William Reeves of York County, South Carolina

William Reeves who died in York, SC in 1821 was believed to be William Reeves, Jr., son of William Reeves who died in Granville County, North Carolina in 1751. This appears to have been based upon the book The Reeves Review II but seems unrealistic since William Reeves, Jr. would have been approximately 110 years old when he died in 1821 in York County, South Carolina if that were the case. Although that is not impossible, it is certainly unlikely and extremely unusual.

William Reeves, Jr., son of William who died in Granville NC in 1751, is found in the deed records of Edgecombe County from around 1728 until 28 Jun 1758 along with his wife, Hardy. He is last mentioned there in a deed from Samuel Hardy to Thomas Jackson, both of Edgecombe (Halifax) County, which references land adjoining William Reeves and Persimmon Tree Creek. There is no further documentation regarding William Reeves, Jr. and certainly none that record him with any other wife than Hardy whose maiden name is unknown.

William Reeves, Jr. witnessed a Bertie County NC deed from Ralph Mason to his father, William Reeves circa 1728/29. The required age to witness a deed in North Carolina at that time was 14, accordingly William Reeves, Jr. would have been born before 1714. Additionally, in the 1782 tax lists of the Fishing Creek District of Granville County, his brother Malachi Reeves is noted as "Aged" or over 60, whereas William Reeves is not. It is far more likely that a generation was missed and the William Reeves with wife Elizabeth who died in York, South Carolina was a son or nephew of William Reeves, Jr., born circa 1710.

William Reeves, Jr. described as "of Edgecombe County" deeded land to his brother Malachi in 1753 which appears to be the last transaction that definitely pertains to him in Granville County.

The bulk of the documentation found in Granville County regarding this particular William Reeves indicates that he was the son of Malachi Reeves. Malachi was listed with 3 tithes in 1755 in Granville County - himself, William and the negro Jackson. Again in the 1762 tax lists of the Fishing Creek District, sons William and Jonathan are listed with Malachi.

William Reeves received pay for 12 days service in the Granville County Militia under Colonel Robert Harris on March 24, 1769. William Reeves, Jr. would have been approximately 60 years old at this time and it’s doubtful, although not impossible, that he would have served in the militia.

He was listed as a taxpayer in Granville County along with Malachi in 1769 and again in 1771. In 1788, William was a taxpayer in Tabb’s Creek District, Granville County. In August of that year, he and Joseph Hays were added to the hands of Avery Parham to oversee the Bankes Road in Granville County. Again, although not impossible, highly unlikely that an individual approximately 70 years old would be assigned the duties of maintenance on a road crew.

The eight children of William and Elizabeth Reeves as documented in York County Probate Records, Case Nbr. 45, File 1904 (William) and Will Book F, Pgs 225-226 (Elizabeth) are:

1. Hardy Reeves
2. Mary Reeves, m. William Thomasson
3. Willis Reeves
4. Wiley Reeves
5. Tabitha Reeves, m. James B. Glover
6. Elizabeth Reeves, m1. Unknown Glover, m2. James Gaulden, m3. James B. Glover
7. William Reeves, Jr.
8. Lucy Reeves, m. William Glover

Exhaustive research of the Granville County NC tax and deed records, only yield one individual named William Reeves during the years 1755 through 1800 and that person was William Reeves, the son of Malachi Reeves, and it was he who relocated to York County, South Carolina around 1800.

Hanging of a Loyalist Named Reeves

The History of Watauga County, North Carolina contains a story of a Reeves who was associated with the Tory band led by Captain William Riddle in the New River area of North Carolina and Virginia. Since the Reeves family of Grayson County, Virginia/Ashe County, North Carolina are closely related to my own Reeves based upon DNA evidence, whenever I happen upon this story, I have to wonder whether this Reeves belongs to my family. 

Perkins House

The story goes as follows - Col. Benjamin Cleveland of the Wilkes County Militia was captured on the 22nd of April, 1781, while on a visit to his tenant, Jesse Duncan, at the lower end of the Old Fields by Captain William Riddle's Tories. They had stolen horses from Duncan's barn the night before and led them up the south fork of New River into a laurel thicket just above a house about a mile away. Cleveland was ambushed and captured, then taken up New River to the mouth of Elk Creek, and then to "what has since been known as Riddle's Knob", some fourteen miles from Old Fields and in Watauga County. 

