John Durdan Reeves

Another of the continuing mysteries of Reeves' research is the ancestry of John Durdan Reeves whose Revolutionary War pension statement given in Surry County, North Carolina on the 12th of February 1833 states that he was born in Halifax County, North Carolina in 1759. Much research by many Reeves' researchers has failed to discover his parents.

John D. Reeves married Sarah Locke Elwell around 1788 in Cumberland County, North Carolina where several other Reeves individuals are recorded but no documentation of a family connection has yet been found. There are, however, deeds that establish a connection between John Lock and Nathaniel Reeves such as the 1785 deed for 3 tracts of land in Bladen County. Nathaniel Reeves' will only names three daughters which would appear to prove that he was not John Durdan's father, but may have been an uncle or other family member.

Other Reeves of Cumberland County such as Zachariah are also recorded as having been residents of Halifax County as children. Zachariah Reeves gave a statement in 1826 supporting the Revolutionary War pension application of Sherwood Fort in which he states that they were boys together in Halifax County, North Carolina.The 1778 Halifax County will of Micajah Rawls left legacies to his half brothers John and Jesse Reves. It appears from this will that John Durdan Reeves' father had married a Rawls widow who was the mother of John and Jesse Reeves, but currently no records have been found in Halifax County that identify either his father or mother.

Children of John Durdan Reeves and Sarah Locke Elwell were Richard Elwell Reeves, Micajah Reeves, Elizabeth Reeves, John Reeves, Sarah Locke Reeves, Hannah Reeves and Jesse Franklin Reeves.

Several descendants of John Durdan Reeves have participated in the Reeves DNA Project and were placed in DNA Group 6. Currently relationships to other Reeves' lineages in that group do not appear to be close enough to help identify John's father.


(Photos of 1866 letter by Richard Elwell Reeves courtesy of Billy Fred Reeves, descendant of John Durdan Reeves.)

Pewter John Reeves Stamper

There are numerous sites on the internet with discussions and opinions regarding the origins of John Stamper who migrated to Carter County, Kentucky from North Carolina. The countless conflicting theories speculating on John Stamper's parentage are far more than there is room to relate on this post. Here are a few of the hypotheses found on this subject:

Some published genealogy records report James W. or John Stamper as a half-Cherokee Indian reportedly fathered by a Cherokee Indian and a Reeves woman, either Agnes Reeves or Agnes' sister. (Who is Agnes Reeves? None of the websites espousing this theory identified her.)

John's birth name was James W. Stamper and James himself took the name "John". This same John was also known as "Pewter John Reeves Stamper".

A notarized affidavit by a descendant, Vernon J. Mead, in December 1983, shows John as a son of a Cherokee Indian.

Stamper genealogy lists a James W. Stamper (John) as the son of Richard Stamper and Martha Carter of Wilkes County, North Carolina.

One story relates that John was the offspring of one of William Stamper's sisters, possibly named Joanna. A Joanna Stamper lived in the Ashe County, North Carolina/Grayson County, Virginia area, and many Stamper researchers believe she was the sister of William and Thomas Moore Stamper. She married a Perkins.

Richard and Martha Stamper were possibly adopted parents who took him in when the out of wedlock birth to a Cherokee father and a Stamper mother occurred.

John seemed to have been a counterfeiter of coins, making silver coins out of pewter. He therefore had the nickname of "Pewter John".

Prior to locating in Kentucky, John's history is sketchy and questionable as many reported "facts" are conflicting. His birth has been variously reported in either February, September or December of 1800, in Ashe, Swain or Cherokee Counties, North Carolina.

The facts that don't appear to be contested regarding John Stamper are:

His marriage license and marriage bond were recorded in Floyd County, Kentucky, as John Stamper in Book 1, page 127 and Book 1820-2, page 24, respectfully. On 8 Jun 1820, he married Sarah Stamper, who was presumed to be his first cousin.

He was born about 1799, according to an Ashland Independent Newspaper dated June 22, 1882, that lists John's death at age 83, at the home of his son-in-law, Ezekiel McGlone, Buffalo Valley, Carter County, Kentucky.

John is buried at Bethel Cemetery, Olive Hill, Carter County, Kentucky, but his monument is now degraded and unreadable.

