Our Early American Reeves Line

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The Reeves surname is English in origin, and likely derives from the occupational title given to someone who was the steward or bailiff for a Lord's property holdings. In older spellings, it is sometimes given as Ryves or Rives. There are many different lines of Reeves that came to America in the 1600-1700s, and sorting them all out has been an ongoing project of the Reeves DNA Project at FamilyTreeDNA. My line's DNA signature matches with what they have labeled DNA Group 10, which traces back to a man named George Reeves who was born in Virginia in about 1696, and who was likely of Welsh decent.

Map of the Northern Neck of Virginia made in 1737 which shows the coastal counties of Lancaster, Richmond, and Northumberland, as well as Stafford and Prince William Co. farther to the north.

Although some uncertainty still remains, the most likely father of George was a man named Thomas Reeves (b.1670), who probably came to America in the 1680s as an indentured servant of Capt. David Fox, Jr. in Lancaster Co., VA. It is likely that an older sibling named John made this journey as well (see Note 1). Thomas does not seem to have been overly thrilled with his lot in life while young. He ran away from his master for 4 days in 1689, for which he was fined 500 pounds of tobacco (which was used as currency at that time) and 8 extra days of servitude. To be fair, although almost half of early Virginians entered the colony through the indentured servitude system, it was a nasty business which began to be replaced with slave labor by the 1670s. They were expected to work the tobacco fields from dawn until dusk, six days per week, usually Feb-Nov. Many were overworked, beaten, starved, and generally forced to live in substandard conditions.

We don't know what type of task master Capt. Fox was, but he and his father held one of the largest labor forces in Northern Neck Virginia during that time period, as well as vast acres of land. Just before his father (Capt. David Fox, Sr.) died in 1669, he granted land for the purpose of constructing a church building for the parish congregation. This became the Anglican church of St. Mary's Whitechapel. The church land adjoined one of David Fox, Jr.'s plantations, and was probably where Thomas Reeves lived while indentured. This new church attracted minister Rev. Benjamin Doggett (b.1636), who immigrated with his family from Suffolk, England in 1670. After he passed in 1682, the land was willed to his oldest son, Benjamin Doggett, Jr. (b.1665). Being such close neighbors would eventually wind the Reeves and Doggett families even closer together.

St. Mary's Whitechapel church was named for the home church of the Fox family in London, England. The original structure was wooden and located about 100 yards distant from where the newer (1734) brick church stands today.

Thomas Reeves' indenture ended by Nov 1691, though he stayed in the Lancaster Co. area near Capt. Fox, Jr. for a number of years after. In about 1695, he married and began a family. His first-born son, George Reeves (b.1696) was my direct ancestor. By 1699, he seems to have moved about 12 miles NW to Richmond Co., VA (see Note 2), where he rented land from Charles Dodson (b.1649) on a North Farnham Parish plantation called Oake Neck (Ref 2). Based on the baptism of his youngest known child, Hannah, by 1714 he seems to have relocated once again to Northumberland Co. in St. Stephen's Parish. Though still owning no land of his own, in 1715 he was appointed Constable for the southern region of Richmond Co., showing him to be a well-known and trusted citizen. Benjamin Doggett, Jr. had been made constable in Lancaster Co. in 1710, so perhaps he put in a good word for him. Thomas likely died in Northumberland Co. in about 1729 (see Note 3).

Approximate location of the Oake Neck plantation in North Farnham Parish, Richmond Co., VA somewhere along Totuskey Creek near the Northumberland Co. border. Of note, the town of Mulch is accessed by Oakland Rd., which perhaps harkens back to the Oake Neck mentioned in records.

Thomas Reeves' son George married to Ann Doggett (b.1700) in about 1718, she being the daughter of the Benjamin Doggett, Jr. mentioned previously. Rev. Benjamin Doggett, Sr. had died just after Benjamin, Jr. turned 17 years of age. As the oldest son, his father's Will provided him with the largest portion of the St. Mary's Whitechapel land, which he took possession of in 1686 when he came of age. However, by 1687 his mother, Jane, had remarried to John Boatman, which transferred her dowager rights to 1/3 of the land's interests to her new husband (see Note 4). There seems to have been some conflict though about how that should occur, and a number of legal suits soon followed (Ref 3). In one of these suits, Benjamin accused John Boatman of not providing proper clothing for his younger brother Richard, who worked his stepfather's farm. This situation must have made for some serious tensions within the family. As his neighbor, Thomas Reeves would have had a first-row seat to this drama, and given the later marriage of the children, was likely was a supporter of Benjamin Doggett, Jr.'s interests.

By 1719 (Ref 4), George and Ann (Doggett) Reeves had moved about 10 miles further north, where they rented land on the property of Dennis Conway in St. Stephen's Parish, Northumberland Co., VA (Ref 5)(see Note 5). (Of note, this was the parish of my Bean ancestors as well, which I wrote about here). They raised a family of at least 8 children who lived to adulthood. Their youngest child, Asa Reeves (b.1739), was my direct ancestor.

St. Stephen's Parish was originally an Anglican (English) church when it was formed in 1698. At the beginning of the American Revolution, the Church of England in Virginia was disestablished, and the church went dormant for almost 40 years. In 1824, it was revived as part of the Episcopal Church. Its current building was constructed in 1881.

In 1726, George Reeves finally achieved what he had likely been aiming at for some time when he was able to purchase 370 acres of land in Stafford Co., VA (now Prince William Co.), just east of the city of Manassas, VA today (Ref 6). This was before Asa was born, but 4 of his older siblings would have made the 100+ mile journey, most likely by boat up the Potomac and then west onto the Occoquan River which fed into Cabin Run. Within a year and a half, he was able to expand his holding northward another 941 acres along the Russia and Buckhall branches of Bull run (Ref 7)(see note 6). Larger land holdings like this were necessary for tobacco farming, which depletes soil nutrients faster than most other crops. After about 3 years of harvests, a farmer would then need to allow the land to rest for about 3 years so that the nutrients could replenish.

