Saturday, November 9, 2013

Keeping Up with the Bates Family

If you are an avid watcher of 19 kids and Counting, you  have probably met Gil and Kelly Bates and their 19 children. Family friends with the Duggars and featured on several episodes of 19 Kids and Counting, the Bates started in a four-week TLC series called United Bates of America, which was canceled in October 2012.

Here are a few Bates family updates. Visit our page about Gil and Kelly and their clan to read more, or check out Kelly's blog.

Alyssa Bates said "Yes" to John Webster's offer of courtship on November 6, 2013, just three days before her 19th birthday.


Erin Bates and Chad Paine, engaged in August 2013, tied the knot on November 2nd. The couple had been courting since January.


On September 12, 2013, Zach Bates proposed to Whitney Perkins, a girl he had been courting since July. The wedding is planned for December 14th.

*Photo Credits: Gil and Kelly Bates family

37 comments:

  1. Are you going to post about the Duggar graduate today?

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  2. Congratulations to the Bates family! So encouraging to see the how the Lord blesses them:) Special congrats to Jessa Duggar too! All very handsome young men and beautiful young women. God bless you all:)

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  3. who is this webster guy that thier daughter alyssa is in a courtship with?

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  4. Wow! The Bates family is ahead of Duggar family in the courtship/marriage department! :)
    I find it interesting that a 19-year old Alyssa is courting 24-year old John, a son of a congressman, studying politics in College, while 21-year old Jessa Duggar started courting an 18-year old who just started a windshield business...

    What about John David and Jana? Jill? Jinger? I feel like Duggar kids don't get out much and too domesticated. They are all so bight, but they don't attend college (except for Jill). College is good, it broadens your horizons, shows more life, creates a better future...

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  5. @Anonymous 3---Jill doesn't attend college. She is taking mid-wife courses. Congratulations to the Bates Family during this very exciting time! Courtships, engagement and marriage of three children in such a short period of time! Everyone looks very happy!

    I hope JimBob did not arrange Ben for Jessa just to keep up with the Bates.

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  6. We had the special privilege of attending Erin and Chad's wedding and meeting JIm Bob and Michelle again. It was a huge wedding with some 800 people in attendance, and it was so nice to enjoy it with them. Alyssa is a sweetheart and very much in love. We eagerly anticipate Zach and Whitney's wedding. God bless them all as they seek to please Him!

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  7. I love the bates and duggars. I love to keep up with them both( on the bates blog and and this one)

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  8. I love the Duggar and Bates families and enjoy keeping up with both of them through this blog and the bates blog.

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  9. Best wishes to them all!
    God Bless

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  10. He is the son of Congressman Daniel Webster in Florida.

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  11. Congraatulations!!
    I wish sometimes to meet you all and the Duggars too. But that will not have a chance. No money to travel out there.
    Wish you a good wedding they.
    God Bless.
    Love, Wilma

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  12. Lily and Ellie,
    Erin Bates and Jana Duggar did a interview posted on Living the Journey shared their testimonies in October. It encouraging to hear their testimonies. I thought I would share it with ya'll:)
    @ http://livingthejourney.com/2013/10/27/journey-interview-with-erin-bates-and-jana-duggar/

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  13. A personal stylist would find it interesting to dress the Bates girls. All a personal stylist has to do to dress the Duggar girls is to bring two tee-shirts to layer (in different colors); blue jean skirts (in different hues); flip flops, and a necklace.

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  14. Agreed. The duggar girls suitors must have a hard time trying to go through jim bob. Jim bob seriously needs to back off a bit or his daughters are never going to get married. The bates seem to be a lot more open minded that the duggars too

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  15. It's good to see that the Bates children are getting married/courting. I wish the Duggars would do the same the person before me is right, I don't think that the Duggars get out much. It's actually sad when you think about it, Jana is at least 25, if not older and she still shares a room with her sisters...

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  16. Well, this is exciting! I do wonder about the duggars though. The Bates seem to be moving on in life while the Duggars seem to be home and sheltered. I love the Duggars but I do think the older ones need to (In God's timing) get out in about...

    ~Sadie

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  17. Go Bates family way to go Alyssa--looks like they were allowed a bit more than the 30 second side hug like Jessa huh? All kidding aside though, I think the Bates have learned that it is good to let your children really get to know someone before you enter a courtship, and that physical affection can be a good thing, of course kept within God's standards of purity. And rules are good--I had rules when my husband and I were engaged. I just think that the Bates are doing really well with still teaching their children how to have this healthy courtship experience--it just seems really natural and they all seem so happy. I hope the other Duggars can find this as well.

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  18. @Heather T.

    Thanks for the link, Heather!

    Blessed to have you as a reader:)
    Lily and Ellie

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  19. must be really hard for duggar girls to court with the whole world watching...i guess there's a lot of pressure on them, but really, even with Jana, I think there's still lots of time, and I think they should just wait on God's timing. Its not like they're going to be going down the road of spinsterhood unless they start courting and get married the second they turn 20.

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  20. Give Jana a break! First of all she is not old. Secondly, it is not like you can order a husband off the shelf. Thirdly, maybe she is more interested in giving her life to God through missionary work. There is no requirement to get married! I was 30 before meeting my husband and it wasn't for lack of trying. It just took time to find the right man. He is a wonderful husband and father of 5 great kids

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  21. If Jana is meant to be married, she will be in God's good time.

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  22. Thats So cool! CONGRATS!

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  23. What About that other girl Zach was courting!?!?

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  24. @TBH123The first girl that Zach was courting dumped him. No explanation as to why, but I honestly didn't see it as a good match.

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  25. The bates are better at lettingthere kids do more jib bob wants his girls and boys to listen to his way things are

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  26. There are photos of Erin Bates getting married to Chad Paine on The Paine Family blog: http://12paines.com/

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  27. Thank goodness some commenters have sense to give the Duggar kids a break. Marriage that is true love is not easy to find. Its not a contest or a race. I wish all of these young people the best and to have great spouses to share their lives with.

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  28. I agree with the poster before me! Life is not a competition and comparing the two families isn't right. These young people are individuals and I am sure they will marry in their own time when it is right for them. From what I have seen of the duggars their oldest girls seem outspoken and independent. There should be no pressure to find a husband until the timing is right.

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  29. darwin is the right way to go try and read his book

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  30. Congrats to the Bates, and sence when is 25 old smh, Janna and the rest of the girls/boys have plenty of time ... when the time is right..

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  31. That's what I said. The re-run of his proposal of courtship to Sarah Reith was on and I didn't think she was the girl Zach is now marrying.

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  32. I don't know about the rest of u, BUT IT IS OVIOUS TO THE WORLD THAT BEEN AND JESSA ARE IN LOVE! You can tell Jim Bob makes Jessa uncomfortable, but she is in LOVE! Jim Bob is just way to controlling. I love the Bates family because they really do let there kids make there own rules. The duggars on the other hand are very controlling of there children's relationships. Like Jim Bob freaked out when Jill and derrek hugged from the front, and Michelle said I'm sure they won't do it again. I think that's just wrong to be that controlling of it ADULT children. Don't get me wrong, I think there a great family, but I don't not agree with this aspect of there parenting AT ALL!

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  33. @Anonymous

    Alyssa married John Webster about a week ago.

    Chad and Erin Paine married in November.

    Zach and Whitney Bates married in December.

    Micheala and Brandon somebody are in a courtship.

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  34. Come on! This is human torture!

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