"Ancestrees"

Samuel COATE ^{1 2 3 4 5 6 7}

  General Notes:

Samuel Coate from Somersetshire, England supposedly first appears in Pennsylvania with his father, John Coate in 1685. (C-568) In 1699, through an instrument in writing, his father gave him 200 acres of land that he had purchased on Mar 13, 1689 from Israel Taylor. Samuel, himself, had purchased 23 more acres from this same Israel Taylor on Nov. 16, 1696. After his father's death, in late 1699 or early 1700, Samuel sold the land he inherited from his father John and settled in Burlington Co., NJ.

One source entitled, "The Samuel Coate Family" says that Samuel settled near his brother, Marmaduke, who came over in 1717 and settled in Burlington Co. as proved by the will of Ann Coate, widow of Marmaduke. (1929) (C-549d) I believe this brother relationship to be an error as John Coate had a son Samuel but no known son, Marmaduke. It is more likely that Samuel and Marmaduke were first cousins and this was the kinship referred to in Ann Coate's will. Another possible way the "Samuel Coate Family" erred in saying he lived near his brother, Marmaduke, is that Samuel did live fairly near his older brother James, who came to Philadelphia. James and his other brother Henry supposedly came over after their father, John and brother Samuel. (C-1542)

He appears often in Quaker records in the Middletown Monthly Meeting of Friends, Bucks Co., Pennsylvania He signed a testimony against the sale of "rum or other strong liquors to the Indian" on 11/5/1687. He witnessed several marriages: 1) Jeffery Hawkins and Ellen Pierson on 9/21/1687 at the home of the bride, 2) William Smith and Mary Cronasdale on 1/12/1688, and 3) his elder brother James and Mary Watson at the Philadelphia Meeting House on 12/8/1691/92. He was a member of the Grand Jury of the Quarter Sessions Court in Bucks County, PA on 7/13/1693. He was a road juror ordered by the court to help lay out a cart road from Newtown to the ferry house at a session dated 12/1693, the second Wednesday of the month. He declared his intention to marry Mary Sanders on 11/3/1694/5 at the Middletown Meeting. Samuel and Mary also declared their intention to marry at the Falls Meeting on 12/6/1694/5 also. It appears they went to both meeting houses a second time to inform all interested family and friends of their intent to marry on 12/7/1694/5 and 1/6/1694/5 before proceeding to marry. Samuel was on a Petit Jury on 10/9/1696, a Common Pleas Jury on the 10th month, 1697 and a Grand Jury on 7/14/1698 and 1/8/1698/9.

In 1700, after his move to Burlington Co., NJ, there is a Samuel Coate who was listed as one of the men who helped survey and lay out a by-road for accommodating the "back inhabitants" leading into the Kings Road. (C-1668) Since he is the only Samuel I know of living in Burlington Co., NJ in 1702, the following records also likely apply to him. He and Samuel Beard acknowledged to the court that they owed the King forty lbs which was to be levied on their goods, chattles and tenements on condition that Samuell Coates keep the peace particularly toward Elizabeth White and Elizabeth Brown. These two women had attested to the court that they were afraid he would abuse or ravish them and felt their lives were in danger. The court then ordered Samuel Coates to find security to prove his intention was peaceful. Samuel was also charged with four others of neglecting service on the road in that year. In that same year in court, Samuel was named as one of the new Constables from Burlington. These records were summarized in "The Burlington Court Book, a Record of Quaker Jurisprudence in West New Jersey, 1680-1709" by H. Clay Reed. (C-1673)

On 1/10/1702/3, he submitted the purchase of a deed for 3 acres of land in Newtown, with the deed dated 9/16/1696. He appears to have sold that land plus 19 other acres to Shadrack Walley on that same day, 1/10/1702/3 and then submit it to the courts on 7/8/1703. In 1705 he was named as a Grand Juror in the court records. (C-1673)

He and his family took a certificate to Buckingham from Burlington on March 6, 1723 (the same year he died). Quaker minutes mention sons John and Henry and in the Women's minutes from Buckingham it mentions Mary Coate and daughter Elizabeth. (C-549c, 995, 1086)

Samuel purchased the land they moved to in 1723 on April 17, 1722: 400 acres of land in Amwell Twp., Hunterdon Co. from Robert Eaton adjoining John Holcombe's land. Samuel Coate was listed as of Springfield, Burlington Co., NJ at the time. He also purchased an additional adjoining 100 acres according to the deed where his son William sells 150 acres of the land in 1728. He was a carpenter and appears to have established a ferry service there known as Coate's Ferry on the Delaware River. Opposite him was a service owned by John Wells known as "Wells ferry" on the Pennsylvania side of the Delaware. It is interesting to note that this ferry service later became known as Coryell's Crossing and was where Washington crossed the Delaware in the Revolutionary War and is the scene of the famous painting of same.

On Aug. 24, 1723, John Bainbridge, Samuel Coate, Thomas Curtis, Joshua Anderson, Andrew Smith, and Nathaniel Leonard, freeholders, received tax money from Capt. Ralph Hunt for the running of the government in Maidenhead, Hopewell, Amwell and Trenton Townships, NJ. I have no further details in his involvement in running the townships than this record in the deeds of NJ. (C-2152)

After Samuel's death in 1723, his land on the hill along Yoark Road went to sons William, John, and Henry. His will was written Nov. 22, 1723 and proved Jan. 8, 1723/24. It lists wife Mary, children: John, Henry, William, Marmaduke, Samuel and Elizabeth. (C-549d, 1078, 1433) In his will, he is referred to as Samuel Coate, Gentleman, of Amwell, Hunterdon Co., NJ. He bequeathed 200 aces to son John, 200 to son Henry and the rest to son William. His Executors were sons, John and Henry. It was witnessed by Jon Holcombe, John Wells, and Benjamin Willcocks. The inventory of his estate dated Dec. 23, 1723 included a clock, the family bible and other books and was made by George Green and John Holcombe.

In 1728, his son John sold 200 acres of the tract of land he was given by his father, to John Purcell. In 1732, John Coate, of Bethlehem, N.J. sold 30 acres more of this land to John Holcombe. It is a home built by this John Holcombe that Washington stayed in twice during the Revolutionary War. (This 1732 deed mentions adjoining posts belonging to William and Henry Coate's lands.) (C-153)

Two Coate names appear in Freeholders lists for New Jersey, that could be his sons. John Coates was a landholder who was selected as the 42nd juror in Bethlehem Twp., Hunterdon Co., NJ in 1741 (Vol. 37, pg. 56-Genealogical Mag. of N.J.) and Henry Coates was a landholder in Amwell Twp., Hunterdon Co., NJ. (C-294, Vol. 37, p.54)

Son Marmaduke is in Quaker records when he married Sarah Mathis in Little Egg Harbor, 1747. (C-549c)

Son William is still puzzling. He is the logical choice of the William that marries Rachel Ann Budd. He sold his land, 150 acres, that he inherited from his father, Samuel, on May 21, 1729 to William Cornwell. (C-549d) It is possible that he still retained some land as his name is mentioned in a deed of sale by his brother in 1732. (C-153) This is likely the William who went to Rowan County, North Carolina by 1754 and then to Newberry Co., SC by 1762. However, this has not been proven and there are other William Coate's that could be of the right age to be the son of Samuel. ¹¹

  Noted events in his life were:

• Will, 11/22/1723, Amwell Twp., Hunterdon, NJ, USA. ³

• Probate, 1/8/1724. ³

Samuel married Mary SAUNDERS on 1/6/1695 in Falls M.M., Bucks, PA, USA. (Mary SAUNDERS died after 1733.)