Notes:

James was a carpenter. He emigrated to Pennsylvania before 1691 and was a member of the Philadelphia Monthly Meeting. His brother, Samuel was a witness to his marriage in that year. He purchased a lot on the 2nd street in the town of Philadelphia, fifty feet fronting on Walnut Street from John Parsons on Oct. 20, 1691. (Park's book) James also is probably the James that witnessed the marriage of James Pratt and Mary Bristol in the Abington M.M. in Chester County, Pennsylvania in 1689 and the James who attended the marriage of Joseph Nicholson of Alloways Creek and Hannah Wood of Gloucester Co., PA in 1695 in Newtown MM, Pennsylvania. (C-1, 1976)

James and wife Mary had at least son, John, and daughter, Ann and "others" as he calls them in his will. Professor Dornan states that the "others" definitely includes a Mary. One source lists an additional daughter named Rebecka, a son named Thomas, and gives his wife's burial date as 9/15/1701. I question this, since the wife's burial date is untrue. His wife Mary is the executor for his will in 1705. Brothers Archibald Meikle and Abrahm Carliell are also named. If they are actually relatives, they might be his brother-in-laws and be married to sisters of him or his wife. (Will Book B, p. 414) Note that James's son John attended the wedding of Daniel Mickle and Hannah Dennis in 1711 of Newton MM, Pennsylvania. This would make even more sense if he and Daniel Mickle (son of Abraham Meikle?) were cousins. (C-995, 1006, 1347)

A transcript of James's will follows: LDS# 21721 - Book B page 414 - 1705 - will # 152 - James Coate, He has land lying between *my now dwelling house & the house and lott of Thomas Bradford extending from Wallnut Street Southward the whole length of my lott for the best price....* Wife is Mary Coate, Son John Coate - under 21, daughter - oldest daughter shall marry, daughter Ann, House goes to son John Coate at Mary's death, the residue go to the *rest of my children*, wife Mary Coate sole executrix, brothers Archibal Meikle & Abraham Carlisle as trustees, signed James Coate - 1704, probate date is April 19th 1705, Witneses are Wm Crisp, Abraham Carliell and Richard Heatte or Heath.

Mary Coate, his widow, and his son John Coate, carpenter, sold a lot on Walnut Street, near Dock Street to John Lewis on January 4, 1713. James Coate had purchased this lot on Dec. 9, 1700. (Park's book)

Who are James other possible children that he did not name in his will? If he married in 1691 and died in 1705 and had children every two years on average, he could have had up to 7 or 8 children. Hinshaw says that there were 2 Elizabeths born to James and Mary that died in 1697 and 1714 respectively. His possible "other" children include the extra Samuel Coate in the NJ area, the James Coate who is listed 3rd in the line of closest relatives to his daughter Mary at her wedding, the Elizabeth Coate who was listed directly after James Coate (though I believe it more likely that Elizabeth was James' wife) or the Henry Coats listed 5th in the closest kin's column to the marriage of Mary, d. of James in 1720. James Coate signed the Pennsylvania Petition in 1692 in the Philadelphia Colony. (C-1462)

James married Mary WATSON on 8 Dec 1691 in Philadelphia M.M., Philadelphia, PA. Mary was born about 1670; died in May 1720; was buried on 16 May 1720. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

Mary died before her daughter Mary's marriage on the 10 month 8 day 1720. The first name on the relatives section of the list appears to be an unaccounted for John Coate. The second name looks like Abraham Carlyell/Cowgill?. It's entirely possible that Mary Watson married Abraham Carlyell or Cowgill after her first husband's death, and that is why he is listed 2nd as the closest relative -- being a step dad. Of course, this is conjecture on my part till further evidence is found. There is an Abraham Carliell in the Quaker records of the time, but no Abraham Cowgill. However, there is no recorded marriage for Mary in Hinshaw either. She is still listed by the name Mary Coate when she sells a lot of her husband's land in a 1713 Philadelphia deed record. Currently I do not know how this Abraham Carliell is related to daughter Mary or her spouse.

