Settled in Blackhawk County, where he was a farmer. According to the 1850 Census of Blackhawk County, Iowa, Moses was 32 years old, which would have made his year of birth 1818, rather than 1805, yet, most records show him as having been born in 1805. I'm going with the 1805 birthdate and assuming the census taker's math was at fault. He probably tried to figure Moses' age from his birthdate, rather than asking him, and made a mistake. This might have resulted from forgetting to ask that question.

Moses and Rosanah and their children had lived in Indiana prior to Iowa. Based upon the 1880 census, which shows their son Gibson was born in Vermont in 1835, I'm assuming they left Vermont for Indiana at some time after 1835. According to "History of Blackhawk County, Iowa," they arrived in Blackhawk County in 1847, so they lived in Indiana for, at most, 12 years.

In 1850, there were only 26 families in Black Hawk County. The 135 people included 75 males and 60 females. Four children attended the county's first school. Moses Bates was probably among the first settlers in Blackhawk County. His children, William, Grasha, and Martha were probably born in a different county in Iowa, whereas, Rosanah and George were probably born in Blackhawk County, as there were no white residents in Blackhawk County until 1844, when the first white settlers arrived.

Moses' children may very well have attended the first school in Blackhawk County, which was founded by Mrs. Jackson Taylor in 1847 at 13th Street and Waterloo Road in Cedar Falls. Private classes were held in a log cabin near this spot. Mrs. Taylor had six pupils in her class. Children walked to school in fear of the Winnebago and Pottawatomie Indians, who were still active in the area.

There was a reference I saw online that said Moses Bates was regarded as "an unsavory" sort of person by his fellow Blackhawk residents. This is corroborated by the following excerpt from "History of Blackhawk County, Iowa," published in Chicago in 1878:

"About 1847, Moses Bates, from Western Indiana, located on Section 14, Township 87, Range 11 (Spring Creek Township), on the bank of Spring Creek. Bates appears to have been connected with the gang of prairie bandits, and was a "hard case." On one occasion he went to the cabin of Henry Gray, who had settled near him. Abruptly entering his neighbor's house, he roughly inquired of Gray if he knew who his visitor was. Gray said he had that honor, whereupon Bates, who was armed with a rifle, tomahawk, three revolvers and a bowie-knife, informed his quiet neighbor that he might have just three days to pack up his "traps" and leave the county. Gray, however, did not belong to atimid family; he didn't "scare" worth a cent. His trusty rifle was hanging just over his head. He coolly took it down, "drew a bead" on his surly neighbor and exclaimed, "Damn you, Bates, I'll give you just three minutes to get out from here. Git!" It is needless to add that before the three minutes had ex-pired, Bates had placed himself at a safe distance from Gray's rifle. On another occasion a German from Allamakee County, in search of some horses that had been stolen, found them in Bates' possession. There were other evidences of Bates' propensity to appropriate to his own use the property of others, without rendering compensation, and about a dozen stalwart settlers gathered, took the offender into the woods, stripped him and tied him securely to a tree. The men then prudently formed a ring with their backs to the cen-ter while the irate owner of the stolen horses applied a liberal dose of hickory to his bare back. Bates afterward had his castigator arrested, but as there were rio witnesses who had seen him chastised, he was unable to maintain his accusation. Bates sold out to John Clark in 1852, and removed to Boone County, where he died. Soon after Bates, Peyton Culver and John Robinson settled near him on the southwest quarter of Section 14, and commenced building a saw-mill on Spring Creek, but abandoned the project, and after remaining a year or two removed to Marysville".

• Married: 24 Feb 1831 in Springfield, Windsor County, Vermont

1. Leonard Bates b: 5 Apr 1833 in Windsor County, Vermont
2. Gibson Bates b: 1835 in Vermont
3. William O. Bates b: 1838 in Indiana
4. Grace Bates b: 1840 in Indiana
5. Martha E. Bates b: 1842 in Indiana

• Married: 19 Sep 1844 in Montgomery County, Indiana

1. Rosanah Bates b: 1845 in Iowa
2. George W. Bates b: 1849 in Iowa