And finally, to put to rest the speculation that his father was a Cherokee Indian, the DNA of a descendant of John Stamper is a genetic match to the descendants of the Reeves' family of Grayson County, Virginia and Ashe County, North Carolina, and additionally to their Reeves' relatives in Wake County, North Carolina. Based upon DNA, Pewter John Reeves Stamper was the child of a Reeves male and an unknown female, possibly from the Stamper family. From the fact that John himself added the "Reeves" to his name, it could probably be assumed that he was aware of the family connection.

(Thanks to Anna Fultz Braun, Stamper descendant, for the use of her photo of Sarah Stamper's gravestone.)

George Reeves of Grayson County, Virginia

It was previously believed that George Reeves who settled in the New River area of Virginia and North Carolina around 1767 was descended from Henry Reeves of Essex County, Virginia through his son Thomas and came to the New River area from Chesterfield County, Virginia. After DNA tests on several of the descendants of George Reeves matched descendants of William Reeves of Wake County, North Carolina, research of that area has produced numerous deeds and other court documents which appear to pertain to this George Reeves.

There are countless Johnston County deeds circa 1762 to 1765 with references to both George Reeves and Richard Burton, believed to be the father of Jane Burton Reeves, such as: Richard Burton, Johnston County, to Samuel Peek, Buckingham Co, Virginia, 314 Acres in Johnston County, the plantation whereon said Burton now lives beginning at Wm. Reeves corner red oak on the bank of Neuse river, running thence on his line S23½º W crossing Ellobies creek several times 98p to his corner pine: S23½ W 160p to a corner pine: S65 E210p to a pine: N24 E184p crossing Gut several times to a blazed White Oak on Neuse River, just above the mouth of said Gut: up said River by several meanders to 1st sta…houses, orchard &c…Ann Burton∗ wife to Richard Burton examined privately by Lod. Tanner Esq. Wit: John Alston, Thomas Webb, Wm. Bradford, Johnston County, October 13, 1763.

The exact family relationship between George Reeves and William Reeves of Wake County is currently undocumented but the genetic match is close enough that they may have been brothers. Among the many details that connect these two families is their use of the name REVES rather than the many other variations - Reeves, Reaves, Rives. William Reeves and his father William, Sr. both signed their name "Reves". George Reeves of Grayson County, Virginia and his heirs also used the Reves spelling of the name. In subsequent generations, many descendants of both families changed to the more commonly used spelling of Reeves while some descendants maintained the original spelling of Reves.

It appears as though both Richard Burton and George Reeves sold their property in Johnston County around 1765 which would coincide with the appearance of both men in the New River area around 1767. Additionally a Johnston County court order of July 15, 1766 wherein Timothy Shaw was replacing George Reeves as overseer of the road would presumably be a result of George Reeves' removal from Johnston County.

From The Virginia magazine of history and biography, pub 1922 by the Virginia Historical Society - "...It was originally surveyed in 1753 for Peter Jefferson, Thomas and David Meriwether and Thomas Walker. It was the Peach Bottom tract. John Cox settled there the same year. George Collins and George Reeves settled there in 1767."

In George Reeves' deposition for Beavins (Blevins) vs. Newell — O. S. 174; N. S. 62 — Bill, 27th September, 1805, he stated that he was present in the New River area as early as 1767.

George Reaves was on the 1771, 1772, 1773 and 1774 tithables lists of Cornelius Roberts in extinct Fincastle County, Virginia.

He appears on the 1787 tax list of Montgomery County with 100 acres. In 1789 he was living in Grassy Creek/Fox Creek area of Grayson County near Daniel, Elisha and John Blevins, Robert Osborne and Ezeiel Young. The New River area changed state and county designations several times and by 1793, George and his son, Jesse, are listed in the tax lists of Wythe County, Virginia.

As George "Reaves", he received a grant for 200 aces on the waters of the New River in Montgomery County on May 18, 1796 and another for 100 acres on the north side of that river adjoining his own line on the west on May 30, 1796.