Notes:

We now have absolute proof that we descend through John's father Henry with another YDNA tester in our Coats Surname Project at FTDNA. This cousin descends from a different son of Henry's that ends up being forced to migrate to Australia. Thank you, Australian cousins for helping to prove this line from 1595 to the present!

I also triangulate with autosomal DNA cousins who descends through John and Elizabeth Coate's daughter, Ann Coate, on chromosome 7 in overlapping segments as our 1st common Coate ancestor, tentatively suggesting our descent from John and Elizabeth. Back in this distance of time, the cM's segment match length is small enough that it can't currently prove the descent. I expect that the fact that we triangulate improves the statistical proof, but we will have to wait till the mathematics in this field also improves to know for sure. I would guess that John's mother's name could be Elizabeth from his 2 daughter's names. Ann would have been named after his mother-in-law, JoAnn.

Here are the facts that we do know about John Coate. He was the father of our Samuel Coate of Somerset Co., England; Newtown, PA and Hunterdon Co., NJ proven by the fact that Samuel was given 200 acres of his father, John Coate's land in Newtown, Pennsylvania via letter dated August, 1699 from Somerset, England one month before John Coate died in England. John was married to Elizabeth Humphreys in England and had the following children: John, Henry, James, Samuel, and Elizabeth. His children's births are registerd as being from the Kingsbury Episcopi M.M., Middle Divison of the Somerset Quarterly Meeting in England. Quaker records were only kept in their monthly meeting from 1665-1673. They list both John and Elizabeth as parents. They are listed right before his nephew Marmaduke married to Ann Pole's children are listed in this Middle Division of the Somerset Monthly Meeting records all in the same hand. They likely were transcribed from their Monthly Meeting records kept until 1673. It is known that they had four small children and one on the way in 1672 when it was recorded that his house had been burnt down and his wife was expecting. This matches well with the birth dates of his children. However, he could have had more children from 1673 onward that were not in the records. One source lists him with a daughter named Ann. This fits well with info on descendants of an Ann Coate (1673-1762) married to a Roger Fort (1669-1749) in the United States. (E)

He lived in Lambrook, England, which adjoins the town of Curry Rivel on the east. He is often listed in the Illchester Monthly Meeting Minutes or Southern Division Monthly Meeting Minutes as it was known beginning in 1670.

Other events in his lifetime are as follows.

1668 His wife, Elizabeth Coate, sister to John Humphries, was reprimanded for being married by a priest indicating that John was not a Quaker at the time of his marriage. Kingsbury MM, Somerset, England.

1670 8mo 27d In Somerset: "In this Year the following Persons were committed to Prison at Ilchester for refusing to pay Tithes, ... Impropriator: John Coate, at the suit of Samuel Tilley." http://www-personal.umich.edu/~bobwolfe/gen/mn/m3350x3351.htm

1671 2mo 27d In attendance at Illchester MM, Somerset, England (Park)

25d 7mo 1672 In the Southern Division MM minutes, a request was made to other area meetings to aid and assist John Coate, whose "afflicted condition" had resulted from his imprisonment, the burning of his home and property, his indebtedness, his responsibility for his 4 small children, "one of them having been scalded near to death and his wife also being near her time."

1672 12mo 29 In attendance at Illchester MM, Somerset, England (Park)

1676 12mo 24 In attendance at Illchester MM, Somerset, England (Park)

1678 On 28 of month 3 (May), John Coat of Lambrook was at the Bishop's Court on the same day that Quaker John Whiting was questioned for not paying tithes, http://www-personal.umich.edu/~bobwolfe/gen/mn/m3350x3351.htm

1678 (4mo: Park) At Somerset, "Beside those already mentioned, there had been imprisoned for Tithes, some Years before John Whiting's Commitment, John Coate, John Smith, Thomas Ridiout of Mark, and Walter Hodges of Kingsbury. http://www-personal.umich.edu/~bobwolfe/gen/mn/m3350x3351.htm

