Tombstone Tuesday: Capt. George W. GATES

Capt. George W. GATES, a photo by midgefrazel on Flickr.

Tombstone Tuesday:

 Capt. George Washington Gates and his wife Julia Ann Fish

Buried at the Lower Mystic Cemetery in the section on the far right, is this large granite monument, marked Gates. I stood in front of it and wondered if this man was named George Washington Gates and if the wife was related to the Fish family members on the other side of the cemetery. 

Unlike the "Capt.", reference on Horatio N. Fish's gravestone, this one has no anchor on it to tell us if he was a man of the sea or if it is a military title. The monument is typical of the mid-to-late 1800s, as it has a lovely vine and flower motif. I so like it when you get birth and death dates on gravestones, don't you?

After some research, I discover that Julia was indeed one of the daughters of Horatio N. FISH and his wife Lydia Morgan. 

As I guessed, her husband was named George Washington Gates and he was the son of the woman that I ventured to this cemetery to find her gravestone. She was Mercy DENISON and she was married to Zebediah GATES. 

Capt. Gates's life is outlined in the manuscript collection at the Mystic Seaport's archives. It tells me the name of his brother plus a lot about his life as a sailor. It is a different way for me to connect family members together. 

I have identified 5 children born to this couple.

Update: by Jean Evans, a friend from Mystic. Capt. Gates House