The children of George and Jane Burton Reeves were Jesse, William, Anne who married Bartholomew Austin, Mary who married Joseph Doughton, Susanna who married William Tolliver, George Jr., Lucy who married David Cox, Jr., Prudence who married Andrew Cox, Charity who married Zachariah Osborne, John and Elizabeth who married Samuel Phipps.



∗ The wife of Richard Burton was previously believed to be Mary; however all records for Richard Burton prior to around 1765 list his wife as Ann. In Apr 1765: Exhibited into court, a sale and inventory of the estate of James Farmer, decd, by Mary Burton, Executrix. Recorded in Johnston Co, NC County Court Minutes. Research by Burton Family researchers indicates that Ann Burton died sometime before 1765 after which Richard Burton married Mary, the widow of James Farmer who had died in 1761 in Johnston County.

The family of George Reeves, Sr. at The Reeves Project

Other posts in this blog about George Reeves of Grayson County, Virginia

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New Data on George Reeves of Grayson County
Wilkes County's George Reeves Mystery
The Rest of the Story
Another Episode of the Epps Wife Fantasy
More Reeves Signatures

The Reeves Gang

In the course of researching the descendants of George Reeves of Grayson County, Virginia and more specifically his son William who left Ashe County, North Carolina circa 1820 migrating to Greene County, Indiana and later to Arkansas, I came across the story of "the Reeves gang" in various Iowa histories. Lenoir Reeves, often referred to as "Noah" is mentioned in these stories along with a George Reeves. Lenoir is believed to be a son of William Reeves. Although no irrefutable documentation can be found, there is a large amount of evidence to support this family association.

The following version of the story of the Reeves gang is found in Iowa History at the IAGenWeb Project:

...The Reeves family was suspected of being connected with the gang of horse thieves that were doing so much work in Polk county, and a mob of citizens went to the Reeves home and gave them orders to leave the country under penalty of severe punishment if they refused to go. Then the family moved to Fort Des Moines from their home in Linn Grove on the North River. There were two old men and several grown sons in the Reeves family.

The Reeves family had not lived in Fort Des Moines long when Cameron Reeves killed James Phipps. The citizens of North River heard of it, and fearing that some trouble would arise over it they took upon themselves the trouble of forcing them again to move. Cameron had been placed in jail at Oskaloosa, so he escaped the visit of the mob. The remaining family were visited one day by about sixty men and were again told to leave the country. When the mob was approaching, Presley Reeves saw them and thought that be would make a run for liberty, and started across a corn field. He was captured in a short time and brought back. The mob forced them to load all their possessions on wagons and leave. After their departure they seem to have made a better record, as Cameron became a prominent man in Omaha and served as sheriff for several years.

In no version of this story that I have been able to locate does there seem to be anything more to the supposed guilt of the Reeves family than rumor and supposition. According to the History of Madison County, Iowa (Chapter XVII, page 134), the vigilantes involved in this legend were from neighboring Madison and Warren Counties. The vigilantes even captured and held prisoner Sheriff Michaels of Polk County who they encountered as he was on his way to Linn Grove with warrants for 6 of the vigilantes. Another version of the story can be found at the Annals of Polk County, Iowa and City of Des Moines.

It does appear that Lenoir "Noah" Reeves of Ashe County, North Carolina was one of the Reeves mentioned in this story as his wife, Mourning, and their children are found in the 1850 Polk County, Iowa census but Lenoir is not listed in the household. Could this be due to his having been expelled from the county by vigilantes?

This same Reeves family after their removal to Nebraska are recorded as law abiding and prominent citizens in Douglas County. From the biography of Preston Reeves in the Illustrated history of Nebraska: a history of Nebraska...Volume 3, J. North, 1913:

REEVES, PRESTON, deceased, late of Douglas county, Neb., the son of George and Elizabeth (Daughton) Reeves, was born in Virginia, May 20, 1824. Elizabeth D. Reeves was born in Grayson county, Va., in 1799. Mr. George Reeves was a brother-in-law of A. T. Jones, the first postmaster of Omaha, and a brother of Cameron Reeves, the first sheriff of Douglas county. One son of George Reeves was a lieutenant in ex-Governor Thayer's regiment during the Civil War. Preston Reeves homesteaded the present site of Creighton college, in Omaha, in the spring of 1854...

