Deacon Joseph Bates Sr. (1750-1828)
A prominent businessman and native of Wareham, Joseph Bates Sr. moved with his family to what is now known as the Joseph Bates Boyhood Home, at 191 Main Street, Fairhaven, in 1793. He was a veteran of the American Revolution and commanded a local militia during the War of 1812. He was a signer of the original covenant of the Second Church of Christ, New Bedford, [First Congregational Church of Fairhaven] and served as a deacon until leaving the church in 1811. He was one of the original subscribers to build the New Bedford [Fairhaven] Academy, and oversaw the purchase of the lot and the construction of the private school, built in 1798. The son of Barnabas Bates and Phoebe Gibbs, he married Deborah Nye, who is also buried in this plot. They had seven children. Their son Joseph Bates Jr. (1792-1872) became a founder of the Seventh-day Adventist Church.