There they camped for the night but had been followed by young Daniel Cutbirth and a youth named Walters along with Jesse Duncan, John Shirley, William Calloway, Samuel McQueen and Benjamin Greer. Joseph Calloway mounted a horse and rode to notify Benjamin Cleveland's brother, Captain Robert Cleveland, on Lewis' Fork of the Yadkin. Five of these in advance of Robert's party fired on Riddle's gang at the Wolf's Den early the next morning. With the arrival of Capt. Cleveland, one of the Tories was wounded and the rest escaped, including Riddle's wife Happy. There is still a tradition in the neighborhood of the Wolf's Den that Ben Greer killed or wounded Riddle at that place soon after Cleveland's rescue, one version saying that Riddle was only wounded and then taken to Wilkes and hanged.

The Wolf's Den

 

Soon after Cleveland's rescue, Riddle and his men made a night raid into the Yadkin Valley, where, on King's Creek, they captured two of Cleveland's soldiers, David and John Witherspoon taking them into the mountain region on the Watauga River in what is now Watauga County, There both were sentenced to be shot, when it was proposed that if they would take the oath of allegiance to the king, go to their home and return with "the O'Neal mare — a noble animal" and join Riddle's band, their lives would be spared. The Witherspoons agreed to this and returned with not only the mare, but with Col. Ben Herndon and a party also, when they captured Riddle, Reeves and Goss, "killing and dispersing the others." 

The American Revolution in North Carolina also recounts another version of the rescue of Col. Cleveland as recorded in the 1832 pension statement of Ishmael Titus. The captured Tories were taken to Wilkesboro, court-martialed and executed on the hill adjoining the village on an oak which was said to still be standing in 1881. Other reports indicate that the oak was behind the Wilkes County Courthouse. 

There are various stories recorded of those executed but most agree that it was Capt. Riddle, Reeves and Goss with some versions also including either one or two sons of Riddle. I have yet to find any documentation of the identity of the Reeves individual who was hung with Capt. Riddle at Wilkesboro. If any records of the court martial held at Wilkesboro are extant it might be possible to someday know exactly to which Reeves' family he belongs.

Source: The History of Watauga County, North Carolina by John Preston Author, pub. 1915. Photos from New River Notes

Yet Another George Reeves

I have no fewer than twenty-eight George Reeves’ and thirteen George Rives' in my ancestry tree, and most of them are related to me. However, other Reeves lines had their Georges too. You can imagine how difficult it is to sort them out, especially when multiple Georges from multiple Reeves lines are found living in the same location at the same time. I had hoped that there would be no more George discoveries. Alas, there were.

While researching ancestors in Wayne County, Tennessee, I ran across yet another George Reeves. He was grantor in an 1833 deed conveying land on Hardin’s Creek in Wayne County to James F Carr of Wayne County. The deed refers to him as “George Reeves of Hickman County, Kentucky.” He was present in Wayne County in the 1830 Federal Census with a wife, four sons, and three daughters, and next appears in the 1840 Federal census in Hickman County, Kentucky with five sons, five daughters, and no wife. He was in Ballard County, Kentucky in 1850 and died there in 1857. This George Reeves married Nancy Elizabeth McClure in 1817, probably in Tennessee; Nancy had died by 1840.

According to the 1850 census, George was born in Kentucky in 1793. Some researchers, for reasons unknown to me, believe he was born in South Carolina. Although I have no information about his origins, it is possible that he is connected to the Thomas Reeves who was a significant landowner in Wayne County before 1820; James Reeves, who settled on Green River in Wayne County by 1816; or John Reeves, a first preacher at the Primitive Baptist Church which was founded in 1820.

It seems likely that George, Thomas, James, and John are somehow connected, but I have found nothing to connect them at this time other than proximity which is a poor indicator of kinship.

DNA testing of descendants of this George Reeves would greatly help in determining his origins.

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.

Reeves DNA Group 8 Part 2

See Reeves DNA Group 8 Part 1 post before reading the continuation of the story.

In the following narrative, the names of living DNA participants have been modified to use their initials only.