Rough approximation of area included in the original two land grants of George Reeves in what is now Prince William Co., VA. The red star shows the original grant on Cabbin Run, which feeds into the Occoquan River. The green star indicates the location of Buckhall branch, which seems to be where he resided after later selling off other portions of the land. The blue star indicates Blooms Park, the only portion of the original land that is still undeveloped and easily accessible today.

The area had no real inland towns to speak of at this point, due to having been embroiled in land grant disputes between King Charls II and the Culpeper family ever since the English Civil Wars of the mid-1600s. It had originally been jointly owned by seven of the King's supporters, however, after many years of political maneuvering, and fortuitous marriages, it finally became fully owned in 1719 by one man, Thomas Sixth Lord Fairfax. And starting in 1722, Lord Fairfax appointed Robert "King" Carter to act as his Virginia based land agent, who would enable him to finally sell enough land to make this long-held land interest profitable.

The Fairfax grant, finally properly surveyed in 1736-7, became referred to as the Northern Neck. It encompassed everything inland north of the Rappahannock river and south of the Potomac, as far west as the Allegany Mountains. Although the English did begin settling the coastal Chesapeake Bay area of the grant after 1649, the inland areas did not see much activity until about 1710, with two notable exceptions being Mt. Vernon in 1675 and Brent Town in 1687.

There was only one parish, Overwharton, for all of Stafford Co., VA at that time, and the closest port city to the Reeves family was in Aquia Harbour, 27 miles SE. During tax time, farmers would go to their parish church, where they would pay per acre with tobacco from their harvest. The tobacco itself was transported in large casks called hogsheads, and then carefully inspected at appointed warehouses to determine its quality and value. The farmer was then given crop notes which could be used like cash with which to make purchases. 

A tobacco farmer transporting a hogshead to the warehouse

Thanks to tobacco commerce, the area around the Reeves developed quickly. By 1731, Brent Town "traffic" along north Dumfries Road had already caused the port city of Dumfries to build its own tobacco warehouse. However, the closest official parish church was still in Aquia Harbor. Given that the parish system of early Virginia also functioned as the local government, this must have been very inconvenient at times. With the formation of Fauquier Co. in 1745, Dettingen Parish was created within Prince William Co. (see Note 8), setting the town of Dumfries as its parish center, though for the Reeves, that was not much closer. Likely they usually attended a closer chapel of ease even before this time. By 1745, the Broad Run church had been built in what is now the city of Bristow, about 8 miles SW from the Reeves land. This was followed in the 1750s by the Slaty Run church, a more impressive structure built of brick in Brentsville, VA. It was about 4.5 miles SE of the old church building, but equidistant for the Reeves family, and the structure was said to have lasted for many years (Ref 9, p.209).

Current day Prince William Co. boundaries within Virginia.

A chapel of ease called Quantico church was built in Dumfries in 1667, about 25 miles from the Reeves homestead. However, when Dettingen became a parish in 1745, this chapel became the official parish church. Correspondingly, it was rebuilt from stone in 1755.

George Reeves Sr. did well in the tobacco trade, and by 1751, at the age 55, he was able to make a considerable deed of land to 5 of his children (see Note 7, Ref 11). He also gifted land while in his 30s to his brother John (Ref 12) and his neighbor, Thomas Davis, who remarried to his sister Judith (Ref 13). His oldest son, Thomas, had become a slave patroller, which seems to have exempted him from taxes. His next eldest son, Benjamin, became a tobacco inspector on the frontier of Halifax Co., VA, which was an important and respected position in the early VA economy. Two of his sons, George Jr. and Reuben, seem to have died in their early 20s. Meanwhile, his youngest 3 sons, John, Moses, and Asa, all settled nearby on the land given to them by their father. Perhaps because he was the youngest, and still a minor living at home at the time, George Sr. bequeathed his "Manner Plantation" home on Buckhall Branch (near Signal Hill) to Asa, rather than to his oldest, Thomas.

Blooms Park in Manassas Park, VA. Part of the area originally owned by the Reeves, it became an important strategic site during the Civil War due to the railroad trestle bridge across the Bull Run River, which was an important choke point for controlling supply lines.

George Reeves Sr. passed in 1774, just before the Revolutionary War commenced. Despite the gift of land given by their father, shortly after his passing, John and Moses both chose to head south to Camden Co., SC (now Lancaster Co.), likely by way of the Great Wagon Road which finally reached to SC in 1775 (see Note 9). Asa and his two older brothers, Thomas and Benjamin, were the only sons who stayed in Virginia during the war. Asa had married his wife, Sarah, in about 1764, who by the time war broke out in 1775, had already given birth to 6 children. My ancestor, Elias "Eli" Reeves (b.1769), had just turned 6 when the fighting began. Asa's two oldest sons, Benjamin and William, enlisted during the later part of the war (Ref. 15). Though the final Battle of Yorktown in Virginia was a major conflict during the war, most fighting was nearer to the coast, north and south of where the Reeves lived. In his early 40s during this time, Asa is said to have helped out by furnishing supplies to the Continental army, including beef, horses, and wagons (Ref 10). 

Preparations for battle, depicting supply wagons and French cannons at Yorktown, VA in 1781 (by Sidney King). Based on their enlistment dates and location, two of Asa Reeves children likely fought in this battle.

In 1789, at the age 52, Asa Reeves finally chose to leave VA himself, however, rather than heading south to the Carolinas and Georgia as his brothers had done, he traveled west to the state of Kentucky instead. Getting to Kentucky had been no easy feat for the English colonists. Up until 1775, virtually all White settlement in the New World took place east of the Appalachian Mountains. Its imposing peaks were far enough inland from the eastern coast that up until the late 1600s, English colonist didn't even know it existed. Though paths through this 200-mile-wide natural barrier began to be discovered by the mid-1700s, fierce Native American forces on the other side effectively repelled colonist expansion for a time, which by 1754 had led to the outbreak of the French and Indian War. After the war ended, Long Hunters like Daniel Boone began to use the Cumberland Gap path to venture further into SE Kentucky. Following in his footsteps, by 1775 settlers began to pour into SE Kentucky, with over 30,000 arriving in just the first 10 years alone. But though the Wilderness Road became the main port of entry for most early KY settlers, a smaller cohort came by way of the Ohio River instead, especially those who settled in the NE portions of the state like my Reeves ancestors.

