Welcome to GATES COUNTY 

Gates County is located in northeastern North Carolina, just south of Suffolk, Virginia.
 The Nottoway, Meherrin,and Nansemond Indians found this area to be an ideal place,
 offering them all the natural resourses for a good life.  On the East side is the Great
 Dismal Swamp, one of the largest nature preserves in the country, where Bear, Deer and
 all types of wildlife live.  On the West side is the Chowan River, proclaimed to be one
 of the world's most beautiful rivers.  Bennetts Creek provides water sports for the water
 enthusiast.  Crops of peanuts, corn, soybeans and cotton grow along the banks of the swamp,
 pocosins and creeks.  Gates was formed in 1779 from Chowan, Hertford, and Perquimans
 counties.  Named in honor or General Horiatio Gates, commander of the American Army at the
 Battle of Saratoga, it lies in the northeastern part of North Carolina, bounded by Camden,
 Chowan, Hertford, Pasquotank, and Perquimans counties, and by the state of Virginia.  The
 legislature of 1830-31 passed an act which changed the name of the county seat from Gates
 Court House to Gatesville. 
 




 
Some GATES COUNTY SURNAMES
 
Askew, Babb, Ballard, Blanchard, Boone, Booth, Braddy, Brinkley,Brown, Bunch, Byrd, Carr,
 Crawford, Cross, Cullins, Darden, Duke, Eason, Ellis, Eure, Felton, Goodman, Goodwinn,
 Gordon, Breen, Harrell, Harrison, Hayes, Hays, Hobbs, Holland, Howard, Howell, Humfleet,
 Hunter, Johnson, Jones, Kelly, Kittrell, Lang, Langston, Lassiter, Lee, Mathias, Mincy,
 Minchew, Minshew, Mullen, Mullins, Mewsome, Odom, Parker, Parks, Pearce, Piland, Pipkin,
 Porter, Pugh, Raby, Reed, Riddick, Roberts, Rogers, Rountree, Sparkman, Spivey, Sumner,
 Taylor, Teabout, Tunstall, Umfleet, Umphlett, Vann, Wayne, White, Whitfield




Useful links 
 
1786 Census, Gates, Co 

Gates County Cemetery Survey

1850 Census Index 

North Carolina Marriage Database-Index for Gates County 

Passenger lists of Ships arriving in North Carolina 
 
 




ROUNTREE'S of GATES County 

Francis Rowntree married Sarah Coleman, Francis Rowntree was born to them, and he married
 Anne or Jane Sumner, about 1690 in Chowan, NC.

Children of Francis and Wife were:

Francis Rountree
William Rountree
Jesse Rountree
Moses Rountree
John Rountree
Rebecca Rountree
Susanne Rountree
Eliazbeth Rountree
Christian Rountree
Sarah Rountree
Jane Rountree
Jethro Rountree 
The Rountree Name, where did it come from?? 





There have been many stories as to where the name Rowntree (Rountree) came from exactly.
 According to one source, the first child to have this name was a child who was found
 under a tree called "Rowan Tree"., a mountain ash growing in Yorkshire, England.  The
 child, a boy was dressed in fine cloths.  He was found on the grounds of an estate owned
 by a nobleman, who took  pity and compassion on the child and raised him as his own son,
 naming him "Rowantree" after the tree under which he was found.  Who the child was or
 where he came from , he never found out.  This boy's descendant now run in the thousands,
 and they live in all parts of the world..There is no record of when this boy was found,
 we can only guess that it was around the time that Columbus discovered the new world since
 the name of the first record was in 1521 when John Rowntree had a son-in-law and daughter
 bring a lawsuit against his relative to land and houses.  Some say this John Rowntree was
 the child found under the tree or perhaps a son.


The Rowan tree was held scared by the Norsemen or Vikings from Scandinavia.  So its possible
 that this child found under such a tree came from Norway or Denmark as the Vikings settled
 and colonized Yorkshire, England in the fifteenth or sixteenth century.  Many of the towns
 there are called by Scandinavian names such as Whitby, Newby, Rudby, Kriby and Ingleby.


Another story handed down among the Rowntree(Rountrees) is that when the Noresemen warriors
 took over England, one of the valient warriors was rewarded by being given a large estate
 and on this estate there were a large nurmber of Rowan Trees, and he took the name from
 them,,,,thus Rowantree.


The earliest recorded Rowntree is that of the will of Lawrence Rowntree of Newby.,,,dated
 1557.  Between 1600-1700 there are eight more lawsuits, all of which connect the Rowntree
 name with north Yorkshire.  These lawsuits show that the Rowntrees were yeomen or farmers.


As early as 1605, Will Rowntree and Margaret Rowntree of Seamer are recorded as Recusants,
 and the same is true for James Rowntree in 1614, a yeaoman.  The Stokesley Parish Register
 has the following...August 29, 1615, Agnes Rountree of Tartan was buried at nigt in the
 semer Churchyard,  a Recusant.





Useful Information 

Moses Rowantree, born in Yorkshire, England, 1550, died 1621, age 71, in Yorkshire, England,
 married 1572 to Melvina York, born 1556, died 1624, age 68.  Children, William and Ralph


William Rowantree, born 1573, died1627, age 54, Yorkshire, England, married in 1595 to
 Rachel Simpson, born 1574, died 1636, age 62.
Children that we know of, Joseph. (Maybe more)


Joseph Rountree, born 1598 died 1660, age 62, Yorkshire, England, married 1620 to  Rebecca
 Toms, born 1601,died 1656, age 55
Children, John, (maybe more)


John Rowantree, born 1622, died 1680, age 58 London England, married 1646 to Jane Hardy,
 born 1635, died 1684, age 59.
Children, Elizabeth and Frances


Frances Rowantree 1, born 1649, London, England, died 1723, age 74 in Virginia, USA. married
 1670 to Sarah Coleman, born 1655, died 1723, age 68.
Children, Robert, John, Thomas, Frances 11, William, Moses, Charles (born 1680, died 1759,
 age 79 died in North Ireland)