Friday, July 23, 2010

Pioneer Hero, James William Bates

Tomorrow in Utah we celebrate 'Pioneer Day'. July 24, 1847 is the day the pioneers reached the Salt Lake Valley, seeking refuge from religious persecution. Of course, no one in our Bates line came across the plains with the Mormons, but my father was born on July 24. That's close enough. Besides, one year he was recognized at the Days of '47 parade in Salt Lake City. They called him a pioneer. If they called him one, that's good enough for me.

I guess the word that stands out about 'Jim', as everyone called him, is self-made man. He never hesitated to speak his mind and he stood for what he believed. More about that later. Jim grew up in Carbon County, Utah, with his father, William McKinley Bates, mother, Ida Richardson Bates, and brother Jack and sister Alma Rae. Grandpa Bill, as I called him, and his family lived in the coal camps in Spring Canyon and Latuda, and later in Spring Glen. For a few years, they migrated north to Provo, but returned when work became available.


Now, here is where details get sketchy. Dad told me that he and Uncle Jack were sent to live with Grandpa and Grandma Richardson when he was 12 and Jack 11. They had to walk the tracks to pick up loose coal to make a living. Many years later I was telling Grandma Bates about this part of his life, and she said he made it up! I suppose he did spend some time picking up coal off of the tracks, but I'm not sure that is what he did every day. He did tell me about good times he and Jack had off fishing in Beaver Creek. They would leave for weeks. Dad became a very successful trapper, mostly catching beaver and muskrats. He also trapped bobcats. Later he got some hounds and would chase bobcats and mountain lions. One day he wanted a picture of his dogs chasing a bobcat, so he caught one alive and put it in a wooden box. Next, he took Mom and the bobcat and dogs out into the desert. He stood about 25 yards out in front of the box in perfect position to get the picture. Mom released the cat. The dogs quickly jumped to the chase. Unfortunately, the only 'tree' in sight was Dad. Before he could snap the picture, the bobcat was on top of his head!

His love of nature is what led him later to his profession in life, working for the Utah State Fish and Game Department. Before that, however, he dropped out of high school after his junior year to work in the coal mine. About a year later, he enlisted in the Army and was off to basic training at Fort Ord. It was during his time in the service that he joined the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. He told me there was nothing particularly spectacular or faith promoting about his baptism, although there certainly was with his conversion later in life. He just had a couple of Mormon friends. They were serving at Fort Sam Houston in Texas and they told him he should get baptized before he shipped overseas. This was during the Korean War.

While in Korea he served in a MASH supply unit. He had a couple of close calls. One morning he awoke in his mummy bag to see a North Korean standing there with a rifle pointing at him. He struggled to reach for his rifle, next to him on the ground. He could not get to it as the bag was zipped shut. He heard a shot. It was from his lieutenant's rifle and the enemy soldier fell to the ground. One day, as the troops pulled out of Pyongyang Jon, chaos was everywhere. The only way out he could find was to jump on the outside of one of the big troop carriers and stand on the bed and lock his elbow around one of the ribs that supported the canvas top. This was during the winter. He rode that way for 14 hours.

It’s a good thing he had a sense of humor. Here is an excerpt from his history about the ship voyage to Japan. "The trip to this point was pure joy. I don't believe a soul got sick or even got nauseated. I was billeted in the hold, somewhere near the bow of the ship. I drew the seventh hammock up from the floor. Looked like a long ways down to me ... About halfway to Japan we had an alert ... When the alarm went off, I was lying in my bunk, dead to the world. The alarm sent a chill down my back bone. What if we were on the verge of being torpedoed by an enemy ship or submarine? I literally flew out of my hammock and jammed my foot (clad by a GI boot) into a metal mop bucket. Why did that lousy bucket have to be sitting right where my foot came down? It stuck and I couldn't get it off. I clanged my way up the stairways and thought the halls along with the hundreds of other GI's ... That bucket didn't bother or slow me down a whit. Often wondered what all those other GI's thought about the nut charging up the stairs, through the alleys and down the deck with a bucket on my foot."

Although he saw lots of death, and had several near brushes himself, Dad told me he was blessed and never had to shoot another man. After the war he returned home and began to work on the railroad. That was when he met Mom. He threw her into the back of his truck and told her he was going to marry her. Which he did, one month later. It was not long until the woods beckoned to him once more, and soon he was employed as a beaver trapper with the Fish and Game.

The first summer he was sent to the Uintah Mountains to trap beaver. He worked with a guy named Fish Harris. He and Dad did not get along. Although Dad was taller than him, Fish was stocky and thought he was a tough guy. He would pester Dad, but, being the rookie, was reluctant to make waves. One night, Dad and Mom were having dinner with the director, Harold Crane, Harold really liked Dad. The director told Dad he had heard about his problems with Fish Harris, and he said that if it were him, he would clean Harris' clock. That took care of that. One night in a bunk house Fish met his match!