Map showing 3 different routes that were available to westward migrating settlers during the late 1700s (the Kittanning Path in northern PA, not shown here, was also in existence). Note that at this time, KY was still considered a part of VA. The Reeves likely came by way of the Potomac River to Braddock's Road. As tobacco farmers used to navigating the waters of the Northern Neck for many generations, they would have been well suited to this path.

The Appalachian Mountains extend a length of over 2000 miles, from Newfoundland, Canada to northern Georgia. The Blue Ridge section found in western PA contains the highest peaks of the range, with over 125 exceeding 5,000 feet.

For farmers wanting to continue profiting from the tobacco trade out west, getting over the mountains was only half the battle. A down river market for their crop needed to be secured, and safe passage of their goods along this route was essential. However, the port of New Orleans was owned by the Spanish at this time, and they were just as likely to seize English goods as to allow them entry into the global market (Ref 16). Also, although the French had ceded the interior lands of America to the British in 1763, the Native Americans were not in agreement with this, and mortal threat of attack lay around every bend of the Ohio and Mississippi rivers. Luckily, this was a perfect problem for the wheeling and dealing James Wilkinson, who in 1787, managed to secure a highly controversial deal with Spanish Govenor Miró for a KY tobacco trading monopoly. In 1789, Wilkinson fitted out 25 large boats with 150 armed men, who successfully managed to keep the farmers crops safe from harm. Perhaps it was due in part to these new market assurances that Asa finally felt ready to explore his options for farming in KY late in the summer 1789 (Note 11). 

Flatboats taking goods downriver to the markets

An example of the types of flatboats that were used by settlers when migrating by way of the Ohio River. These boats were often built in the Pittsburg region throughout the fall and winter, and then loaded with cargo and passengers beginning in the spring as soon as the ice broke. The trip itself probably took about a month (5-10 miles/day). Once the destination was achieved, the boats were usually dismantled, and the wood resold to settlers needing to begin building their new homestead.

By 1789, northern KY settlers were arriving at the shores of Limestone (now Maysville) at a rate of 30 flatboats per day (Ref 18, p.78). As new areas of the West were surveyed, new homesteaders often built their properties near a defensive residence, called a "Station", to which the residents could flee if danger arose from Indian attacks (Ref 17). Settler families would often live in these stations while building their new homes. In Mason Co., the first of these stations was built in 1784 by Simon Kenton, a few miles west of the town of Old Washington today (now considered part of Maysville). Settlement spread slowly southward from Limestone, and by 1787, Major George Stockton was building a station in current day Flemingsburg. There is a good chance that this is where the Reeves family stayed while building their new cabin home (Note 12). 

Martin's Station, located in Bourbon Co., KY on Stoner Creek, was built by settler John Martin in 1779.

The area the Reeves settled was on Poplar Creek, a branch of Fleming Creek, just south of Ewing, Fleming Co., KY today (then Mason Co.)(see Note 10). Asa Sr. is said to have been a devout Methodist, who lived in a double log cabin with "one side for sons and one for daughters", joined by a common porch. Asa's 3 oldest children were married by the time they left for KY. His daughter Ann, who married John Crooke, already had 2 young children, and was the only one of Asa's offspring to stay behind (though they did finally move to KY many years later). His oldest son, Benjamin (adopted), had married Mary Crooke the year prior, and their new baby, Betsey, successfully made the trip with them. His son William, who had married to Sarah Jacobs at the end of the war, likely had several children by this point, but made the trip none the less. Meanwhile, Asa's daughter Susannah, age 19, would marry to her second-cousin, Spencer Reeves, less than a year after their arrival in KY (Note 11). My ancestor, his son Elias "Eli" (b.1769), was about to come of age himself in 1789, and must have been excited for the possibilities ahead. In this large family of 12 children, the youngest was still but a year old, and their final child, Isaac, would be born on KY soil in 1793. Once settled, two other children would eventually be adopted into this family as well- this time the orphaned teenage girls of Asa's neighbor, Henry Hayden. The children's names were Nancy and Susannah Hayden, and they later married two of Asa's Sr.'s younger sons, George and Asa Reeves, Jr. 

Approximate location of land belonging to Asa Reeves, Sr. on the Poplar Branch of Fleming Creek in Fleming Co., KY

By the time Asa passed in 1823, he had bequeathed land in Kentucky to all 6 of his natural born sons (See Note 10). Nevertheless, between about 1803-1830, all but George Reeves and his adopted son Benjamin Reeves, set off for new lands in either Ohio or Indiana. The 1830 Census describes George Reeves as being the "Keeper of the Poorhouse", which was located off a branch of Poplar Creek, just south of Ewing. My ancestor, Elias Reeves, seems to have sold his 100 acres of land and moved to Adams County, Ohio in 1803, where he began employment as a census worker (Ref 20, Ref. 23). A little over a year after arriving in KY, Elias had married Sarah Redmon, the daughter of fellow settler Daniel Redmon. By the time they left KY for Ohio, they already had 6 children in what would become a family of 13 kids.

Approximate location of Elias Reeves land in Byrd Twp, Brown Co., OH, about 4 miles SW of Decatur and 2 miles SE of Red Oak. (See Note 13). Note that Brown Co. was formed from part of Adams Co. in 1818.

