Hail Bates, BiographyPorter County biographical sketches . . . .
Transcribed biography of Hail Bates
HAIL BATES. The late Mr. Bates represented one of the prominent families of Porter county, resident here from the pioneer days to the present and actively connected with the material development and public-spirited citizenship of this vicinity.
Hail Bates was born on the 16th of March, 1857, on a farm a mile and a half north of Hebron, the son of Christopher W. and Hannah (Adams) Bates. The father was a Vermonter by birth, while the mother was a native of Ohio. The first two sons of the family of three children were named Hail, both dying in infancy, and the favorite family name at last rested with the esteemed citizen who until a few years ago was so well known in this county. The other children of the family were James, Rhoda and Mary. Hail Bates was educated in the Hebron school and finished in the Valparaiso high school.
On March 16, 1881, he was united in marriage with Miss Edith Hurlburt, who still resides on the old homestead near Hebron. The Hurlburt family have long been prominent in this county. She was born near the little town of Hurlburt, October 5, 1858, and her parents were David and Elizabeth (Spafford) Hurlburt. From Ohio, their native state, they came to Indiana, the father in 1836 and the mother at the age of eleven years. The Hurlburts were thus among the real pioneer settlers, and became identified in a very substantial way with their community, giving the name to one of the thriving small towns of this county. David Hurlburt and wife began their wedded life on forty acres, and there resided a few years in Porter township. Later he bought three hundred and twenty acres near Hurlburt and then the present farm of two hundred and forty acres, north of Hebron, from a man who had obtained the land directly by patent from the government. Mrs. Bates has in her possession the old parchment deed which bears the signature of President Millard Fillmore and dates July 1, 1851, which is a valuable heirloom in the home. This is the fourth found so far in Porter county of the government deeds. When the Hurlburts first came to this county there were no railroads this far west, Valparaiso contained only a few houses, and Chicago had not yet been incorporated as a city. David Hurlburt and wife had their career among the scenes and activities of this early period. Through their industry they replaced the little house in which they began with an attractive country home, the land was cultivated into one of the best farms of the neighborhood, and on every side they placed evidences of thrift and comfort, barns, shade and fruit trees, and those numberless little changes that make a country home beautiful and restful. Three of the children of David Hurlburt and wife died in infancy, and the three who remain are Chester, Ruth and Edith. They all attended school in Hebron and Chester finished his education at Valparaiso.
After their marriage Mr. and Mrs. Hail Bates located on the Hurlburt homestead, where their kindly consideration and helpfulness lightened the burdens and cheered the last years of Mrs. Bates' parents. Three children, one son and two daughters, were born to Mr. Bates and wife, namely: Ruth, Rhoda and Roger. All three were graduated at the Hebron high school, and Rhoda became one of the successful teachers of the county, teaching for two years in the Beach school, two years in the Hurlburt school and one year at the Carson school. Ruth Bates is the wife of O. A. Pearce, formerly a telegraph operator in Michigan, also engaged in ranching and stock raising near Martinsdale, Montana, and is now located near Edmonton, Alberta province. They have one child, Marcia Louise. Roger Bates after leaving school chose the occupation followed by so many of his forefathers, and has since been one of the progressive and successful agriculturists of this county. Besides general farming he also conducts a dairy of more than thirty Holsteins, and ships milk to Chicago.
Mr. Hail Bates after having spent half a century in this county and having established a home and made himself a substantial factor in the community was called away by death in 1907. He, as is also his wife, was a member of the Christian church at Hebron, and was interested in every good work. His public spirit and success as a business man had commended him to the citizenship of the county, so that he was chosen as one of the county commissioners and was filling that office at the time of his death. Thus the entire county was deprived of the services of a valued official and esteemed citizen. He was Republican in politics, and affiliated with the Knights of Pythias and the Masonic order. Mrs. Bates with her son and daughter now keep the old homestead north of Hebron, a place that has been endeared to her by many associations. The homestead and those who have spent all or portions of their lives upon it are intimate features of the history of Porter county, and honor and worth have always had their seat in this beautiful country home.
Source: Lewis Publishing Company. 1912. History of Porter County, Indiana: A Narrative Account of its Historical Progress, its People and its Principal Interests. Chicago, Illinois: Lewis Publishing Company. 881 p.
Page(s) in Source: 721-723
This biography has been transcribed exactly as it was originally published in the source. Please note that we do not provide photocopies or digital scans of biographies appearing on this website.
Biography transcribed by Steven R. Shook