The identity of the George Reeves mentioned above with wife, Elizabeth Daughton (Doughton), is unknown but he is very probably the son of William Reeves' brother Jesse whose son George appears to have left Ashe County, North Carolina and there is no further information found there regarding him. George's wife Elizabeth is likely his cousin, daughter of Mary "Polly" Reeves and Joseph Doughton.

The truth of this incident is undoubtably lost in the mists of time and will never be known, but the history of Douglas County, Nebraska may be more reliable than some of the other versions of this story. It is certainly more pleasing to a Reeves' descendant. Either way, it makes a good story.


See Episode 2 - More of the Reeves Gang, a supplement to this post with more extensive information.


(Photo of Preston Reeves from the History of Nebraska, Vol. 3 pub 1913)

Tombstone Tuesday - Peter M. Reeves

PETER M. REEVES

BORN
Oct. 19, 1810

DIED
April 4, 1882

Gone but not forgotten

Peter M. Reeves is buried in the Mt. Zion Church of Christ Cemetery in Richardsville, Warren County, Kentucky. The community is on a high ridge above the Barren River a few miles north of Bowling Green.

Peter was the son of George Reeves and Elizabeth Wilkerson whose families migrated from the Neuse River area of North Carolina to Kentucky. The Reeves came from the south side of the Neuse in Wake County and the Wilkersons were located on the north side in Granville County for many years before leaving for Fort Boonesborough in Madison County, Kentucky around 1800.

By 1820 George Reeves and his family had moved further west to Warren County along with the extended Wilkerson family. Peter remained in Warren County, married Sarah Hudnall in 1831 and raised his family there.

Decendants of Peter M. Reeves have participated in the Reeves DNA Project and been placed in DNA Group 6.

William Reeves of Madison County, Kentucky

The internet abounds with various inaccurate allegations regarding my Reeves ancestor, William Reeves of Madison County, Kentucky. His parents, his wife and even his residence have been misrepresented in multiple websites. This mass of misinformation has been the motivating factor in my desire to seek out all the available historical documents regarding his life and create an accurate depiction of who he was, where he lived prior to his migration to Kentucky and from which Reeves family he was descended.

The LDS Family Resource Centers offer a wonderful service for genealogical researchers by providing microfilmed copies of the original records from a particular county which can be ordered and “rented” for a small fee. I found it was possible to stay at home in Texas and search all the records of Virginia, Kentucky and North Carolina counties to find the truth of William Reeves.

He has been alleged to have originated in Halifax County VA, Granville County NC and even Warren County NC – all of which are incorrect. The documents filed in Madison County, Kentucky settling his estate in 1821 name his daughters Sarah Geer and Mary Allen along with son John of Wake County, North Carolina. Two sons, Peter and Charles are recorded as being residents of Halifax County, Virginia at that time but Peter who lived until the 1850 census gives North Carolina as his birthplace. Youngest son, Jeremiah of Madison County, Kentucky, also gave North Carolina as his birthplace in the 1850 census which serves to disprove the theory of Halifax, Virginia origins. The colonial tax records of Halifax also have no record of this Reeves’ family. Wake County NC has countless deeds and court records which document his presence there from the county’s inception in 1771. He was, at various times, tax collector, tax assessor and justice of the Wake County Court over a 30 year period until his migration to Kentucky. He is recognized by the DAR as a Revolutionary War Patriot based upon his civil service as a tax assessor in Wake County during the revolution.

The Reeves Review listed William Reeves, the son of James Reeves of Guilford County as the William Reeves who died in Madison County, Kentucky. However, 3 descendants of William Reeves’ son George are placed in DNA Group 6 of the Reeves DNA Project matching descendants of George Reeves of Grayson County, Virginia, while descendants of James Reeves and his father William Reeves of Granville, North Carolina have been identified with DNA Group 3 proving that a close genetic connection between the two families is impossible. A Johnston County deed of 1763 wherein William Reeves conveyed 400 acres on the Neuse River to William Reeves, Jr. establishes the identify of his father but his mother is still unknown.

