Live Long and Prosper - 52 Ancestors #31

Gilbert William Yates was my 2X great-grandfather. When looking for an easy to research ancestor for this week's theme, The Yates Book,  by Edgar Allan Poe Yates came to mind. Not only did Mr. Yates compile this genealogy of my grandmother's family, he also included his own memories of many of the people.

From The Yates Book, published in 1906.

To go off on a Pacific whaling voyage and return with a whale tooth pipe and wings from a flying-fish, certainly makes it sound like he had an adventurous spirit. Curious about the pipe, I went looking online to see what I could find. The British museum has an example here though I doubt Gilbert's pipe was this fancy. I hope that driving around Boston was a little easier in the 19th century, but I wouldn't bet on it. He was back in his hometown of Greenwood, Maine by 1863 when his name is recorded as a man eligible for the Civil War draft.

Flying fish taking off
photographer unknown,
public domain, via WikiMedia Commons

Civil War Draft - I don't have any record that he served in the war.
However, his cousin, O.K. Yates, did and witnessed Lincoln's
assassination. I wrote about that last year. 

In the end, he returned to Maine, married a local girl, and raised his family on a farm. That is more typical of my ancestors. His 6th child, Estes Gilbert Yates, was my great-grandfather. Gilbert lived until 1925 (about age 90), Estes lived until 1977 (age 93), and my grandmother, Linona Alice "Peggy" (Yates) Blake is going strong at 95 and recently announced her intention to make it to 100.

1920 Gilbert is living with daughter, Linnie Cole and her family