The mail was really slow coming to the Uintahs. In fact, it did not come. Mom and Dad ran out of food. At one point we were forced to survive on the remnants of a jack rabbit Dad had shot with a 30-06. Mom said the stew was a little watery.

One thing about Jim, he was always a very hard worker and had a drive to succeed. He had not worked long for the Department when he approached Harold Crane, and asked if he could go to college and get his degree. Harold agreed. Jim was able to continue to work as a beaver trapper while he attended school. Five years later he was one of the first employees of the Department of Fish and Game to have a master’s degree in wildlife science.

We moved to Parowan, where he was employed as a Conservation Officer, or game warden. It was not long until he made waves. Dad was never one to shy from doing his job. The first winter there, keep in mind that poaching was prevalent at the time, he made over 300 arrests, including the mayor and most of the city council! Well, they wanted to run him out on a rail, and soon contacted their state senator. The senator convened an inquest. There was a big write up about it in the Salt Lake newspaper. Well, the senate determined that he was just doing his job, so that ended well. Trouble did not evade him, however, as he was cursed by a Navajo squaw in Escalante. The next year he was promoted to a biologist position. If that was the result of the curse, he can be thankful of that!

I was very lucky. Dad always took me to work with him. I have many, many fond memories of riding around the hills in his green game warden trucks. It was while we lived in Parowan that Dad truly became converted to the gospel. It took a couple of harrowing experiences out in the desert, but finally, he was convinced and he took my mother and us to the temple to be sealed together for time and all eternity. Two years later, he was transferred to Price as the regional game manager.

Dad was a very good wildlife manager. Through his efforts, desert bighorn sheep, bison and elk were restored throughout southeastern Utah. He spent many hours in a helicopter catching and moving animals. He had a particular love for the Henry Mountains and the bison there. His life of danger was not over yet. Gar Workman, my major professor, told me about a meeting that Dad had with the Wayne County cowboys about bison on the Henry's. Seems when they left there were guns drawn. Sounds like a few meetings I've had. Well, not quite.

I don't know how it happened, but Dad had a deep love for his family and genealogy. He spent countless hours searching out his roots. He and Mom would travel the country, spending time in courthouses and libraries, trying to unravel his family history. He was stuck on Thomas Jefferson Bates. He spent 40 years trying to find Thomas' father. While doing so, he accumulated a database of over 60,000 names of Bates’, Pearson’s, Parrish’s, Chenoweth’s, and Richardson’s. His efforts were truly remarkable.

Jim was very dedicated to his church and Savior. He was faithful in every calling he had. He served as a stake missionary for 5 years. He and Mom had over 50 baptisms. That is truly remarkable. One of the person's he taught was Bishop Rulon White in Wellington. After retiring, Dad and Mom served a mission in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. They were asked to help relations between the white and black members in the wards. This they were able to do. Dad was fearless in his efforts. On one occasion, he taught 34 Baptist ministers. Later, one of them told them he would be baptized, except he would lose his profession. He and Dad remained friends until Dad passed away.

Always mindful of his grandchildren, Dad did his best to teach my kids how to work. When they were 12 and 10, respectively, Dad hired Josh and Jeff to help build his house for $1 per hour. Josh still remembers it as 'slave labor', but is grateful for it. As mild mannered as she is, though, one day Alisa came unglued. She came to pick up the boys after work and found them hanging over the edge of the rafters working on the roof. Boy, did she give Dad a piece of her mind! I am sure he laughed about it later. He wanted to include Natalie in the action, so he told her he would pay her ten cents for each brick she cleaned. He had a pile of used bricks which needed to have the mortar pounded off. Well, Nat thought that was an easy task, so she quickly marched outside, turned on the hose, and squirted off the bricks. Guess he was not too specific on his instructions!

Well, this is a long post, but you should know that Dad was a great ‘pot-licker’. He was my friend. He always wanted me along and taught me how to work. But, I think the best thing he did for all of us was to break the chain and set an example of how to be successful. Later I will make a post about my grandfather and the struggles he faced in life with polio and alcoholism. Jim was able to break the cycle and bettered himself by getting an education. As a result, most of his grandchildren have followed and have gone on to college and have successful lives. His love of the gospel and his family has inspired us. This is a legacy that will persist forever.

Friday, July 2, 2010

The Revolutionary War and Independence



From the book "The King's Passengers to Maryland and Virginia," by Peter Coldham, it appears that our grandfather, John Bates, may have been an indentured servant that immigrated from England in 1771 and he was born in 1744.

