Hi Gary,
I saw your comment on the group Massachusetts Ancestry about your western MA Bates ancestry, and was wondering if you might have any info on my sister-in-law's line (something I'm doing as a favor for her). You see, her maiden name is Bugbee and she is the daughter of Philip W. Bugbee, b.1927 in Oxford, MA. Philip's father was Ambrose C. Bugbee, born about 1902 in Spencer, MA and one of 5 sons born to Clarence O. Bugbee, born 1879 probably in Webster, MA. This may seem unrelated to you but I have discovered that Clarence was born a Bates and adopted by Osgood J. and Mary W. Bugbee in 1884 according to the Probate Index of Worcester County (Case 3130). In the 1880 US Census, MA, Worcester, Webster, image 72 of 77, Osgood Bugbee is listed as the "Warden" of the Webster Town Farm with his wife and 15-year-old son Charles, as well as many "Paupers," including Clarence C. Bates, 1 year old (and no other Bates adults and he is the only child). I have not been able to locate any death records in Massachusetts in 1879 or 1880 for possible parents of Clarence, so I was wondering if you have any information or leads about this child. It was quite a shock to my sister-in-law to learn that her ancestry was not Bugbee by blood, and I would like to be able to fill that void with whatever connections may be found to the long and admirable Bates family history.

Thanks very much for your patience in reading through this, and your help if it is possible.
Best regards,
September McCarthy

Thanks Gary, for your offer to look at your CD! And thanks for the lead on Lucinda Bates and her parents. There's no hurry on this. If I can help you in any way, just let me know.

Thanks very much for trying! If all our searches were easy, what would we do anyway?!!