Kentucky: A History of the State, Battle, Perrin, & Kniffin, 2nd ed., 
1885, McLean Co.

JAMES CATE is one of McLean County's enterprising citizens, and was 
born June 15, 1835, in Lima, N. Y.  He is a son of William and Fanny 
(Scoville) Cate, natives of Vermont and Hew Hampshire, respectively.  
He was reared on a farm and attended the common schools until he was 
fifteen years of age, when he went ot work in the woolen-mills in 
Mumford, N.Y.; four years later he went to Albion, N. Y.  In 1853 he 
migrated to Louisville, where he started the first power looms ever 
in the city; he remained there but one winter.  In 1854 he built a 
woolen-mill on Rough Creek, in Grayson County, which was the first 
in southern Kentucky.  In 1860 he went to Daviess County and built a 
woolen-mill and distillery three miles below Owensboro.  In 1864 he 
sold his distillery and moved his woolen-mill to Owensboro.  In 1868 
he sold out and located in Rumsey, McLean County, where he purchased 
a mill belonging to Dr. W. D. Stirman, of Owensboro.  In 1881 he went 
to Henderson, Ky., and organized a joint stock company with a capital 
of $50,000, and built a woolen-mill, where he remained as president 
and manager for one year, and then returned to Rumsey and bought new 
machinery of latest improvements, and opened a woolen-mill in the 
spring of 1884.  In connection with his manufacturing [he] was engaged 
in mercantile business for three of four years in Rumsey.  He was 
married to Mary W. Phipps, of Ohio County, in March, 1860.  She was a 
daughter of Elijah and Sallie (Nickolls) Phipps, natives of Kentucky.  
The result of this union has been three children: Fannie (King), Jamés 
Henry and Sallie.  Mrs. Cate died in 1870; she was a member of the 
Methodist Episcopal Church.  He is a member of the Masonic order, and 
cast his first Presidential vote for Fillmore in 1856, and has since 
voted the Democratic ticket.

Cate Scoville Stirman Phipps Nickolls King
=
NY VT NH Grayson-KY Daviess-KY Ohio-KY

http://www.rootsweb.com/~kygenweb/kybiog/mclean/cate.j.txt