1679 5mo 31d In attendance at Illchester MM, Somerset, England (Park)

1680 2mo 29d "For a Meeting at Gregory-Stoke: John Cuffe, John Pinny, Francis Scott, and John Coate, were fined

John married Elizabeth HUMPHREYS on 29 Dec 1663 in Kingsbury M.M., Somerset, ENG. Elizabeth (daughter of Johanas (John) HUMPHREY and Joan) was christened on 11 Jul 1647 in , Somerset, ENG; died before 1686 in Kingsbury, Somerset, England. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

Her name is definitely Elizabeth Humphreys. According to Quaker records when she is listed as the wife of John, her birthdate is given as July 7, 1647. She is listed as the mother of John's children in the 1660's in Somerset Co., England. Her surname is proven to be Humphries because of the following extracts from Minute Book 1 of Illchester M.M. in county Somerset, England. "15/12/1668 7th minute, from Kingsbury Meeting, "That Thomas Budd and George Taylor do again go and visit James Humprheys and Elizabeth Coate, his sister, and in God's love, warn them again to clear their conscience by their obedience to the truth, and that they no longer absent or withdraw themselves from the assemblies of God's people." 25/12/1668, "That Thomas Budd and George Taylor do again go and visit James Humprheys and Elizabeth Coate, his sister ...and that Elizabeth, as she is in a capacity, come to the Friend's Monthly or give forth a testimony against her being married by a priest."

Further evidence has been found in the Southern Divison Quarterly Meeting Records which transferred data from the Monthly Meeting records into lists by one recorder. In the middle of the listing for John and Elizabeth Coate's children, her brother James Humphries and previously unknown wife Joan is listed with the birth of their daughter Joane Humphries. Her brother James is then listed in the baptismal records for the Church of England as from Kingsbury Episcopi and the son of John and Joane Humfry. Then to put the cherry on the cake, she and husband John Coate, named their first child John after her father. This was the most common Quaker naming pattern.

Elizabeth did not ever come to America. She might be the Elizabeth Coate, widow, who died in the month called Feb of 1720/21 in Hambridge according to Somerset Quarterly Monthly Meeting Records for Somerset Co., England. (1720 In month 12, Eliz. Coate of Hambridge, died. [http://www-personal.umich.edu/~bobwolfe/gen/mn/m3350x3351.htm] ) The problem with this is there is a John Coate of New Towne, Pennsylvania who was listed free of marriage engagements when he requested a return to England in the 1686. Therefore, I am accepting the theory that he was married twice, both times to an Elizabeth. (C-199, 253c)

Notes:

All historical research led us to believe that our Coate line went back through this Henry to his father Marmaduke. We now have a wonderful YDNA match from a cousin in Australia whom has only 1 point out of 37 DNA points different from us. It proves we descend from this Henry Coate, The Elder, who is the most recent common ancestor we have in common. I am so grateful for this. We finally know for certain after 40 years of research via DNA. How truly wonderful!

He is often called Henry "the Elder" or Henry C. in family member trees. I have seen no actual proof of either. It's possible that he is the Henry "The Elder" listed as the father of an Elizabeth when she married John Podger in Burton, Drayton, England, but this remains to be proven. John or Elizabeth Podger or their children are NOT in this Henry's will. I have therefore given him the name Henry Coate of Hambridge to distinguish him from the Henry of Burton in Drayton Parish, Somerset, England.

