Yates, Christopher, 1737-1785

Christopher Yates (1737-1785), a member of the prominent Yates family of Schenectady in colonial New York, was a surveyor by trade. He served as a captain under Sir William Johnson in the French and Indian War, taking part in the attack on Fort Ticonderoga and in the capture of Fort Niagara. At the outbreak of the Revolution, Yates offered his services in the Continental Army and received a commission. He fought at the Battle of Saratoga.

Most of Christopher Yates' service was spent as quartermaster general at Saratoga and at other posts. As quartermaster, Yates served beneath Philip Schuyler, Morgan Lewis and Timothy Pickering. His duties were to obtain and transport all types of supplies for the Continental forces in his area. Yates seems to have served well in this difficult post, for he is said to have been highly respected by both his superiors and his men. Nor did he turn his position to personal profit, for he returned home to Schenectady at the end of the war,zearly penniless. Christopher Yates married Jane Bradt in 1760, and they had ten children.

Members of the Yates family who are represented by only a few items in these papers include Christopher's father, Joseph Yates, a wealthy landowner in Schenectady; Jellis Yates, brother of Christopher, who served as a private and lieutenant of the line all through the Revolution; Christopher's eldest son, Joseph C., the Governor of New York State from 1823 to 1825; Andrew, another son of Christopher Yates, who graduated from Yale and became a professor at Union College; and a third son, John B., who served in the War of 1812 and became a member of Congress. Other families mentioned in the papers include the Bradts, Fondas and De Lanceys. The genealogical chart, though incomplete, should help to clarify these family relationships.

From the guide to the Christopher Yates Papers, 1677-1936, (Special Collections Research Center, Syracuse University Libraries)