Muhlenberg County Kentucky

Old Muhlenberg Map

Family Group Records C

Robert D. Cates & Margaret Carrigan

Husband: Robert D. Cates
Born: 1790-1794, North Carolina
Died: 1842-1843, Weakley County, Tennessee
Married: 13 September 1810, Orange Co., NC

Wife: Margaret Carrigan
Born: 1790-1792, North Carolina
Died: after 1880 census
Father: John Carrigan

Children of Robert Cates & Margaret Carrigan:

  1. Wilson G. Cates
    Born: 17 March 1811, North Carolina
    Married: Rebecca S. Long, 8 Nov 1839, Muhlenberg County
    Married: Mrs. Elizabeth Ritter Johnson, 18 Aug 1881, Muhlenberg County
    Died: 07 January 1884, Muhlenberg (or possibly Hopkins Co., Kentucky)
    Buried: Pine Grove Cemetery, Muhlenberg

    Family Group Record

  2. Julia F. Cates
    Born: about 1815, North Carolina
    Married: W.M. Reddick, about 1836

  3. Martha G. Cates
    Born: 30 July 1818, North Carolina
    Married: Elijah Lam, 8 Aug 1844, Polk Co., Missouri
    Died: 21 July 1905, Muhlenberg
    Buried: Fairmount Cemetery, Central City, Kentucky.

    Family Group Record

  4. William Monroe Cates
    Born: 13 November 1821, North Carolina
    Married: Asenith Young, 19 Aug 1846, Weakley Co., Tennessee
    Died: 06 March 1872, Obion Co., Tennessee
    Buried: Obion Chapel United Methodist Church Cemetery

    Family Group Record

  5. Nancy J. Cates
    Born: 08 April 1822, Bedford Co., Tennessee
    Married: William Anderson, 26 Nov 1854, Weakley Co., Tennessee
    Died: 19 January 1912, Muhlenberg
    Buried: Cherry Hill Cemetery, Muhlenberg

    Family Group Record

  6. Rebecca Cates
    Born: about 1830, Tennessee

  7. Margaret Frances “Fanny” Cates
    Born: about 1834, Tennessee
    Spouse: Moses Levi Pool. She was his second wife.
    Married: 02 June 1857, Weakley Co., Tennessee

  8. Delilah Cates
    Born: about 1837, Tennessee
    Spouse: Daniel Ward
    Married: 28 December 1855, Weakley Co., Tennessee

Notes for Robert D. Cates Family

The early censuses would seem to indicate that Robert and Margaret had as many as 12 children. If so, four children have yet to be discovered.

Husband's Notes:

Robert D. Cates family's places of residence based on marriage records, court records and censuses:

That Margaret lives with each child through the years would seem definite proof that William Monroe (WM) Cates, Julia F. Cates Reddick and Wilson Green (WG) Cates are children of Robert D. and Margaret Cates.

Nancy, who was listed with her mother Margaret in the 1850 Weakley Co., TN Federal Census, married William Anderson from Muhlenberg County and lived out her life in that county. Her death certificate states her father's name was Robert. She named a son Wilson Green.

Margaret's Father: 1848 Orange County Register of Deeds office: Margaret Cate of Weakley Co., Tennessee, appoints Hugh Wadell of Orange Co., North Carolina, attorney to receive from the Executors and Administrators of John Carrigan, dec'd, late of above county. 14 October 1848. Deed Book 33.285.

Martha G. Cates

Child #3: Martha G. Cates born North Carolina, lived Tennessee, and married Polk Co., Missouri. After Robert D. Cates's death in 1843, she may have travelled on to Missouri with family members.

  1. Joseph Cates, born about 1808 Orange Co., North Carolina; died 1854; married Edney Kirk.
    This family went to Polk Co., Missouri, and had lived in Bedord Co., Tennessee in 1830 when Robert D. lived there.
  2. Rebecca Cates, born 20 August 1806; married 12 December 1826 in Grainger Co., Tennessee to Jeremiah Acuff.
    They went to Polk/Greene counties in Missouri about 1837 and lived out their lives there.
    A son of Jermiah & Rebecca Cates, named Nelson, lived with Margaret (Carrigan) Cates in 1850 in Weakley Co., Tennessee. There was some relationship between Margaret Cates Rebecca Cates Acuff of Missouri - Robert D. and Rebecca were possibly siblings.

Polk Co., Missouri Cemetery listings:

Acuffs
Jeremiah, 14 March 1806-14 October 1891
Rebecca, 20 August 20 1806-27 January 1882
Both buried in Turkey Creek Cemetery

Nelson, 1832-1909
Caroline, 1834-1915
Both buried in Greenwood Cemetery

Martha G. Cates married Elijah Lam in Polk Co., Missouri in 1844. By 1850 they are back with Elijah's family in Christian Co., Kentucky and then move into Muhlenberg County. Wilson G. Cates was already in Muhlenberg by 1850.

These two families were close throughout their existences. The Lams and Cates were members of the same church and buried their deceased children in the same cemeteries: Old Bethel and Fairmount.

Old Bethel Church church membership roll shows William & Nancy Anderson and Elijah, J.W.C. and Martha Lam as members.

Wilson G. Cates married Rebecca S. Long in 1839. Rebecca was a sister to Mary “Sally” Long who married Jacob Gish. Sally and Jacob Gish were the parents of Joanna Rebecca Elizabeth Ann “Annie” Gish who married Peter Silvanus Lam.

On 07 April 1857, Wilson G. Cates' daughter Margaret and Peter Lam's daughter Martha were married in a double ceremony at Peter Lam's house to brothers, Philip B. and John D. Hale. Peter Lam was Elijah Lam's father.

In the Fairmount Cemetery, Central City, KY, the Cates and Lam burial lots are side by side.

Though there is nothing definitive connecting, Martha G. Cates Lam to the Robert D. Cates family, there is enough of a proximity to the Wilson G. Cates and Nancy Cates Anderson families to make the connection most probable.

Nancy J. Cates

Nancy J. Cates was born 1822 in Bedford Co., Tennessee, and married 1854 in Weakley Co., Tennessee to William Anderson from Muhlenberg County">Co., Kentucky. Their marriage was also recorded as part of the vital statistics in Muhlenberg County.

Nancy's death certificate states her father was Robert Cates and mother not known.

The question of how William Anderson and Nancy Cates met, courted and married can only be guessed at. William Anderson had lost his first wife Charity McElvain. However, with Wilson G. Cates arriving in Muhlenberg about 1836 and Martha G. Cates Lam arriving in Muhlenberg about 1851, it can be surmised that they introduced Nancy to William.

The naming of children is always interesting in trying to determine relationships. Though sometimes it proves nothing.

Nancy Anderson named one child Elijah and another child Wilson Green. Martha Lam's husband's name was Elijah, while Nancy's brother was, of course, Wilson G.

Martha Cates Lam also had a child named after Wilson: James Wilson Cates Lam.

Contributed by Dorann O'Neal Lam

Updated July 23, 2017