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Update on, Hyrum, Thomas & Solomon Gates Individual Records can be found on the, FamilySearch website
Compiled by, Chuck Kimber
Hi, Donna, How are things with you tonight? I had a few minutes to play, and I was looking at your Rockwell-Brizzee web site, reading Emily Amanda’s story, when I got to wondering about Hyrum (Hiram) Gates, Emily’s first Husband. Your story states, “he died in 1850, and Emily was left with two sons by another wife. Thomas 16 and Solomon 14 who were killed by Indians.”
Soooo, I decided to check your facts and discovered the following. “Hyrum”, which seems to be the correct spelling, was born in 1803 in Canada, He had three wives previous to Emily Amanda, and did in fact have two sons by his second wife Sarah Mariah Sayles.
Thomas Gates was born in Canada in 1833, and did not die in or around 1850, and was not killed by Indians. Rather, he died in the Yuma Territorial Prison, Arizona Territory, 13 March, 1896, at the age of 63. He apparently had a wife, Maria Emilie Tomasa Prudhomme, who he married on 28 December, 1870.
Solomon Gates was born 30 July 1835 also in Canada, with the same mother as Thomas. Soloman was not killed by Indians either. Solomon actually lived to the ripe old age of 87. He was married twice, and had 7 children. He died in Fresno, California on 2 March 1922.
Wow, would I like to get a copy of their family history to learn about “Uncle Thomas”, and why he was in Prison. It would also be interesting to know how these boys survived after their dad died. Did Emily abandon them? Thomas was about her age, so they were probably old enough to work as men when their dad died. Were they poor? Was Thomas executed, or die of natural causes? There are lots and lots of un-answered questions here. Seems like the Indians got a bad rap in your story, but, I think we have to declare them not guilty this time. So now it appears you have a lot more relatives to check out, albeit step-relatives. Anyway, they were and are part of her life story.
There is just something about Emily Amanda which intrigues me terribly. She has so many secrets, and she had such an interesting life. I wish she would have written down her own story.
I stopped at the local Genealogical library on the way home last night and did a little research of the family of Hyrum Gates. The old boy apparently lost his first wife Polly, a few years after they were married. They were married in 1822, and she died in 1826. At least one of the sites says she died. Unknown if he had any children with her. He soon after married his second wife Sarah, in Iowa in 1827. They had 6 children all born back up in Canada. Then they turn up in Winter Quarters, also known as Omaha, Nebraska and marries 3rd wife Maryette Rowe on 13 January 1848. That date is suspect, as she had her first child with Gates on 15 February 1847 in Council Bluffs, Iowa. So, now he is in Nebraska, with two wives 7 kids, and headed west.
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The family crossed the plains in 1848, as his last child Elizabeth from wife #3, was born in Salt Lake City on 11 Jan, 1849. Then on August 18, 1849, wife #2 dies in Salt Lake City. It looks like the old boy just lost it at that point, grabbed a couple of his boys, and Emily on the way out of town, and abandons the rest of his family and heads for California to the Gold fields. He may have divorced wife #3, as she remarries 10 Feb. 1850. I can’t find any marriage dates for Emily Amanda wife #4, but assume they were married somewhere. I pulled the census records for El Dorado County, CA, and Emily and Solomon show up, but no Hyrum or Thomas? And that’s where the story ends again. I checked the Greenwood Valley cemetery records, but no Hyrum. The records indicate the cemetery was not founded until 1852. So if Hyrum died in Green Valley, they probably just picked out a nice spot on the hill somewhere and planted him there. No records or monuments.
What truly interesting and amazing people they were. I can’t imagine dragging two wives, seven kids and myself across the plains, hoping you could provide for them, and then get there and have it all fall apart. Have a wife die, and leave you with a bunch of kids and very young wife. I think I would have lost it too. He probably figured he needed lots of money fast, so he head to the gold fields and to take his chances. I’m still not sure if Emily Amanda was a willing participant in the flight to California, or if she was really kidnapped. Probably only Emily could tell us that.
Chuck Kimber
Interesting links
History, El Dorado County, California Note from: Janie Olafson This website mentions, Mrs. Gates was the first white woman. http://www.westernlivingcenter.com/history/history-greenwood.htm
Mormon Island Relocated Pioneer Cemetery El Dorado, El Dorado County, California Note from: Chuck Kimber, If Hyrum was buried at El Dorado Hills, we will never find him. Click the link below about El Dorado Hills cemetery. http://ftp.rootsweb.com/pub/usgenweb/ca/eldorado/cemeteries/mormon-island.txt
Greenwood Cemetery, El Dorado County, California Note from: Chuck Kimber Greenwood, El Dorado County burial listed there, and Hyrum is not listed. Says the cemetery began in 1852, which was two years after Hyrum died. So maybe they only listed graves with headstones, and he really is there, or he is somewhere else, or maybe he didn’t die in 1850 at all. http://www.interment.net/data/us/ca/eldorado/greenwood/
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