Group 8 researchers first unraveled the pedigrees of members E B Reeves, J M Reeves, and J F Reeves by learning they descend from George Reeves Sr. b 1716 in Virginia. After years of research, the team documented E B's line back to George Rives b. 1660. E B descends from John Reeves b 1787 SC, son of George Reeves Jr. b 1767 VA, son of George Reeves Sr. b 1716 VA, son of Thomas Rives b 1690, son of George Rives b 1660. Next, Group 8 tackled the lines of J F Reeves, a descendant of Jonathan Reeves b 1788 SC, and J M Reeves , a descendant of James Reeves b 1780 NC. Citing DNA results and additional documentary evidence, researchers concluded that James Reeves and Jonathan Reeves were likely sons of Jordan Reeves b 1747 NC, also son of George Reeves Sr. b 1716 VA, son of Thomas Rives b 1690 VA , son of George Rives b 1660 VA, son of Timothy Rives b 1625 Oxford, England.

Group 8 researchers then turned their attention to C R Rives. His pedigree is found in Herschel Edwin Rives' The Rives and Allied Families of Greene Territory, Illinois: An Account of Rev. James Rives and his Descendants of Greene County, Illinois, 1982. C R is also a descendant of Timothy's son George Rives b 1660 through his son Col. William Rives. As referenced by Reliques: George Rives b 1660, page 77; Col. William Rives, b 1683 VA, page 7; William Rives b 1712 VA, page 153; Thomas Henry Rives b 1735, page 154; William McGuffy Rives b 1767 VA, page 157. The Rives and Allied Families continues the line from William McGuffy Rives as follows: Rev. James Rives b 1807 NC, John Hood Rives b 1826 NC, Andrew J. Rives b 1849 IL, Edwin M. Rives b 1880 IL , Carman M. Rives b 1905 IL, C R Rives.

Group 8 learned that member J D Reeves descends from Timothy's son Timothy Rives b 1670 with most of his line being documented in Reliques. J D's line: Timothy Rives b 1670, page 425; William Rives b 1706, page 652; John Rives b 1736 VA, page 661; Edmund Harris Rives b 1783, page 674; John Harding Rives b 1809 TN, page 678; Capt. Thomas McCrory Rives b 1836 page 679; Guy Kenneth Rives b 1882, page 680; Thomas Hunter Reeves, b 1908, page 680; Larry Dean Reeves, and J D Reeves.

The newest member of Group 8 is K M Reaves. His pedigree is found in The Ryves-Rives-Reaves Families of Europe and America, 1999 by W. Patrick Reaves. W. Patrick is a first cousin of K M's father. They descend from Timothy's son John Rives b. 1667 VA. As referenced by Reliques, K M's line is as follows: John Rives b 1667 VA, page 411; Richard Rives b 1690 VA , page 412; William Rives b 1715 VA, page 415; William b 1748 NC, page 416; William's descendants, page 418. The Ryves-Rives-Reaves Families includes additional documentary evidence for the material in Reliques and continues the line from William b 1748 as follows: Edmond Reaves b 1776 NC, William Emery Reaves b 1798 NC, William McGuire Reaves b 1828 GA, William Patrick Reaves b 1857 AL, William Monroe Reaves b 1882 AL, William Leo Reaves b 1909 AL, K M Reaves.

Group 8 is trying to contact member G A Reeves to learn of his pedigree. Because he is a genetic match to members of Group 8, we know he is a descendant of either George, John or Timothy Rives, sons of Timothy b 1625.

Group 8 seeks participants in the Reeves DNA project

Group 8 is fortunate in that our members are connected genetically and genealogically. Our individual paper trails converge at Timothy, and our genetic relationship and our genealogies confirm and support J. Rives Childs' genealogy of the Rives. We are seeking more participants for the DNA project among Timothy's descendants. If you know a descendant of his sons George, John and Timothy, we hope you will urge him to join.

As described in Reliques, these participants will descend from the following:

George's sons 1) Col. William Rives b 1683, and his sons Benjamin, Timothy, William Foster , George and Robert , 2) Thomas Rives b 1690 and his sons Thomas, George, Joseph, Benjamin and William, and 3) Joseph Reeves b 1698 and his sons Daniel, Reuben, Joseph, Burwell, Frederick, and Isham ;

John's son Richard b 1690 and his sons William, John, Peter, and Richard;

Timothy's sons 1) George b 1698 and his sons John, George, Christopher, and Timothy, 2) Timothy b 1704 and his sons William and Timothy, and 3) William b 1706 and his sons William, John, and Timothy.

Reliques of the Rives is available online on ancestry.com. Sometimes copies can be purchased on eBay or Amazon.com.

The Reeves DNA Project results page is here.

Group 8 lines are also documented on the DNA Group 8 page on The Reeves Project Wiki.