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KANAWHA COUNTY WEST VIRGINIA - BIOS: GATES, James M.
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Submitted to the West Virginia Biographies Project by:
Sandy Spradling
SSpradling@AOL.com
September 26, 1999
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History of Charleston and Kanawha County, West Virginia and Representative
Citizens
W.S. Laidley
Richmond Arnold Publishing Co., Chicago, ILL.
1911
p. 459-460
JAMES M. GATES, who was a prosperous business man and respected citizen of
Charleston, W. Va., for many years, was born in Gallia County, 0., a son of
Moses and Harriet (Baultzett) Gates, and died at his home at Charleston,
January 15, 1904, aged sixty-eight years. He was a younger member of a large
family born to his parents and he is survived by his youngest brother, George
Gates, who is a retired citizen of Cincinnati. The father was a black-smith
by trade and the sons served an ap-prenticeship at the forge and anvil. Mr.
Gates was quite a young man when he came to Charleston and shortly afterward
en-listed for service as a drummer boy in the 23d Virginia regiment, which
was recruited in this section for the Civil War. Ile re-mained in the army
for four years and after the close of hostilities, returned to Charles-ton
and embarked in the grocery business, but a few years afterwards sold 'out
and from then until the time of his last illness, he conducted a paint and
wall paper business. He was careful, shrewd and foresighted and thus was
always able to protect his business interests and accumulated val-uable
property. The business now conducted under the name of J. M. Gates' Sons
Company, was previous to the death of Mr. J. M. Gates run under his own
name, and years ago was run under the title of "Gates Bros.," he having two
other brothers in connection with the same at that time, namely: Virgil A.
Gates and George' W. Gates. His other two brothers were John Francis, a
Universalist minister, formerly of Buffalo, N. Y., and Daniel Haskeli, a
farmer and statesman, of Round Knob, Put-nam C,ounty, W. Va., both being now
de-ceased.
Mr. Gates was married June 2, 1862, at what is now St. Albans, Kanawha
County, to Miss Virginia Rand, who was born in Iowa City, Ia., and was four
years old when her parents, Christopher C. and Nancy (Pines) Rand, moved to
Kanawha County. Later they came to Charleston where Mr. Rand died 'at the age
of sixty-eight years and Mrs. Rand when aged seventy-three years. Mrs. Gates
was reared and carefully educated at Charleston. She is one of a large
family, not many of whom survive. The children of Mr. and Mrs. Gates are as
follows: James Henry, who is a member of the firm of J. M. Gates' Sons Co.,
of Charleston; Cora Matilda, who is the wife of Cameron Savage, a timberman
of Charleston, and has two children; George Daniel, who is in the bicycle and
phono-graph business in Charleston; Daniel Haskell, who is associated with
his brothers in the paint business, is married and has two sons; William
Stevens and Jesse Arthur, both of whom are members of the J. M. Gates' Sons
Co.; Virginia Rand, who is the wife of Alva R. Fisher, a railroad man,
re-sides in Cincinnati and has one son, Marion M.; Edward Psalmon (twin
brother of George D.) who died at the age of thirteen years; Albert Rand,
also deceased; Henry and Eben, who are also deceased, both dying in infancy.
Mrs. Gates resides in her pleasant home at No.408 Broad Street. In politics,
Mr. Gates was a Democrat. He was reared in the Universalist faith and has
always adhered to it and his children also belong to that church. He was a
man of sterling character and throughout life was looked on by his fellow
citizens as an honorable and up-right man, charitable in the extreme in times
of any public calamity, ready with both his purse and his sympathy.
Sandy Spradling
SSpradling@AOL.com
State Contact for WV GenExchange
http://www.genexchange.com/wv/index.cfm
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