Reeve, Hiram

Summary

Father: Zadoc Reeve
Mother: Mary M. Colton

Birth: 26 Jan 1832, Vigo County, Indiana
Birth Source: Obituary, Census, Headstone

Death: 17 Jan 1909, California
Death Source: Obituary, Death Index

Spouse1: Elizabeth Reeve, m. 14 Feb 1860, Vigo County, Indiana

Narrative

Children of Hiram Reeve and Elizabeth Reeve:

1. Alonzo Reeve, b. c1863
2. Edna Bell Reeve, b. c1864
3. Carlton Reeve, b. c1867
4. Cory Reeve, b. c1867
5. Myrtle Reeve, b. c1872
6. Zadoc Earl Reeve, b. 9 Feb 1877

There was a Jane Reeves (b. c1802) living with Hiram and Elizabeth in 1860. This must be the widowed mother of Elizabeth.

There is a family Bible that probably belonged to Elizabeth as it contains information on her side of the family. It seems to indicate their children were Carl (1867), Alonza (b. 1861, d. 2 Jan 1932), Belle (b. 1863, d. 4 Dec 1947), Myrtle (1871), Cora (1869) and Earl Reeve (no date). However, a Gracie (b. 1896) is listed in the middle of the list and it would seem Earl may have been in place of Carl, so this latter part of the list may not be exact.

In 1870, in addition to his children Alonzo (7), Edna B. (6), Carlton (3), and Cory (1), an Elias (27) and Amos (20) Reeve(s) were living with him.

The Great Bend Register, 25 Sep 1902
Hiram Reeve and wife left this morning for their home at Independence after a week's visit with Mr. Reeve's sister, Mrs. J. W. Holloway. They stopped here on their way home from a ten months outing in California.

The Kincaid Dispatch, 18 Sep 1903
Hiram Reeve of Independence, Kas., and Carlton Reeve of Benica, Mich., were here last week on a visit to their cousin, E. Reeve.

South Kansas Tribune, 2 Nov 1904
Hiram Reeve tells us he will move to California in about three weeks. He will have a sale on the tenth of this month.

The family bible indicates Hiram died 22 Dec 1908. This is in contrast to his obituary and the California death Index.

South Kansas Tribune, 27 Jan 1909
Death of Hiram Reeve.
Hiram Reeve was born Jan. 26, 1832, in Vigo county, Indiana, where he grew to manhood. On Feb. 14, 1859, he was united in marriage to Miss Elizabeth Reeves of Terre Haute, in the same State. Having learned the carpenter trade, he worked at his bench until the beginning of the Civil war.
Failing to pass the physical examination when he offered his services to his country, he returned to the vocation of his youth and again became a farmer.
In 1880 with his family he migrated to Kansas in wagons, bringing his farm implements and household goods with him. He bought 80 acres of raw land near Gravel Hill school house, which he improved and made his home until Nov. 14, 1904, when he sold his farm and other property and with his wife followed their children to Vallijo, Calif.
Here he bought lots, built a home and resided in this place until his death, which occurred Jan. 17, 1909.
He was a loving husband, a kind father, an honest neighbor and a loyal citizen. He leaves a wife, two sons, Alonzo Reeve and Carl Reeve, of 328 Nebraska street, and three daughters, Mrs. Dr. A. W. Hitchcock, of 814 Florida street; Miss Cora Reeve, of 326 Nebraska street, and Mrs. J. G. Walker of 332 Fifty-third street, Oakland, Calif., to mourn his departure. The remains were laid to rest in "The Hillside" cemetery.

A. Reeve was granted letters of administration on the estate of Hiram Reeve on 27 Dec 1909.

The following biography was included in History of Montgomery county, Kansas:

HIRAM REEVE, a native of Vigo countv, Ind., was born January 26th, 1832, and lived there until he came to Montgomery county, Kansas, in the fall of 1880 and located upon a farm of eighty acres in section 6-32-16. He came to Kansas with a team and a family, which consisted of a wife and six children. He erected the dwelling and barn which are now on the place, and set out an orchard of many varieties of fruit trees, and made many other improvements.
At the beginning of the Civil War he was rejected for physical reasons — on account of poor teeth.
Hiram Reeve was a son of Zadoc Reeve, a native of New England. The father lived in his native state until his marriage, when he went to Evansville. Ind., and there worked for a number of years as a ship carpenter. Then he bought a farm in Vigo county, and there spent the remainder of his life. His father was Elias Reeve, a native of New York, and was of English descent. His mother's maiden name was Mary Colton. She was a native of New England, and a daughter of Nathan Colton, also of New England birth.
The children of Elias and Mary Reeve were: David, Lovica Holloway, of Great Bend, Kansas; Minerva Coltrin, of Indiana; Hiram, our subject; Mary Haymaker, of Indiana, who lives on the old homestead, and George. Hiram Reeve married Elizabeth Reeves, a native of Vigo county, Ind., and a daughter of John and Jane (Carico) Reeves.
The greater part of the life of Mr. Reeve has been spent on the farm, where he has been most successful as a tiller of the soil. He is well known for his strict attention to business, his honesty and integrity. For some time he served as a member of the school board, always performing his duty to the best of his ability, and for the best welfare of the school.
The family consists of six children: Alonzo, of California; Belle Hitchcock, of Los Angeles, Cal., who has one child, Raymond Leon; Carleton, of California; Cora, and Myrtle Walker, both of Montgomery county; the latter having two children living: Stella and Loyd - Earl, another child, died at the age of 18 years.

Research Notes

Although his headstone says he died in 1908, the California death index states 1909. The Death Index fits with his obituary.

Sources

Marriage1:  FamilySearch - Indiana Marriages, 1811-2019
Death:        FamilySearch - California Death Index, 1905-1939
Burial:       Findagrave - Hillside Cemetery, Vallejo, Solano County, California

1850 Census:  Lost Creek, Vigo County, Indiana
1860 Census:  Terre Haute, Vigo County, Indiana
1870 Census:  Lost Creek, Vigo County, Indiana
1880 Census:  Lost Creek, Vigo County, Indiana
1900 Census:  Sycamore, Montgomery County, Kansas

Solana County, California Letters Testamentary, Vol. 5, p342
Elizabeth Reeves Family Bible
The Great Bend Register, 25 Sep 1902
The Kincaid Dispatch, 18 Sep 1903
South Kansas Tribune, 2 Nov 1904
Obituary, South Kansas Tribune, 27 Jan 1909
Duncan, L. Wallace. (1903). History of Montgomery county, Kansas, p699