Robert Oates was the son of Stephen Oates and Elizabeth Shipp Oates.

An Oates Family History written by Charles Spencer Oates for an Oates Family Reunion in 1937 near Woodville, Texas.

After the death of his father in 1835, Robert Oates left North Carolina with his widowed mother, Elizabeth Shipp Oates, and moved to Henry County, Alabama, in 1839. In 1846, Robert and one of his brothers, Henderson M. Oates, joined the United States Army to fight in the Mexican-American War. They remained in the service until the close of hostilities and were mustered out of service in Mobile, Alabama. Robert returned to his mother's home in Henry County, Alabama. (Robert Oates enlisted April 1, 1847, in Livingston, Alabama, as a Private in Seibel's Battalion of Alabama Volunteers. He served six months of military service before his discharge).

On April 27, 1848, Robert Oates married Sarah Matthews of Daleville, Alabama. Sarah was the youngest daughter of Moses Matthews and his second wife, Mary Ann "Polly" Truitt Matthews. Moses Matthews had been twice married and had seven children by each wife.

Robert and Sarah Matthews Oates settled in Henry County, a few miles from Abbeville, Alabama. They worked hard to acquire a comfortable living and they did accumulate some property, but the depression that followed the War Between the States ruined them. Becoming discouraged, they sold their property to a brother of Robert's and decided to start over again in Texas. Robert and Sarah Oates were the parents of 14 children, all but one lived to maturity.

On December 1, 1872, Robert, Sarah, and their family left Henry County, Alabama, headed for Newton County, Texas. They boarded a train at Eufaula, Alabama, and traveled to New Orleans, Louisiana. From New Orleans, they took a boat to Alexandria, Louisiana. The weather was bitterly cold and only one room on the boat had any heat, and this was where the women and children stayed. At Alexandria, Robert hired a man with six yokes of oxen and a wagon to take his family to Newton, Texas. It was a distance of 100 miles, and it required 10 days to make the journey... Eight days had been spent on the road and it was now December 22, 1872. The sun was slowly sinking in the west. The six yoke of oxen, snakelike were creeping slowly in the direction of the departing sun; dark and ugly clouds had begun to stack themselves against the east and toward the north; a cold and cutting wind was behind the clouds and shed themselves on the branches of the tall pines. The oxen paused, shook their heads and stopped. They were standing on the eastern bank of the Sabine River gazing downward at the muddy waters that were slowly moving southward to meet the sea. This event had been looked forward to for several hours, and many shouts of joy burst forth from the throats of the youngsters when the wagon wheels ceased to roll. Robert was first to leap from the wagon, Sarah, the twelve children, and William Davison with his two babies in his arms, quickly followed. In a semi-circle, hands joined, hearts beating fast and faces turned towards the West, they stood on the bank of the river in the twilight and eagerly looked across to get a first glimpse of the promised land. Night was now rapidly approaching; they must strike camp, one more night to spend in the wilderness, and one more river to cross, and two more days to go before reaching the end of the journey. On the following morning, (Dec. 23, 1872), when Robert awoke and looked out front of his tent into the open, he saw sheets of snow falling fast on every side. He called to his household and all were soon up, and within an hour's time they safely crossed Burr's Ferry and were ready to start on the last lap of their pilgrimage. It was dark on the following day when they arrived at the home of Spencer Matthews in Newton. It was the night before Christmas. There was joy in Spencer Matthews home that night; every corner of the large log house was lighted and a bright fire was burning in the huge fireplace. There gathered in that home that night William Gray and his family and Simeon Gray's family to greet their kinsman, the Robert Oates Family, upon the latters' arrival in Texas. (Spencer Matthews was a brother of Sarah Matthews Oates, and William and Simeon Gray were nephews of Sarah Matthews Oates. They were the sons of Sarah's sister, Mary Matthews Gray, who had remained in Alabama.)

Robert Oates remained with his family until the early spring of 1873. Being unable to secure suitable farming land around Newton, Robert and his grown sons traveled to Polk County where Robert rented a farm on Bear Creek. The Oates Family lived there one year. On August 18, 1875, Robert filed a homestead claim on 160-acres of public land on Sand Creek (Big Sandy Creek) where the Oates Family settled. All of Robert and Sarah Matthews Oates' children came to Polk County with the exception of the oldest daughter, Mary, and her husband, William Davison. They remained in Newton County where they settled and William Davison became involved in the lumber and sawmill business. In April 1875, Robert and Sarah Oates' 14th and last child, Mae Hettie, was born in Polk County. Robert Oates died in Polk County in 1878; less than six years after he moved his family to Texas.

On October 13, 1880, the State of Texas patented to Robert's widow, Sarah Matthews Oates, the 160-acres that Robert had filed as a homestead claim.