Following the Native American defeat at the Battle of Fallen Timbers in 1794, the 1795 Treaty of Greenville established a new boundary line, below which European settlement would be allowed unimpeded. This area encompassed approximately the lower 2/3 of Ohio state today, and as hostilities came to an end White settlers began to move in (Ref 21). Some were Shakers from religiously tolerant PA, while others were farmers from VA or MD. Just across the Ohio River from Kentucky, however, many early settlers of Brown Co., OH, (then Adams Co.) came from Mason Co., and the other nearby northern KY counties. Like Elias Reeves, these pioneers moved into southern Ohio, formerly Shawnee territory, around the turn of the century. During these early days, the typical homestead was a humble 2-room double log cabin, complete with a clapboard roof and puncheon floors (Ref 22, p.697). Eventually, most every home had a spinning wheel to convert flax, hemp, and wool to thread, and a loom to convert the thread to cloth. However, in the first few years of settlement, growing sufficient crop to both feed and clothe, as well as sufficient accommodation to protect both humans and livestock, was not usually possible. As such, they reverted for a time back to the buckskin garments the early KY settlers knew so well. Shoes, if available, were generally only worn in the summer. They subsisted initially on the abundant wild game and fruit available (wild plums were said to be particularly plentiful along riverbeds), and eventually were able to process their own corn into hominy, from which could be made bread or grits (Ref 21, p.53).

Example of a double log cabin with common porch, similar to what the Reeves lived in

One of the first churches in Bryd Twp. of Brown Co., OH was the Liberty Chapel of the Disciple of Christ Congregation. Built in 1810, the Reeves were said to have been one of its founding members (Ref 22, p.700). It was located in the now defunct town of Liberty, about 3 miles NE of the Reeves homestead. The seed for this religious movement had been planted during the Cane Ridge Revival of 1801, which took place about 20 miles SW of the Reeves property in KY. Said to have drawn about 15,000 people, it was the largest and most famous camp meeting of the Second Great Awakening. It gained further traction in 1809, when Presbyterian minister Thomas Campbell published his Declaration and Address, which sought to restore the "divinely inspired truth" of the early Christian church back to its original essential principles. By 1817, the members of Bryd Twp. had scrabbled together enough funds to build a stone church, though only the original graveyard is still standing today.

Depiction of the Cane Ridge Revival, a weeklong Presbyterian camp meeting in Aug 1801 that was heavily attended by both Methodists and Baptists as well. It was the culmination of a sacramental circuit of meetings that began along Fleming Creek that May and continued along nearby rivers throughout the summer. The Reeves almost certainly attended at least one of these meetings before their move to Ohio.

The first schoolhouse in Byrd township was not constructed until 1821, and by this time the 6 oldest of Elias and Sarah's 13 children were already full grown, including my direct ancestor, Eli Reeves, Jr. (b.1796) (see Note 14). His oldest 2 sons, Iley and Daniel, both fought in the War of 1812 with Britain, during which Ohio figured prominently in much of the fighting. Eli Reeves, Jr. was only 16 when the war began, however, and does not seem to have participated (See Note 15). Unfortunately, Eli Jr.'s father passed at the relatively young age of only 52, just two years after his own father, Asa, had died. As such, there were still 4 minor children at home, the youngest of whom was 10 years old (their youngest child, Mary, had died at age 5). Thankfully, Sarah (Redmon) Reeves had several fully grown children at this point, and the family pulled together to help out. My ancestor, Eli Reeves, Jr., was the only one of the older children who had not yet married and moved out, and thus likely took on the role of the head of the household at this point. 

The John Rankin house, built in 1828, was an important safehouse on the Underground Railroad. Overlooking the Ohio River from Ripley, Union Twp., Brown, Co., OH, Rankin became known as one of the most skillful and active "conductors" of the escape route, as black refugees from the slave-holding state of Kentucky fled northwards. Because Ohio was an anti-slavery state, river counties like Brown were a vitally important link in the path to freedom. Bryd Twp. hosted at least 4 known "stations". After his first wife died, Eli Reeves Jr. moved to Ripley in about 1855. One of Elias Reeves Sr.'s sons, John, married a Nancy Rankin, who was likely related to this family in some way (see Note 16).

Eli Reeves Jr.'s younger brother, Neville, age 17 when their father died, married just 3 months later to Anna Crawford, who was only 16 years of age herself. Anna's father had also died- 4 years prior. Her older sister, Esther, had married Eli's brother John just before her father died, and 3 years later her younger sibling, Elizabeth, would marry another Reeves sibling, Benjamin, as well. Close ties indeed! But in such sparsely populated areas on the edge of the frontier, such relations were not uncommon. A year or so after his father's death, Eli Jr. tied the knot with Angelina Reed (b.1803), the sister of his brother Asa's wife, Rebecca Reed. Two other Reeves children, Ila and Anna, had both married cousins from the Stephenson family. With all but the youngest two children now set up for adult life, the Reeves family began to consider new settlement options for future financial security. They must have been split on the decision, however, for in 1828, only half of the family left Ohio for the 150 miles journey to central Indiana.

The state of Indiana in 1820, which was settled from the "bottom up" as the Shawnee, Lenape, Miami, and Potawatomi Indians were slowly forced to cede their lands. The area the Reeves moved into was part of Delaware county then, but a portion of it became Rush Co. in 1822, with the formation of Henry and Hancock Co. not far behind.

Elias's widow, Sarah (Redmon) Reeves, is said to have made the journey with her older children, while her younger children, including Susannah and Elijah, who were still minors, stayed behind. Based on census records, these two youngest probably lived with their older brother Eli Jr. after this (see Note 17). Eli Jr. had moved to nearby Huntington, Brown Co., OH after his marriage to Angelina. Within another year, his sister Susannah was married as well, though young Elijah seems to have had a bit more trouble finding his place in the world. It is said that at age 15 he was given "no means except a young colt, given him by his mother, and a pocket dictionary, which he carried with him wherever he went and studied with the most diligent attention". One must assume then that the family's financial affairs after Eli Sr.'s death were not impressive. In the early 1840s, Elijah did eventually end up settling in Hancock Co., Indiana himself though, along with his brothers John, Neville, and Benjamin, who relocated there about that time as well (Asa had gone earlier, in about 1834). One sister, Anna, married to a Stephen Stephenson, ended up in Iowa instead after a few years first in IL. But my ancestor, Eli Jr., as well his sister Susannah (McNulty) Reeves, both stayed in Brown Co., Ohio.

