Obit: Gates, Jane #2 (1828 - 1916)

Contact: Ann Stevens
Email: ann@wiclarkcountyhistory.org

Surnames: Gates, Hewett, MacBride, Pinney

----Source: Neillsville Times (Neillsville, Clark Co., WI) 6/15/1916

Gates, Jane (4 DEC 1828 – 8 Jun 1916)

Mrs. Jane Gates died on Thursday at her home on South Grand Ave. Deceased was born Jane Hewett at Minerva, Essex County, New York, on Dec. 4, 1828. Her parents settled in Wisconsin at an early date and brought with them three children to this state. Mrs. Gates was the oldest of the family and was educated in the common schools in New York and was married in Essex County to Daniel Gates on April 23, 1848. Five children were born to them: Adelaide, James J., Charles H., Edward H. and Nellie. Mr. Gates was employed in the iron works in Essex County and for a time was a contractor in New York. He saved up $500 and with his family moved to Fairfield, Iowa. They remained there for a short time and then came to Clark County in 1856. At the time of their arrival here, Mr. Gates was possessed of $40 with which to begin life in the new state and he worked for a time on Black River and kept a hotel at the mouth of Wedges Creek.

The Gates family came to Neillsville in 1861 and bought twenty acres of land adjoining the city which, with its later additions, remained their home since that time. Mr. Gates died on June 28, 1885.

Mrs. Gates was a woman of high ideals and she knew all the hardships of the pioneer days. She was a woman of great energy and fortitude and so lived her life that she became widely known for her inherent goodness of heart and kindly charity. Her splendid character endeared her in the hearts of all the early settlers and those who came later, which friendships remained true to her throughout life. She is survived by three children, Charles, Edward and Mrs. R.J. MacBride and by nine grandchildren and seventeen great-grandchildren. She was laid to rest in the Neillsville Cemetery on Saturday, Rev. Pinney officiating.