On page 267, we find the following:

Runaway Felons:

Bates, John, English, age 27. From Benjamin Howard, Anne Arundel Co MD (MG 8 June - 13 July 1771)
Bates, Rowland, age 23. From Caleb Dorsey, Anne Arundel Co. Md (MG 10 Jun 1772)

I have no verification that this is our grandfather, but the time frames and locations are right. This is what I believed happened. I would appreciate it if anyone has any information to the contrary, to please let me know.

Between 8 June and 13 July, 1771, when he was 27, John Bates came to America, coming to port near present day Annapolis, Maryland, on the Chesapeake Bay. He was an indentured servant of Benjamin Howard. Mr. Howard was a prominent landowner in Anne Arundel Co., Maryland, and the son of Phillip Howard. However, before John's seven-year servitude was completed, he ran away. Indications are that he ran away in the sixth year of his servitude, just as the Revolutionary War broke out. There does not seem to have been much of an effort to find him, because after he left, he got married and joined the Continental Army. Anne Arundel County is about 20 miles from Prince George's County, where I believe he met and married Rebekah Beall (b. 1762), daughter of James and Elizabeth Beall. They were probably married around 1777. John C,. Mary and Zachariah were born abt. 1777, 1780, and 1781 in Maryland or Virginia.

In Dec. 1777, John Bates enlisted in the Fourth Maryland Regiment, which was assigned to the Main Continental Army. Military records show that he was discharged on 1 Nov 1780. On 24 Feb 1779, John was paid $100 when he re-enlisted. The 4th Regiment was reassigned to the Maryland 2nd Regiment, under Col. Otto Williams.

The Fourth Maryland Regiment enlistees came from Baltimore, Anne Arundel, and Somerset counties. It originally had 782 troops, but was reorganized with 661 men in 1779. They saw action during the battle of Brandywine, Germantown, Monmouth, Camden, the Guliford Courthouse, and finally at the Battle of Yorktown where Cornwallis surrendered. They were in the thick of the action. Wikipedia mentions that the 2nd was in the encampment at Valley Forge, but I do not know if the 4th was still part of the 2nd at that time. The regiment was disbanded on 1 Jan 1783 at Charleston, South Carolina.

During his military action, John was in South Carolina twice, at the battle of Camden and in Charleston. This may have given him the idea to move to the York, South Carolina area. The battle of Kings Mountain was fought in York County, not long after the battle of Camden. The Maryland 2nd Regiment was assigned to the defense of the Carolinas during the period between Guliford's courthouse and Yorktown. John purchased 300 acres on the main fork (now called Stoney Fork) of Fishing Creek in New Acquisition (now called York County) on 17 Nov 1783. New Acquisition was ceded back to South Carolina in 1781 when the state line survey was formally completed that called into question an earlier survey where the surveyor followed the Broad River north instead of the Catawba River as indicated in the agreement documents.

Rowland enlisted in the Maryland 4th Regiment. Whether or not they were relatives or just acquaintances is not known. A Phillip Bates also joined the 4th Regiment. He was discharged 22 Mar 1779.

The following is a description of the battles the Maryland 4th Regiment was involved in:

BATTLE OF BRANDYWINE, DEL.
September 11, 1777
Right flank commanded by General Sullivan with six brigades, consisting of divisions of Lord Stirling, of General Stephen, and his own. Left wing under the command of General Wayne. Regiments of Colonels Hazen, Dayton and Ogden on the right. Pennsylvania militia, under General Armstrong, on extreme left, but not called into action. Advance columns under General Greene; brigades of Muldenburg and Weedon. General Conway's brigade, the Third Virginia regiment under Colonel Marshall, regiment of Virginians under Colonel Stevens and one of Pennsylvanians under Colonel Stewart, distinguished themselves, as did Lafayette who was present as a volunteer, and the French officers, Maudit Duplessis, Louis de Fleury, and the Polish officer, Pulaski. Total force, including militia, about 15,000 men.

BATTLE OF GERMANTOWN.
October 7, 1777.
Left wing, under General Greene, composed of divisions of Greene and of Stephen, flanked by McDougall's brigade. Right wing composed of divisions of Sullivan and Wayne, flanked by Conway's brigade. Lord Stirling, with brigades of Nash and Maxwell in reserve. Maryland and New Jersey militia on extreme left; General Armstrong with about too° Pennsylvania militia on the extreme right. Brigades of Scott and Mulhlenberg took part in the attack under General Greene. Brigades of Forman, Smallwood, and artillery under General Knox.