William Reeves of Wake County, North Carolina and later of Madison County, Kentucky always wrote his name as REVES, as did all of his sons. George Reeves of Grayson County, Virginia and his sons whose decendants DNA matches the descendants of William Reeves also wrote their name REVES. This was not the case with the Granville Reeves family who spelled their name REEVES.

The erroneous references to the wife of this William Reeves as Fortune Rhodes or Millicent are based upon the incorrect assertions of the Reeves Review that he was the son of James Reeves. The only documentation of William Reeves' wife is a Wake County Court Order of December 1791 regarding the removal of Penny Weaver's children from their apprenticeship to John Alston, and ordering that a summons issue for William Reeves and Any his Wife as witnesses for the orphans.

The internet may continue to be rife with the false allegations of the Reeves Review and the other copious sites repeating misinformation, but I have, thanks to the deeds and court records of Wake County compiled a relatively complete profile of my ancestor William Reeves of Madison County, Kentucky:

He lived most of his life before migrating to Kentucky on 400 acres on the south side of the Neuse River and east of Ellerbe’s Creek that his father, William Reeves, Sr. had been granted by Henry McCullough in 1746.

As the county in which that land was designated changed over the next 60 years - he lived in Orange, Johnston and finally Wake County when it was formed in 1771. The pilings of the I-85 bridge on the western side of Falls of the Neuse Lake stand on this property which is currently in Durham County.

He was prominent in the community, serving as a justice of the Wake County Court for approximately 20 years.

We still know little of his wife Anne (Any) except that she was not Fortune Rhodes or Millicent.

His children and the heirs of deceased children are all named in the Madison County, Kentucky deed by his heirs to the youngest son Jeremiah in 1822.

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Other posts pertaining to this family:

The Cumberland Gap
George Reeves of Warren County, Kentucky
Peter Reves of Halifax County, Virginia
The Reves Family of Halifax County, Virginia
George Reeves of Grayson County, Virginia
More Reeves Signatures
A Reeves Fiction - Fortune Rhodes

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Website - William Reeves from Wake County, North Carolina to Madison County, Kentucky

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Who really are the descendants of Henry Reeves?

Henry Reeves, Sr. is presumed to be the immigrant and first of this particular Reeves lineage to be found in the American colonies. He was granted 600 acres on Tigner's Creek on the south side of the Rappahannock River in Old Rappahannock County, Virginia (now Essex County), on January 1, 1666. In 1672, he received a land grant of 150 acres in Nansemond County. He doesn't appear to have remained long in Nansemond, returning to Old Rappahannock County where he died on April 6, 1687, naming all of his children in his 1686 will.

By 1753 when Henry's grandson George Reeves (son of Henry Reeves, Jr.) died, he named various nieces and nephews as legatees. After this 1753 will, there are few probate records for this family to aide in clearly identifying future generations. Four sons of Thomas Reeves, Sr. were mentioned in George's will, Henry, George, Thomas Jr. and John. Of those four, further records can only be found of Thomas, Jr. and John.

George Reeves of Grayson County, Virginia is noted in numerous family trees and websites as being the son of Thomas Reeves of Spotsylvania County, son of Henry Reeves, Jr. Since the DNA of several descendants of George Reeves is a match to members of my own Reeves’ family, I have been searching for some documentation to either prove or disprove these assertions. Three descendants of George Reeves have been placed in Group 6 of the Reeves’ DNA Project along with three descendants of William Reeves of Wake County, North Carolina.

Conversely, a participant in DNA Group 9 which is a completely different lineage, has a pedigree that extends to John Reeves, born circa 1730 in Spotsylvania County, the son of Thomas Reeves, Sr. If the research in this pedigree is accurate which it appears to be, DNA Group 9 is the lineage that descends from Henry Reeves of Essex County.

The three descendants of George Reeves of Grayson County in DNA Group 6 match 34 to 36 markers out of 37 with descendants of William Reeves of Wake County, North Carolina. It is worthy of note that there was a George Reeves living in the Orange/Johnston County area (became Wake in 1771) in close proximity to William Reeves and associated with him in various deeds. Also living in this area and associated with William and George Reeves was Richard Burton, father-in-law of George.

