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From: <>
Subject: [PALANCAS-L] NEED HELP
Date: Sun, 25 Oct 1998 06:55:40 EST

I am attempting to make a connection between a Hessian soldier, Wilhelm BAETZ,
and one of my ancestors, William BATES.

Wilhelm BAETZ was born in 1754/55 in the village of Asterode\Neukirchen (zip
code 3426) in the Schwalm Valley. He served in the Lieb Co. of Regt. von
Knyphausen and was captured at the Battle of Trenton on 26 December 1776.
Originally he was held at Philadelphia but was eventually moved to Lancaster.
The prisoner list dated 17 June 1778 shows Wilhelm BETZ working for a Jacob
KRUG in Lancaster. Military records indicate that he did not return to his
unit by May 1783, at the end of the War. The Hetrina III listed Wilhelm BAETZ
as a prisoner until 1783. His unit set sail for Germany in August 1783.

According to family tradition, the BATES family was originally from Hesse-
Cassel in Germany and settled in Lancaster. One story claims that William
Bates served in the Revolutionary War and was discharged in Lancaster.
However, a search of military records at the National Archives indicates that
no such William BATES served in the Continental Army. Many of the BATES
descendants are dark complexioned leading to the thought that Williams wife
may have been an Indian. I do underthat some German have a dark complexion.

The children of William BATES are Nancy (b. 1784 in PA) and Daniel (b. 3
February, 1791 in PA Source: Family Bible). This is a William BATES listed in
the 1790 and 1800 Lancaster Co. census records. In 1790, he lived in Cocalico
Twp. with one male and one female over 16. In 1800 he lived in Churchtown,
Caernarvon Twp. and the census included one male 45 and over, one male 16-26
(who was not included in the previous census) and one female under 16. If
census taker marked the column next to the male 6-16, these two children
could be Nancy and Daniel. The older male in both census accounts is of the
right age to be Wilhelm BAETZ.

Daniel BATES is listed in the Derry Twp., Westmoreland Co. tax records for the
first time in 1814. The fist census Daniel BATES appears in is the 1820 Derry
Twp., Westmoreland Co. census. The christening of the children of Daniel
BATES in the First Lutheran Church of Greensburg, Westmoreland Co., recorded
the surname as BAETZ.

There seems to be a lot of similarities between the two men, but no proof.
The questions I have are :

What happened to Wilhelm BAETZ for 7 years, if he is my William BATES?
What steps might I take to prove the connection?

Any help will be appreciated.

Bob McCabe
Chicago, IL

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