The genealogy of the Bates family of Cherokee County, Georgia is traced back to Charlton Bates and Nancy Kelly (O'Kelly) Bates, who are first mentioned living in South Carolina in 1812. The descending lineage mentioned in this book are David Ward and Nancy Martin, Thomas F. Bates and Sarah Elizabeth Ward, Savannah Bates and Alexander Newton Smith, and Lemuel Harris Bates and Lillian Margaret Smith. Many of the children and extended family members of these family heads are mentioned and more than 200 photos document the journey. This book also contains some history of the Cherokee and Hall Counties of Georgia as remembered by the Bates family who lived in the area.