Both Richard Burton and George Reeves sold their property in Johnston County around 1765 which coincides with their appearance in the New River area in 1767. Additionally, a Johnston County court order of July 15, 1766 records Timothy Shaw replacing George Reeves as overseer of the road which was probably the result of George Reeves’ removal from the area.

When documents with signatures by George Reeves of Grayson County or his sons can be found, their surnames are written "Reves" just as William Reeves of Wake County and his sons. This was not the case in the Henry Reeves family.

John Reeves of the Group 9 lineage was named as a legatee in the 1753 will of his uncle George Reeves in Spotsylvania County, Virginia. He is recorded in the land records of Augusta County along with his brother, Thomas Reeves, Jr. from the 1760’s to the 1780’s. After the formation of Rockingham County, he is on the tax lists there in 1792 and his death in 1799 was recorded in Augusta County.

Although George Reeves also named a nephew George, son of his brother Thomas Reeves, in his will, nothing can be found to support a conclusion that George Reeves of Grayson County is that person. From the available extant records and the results of DNA testing, George Reeves of Grayson County is of another Reeves' lineage, not that of Henry Reeves of Essex County.

Posts in this Blog with the latest research and information concerning the family of Henry Reeves of Essex, Virginia

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Essex County's Henry Reeves Family
Thomas Reeves of Woodford County, Kentucky

Up to date listing of the descendants of Henry Reeves, Sr.

The Assorted Reeves of Halifax County, Virginia

In the course of researching my own Reeves family, I found that between 1790 and 1860 there were at least three different Reeves’ family lines and possibly a fourth in Halifax County, Virginia .

The spelling of the surname of the earliest Reeves' family found in Halifax County is usually "Reaves". According to the pension statement of Ashur Reaves (also spelled Asher), taken in Greene County, Ohio on 23 Nov 1832, he was born in Prince William County, Virginia in 1757. He moved from there to Halifax County, Virginia with his family (parents were unnamed) and it was from there he entered the service around 1778. When he returned from that tour of duty, his father had moved to Wilkes County, North Carolina so he then moved there to join his family. From there he served several more tours of duty and after being finally discharged, he returned to Halifax County, Virginia where he married Diana Miller and lived for approximately 16 years.

Before 1800, a George Reaves, Sr. was also recorded in the tax lists of Halifax. His wife is unknown, but George Reaves, Jr., Elijah Reaves (married Elizabeth Wilson) and Polly Reaves (married William Wilson) appear to be some of his children.

It is unknown whether he was related to Ashur or not but there is a George Reaves described as "of Wilkes County, North Carolina" in a Halifax deed dated September 6, 1793 and named as one of the legatees of John Epps, deceased. The connection to Wilkes County, NC for both Ashur and George may indicate that they were of the same Reaves family.

The second Reeves family located in Halifax before 1800 is that of Daniel Reeves who bought land in Halifax County on Deep Bottom Creek in 1797 and sold it in 1799. In Pittsylvania County on 10 Oct 1799, he married Nancy Dodson, but was back in Halifax County in 1807 when he bought 72 acres on Deep Bottom Creek. He is recorded there in the census records from 1820 until his death in 1846.

Daniel Reeves was also listed as Rives repeatedly in the records of Halifax and Pittsylania Counties. His family origins are unknown, but due to the repeated use of the Rives variation of the surname, he may have descended from the Rives in nearby Franklin, Dinwiddie or Brunswick counties of Virginia.

The third known Reeves lineage is that of my own line where three descendants have been placed in DNA Group 6 of the Reeves DNA Project. Within a few years after Peter Reves, the brother of my ggg grandfather George Reves, married Ann “Nancy” Tucker of Lunenburg County, he relocated from Wake County, North Carolina to Halifax where by 1800 he is recorded in the tax lists of that year. By 1801, his brother Charles who had also married into the Tucker family, moved from Wake County to Halifax.

There are countless records in Halifax County of the descendants of these three Reeves' lineages with their surnames constantly mispelled. Unlike many other counties, genealogists are fortunate in that most Halifax marriage records are extant from around 1790 and usually include the parents' names which has been a great benefit in differentiating between these families.

Halifax County is just one of many examples of the pitfalls of assuming that all Reeves in a particular area must be related.


(Photo by Mark Cottrell for Findagrave.)