View of the Ohio River from Brown Co., OH

Unfortunately for Eli Reeves, Jr., more family upheaval lay ahead. In 1847, when their youngest was just 5 years old, Eli's wife Angelina passed away as well. With family no longer nearby to help out, this blow seems to have been too much for the family to hold together. Based on census records, he and Angelina (Reed) Reeves had at least 7 children together, but only 3 of their identities are now known for certain. One seems to have died in early childhood, while the oldest, Greenleaf, who was nearing adulthood when his mother died, went to work on the farm of a William Kelley. In 1850, the youngest, John, aged 7, was the only child still living with his father Eli in Union Twp., Brown Co., OH. They lived near the family of his brother Greenleaf's wife, Elizabeth McDaniel. However, by 1860, John too was living instead on the farm of an R. Davis and working as a farm laborer. The other children in between, including my ancestor, Elijah Reeves (b.1832), likely met a similar fate sometime before 1850. At that time, it was not uncommon to send orphaned children to work on farms or in factories in return for "earning their keep" (Ref 25). 

It is not clear where my ancestor Elijah Reeves was living during his teenage years (see Note 18), but he shows up again in Brown Co., OH records in 1857 when he married his wife, Nancy Gardner. Four years later, he would leave for the war. All 3 known Reeves siblings fought in the Civil War (1861-1865) on the side of the Union. Elijah's father Eli Jr. did eventually remarry in 1853, to a much younger woman named Jane Hubanks, but none of his children seem to have returned to his care. Instead, he worked as a basic laborer for many years, who could not read nor write, but eventually was able to buy land again in Union, Brown Co., OH. Meanwhile, my ancestor Elijah, who also could not read nor write, seems to have moved about a bit, even back to Mason Co., KY for a time. Like his father, he worked as a basic laborer, probably renting rather than owning land. Together he and Nancy had 4 children, but the struggles of this family line would continue when Nancy passed away in only her 30's. Their youngest, my ancestor Elijah J. Reeves (b.1871), was still a small child when she died. Following her death, Elijah Sr. went to live with his brother Greenleaf in Bradyville, Adams Co., OH. Again, the older children seem to have been sent to find their way with other families who could better afford their upkeep. Only Elijah J. was still living with his father and uncle in 1880 at the age of 9.

Ohio sent more men to fight for the Union in the Civil War than any other state. A full 60% of men aged 18-45 enlisted - over 10% of them never returned home. Elijah joined up as part of the 70th Infantry in Oct 1861 and served over three and a half years. His unit took part of several battles that occurred across GA, TN, MS, and NC (Ref 26, p.32).

Despite this early hardship, Elijah J. Reeves seems to have done reasonably well for himself. Unlike his father and grandfather, he received at least some rudimentary education. In 1893, he married a woman named Linnie Jennings (b.1871), also of Brown Co., OH, and they started a family that would grow to 6 children. By 1900, they owned a farm in Pleasant, Brown Co., OH where Elijah J. worked as a farmer. Yet tragedy struck the family line once again in about 1906 when Elijah J. died unexpectedly at the age of only 32. Linnie may well have still been pregnant with their youngest at that time. She had already come from a difficult background herself. Although her parents, Martin and Sarah (Edson) Jennings had 14 children, most of the early children died young, one after another, and thus Linne was the oldest living daughter despite being the 7th born child. The weight of her parent's grief must have been immense. Her 3 next younger siblings all chose to join the military and/or never married or had families of their own, so she may not have had many options for family support. In 1910, she is found renting in Bethel, Brown Co., OH on Charity St., where she worked in a shoe factory. While the youngest 3 attended school, 2 of the oldest three children, aged 16 and 13, worked at the factory with her, and the other, aged 15, worked as a house servant for another family. The 13-year-old was my ancestor, Bryan Jennings Reeves (b.1897).

Working women at the Cincinnati Shoe Factory in Bethel, Ohio which was located on South and Union Streets from 1860-1948.

Elijah J. Reeves and Linnie Jennings

In June 1916, Bryan Reeves was drafted into the war effort of WWI. He and his mother were living in Lebanon, Warren Co., OH at that time, where he had been working as a chauffeur (Note 19). His unit was sent to Canada as part of the 212th Overseas Battalion, and were known as the "Winnipeg Americans". After returning from the war, he resettled in Middletown, Butler Co., OH, just a few miles from Lebanon, and obtained work as a machinist, perhaps with training he received during the war. He married Thelma Copeland, who had lived in Middletown since childhood, and at the age of 21 and 18, they welcomed my grandmother, Virginia Mae Reeves (b.1920), into the world.

Bryan Jennings Reeves & Thelma Copeland

Virginia Mae Reeves

Research Notes

1) This family is often mistakenly linked with the family of Timothy Ryves/Reeves (b.1670), who settled in Surry Co., VA, due to a son named George who was born in about 1698. However, this family matches with a different DNA group (group 8) that has been proven to have no relation to our line. This other DNA group seems to trace back to a wealthy family from Dorset, England, and many online Reeves genealogies currently seem to try to link themselves to this line. 

2) All that is actually known for certain is that at the same time the previously discussed Thomas Reeves disappeared in the records of Lancaster Co., VA, a Thomas Reeves of similar age suddenly showed up in Richmond Co., VA records, and so they are assumed to be the same person. (Ref 1)

3) This also is still uncertain. At about the same time the Thomas Reeves of Richmond Co., VA disappears from records (1723), another Thomas Reeves begins to appear in Northumberland Co. records. However, it may be that Thomas Reeves actually stayed in Richmond Co. after all and simply died by 1723, and that the Northumberland Co. Thomas Reeves was instead his son, Thomas Jr. (b.1700), who would have come of age at about this time. 

