William Fleming BATES & Mary A. WHISNAND/WHISENANT
William Fleming BATES, son of Stephen and Sarah (COX) BATES was born circa 1802 in Pickens County, S.C. He was married in 1824, Pendleton District., S.C., to Mary A Whisnand. She was born about 1808 in Cherokee County, S.C., and was the daughter of Christopher WHISNAND. William BATES died in September 1879 at Big Fork, Polk County, Ark., and is buried in the Bates Cemetery near Big Fork. Mary (WHISNAND) BATES died about 1882 and was also buried at Bates Cemetery. On the 1880 census of Polk County, Ark., Mary Bates is listed as living in the household of her son-in-law, Zackariah Edwards. She is shown as age 69, born S.C., and both parents born N.C.
William and Mary BATES had the following children:
| ........... | .Born | ...Died | .......Married |
| BATES, John Welsey | 1828 | 1908 | BAKER, Mary Lucinda |
| BATES, Mary A. E. | 20 Apr 1836 | 6 Mar 1902 | EDWARDS, Thomas Jefferson (1st) |
| BATES, Margaret Sarah | 19 Mar 1841 | 16 Jan 1918 | STANDRIDGE, Samuel |
| BATES, James M. | 1842 | . | LEWIS, Mary |
| BATES, Eliza | 1846 | . | *DILBECK, Marion A. |
| BATES, Nancy | 1848 | . | PATTERSON, Abraham |
| BATES, Rachael Tursa | 18 May, 1851 | 8 Mar 1930 | EDWARDS, Zackariah Gibson |
Bates Cemetery
The Bates Cemetery is located two or three miles southwest of Big Fork Post Office
The book, Cemetery Inscriptions of Polk County, Arkansas, (by Nixby Kannady and Loreda Daniel, 1984) has this to say about the Bates Cemetery. "Even though several attempts were made to find this cemetery, it could not be located. The following information was taken from an article written about 1969."
| BATES, Aunt Ellen CRAWFORD in 1880 (by request) |
BATES, T. J. |
| BATES, Riles (her husband) | BATES, Rhoda Edwards (Wife of T. J. Bates) |
| BATES, Nancy Ann Bowen | BATES, Clemmy |
| BATES, Earl, George (Infant) (Children of Rile BATES) |
BATES, Washington |
| BATES, Elisha Geo., Jr. | Grandchildren of Eld. BATES: Edna, Virgie, Lula, Frank, Alice Shelton & Baby |
| BATES, Ophelia (Wife of Geo. Jr.) |
CRAWFORD, John |
| BATES, Holly & Cansada (children of Geo. & Ophelia) |
CRAWFORD, Nancy Bates (wife of John Crawford) |
| WARD, Mary Ellison Bates | SMITH, Little Lurena (daughter of Sallie Smith) |
| BATES, Geo., Sr. | SMITH, Little Annie (daughter of Jane Smith) |
| BATES, Tennie Walker | |
| BATES, Aunt Sis Stags (Wife of Geo. Bates, Sr.) |
*1880 Federal Census - Mountain Twp - Polk Co Ark. - Page 107
| DILBECK, Marion | W M | 39 | Head | Mar | Farmer | GA GA GA | |
| DILBECK, Eliza | W F | 36 | Wife | Mar | Keeps house | GA GA GA | |
| DILBECK, John R. | W M | 17 | Son | Single | Works on farm | AR GA GA | |
| DILBECK, Mary; J. | W F | 16 | Daughter | Single | Works in house | AR GA GA | |
| DILBECK, William J. | W M | 12 | Son | Single | Works on farm | AR GA GA | |
| DILBECK, Martha L. | W F | 10 | Daughter | Single | . | AR GA GA | |
| DILBECK, Samuel W. | W M | 9 | Son | Single | . | AR GA GA | |
| DILBECK, William P. | W M | 8 | Son | Single | . | AR GA GA | |
| DILBECK, Pascal | W M | 6 | Son | Single | . | AR GA GA | |
| DILBECK, Alfred | W M | 3 | Son | Single | . | AR GA GA | |
| DILBECK, Ida A. | W F | 1 | Daughter | Single | .. | AR GA GA |