about the background of John Gates andd Caroline Eliza Bryan . However , some interesting assumptions and information has been gathered concerning the period when their parents lived in Canada. As previously stated , the British took over the area around Kingston in 1760. In 1784 the first group of Loyalists arrived in the Kingston area from the United States. In 1785 the second group of Loyalists arrived. Included in this group was the first Anglican Minister whose name was John Okill Stuart. Recall that the youngest son of John and Caroline Gates was named George Okill Stuart Gates. If George Okill Stuart Gates wasnt named after the Anglican Minister, it is a strange coincidence. It would appear that the ancestors of John Gates and Caroline Eliza Bryan might have been a part of the Loyalist Group that arrived in Kingston at that time.

Died:
Inflammation of the lungs 9 days

John married Caroline Eliza Jane Bryan on 2 Aug 1830 in St George's Cathedral, Kingston, Ontario, Canada. Caroline (daughter of William Bryan and Margaret Kendrick) was born on 19 Jul 1812 in Elizabethtown, Ontario, Canada; died on 25 Jul 1889 in Kingston, Ontario, Canada; was buried in Cataraqui Cemetery, Kingston, Frontenac County, Ontario, Canada. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

James married Elizabeth Powley. Elizabeth (daughter of Johann Jacob Powley, UE and Annetje Van Vorst) was born on 25 Apr 1775 in Schenectady, New York, USA; died on 14 Dec 1848 in Kingston, Ontario, Canada. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

William married Margaret Kendrick. Margaret was born in 1792 in Merrickville-Wolford, Ontario, Canada; died in 1854 in Merrickville-Wolford, Ontario, Canada. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

Born in Holland New York 14 Oct 1744. I have also seen sources suggest he was born in the Netherlands. Son of Francis Powley Sr. Mother currently unknown. The family were Dutch. Spelling of the surname is sometimes given as Pauli. Jacob married Annetje "Nancy" Van Vorst about 1774 in Schenectady, New York, although some sources give a date of 1769. This date seems unlikely given the known dates of the births of children, the earliest of which is 1775. He was a British Loyalist, like his father. Post Revolutionary War, both settled in the Kingston Ontario area.
While a resident of Schenectady NY, he enlisted 8 Dec 1781 in the King's Royal Regiment, 2nd Battalion. In the spring of 1782, Major John Ross and the men of the 2nd Batt. KRR NY were dispatched to Oswego to occupy and rebuild the fort there. During the fall of 1782 and winter 1782/83 they were ordered to Cataraqui (near what is now Kingston, Ontario), where they remained into 1784.
During the above period of time, there were no children born into the family of Jacob Powley, adding to the speculation that Jacob was at Cataraqui during this time with Major Ross. Family tradition says that he 'fled to the Kingston area and lived with the Indians until the end of the war'. Whichever is true, he was in the Kingston Ontario area during the period while his family remained in New York state.
According to the obituary of son Jacob Powley "During the Revolution his father was taken prisoner by the Indians, and kept in Canada for 7 years. After peace was declared, he brought his family to Canada, leaving them at what is now Collins Bay , west of Kingston. (US/CAN 971.3V4md, p. 259)" This explains the Muster Roll which cites him for desertion and the entry which reads "gone to States for family"(US/CAN 971m2ce p.246).
In 1784 he returned to the United States for his family, returning to Upper Canada by 1785. He and his father were both on the United Empire Loyalist list and thus eligible for both land grants and settlement supports and assistance. On 2 Sep 1785 he received the first of several land grants.
A record of Jacob's family appears on the 1786 Provision List. At that point there were five children in the family. Being on the list indicates that the family needed assistance to survive, because they were not yet self sufficient. This was common among early Loyalist settlers, because the land grants most were given were essentially wilderness, and it took some time and a great deal of labor to establish farms. One tidbit of interest - the Provision List indicates Jacob was 5' 5" tall.
Of the known children of Jacob and Annetje, Elizabeth, Francis, William, Jacob and James were born in New York State. Hannah, Charles, Mary and Rebecca were all born in Upper Canada. Charles appears to have died as an infant, but the rest all grew up and had families. There are 66 grandchildren known as of writing - thus Jacob has many descendents!!
His gravestone reads: "Here Lays The Body Of/Jacob Powley/Who Gave Much/Satisfaction Until/The Last Period When He/Sat In His Chair Facing The/Door On The 21st Day of June/2 o'clock Afternoon Year 1814/He Lay Down His He[a]d With/Out A Struggle Or a Groan/To Sleep In Silence Being/Aged 69Yrs 8M 7Dys."
This limestone slab was cut and engraved by hand - the work being done by a friend and neighbor. It was 18 inches high - 18 inches wide and 3 inches thick. Some years ago the stone was broken and removed, but by chance was recovered some years later. The stone is now in Oakville, Ontario at the home of J. Powley, great-great-great grandson of Jacob. The grave Itself is located only a few feet south of the southwest corner of the Methodist Church at Cataraqui. The above inscription is an exact copy word by word, and line by line.
--Find a Grave Memorial 18347587

Johann married Annetje Van Vorst in 1769 in Schenectady, New York, USA. Annetje (daughter of Jellis Van Vorst and Annatje Berrit) was born on 10 Dec 1758 in Schenectady, New York, USA; died in 1852 in Kingston, Ontario, Canada; was buried in Cataraqui Cemetery, Kingston, Frontenac County, Ontario, Canada. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events:

• Arrival: 1783, Canada
• Arrival: 1789, United States of America

Notes:

The approximately 100 Anglicans in Cornwall hired their first full-time minister, John Bryan, in 1787 and established the first weekly Anglican services in the royal townships. However, two years later he fled to the United States to avoid censure, leaving his wife and children behind. Cornwall residents later discovered that Bryan was an imposter who had forged his religious credentials.

John married Glorianna French in Dover, New York, USA. Glorianna (daughter of Jeremiah French and Hannah Edwards) was born in 1749 in Woodbury, Connecticut, USA; died in in Elizabethtown, Ontario, Canada. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]