However, the Northumberland Co. Thomas died by 1729, and when his daughter Hannah was baptized there in 1714, Thomas, Jr. would have still been quite young to be a father. It is my assumption then that Thomas Reeves, Sr. did move to Northumberland by 1714, and this was likely also the same Thomas Reeves who died there in 1729. There is, however, the matter of Thomas Reeves Will, which was administered in 1729 by a William and Margaret Scurlock. It has been suggested that this implies that Margaret Scurlock was likely Thomas Reeves re-married widow. I have seen this Scurlock family name show up a few times in some of my early Reeves line, however, so I think there are possibilities that could explain this, and for now it seems most likely to me that they are the same person, not father and son.

4) Dowager rights (often referred to as the Widow's Third) were a way of protecting widows in Colonial America from financial ruin in the event that their husband died first. Although it did not allow the widow to actually own property, which would have interfered with the inheritance rights of male offspring, it did allow them 1/3 interest in the land's use and profits until they died or relinquished that right. Usually, when an "estate in dower" was later sold by the heir, a widow that was still living would relinquish her dowager rights as part of the deal, though not always. And if she did not, she was still entitled to her portion of the land's interests. In some places, this 1/3 interest terminated if the widow remarried, but in others it simply passed to her new husband instead, which seems to have been the case in Lancaster Co., VA during this time period.

5) The Will of Conway refers to land "now in the possession of George Reeves, with all the lower part of the neck as far as the mouth of “Long Neck Branch,” thence with a straight line to the mouth of “Gayner Branch"". It is assumed that this Gayners branch refers to what is known today as Garners Creek, which lies within Cherry Point Neck (possibly the Long Neck he refers to?) and which then made up the northwestern part of St. Stephen's Parish. This parish often gets attention due to it being the parish of President George Washington's great-grandfather, and also his uncle, Col. James Ball.

6) Tobacco was a very labor-intensive crop, and as indentured servants became more successful at securing their labor rights, and land rights after indenture became scarcer to acquire, profit seeking colonists began to turn instead to slave labor. Carter worked as an agent to facilitate this slave trade as well. My Thomas Reeves certainly worked alongside black slaves while he was indentured in Lancaster Co. However, the only Reeves of this line known to have owned slaves for certain is George's brother John (b.1713) and John's son Benjamin (b. 1721). Later members of the family line seemed very opposed to the practice slavery. Perhaps having been indentured unwillingly himself gave Thomas a sour taste for its workings.

7) Three of George Reeves, Sr's. presumed children were not included in the 1751 deed gift: Thomas, Reuben, and George, Jr. All 3 of these children would have reached 21 years of age before or in 1751, and so perhaps their father had previously provided for them in some way by this point. On the 1747 Tithable List, George Jr., Benjamin, Reuben, and Thomas were all listed as between the age of 16-21. His father George Sr., as well as his uncle John Sr., and also John Sr.'s son George Jr., (of similar age) were listed as well (ie there were 3 different George Reeves listed on the 1747 Tithables List, 2 of whom were aged 16-21)(Ref 9, pp.160-165). 

On the PWC Rent Rolls of 1753, after the 1751 land gift to his children, Benjamin and John Jr. (who has just come of age) now show up as well (Moses and Asa are still minors), but Thomas, Reuben, and George Jr. are now missing. Thomas may have been exempt from taxes due to working as a slave patroller, as was stated on the 1765 tax list. Reuben is no longer mentioned in any records after 1753, and is presumed to have died sometime that year. 

A George Reeves Jr. is still repeatedly found listed in later records, however, but from 1751 onward there is only one of them, and from 1751-1754 there is also a Grace Reeves who suddenly appears living nearby them, presumably a widow. The 1762 Rent Rolls specifically mention this George Jr. as being the son of John Reeves (George Sr.'s brother), and the description of this George's land holdings from 1760-1777 suggest this to be the same George across all of those years. Thus, I have assumed here that George Reeves Sr.'s son George Jr. died by 1751, that Grace Reeves was his widow, and that the George Reeves still present was his cousin instead.

George Sr.'s Feb 1774 Will is no longer extant, and so unfortunately cannot be used to further verify this. As the oldest, Thomas likely inherited his father's main homestead after his death, but he had moved to SC/GA by 1784. Benjamin also had moved to Halifax Co., VA by 1762.

8) Originally, the Overwharton parish (Ref. 9, p.197) served the entire county of Stafford as it existed in that time (much larger than today), and in 1726 it was led by Rev. Alexander Scott (who also rectored for the nearby St. Paul parish) near his Dipple estate in Stafford (town), VA. A chapel of ease was built for this parish in Dumfries as early as 1667 and called the Quantico Church. In 1730, when Prince William County was formed from part of Stafford county, the Overwharton parish was divided as well, with the NW part (where the Reeves' were) forming the new Hamilton parish (Ref 9, p.216). The official Hamilton parish chapel was located at Elk Eun in what would become Fauquier Co. by 1745. With this new county formation, Hamilton Parish split again, this time, creating the Dettingen parish in the area of Prince William Co. today. Dettingen parish was served by Rev. James Scott, the younger brother of Rev. Alexander Scott, both from Scotland (Ref 9, p.207).

9) Though the northern part of what is now Lancaster Co., SC was settled mainly by German and Scotch-Irish Baptists from Pennsylvania and Maryland, the southern part of the county after 1760 was settled by Welsh immigrants. This is notable because Asa Reeves Sr.'s adopted son Benjamin Reeves (who is assumed to have been a relation of some sort) had a son named Benjamin F. Reeves that wrote a biography which described the family as being of Welsh descent (Ref 15). 

10) Asa Reeves Sr.'s Will of 1819 bequeaths land to all of his natural born sons, but also makes reference to the fact that most of them have already chosen to sell that bequeathment. In fact, he mentions that the land he is bequeathing to his son Asa Jr. is the same tract that was previously bequeathed to his son William Reeves, but then purchased back by Asa Sr. when he moved away. When Isaac moved away in 1825, he sold his land back to his brother George. In fact, the only male offspring to stick around for the long-term was his son George Reeves (b.1786), who died there in about 1841. This land was resurveyed at his death for his widow Nancy (Hiday/Hayden) Reeves. It is described as "including the mansion house lying on the waters of poplar run in sd. county containing seventy-five acres and bounded as follows Beginning...Wm. W. Blair corner, on James Ewings line" (Fleming County, Kentucky Will Records Vol. G, p. 152). Earlier nearby land records also mention the Reeves land in this area, which was adjacent to a 10,000-acre land patent to Major John Mosby (part of a 30,000-acre grant in 1785). Also, in 1799, William and Eli Reeves were ordered to mark out the "best way for a road from Flemingsburg to the mouth of the Fleming" (Fleming County, Kentucky Court Order Book A, 1798-1802). 

