Descendants of Michael Gater

Our Gater ancestry relates to one Michael Gater who was born ca 1550 in Hillmorton which is located in Warwickshire about two miles southeast of Rugby or about 12 miles southeast of Coventry. There are no other Gater records in the Hillmorton parish or even the county of Warwickshire and, as such, we have no indication as to Michael’s ancestry. The exact date of Michael’s death is unknown; it would be after 1593, i.e., the date of his youngest child, i.e., William who was baptized 26 August 1593. Michael married, on13 November 1576 at Hillmorton, Elizabeth Bailey who was born ca 1550 and buried 26 October 1617, both at Hillmorton. While there were several Bailey families living in Hillmorton at the time, Elizabeth Bailey’s family and ancestry has not been determined. Elizabeth was called Isabel. We do find one John Gater who married Elizabeth Smith on 25 March 1585 in Hillmorton; one could assume that this John Gater was a younger brother of our Michael.

Michael and Elizabeth Bailey Gater had a total of nine children, i.e., four sons and five daughters all of whom were baptized in Hillmorton. Daughter Alice was bp 06 February 1677 and was buried 23 March 1677. Daughter Elizabeth was bp 19 March 1578 and was buried 09 July 1578. Son John was bp 20 April 1579, married in late 1600, Eleanor (–) who died 02 June 1605; they had three children, i.e., William, Michael and Elizabeth. He fourth child of Michael and Elizabeth was son Michael who was bp 16 July 1583, married and removed to Lutterworth, Leicestershire where his estate was proven in 1615; his children were Elizabeth bp 16 March 1606, Frances bp 13 March 1608, and Margaret bp 27 September 1612. The fifth child of Michael and Elizabeth was Francis who was bp 15 August 1585 and was buried 16 May 1590 followed by Margaret who was bp 11 March 1587 and was buried 30 June 1606. Daughter Judith was bp 19 March 1589 to come. Son Erasmus was bp 06 May 1592 and was buried 22 March 1593. Finally, we have son William who was bp 26 August 1593 and who married, on 30 January 1621 at Seckington, Florence Nichols. It is of note that five of the above children died young or in infancy. One might assume that this was due to the periodic plagues which were prevalent. Of interest is the fact that our Judith was not one of the unfortunate; if she had been, this genealogy dissertation would not exist.

References: FH9: 1882,3764; FH191:78.

Judith, the seventh child and the fifth daughter of Michael and Elizabeth Bailey Gater, was bp 19 March 1589 and died after 27 September 1654, the date her husband’s will was proved, herein she is mentioned. Judith married, on 09 October 1608 at St. John the Baptist Church in Hillmorton, Warwicks, John Perkins who was bp on 23 December 1583 at Hillmorton and died in 1654 at Ipswich, Ma. John was the son of Henry and Elizabeth Sawbridgeworth Perkins of Hillmorton. Judith with her husband, John Perkins, and children came to New England on the very stormy voyage of the ship “Lyon”, William Pierce, Master which departed Bristol, England on 01 December 1630 and arrived in New England in February 1631. The months of December and January are not the best months to cross the North Atlantic Ocean, “beating into the wind”.

References: PH7:572; PH150:V9:45-46; PH211:245; FH9:1882/83,3766; FH191:78-79.