Reeves, William

Summary

Father:
Mother:

Birth:
Birth Source:

Death: Before 19 January 1698/9, Northumberland Co., VA
Death Source: Court order granting administration

Spouse1:

Narrative

On 19 January 1698/9, Margery Lunseford was granted administration on the estate of William Reeves in Northumberland County. She appeared several times at Northumberland Court as a party to legal suits involving the estate in 1699 and 1700. These suits focus on legal matters between Reeves and Capt. William Jones, Samuel Jones, and William Simpson. Margery's suit on behalf of William Reeves's estate against Capt. William Jones was dismissed on 19 July 1700; thus far, no subsequent references to her or William Reeves have been located.

Margery's connection to Reeves is mysterious. Under normal circumstances, administration would have fallen to Reeves's widow and, after her marriage, to her new husband. Since Margery's Lunseford husband is never mentioned, it would appear that she was a Lunseford widow when she was probating Reeves's estate.

Other than this William Reeves, the only other individual with the same name known to have lived in the area was a William Reeves who appears in Old Rappahannock County (parent county of Richmond and Essex Counties) during the 1660s. That man was a witness to a deed on 22 March 1662 and appeared in other documents between 1662 and 1664. His connection, if any, to other Reeves families found in the area is presently unknown.

Research Notes

There were several Reeves families in the Northern Neck of Virginia between 1650 and 1750. Little is known of this William Reeves. He was not, however, the only Reeves in the area. Thomas Reeves lived in Richmond County, and John Reeves lived in Lancaster County. A Robert Reeves who was a contemporary of this William lived in Northumberland County. Later, George Reeves would also live in Northumberland County. Slightly further afield, the family of Henry Reeves, Sr. lived in Old Rappahannock/Essex County. Across the Rappahannock River in Middlesex County was the large family headed by George Reeves and his four known sons, Thomas, Francis, George, and Charles. DNA analysis establishes, however, that there was no connection between the family of George Reeves and that of Henry Reeves, Sr.. Since descendants of these other Reeves families have not yet been tested, the possibility of kinship between some of them cannot be precluded.

There is also record of a William Reeves who died about this time in neighboring Lancaster County. See Lancaster Co., VA, Order Book 4.

Sources

Northumberland Co., VA, Court Order Book 1699-1713, Part One, pp. 3, 97, 103, 104, 109.
Sparacio, Old Rappahannock Co., VA, Deeds, 1656-1664, Part II, pp. 22, 27, 56, 78.