John Gater

Birth date given in profile is an approximation from baptismal date of 23 Feb. 1603 [1603/4 per Lamberhurst parish register.

This is not the Virginia immigrant - this man stayed put.

Examination of the original Lamberhurst parish register showed the following:2

1. John GATER had a daughter Elizabeth bap. Dec. 1632 [exact date not viewable on the microfilm

2. John GATER and wife Mary had a son John bap. 5 Mar. 1634. [1635 Gregorian calendar]

3. John GATER and wife Mary had a son William bap. 20 Mar. 1637 [1638 Gregorian calendar]

The VA settler was NOT the John "GUTER" (sic) baptized 23 Feb. 1603 [1603/4] at Lamberhurst, Kent, England, for which no parents were stated in the baptismal register. THAT John of Lamberhurst MAY be the son of William GATER and Tomson LINDREDGE who were married there on 9 May 1602. The subject of that John's parentage is a moot question, as he is not the ancestor of the American GAITHER family. Some Internet researchers have outright forged/falsified/changed the above baptismal date in their records to report that this John was "born" on 15 Feb. 1598/99, to agree with John's age of 36 stated on the 1635 passenger list.

[Since] the John at Lamberhurst with wife MARY was still living there in 1637 [1638], he cannot be identical to John with wife JOAN that arrived in VA in 1635. He was also not likely the father of the John GATER, born about 1620, that was on the same ship. The elder never claimed any land for transporting the younger. He did claim 800 acres for transportation of himself, his "wife Joane" [Jane in one land claim] and 14 other persons, all named.

IF the elder John were the father of the younger John (born ca. 1620), he would undoubtedly have paid for his transportation, and claimed land for paying for the transportation. That he did not indicates the younger apparently paid for his own transportation. As no record has been found for land claimed by anyone for transporting the younger, [it is often assumed that he] either died soon after arriving in VA, or returned to England.

http://home.netcom.com/~fzsaund/gaither.html