Alvin Bates who was born on December 14, 1828, was married in Tennessee on September 26, 1854 to Elizabeth Gayle, the daughter of Rev. and Mrs. William Gayle. She was born on December 2, 1833. Alvin and Elizabeth became the parents of seven children: Lucinda Arminda, Wesley M., James T., Mary E., Margaret A. (Maggie), William Addison and Julia E.
After military service in the army of the Confederacy, Alvin Bates was advised to seek a different climate in the hope that his health would be improved. He sold his farm near Fayettville in Lincoln County, Tennessee in 1871 and with his family joined a wagon train bound for Texas.
Being very devout religious people, the families kept Sundays for rest and worship. The train made camp from Friday until Monday. On Saturday, the men repaired wagons and harness and cut firewood, while the women did their cooking and laundry.
River crossings were approached with a degree of apprehension. The wagon train crossed the Mississippi River at Memphis, Red river near Texarkana and the Trinity near the small village of Dallas.
The Bates family settled first in Files Valley in Ellis County. Farming on black land was a new experience and not a pleasant one for the people accustomed to a sandy loam. In wet weather, a trip to Alvarado for supplies could be made only on horseback or by hitching two horses to the front running gear of a wagon and pausing often to punch mud from between the spokes of the wheels.
In order to find sandy soil, the family moved to the Sand Flat community in Johnson County. During this residence, a neighbor, R.I. McCain, made a trip to north Tarrant County and brought back a glowing report on the rich farming land of that area. Alvin Bates made the same trip, was favorably impressed and bought a farm near the site of present day Keller.
When the Texas and Pacific railway was extended north from Fort Worth, it passed along the east side of the Bates farm. Alvin Bates helped the surveyors plot the townsite of Keller. The street leading to his house was given his name.
Another year with more than average rainfall proved that the farm Alvin Bates had bought was more black land than sand. Plans were made to move again. In choosing a location more to his liking, he considered the Pipkin farm, part of which is now the Keller Fairground. It could have been bought for five dollars per acre. However, the Cross Timbers area offered a more bountiful supply of firewood in addition to sandy soil suitable for growing fruit, vegetables and sorghum cane.
On September 29, 1881, Alvin Bates bought a farm in the Mt. Gilead-Double Springs community. This land, owned later by second and third generation descendents, was an ideal home for the Bates family. The log house with a large sandstone fireplace stood a few hundred yards east of the Mt. Gilead Church. It was an impressive landmark until destroyed by fire in 1971.
Two of the Bates girls later married sons of Mr. R.I.(Doc) McCain; Mary married B. Clint McCain and Maggie married Tom I. McCain. Lucinda married Ben E. Warren and Julia married J. Tommie King.
Alvin Bates helped organize the Cumberland Presbyterian Church (now the First Presbyterian Church) of Keller and his son, W. A. Bates was one of its devoted members throughout his lifetime.
Alvin Bates died on March 26, 1908 and his wife, Elizabeth on December 26, 1914. Both are buried in Mt. Gilead Cemetery.
Information and statistics on the descendents of Alvin and Elizabeth (Gayle) Bates:
1) Wesley M., born August 10, 1855 and died January 10, 1856.
2) Lucinda Arminda, born December 1, 1857 and died November 15, 1899. She was married to Benjamin Edward Warren, born May 25, 1857 and died January 8, 1921.
3) James T. born March 22, 1859 and died October 3, 1863.
4) Mary E. Bates, born September 18, 1864, was married to B. Clint McCain, son of R.I. (Doc) McCain and Elizabeth Fowler McCain. After the birth of a son, she died March 17, 1885 and was buried in Mt. Gilead Cemetery.
5) Margaret A. Bates, born October 26, 1865 and died June 8, 1913. She was married to Tom McCain, born December 6, 1869 and died December 3, 1899. Both are buried in Mt. Gilead Cemetery. They were the parents of a son Alvin, who married Annie Blevins and had a daughter, Myrtle.
6) William Addison Bates, born December 1, 1867 and died January 1, 1943, was married to Ida Kelly, born October 15, 1871, the daughter of George W. and Rhoda Ann Blevins Kelly. They were the parents of two sons, Byron and Ewell. Bryon, born August 3, 1893 and died January 19, 1970, was married to Ruth Maxey, born January 9, 1899. Ewell, born November 15, 1901, was married to Winnie Bernice Herring. They had one daughter, Barbara Bernice. His second marriage was to Christine Bancroft.
7) Julia, born October 1871 was married to J. Tommie King. They had four children: Eddie, Claud, Leola and Bessie.