11) Asa Reeves Sr.'s nephew, Elijah Sr. (descended through Thomas (b.1670)->George Sr.->Thomas->Elijah Sr. (b.1740)), had set off for Kentucky by 1786 (Ref. 18, p.56), and this no doubt this played a role in my Reeves line KY migration as well. His family seems to have settled in the SE part of what became Fleming Co., near Hillsboro today, and his son Spencer married Asa's daughter Susannah. 

12) Asa Reeves sold his land in Aug of 1789, and likely spent the better part of a month traveling Braddock's Road to Pittsburg and then another month floating the Ohio River west to Limestone. By the time he would have arrived in late November, there would not have been time to build a home before the winter set in. Depending on the timing, perhaps the family even stayed at Fort Pitt that first winter and set off for Limestone first thing the following spring. It is known that he was definitely living in KY by the Aug 1790 census, however.

There were only 3 Stations in Flemings Co. by 1790: Stockton's in north Flemingsburg, - probably completed by 1788, as well as Fleming's Station (just south of Flemingsburg near Martha Mills Rd) (Ref. 19, p.199) and Cassidy's Station (just west of Flemingsburg), these last two were both started about 1788, but were not completed until 1790. While these last 2 Stations would have been a couple miles closer to the Reeves land than Stockton's Station, they likely would not have been ready for guests by then, and Flemings Station in particular may never have actually even been lived in (See John Fleming Jr. - WikiTree Profile).

13) Eli Reeves sold a part of his land in 1818 to James Beard (Brown County, Ohio Deed Book A1, p147) which was described as "situate[d] on the waters of Eagle Creek at or near the Indian Lick". According to a cemetery survey taken in 1963 by a Mrs. Ann Johnson, his grave marker is "located on Laura Chapman's farm East of Red Oak, off Mt. Aire Road, off Hermann Road, back a lane". (Note that this is not the same as the Chapman Cemetery in Higginsport listed on FindAGrave). This portion of Indian Lick is in Byrd Twp, which matches the residence of Eli Reeves on the 1820 census. Additionally, the 1876 Atlas published by Lake, Griffing, and Stevenson Byrd, Atlas: Brown County 1876, Ohio Historical Map (historicmapworks.com) shows 2 Reeves families living just east of this area on W. Eagle Creek, one of whom may be Eli's son, John Wilson Reeves.

14) This family really liked various versions of the name Eli, which can be pretty confusing. Elias "Eli" Reeves (b. 1769) had 3 different sons with variations on this theme, including Ila (his oldest son, said to go by "Iley"), Eli (b.1796), and Elijah (his youngest son, b.1814). Complicating matters is their cousin Elijah Reeves (b.1740), who also lived Fleming Co., KY, though in the SE portion of the county off Rock Lick Creek. This Elijah had a son named Elijah as well of course (b.1781), although this second line seems to have remained in Fleming Co., until eventually removing to IL around 1830.

15) There was an Eli Reeves that fought in Mississippi during the War of 1812, but he seems to be from an unrelated Reeves line of Pike Co., MS. Of note, Eli Reeves, Sr. (b.1769) is often mentioned in articles as having served in the Revolutionary War, though I have never found any actual evidence of this. It may be that people are confusing him with his older brother Ila who was in the war. Eli though would have been only 6 years old when it started, and 14 when it ended, which was too young to enlist as a soldier. Although boys as young as 9 years of age did sometimes serve as drummer boys or messengers, which still entitled them to land grants, I cannot find records for this in his case. The story though, is that he did receive a military claim for his land in OH, but "failing in some way to lay it properly, lost the title to his land and was obliged to purchase another place from the government."

I think what is more likely is that he performed some less official role during the war effort, one that did not entitle him to land. Perhaps it was by helping to clear roads for tactical troop relocations, as younger boys were sometimes called on to assist with, or by simply helping his father Asa to deliver needed troop supplies. Certainly, the war effort was a family affair that required extra responsibilities from all present.

16) Slavery was one of the main social structures under scrutiny during the Second Great Awakening in America. Differences of opinion within the Methodist church during this time resulted in a number of factions forming. Many anti-slavery Methodists from KY, like John Rankin, felt their beliefs and values were being oppressed by the culture around them, and sought refuge instead in slavery-free Ohio. Though I have found no direct evidence yet that the Reeves were abolitionists themselves, indirect evidence of their religious persuasions points in that direction.

17) Land records show that Iley, Daniel, and Jabez all purchased land in Indiana 1827-8. According to "Biographical Memoirs of Hancock County" (Ref 24), as a widow, Sarah (Redmon) Reeves "accompanied some of her children to Indiana". This reference also states that her son Elijah Reeves "began life for himself" at 15 years of age, which would seem to correspond to the 1828 departure of much of his family. Based on census records, Sarah seems to have lived with her son Jabez until she passed in 1844.

18) I cannot find my Elijah Reeves (b.1832) in any 1850 census records, including those of his relatives living in Indiana. There is an Elijah C. Reeves of similar age in his uncle Neville Reeves home, but this is clearly his son, not his nephew. There are also a few unconnected Elijah Reeves from the Fleming, KY branch of the family. Given that my Elijah later married in Brown Co., OH, and that both his oldest and youngest brothers seem to have remained in Brown Co., OH after their mother's death, I am assuming that was the case for him as well. I have also not been able to find any additional information for the 2 sons and 1 daughter that were listed as < 5 on the 1840 census. If you have any information on these "forgotten" siblings, I would love to hear from you!