Henry named 5 children in his will, among them Marmaduke and John. He wrote his will on Aug 8, 1661 in Hambridge, Curry Rivel Parish, England and is listed by the title of Yeoman. It was proved in January of 1663 at Taunton. Henry Coate of Hambridge in the Parish of Curry Rivel within the County of Somerset, Yeoman, by his will gave: To his son Henry "wearing apperel and one pair of boots and 20 pounds." To his son John "four score pounds and one bedstead voer the entry and my best feather bed with one pair of sheets, one pair of blankets and cover bed and two bolsters there unto belonging": and several other articles of furniture, etc. Unto his daughter Rachel 10 shillings, Unto his daughter Mary 10 shillings, Unto his grandchild Jane Counsell 8 pounds, Unto grandchildren William Sugge, John Perry, Henry Perry, John Jermane, Jonathan Coate, Mary Coate, Elizabeth Coate, Mary Sugge, and Edith Coate 20 pounds each Unto Jane Rowsewell his grandchid one shilling. The rest of his goods and chattels he gave to his son Marmaduke whom he made sole executor of his estate. (C-253c) His known 3 sons all became Quakers through marriage in some cases and some of his daughters. They typically attended the Kingsbury Episcopi Monthly Meeting which was fairly small. They all had interconnections as their children married. The burial page for this monthly meeting in the Somerset Quarterly Meeting Records for the Southern Division included less than 30 people most of whom became related as they married. One small family of Humphries were amongst this group, Elizabeth Humphrey marrying John Coate. Other Coate's that remained in Curry Rivel, England remained faithful to the Church of England in that time period. The fact that the will remains means that he was considered one of the wealthy and his will had been transcribed in another site saving it from the bombings of World War II.

I am descended through his son John married to Elizabeth. As for autosomal DNA we also have small segment matches because of the distance back in time. A cousin is descended through the Marmaduke married to Edith that I have sorted as the son of this Henry Coate named Linda Midgett W. Blum. I'd like to know if we and a Joseph Edge are related through DNA as he descends from Marmaduke and Edith Coate. I have found an autosomal DNA triangulation with cousins who descend from this Henry through other children than I do. It is considered tentative back in this period of time because of the small size of the shared DNA and distance in time. They are 7th cousins to my Uncle for Henry Coate 1595, chromosome16, segments 28234964-34708422 7C, Gedmatch Kits M935084, Z397630, A497476. In any case, Y-DNA has now proved the connection so the autosomal DNA is just icing on the cake.

Henry married UNKNOWN after 1616. died before 1662. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

Her name is Jane Batholomew according to Steven T. Ernst on ancestry.com. Her name is Emily Jane according to the Joseph Edge Family Tree. She is the first spouse of Henry Coate according to some trees with his other spouse being Joan Combstork/Comstock. If he also was married to a Joan Combstock that occurred on Apr. 28, 1656 in the Parish of Drayton. No wife is mentioned in Henry's will.

Notes:

We know that John is the father of our Elizabeth Humphries because he is listed as her father in her brother James' christening record. We knew her birthdate from Somerset Quaker records previously. I have found only a few other siblings for them in the records in Kingsbury or Drayton where Joane died. With the gap in their ages, it's highly likely that they had other siblings not in the published records or that their mother had a series of miscarriages.

John is listed as the son of a Humfrie in the Kingsbury Episcopi records if he is the Johannes baptized in 1620 there. Kingsbury Episcopi is where most of the earliest Humfry's in co. Somerset, England can be found. There are several possible father's of this John in Kingsbury at the time. They are George, b. 1597, son of Thomas; Peeter b. 1597, son of William; and James b. 1595 who married Johane Denman in 1614. James was the son of William b. 1595 according to Somerset baptismal records. Both the names James and Peter are repeated in this family with James being the more common choice and Peter repeated only once.

I'm working off the theory that our John is the son of James as he names his first born son James. The only other possibilities I've found are 1) a John and Mary that married in 1613 in Drayton, Somerset, England, 2) a John and Agnis Humfry that married in Drayton in 1610 or 3) An Edward and Havis Hue Humfrey who married in Drayton in 1623. The best fit and theory is that John is the son of James b. 1595.

Johanas married Joan before 1647. Joan was born before 1632 in Of Wiltshire, England; died on 3 Aug 1679 in Drayton Parish, Somerset, England. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

She is listed as the spouse of John Humfry when she died in Drayton. Her mother's name is likely Elizabeth and that is where the name of their first daughter came from.