George Kates was born in Wilmington Delaware on July 6, 1845. His parents were Methodist until he was about ten years old. His Father became interested in Spiritualism, and his parents soon embraced Spiritualism. Allowing Kates to investigate the writings and phenomena of Spiritualism. In 1863 on his eighteenth birthday he enlisted in the Union Army of the Civil War in ranks, and then served in the commissary department until the end of the war.
In 1865 he moved to Cincinnati Ohio and served as secretary of a local Spiritualist Society, serving as an editor for a Lyceum Newspaper. He also wrote for the Banner of Light, and for local newspapers.
Zaida Brown (Kates) was born in Philadelphia to a Methodist family. She frequently experienced spiritual phenomena as a child, specifically clairvoyance, but did not understand the nature of her gifts. At age 15 she began to develop her mediumship and study Spiritualism, better understanding her gifts. She began to hold seances in her home among her circle of friends, making her well known among her community as a medium.
She first appeared publicly at a Public Hall in Atlanta Georgia on March 31 1883. During the same year she moved with her parents to Atlanta where their home served as a center for the local Spiritualist community.
In 1887 George Kates and Zaida Brown were married at Lookout Mountain Spiritualist Camp. The couple were married by Rev. Dr. Samuel Watson, President of the Southern Spiritualist Association.
The couple acted as Spiritualist missionaries, traveling to different Spiritualist Camps and communities across the country, from New England to California, throughout the South, and other states such as Kansas and Colorado.
The couple were very vocal supporters of various causes, George Kates wrote several editorials against Capital Punishment, advocating Prison Reform and speaking against the culture of the day that he felt that promoted violence. Zaida was an advocate for public Temperance, speaking out against the corrupting influences of alcohol but also promoting a need for better public access to clean water and healthcare.
In 1896 plans were taken by Rochester Spiritualists towards creating a Spiritualist Church. George and Zaida Kates were requested by the Rochester Spiritualist community to assist in the project. In 1897 George Kates became one of the founding members of the First Spiritual Church, chartered with the National Spiritualist Association as a lay society.
Kates and Zaida held services in an Odd Fellows Hall (Temple) on North Clinton, with George delivering lectures and Zaida giving demonstrations of Mediumship as well as. Zaida also organized a Children's Lyceum, and acted as the music director.
For several years George and Zaida Kates were responsible for holding anniversary celebrations of Spiritualism in Rochester each March, with notable guests such a Peebles, Scott, Wallis. These were held in Corinthian Hall.
In 1905 Zaida and George moved to Washington, DC, and served the congregation of the First Spiritualist Church of Washington DC. Eventually starting their own congregation, Unity Spiritualist Church. Zaida also earned her credentials as a chiropractor, and opened her own practice as Dr. Zaida Brown Kates.
In 1911 Zaida worked to produce a thorough revision of the Spiritualist Hymnal; editing older versions and compiling new songs into a format and version that is the foundation for the current hymnal used in most Spiritualist Churches today.
In 1916 George published his masterpiece work titled The Philosophy of Spiritualism, which remains one of the most concise and well developed pieces of Spiritualist philosophy. Touching on all the main principles of Spiritualism, the text remains an important source for understanding Spiritualism as a religion and philosophy.
After years of public ministry George passed away, and Zaida continued to serve as a Spiritualist Minister, Medium, and Healer for another two decades. In 1927 Zaida stepped down as minister of Unity Spiritualist Church, and continued to hold Message Circles every Tuesday evening in her home, and also gave private consultations as a Medium. She passed away in 1930 after a lifetime of dedicating her life to teaching Spiritualism and helping others.