19) The typed copies of enlisted records state the location as Lebanon, PA, but the handwritten copies list Lebanon, OH, which makes much more sense.

References

1) The Reeves Project : A global genealogical collaboration. "Family of George Reeves", (ID:202). https://thereevesproject.org/data/tiki-index.php?page=Reeve_George_202&structure=FamilyOf_Reeve_George_202 : accessed 2024.

2) Will of Charles Dodson, written Jan 11, 1702: Richmond County, Virginia, Will Book 2, pp. 95-96; https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-C9PF-CSBJ-C.

3) Doggett, J.D. Doggetts and other cousins : 100benjamin (doggettfam.org), (2005) : accessed 2024.

4) St. Stephen's Parish Register, Northumberland Co., VA, 1661-1810. [The Reeves Project]; https://thereevesproject.org/data/tiki-index.php?page=1661-1810_St_Stephens_Parish_Register&structure=US_State_VA&page_ref_id=6307  : accessed 2024.

5) Northumberland Co., VA Record Book, 1718-1726, p. 260. [The Reeves Project]; https://thereevesproject.org/data/tiki-index.php?page=17201016_Will_Dennis_Conway  : accessed 2024.

6) Northern Neck Virginia Land Grants, Vol, 1, Book B, p.86, record B-86. https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/49389/?name=George_Reeves&count=50 : accessed 17 July 2024.

7) Northern Neck surveys, 1721-1779 (familysearch.org) : 2024.

8) Mason, G. (2012). Prince William County People 1701–1800: A name index to landowners, soldiers, voters, tithables, petitioners, laborers, and slaves of colonial Prince William County, Virginia. https://eservice.pwcgov.org/library/digitalLibrary/PDF/Prince%20William%20County%20People%201701-1800.pdf : 2024.

9) Meade, William. "Old churches, ministers and families of Virginia : in two volumes", Vol 2, pp.197-224. (1861). Internet Archive. https://archive.org/details/oldchurchesminis02meaduoft/oldchurchesminis02meaduoft/page/196/mode/2up

10) Ancestry.com. "A roster of Revolutionary ancestors of the Indiana Daughters of the American Revolution : commemoration of the United States of America bicentennial, July 4, 1976". Vol. 2, p.266 : 2024.

11) Deed to Children. Prince William Co., VA Deed Book M, 1749-1752, Pgs. 191-194. The Reeves Project : 2024.

12) Deed to John Reeves. Prince William Co., VA Deed Book A p.181-183. (19 Apr 1732) The Reeves Project : 2024.

13) Deed to Thomas Davis. Prince William Co., VA Deed Book A, p. 137-138. (17 Nov 1731) The Reeves Project : 2024.

14) Henderson, F.D. et al. "The Official roster of the soldiers of the American Revolution buried in the state of Ohio". Vol. 2, p.291, F.J. Heer Printing Co. : Columbus, OH (1929). Ancestry.com https://www.ancestry.com/imageviewer/collections/20105/images/dvm_LocHist006390-00387-1?pId=742

15) Evans, Madison. "Biographical sketches of the pioneer preachers of Indiana", p.374. Philadelphia, J. Challen & Sons : IN, 1862. https://archive.org/details/biographicalske00evangoog/page/n483/mode/2up

16) Axton, W. F. "Tobacco and Kentucky", Chap. 2. University Press of KY. (1975). Internet Archive. https://archive.org/details/tobaccokentucky0000axto/page/24/mode/2up

17) Hammon, N. O. "Kentucky Pioneer Forts and Stations", Vol. 76, pp.523-586. The Filson History Quarterly. 2002. https://filsonhistorical.org/wp-content/uploads/publicationpdfs/76-4-6_Kentucky-Pioneer-Forts-and-Stations_Hammon-Neal-O..pdf

18) Clift, G. G. "History of Maysville and Mason County". Vol. 1. Transylvania Printing Co. : Lexington, KY, 1936. HathiTrust. https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=hvd.hxbx2y&seq=131&q1=Reeves

19) Cotterill, R. S. (1951). John Fleming, Pioneer of Fleming County. The Register of the Kentucky Historical Society, 49(168), 193–201. https://www.jstor.org/stable/23373677

20) Bowen, B. F. "Biographical Memoirs of Hancock County". Logansport, IN : 1902. Transcribed by Sylvia (Rose) Duda : 2024.

21) Evans, N. W. "A history of Adams County, Ohio, from its earliest settlement to the present time, including character sketches of the prominent persons identified with the first century of the country’s growth". (1900). Internet Archive. https://archive.org/details/ahistoryadamsco01stivgoog/page/34/mode/2up?view=theater

22) "The history of Brown County, Ohio : containing a history of the county, its townships, towns, churches, schools, etc., general and local statistics, portraits of early settlers and prominent men, history of the Northwest territory, history of Ohio, map of Brown County, Constitution of the United States, miscellaneous matters, etc., etc." Chicago, IL : W.H. Beers & Co. (1883). Internet Archive. https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_udUyAQAAMAAJ/page/693/mode/2up?view=theater

23) Brown Co. Historical Society. "Brown County, Ohio, history and families, 1818-1993", pp.396-397. (1992). Internet Archive. https://archive.org/details/browncountyohioh0000unse/page/396/mode/2up?q=Reeves

24) Bowen, B. F. "Biographical Memoirs of Hancock County". Logansport, IN (1902). Containing historical descriptions of: Benjamin. F. Reeves, Eli Reeves, Elijah Reeves, Joseph Reeves, Neville Reeves, and William R. Reeves. https://search.worldcat.org/title/865881997

25) Schuman, M. “History of Child Labor in the United States—Part 1: Little Children Working.” Monthly Labor Review, 2017. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/90001351 : 2024.

26) Roster Commission. "Official roster of the soldiers of the state of Ohio in the War of the Rebellion, 1861-1866", p.32. Internet Archive. Werner PTG. : Akron, OH, 1888. https://archive.org/details/ohiowarroster06howerich/page/32/mode/2up.

Descendancy Chart