China Bates

I recently became aware of the existence of Miner Searle Bates (1897-1978), who was a famous missionary in China, commissioned by the United Christian Missionary Society to teach at Nanking University and played a heroic role in the Nanking Massacre of 1937. He taught history in China from 1920 to 1950 except for the time he was on furlough in the U.S. working on his Ph.D. in Chinese history. Interesting that this surname of Bates is also the surname of my Dad's Aunt Julia, whose first husband was Elmer Bates and her son also is Elmer Bates, a Presbyterian minister. Evidence seems to indicate that our Bates were formerly Oklahoma farm people, not that I ever knew anything about that. It is nice that the Bates are willing to help with the Pentecostal history project, if there ever is one, even though my Dad's cousin Elmer Bates is actually a Presbyterian minister. Perhaps it is hard to move with the spirit when you have one foot in the gravy but perhaps more information will turn up someday. I never really asked but I seriously doubt that those Bates were connected to Miner Searle Bates, or Robert Bates, other Bates missionaries in China, but I never really asked so I could be wrong. Obviously, the Nanking Massacre was not a part of our family history so we will not have much use for that murder scenario that you were outlining for us over dinner. Do not be sitting on the edge of your seat waiting for the Pentecostal history museum to call for more information about the Nanking Massacre of 1937. Your presentation will not be needed. It really is outside the scope of our potential project although I am sure that there is some historical value in knowing more about the murderous activities of the army and why so many people had to die in such a cruel and barbarous manner. I don't know very much about that. There is a place in the history books for information about such massacres and testimony about the horrific war crimes was provided by Miner Bates. However, it is not really what we were talking about in the first place and anyway I doubt that our ancestors ever spent much time in Nanking, being that they spent most of their time in Shanghai or Hong Kong, and anyway their surname was Barth, not Bates. I hope this helps clarify things somehow.