• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Bates Genealogy

Family History Notes

  • Articles
  • Surnames
  • People
  • About
You are here: Home / Father's Family / Gilbert Bates Buys a Paige “36” Touring Car

Gilbert Bates Buys a Paige “36” Touring Car

Last Updated December 30, 2017 by Michael Bates 8 Comments

Bates Family Automobile

“Taken May 1914 1216 Vanness Santa Ana, Cal.” – from My Baby’s Biography (for Edgar) by Beatrice Bates

The Photograph

On the second page of my dad’s baby book, my grandmother pasted a postcard photograph of the Bates family as it existed in 1914, sitting in an old automobile.  It is one of the earliest photographs of the family that I have found.

Seated in front are my grandparents, Gilbert E. Bates and Beatrice Emerald Lockwood.  My dad, Edgar Lewis Bates is in Beatrice’s lap.  He would have been about eight months old when the picture was taken.

The other children are Clarence Frederick (b. 1909) and Clifford Glenn (b. 1911), but it is difficult to tell which is which.  I believe that the woman in the back seat is Gilbert’s mother, Amanda Steele Bates.  It is also possible that it is Beatrice’s mother (Mayremna Holman Lockwood) since she also lived in the immediate neighborhood.

Bates Auto Parked at Paularino House
Parked at Paularino House

The house in the background is the Van Ness house in Santa Ana that was described in a previous article (see Finding My Father’s First Home – Santa Ana).

The car also appears in another photo in the same article, parked next to the country home in nearby Paularino.

Initially, I thought the photograph was an interesting group photo, made some notes, and put it aside, figuring that later I might see if I could determine the make of the vehicle.

Purchase Details

Paige "36" Automobile Purchase
Santa Ana Register, Fri, Feb 27, 1914 – Pg 5.  Courtesy of Newspapers.com

Sometime later, I was researching the Bates family on Newspapers.com and came across this notice in the Santa Ana Register.  From this small clipping, I found more information than I expected.  I now knew not only the make and model, but also the name of the dealer, and the purchase date.  Gilbert bought the car on February 26, 1914, so it was only a little over two months old in the larger picture above.

Paige Dealer Advertisement
Santa Ana Register, Mon, Jan 26, 1914 – Pg 6. Courtesy of Newspapers,com

I also located an advertisement in the newspaper for the El Camino Garage, perhaps one that Gilbert may have read. Since the corner of Fifth and Main Streets is within ten blocks of the Bates home on Van Ness Street,  Gilbert might well have seen and purchased the car at the dealer without first reading the advertisement in the newspaper.

The Paige “36”

The Paige was manufactured by the Paige-Detroit Motor Car Company of Detroit,  Michigan.  The company produced two series in 1814:  “25” with two models and the “36” with six models.  All boasted many upscale features, including electric starter and lighting system.  The standard colors were dark blue with black running gear.  The Paige was touted as “the most beautiful car in America”.

Gilbert purchased the Paige “36” Glenwood model, a five-passenger touring car which sold for $1,275.   It was one of the most popular Paige models at the time and was well advertised.

The company ran advertisements in magazines such as Saturday Evening Post, The Horseless Age, and Motor Age, and the Glenwood was one of the most featured models.

Follow-up

Since there are no family members still living that might remember the Paige, I have no idea what happened to the Bates family car.  It’s too bad that it didn’t stay in the family – it would have made a nice conclusion to this article.

I did pick up a couple of Paige “36” related items (Bateses seem to collect things).

Paige "36" Factory Photograph
Factory Photograph of Paige “36” Glenwood (click to enlarge)
Paige "36" Magazine Advertisement
Magazine Advertisement for Paige “36” Glenwood (click to enlarge)

I now have an original full-page magazine advertisement for the Paige “36”.  It is in excellent condition, especially for being over a hundred years old.

At the same time, I purchased a 10 x 12-inch factory photograph of the Paige ’36’ Glenwood.

I thought it would be nice to frame them along with a copy of the photograph of the Bates family proudly sitting in their new Paige.

Further Reading

For those interested in reading more about the Paige, here useful links:

A Brief History of the Paige-Detroit Motor Car Co. and 1914 Paige by Bill Roberts

Paige automobile at Wikipedia has some historical information the company.

1913 Paige Detroit Glenwood 36 For Sale for $59,900 has some nice pictures of a fully restored car.

 

Surnames Referenced: Bates, Lockwood, Steele People Referenced: Bates, Clarence Frederick · Bates, Clifford Glenn · Bates, Edgar Lewis · Bates, Gilbert E (b. 1874) · Holman, Mayremna O. · Lockwood, Beatrice Emerald Filed Under: Father's Family, Photos

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Bob Kuehn says

    May 29, 2017 at 7:21 pm

    Hi,
    That’s a beautiful photograph of a 1913 Paige “36” Glenwood Touring.
    I own one of the two cars known to exist today. If I can help you in any way with info or photos,
    let me know.

    Reply
    • Michael Bates says

      June 5, 2017 at 12:17 am

      Thanks, Bob! I would indeed be interested in learning a bit about your Paige and how you acquired it. I have sent you an email.

      Reply
  2. Kelly Williams says

    March 3, 2018 at 8:15 pm

    Hi Michael,

    Just another tiny detail – the advertisement is for a 1913 Paige. Gilbert’s car, with its Feb. 1914 purchase, shows the interim 1914 product, which was nearly identical to the 1913, but had a braced windshield, an electric horn, and knobby rear tires. The final 1914 Paige had a redesigned cowl section which was more streamlined.

    Reply
    • Michael Bates says

      March 4, 2018 at 3:07 am

      Thanks for the additional information, Kelly. Is it possible that you have a Paige?

      Reply
      • Kelly Williams says

        March 4, 2018 at 6:34 am

        I just bought the other remaining 1913.

        Reply
  3. Kelly Williams says

    April 18, 2018 at 9:05 am

    You can see the 1914 registration record for Gilbert’s Paige at

    https://archive.org/stream/regautomo191401unse#page/n847/mode/2up

    under the license number visible in the Paularino photo. The “factory number” doesn’t quite make sense – it would have been 5 digits. If there were a “1” appended to the beginning, it would become an appropriate number for an early 1914 Paige.

    Reply
  4. Michael Bates says

    April 21, 2018 at 11:02 pm

    Thanks for the link, Kelly, and thanks for following up. I will add it to the article.

    Did you buy the baby blue Paige in the link at the bottom of my article?

    Reply
  5. Kelly Williams says

    April 28, 2018 at 4:27 pm

    That’s the one. Trying to make it roadworthy again after sitting for many years.

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Primary Sidebar

RECENT POSTS

  • A Radio at the Ranch September 11, 2022
  • Walnut Slope Ranch History September 10, 2021
  • Obituary For Amy Marie Hollingsworth June 2, 2020
  • The Bates Family Celebrates Christmas 1912 December 26, 2018
  • Grandma Honors Veterans With Service Banner November 10, 2018

POPULAR TOPICS

background book burial California Canada Christmas Connections House Lineage Michigan military records New York obituary Ontario Oregon radio Service Banner shipwreck SS Columbia Valley Center Veterans War of 1812 Washington

SUBSCRIBE TO E-MAIL UPDATES

Receive updates in your inbox!

Privacy Policy

© 2023 Bates Genealogy · Powered by WordPress · Privacy Policy · Log in