BATTLE OF MONMOUTH, N. J.
June 28, 1778.
First skirmish by reconnoitering party, New Jersey militia, under General Dickinson, select detachment advanced under Colonel Grayson; regiments of Colonels Butler and Jackson. Second Skirmish, under Colonel Butler, then in advance. General Lafayette, with light horse from Maxwell's brigade, reconnoitered. General Wayne on the left. Third skirmish: Charge repulsed by Colonel Butler, Colonels Jackson and Grayson in advance, flanked by Generals Maxwell and Scott. Oswald's artillery with guns from Varnum's brigade. Retreat by General Lee. The battle: Rallied by Washington. Greene on the right, Stirling on the left; Lafayette in command of the second line. Advance of enemy met by Wayne's line. Later, General Woodford's brigade advanced on the right, General Poor's on the left. Generals Muhlenberg and de Steuben marched with reinforcements. Among other regiments engaged were those of Colonels Ramsay, Stewart and Wesson. Livingston's New Yorkers, Cadwallader's Pennsylvania volunteers and General Woodford's Virginia brigade.

BATTLE OF CAMDEN, NEAR SANDER'S CREEK, S. C.
August 16, 1780.
HORATIO GATES, General in command.
Right wing, under Baron de Kalb, charged with line of battle ; Brigadier-General Gist with Second Maryland brigade; Delaware militia. Centre : General Caswell with North Carolina division, including General Gregory's brigade. Left wing: General Stevens with Virginia brigade, 700 strong. Smallwood's First Maryland brigade, with Captain Singleton's artillery in reserve. Advance guard: Colonel Armand's legion, cavalry. Colonel Porterfield with light infantry on right and Major Armstrong on the left. Colonel Dixon's regiment. In all about 3052 rank and file. Attack led by Colonel Williams' volunteers, under Lieutenant-Colonel Howard, followed by regiments of Stevens and Dixon.

BATTLE OF KING'S MOUNTAIN, N. C. (The 4th was not involved in this battle).
October 8, 1780.
Colonel Isaac Selby with a force from Sullivan county ; Colonel William Campbell with men from Washington county, Va., Colonel Benjamin Cleveland with men from Wilkes and Surrey counties; Colonel Charles McDowell from Wilkes and Rutherford counties, N. C.; Colonel John Seirer with men from Sullivan, and Colonel James Williams, of South Carolina. Total command, 1600 picked men.

BATTLE OF GUILFORD COURT HOUSE, N. C.
March 15, 1781.
NATHANAEL GREENE, General in command.
First line formed by two brigades of North Carolina militia under Colonels Butler and Eaton, about 1100 men, with Lieutenant-Colonel William Washington's corps and two six-pounders on their right, and on the left Major Harry Lee's corps and riflemen. Second line formed by Virginia militia, a brigade from the southwestern part of the State under Colonel William Campbell and another under General Lawson. Third line commanded by Greene in person, First Maryland regiment, Colonel Gunby, and Continentals. Reserve, two Virginia regiments of Continentals. Total, 1651 regular troops, and more than 2000 militia.

YORKTOWN, VA.
(Surrender of Cornwallis).
October 19, 1781.
GEORGE WASHINGTON, Commander-in-Chief.
Muhlenburg and Hazen's brigades and the French forces commanded by Lafayette. Wayne's and the Maryland brigades, division of the centre, commanded by Baron de Steuben. Dayton's and Clinton's brigades on the left; the senior Continental officer to command the right wing and Count Rochambeau, the left. Stevens' and Lawson's brigades of militia to form the second line; the park of artillery, the corps of sappers and miners, and the Virginia State regiments posted between the two lines. General Knox in command of the artillery. General Lincoln, division commander.

I am grateful for the service my grandfather gave in our battle for independence. Whether his actions were great or small, we do not know. However, I believe it took great courage for him to be there for the entire war. During the Battle of Guilford Courthouse, the 2nd was positioned on the outer flanks and had to hold their position while the British shot at them for 6 hours. Men were falling on each side. They had to march past the wounded and dying while their new, young officers failed to give the orders to return fire. The 2nd eventually broke the line and fled, but still, it took great courage to hold the line for 6 hours under those conditions.

Personally, I have not been required to pay that type of debt for all of the things I enjoy. I appreciate the peace that my family has lived in, and all the comforts this country has given me. I sincerely appreciate the efforts of my ancestors, John in the Revolutionary War, Zachariah in the War of 1812, Thomas in the Civil War, and my father, James Bates in the Korean War, and my son-in-law, Derek, who currently serves in the Air Force. I pray that God will reward them for their efforts.

May God Bless America, and may we forever be beholden to Him.

In the name of Jesus Christ,

Amen.