Reeve, James

Summary

Father: perhaps Mr. Reeve
Mother: Unknown

Birth: c1610-1616, England
Birth Source: Estimated from first appearance as adult in 1636.

Death: aft 1657
Death Source: Osman Declaration

Spouse1: Mary Purrier

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Narrative

Children of James Reeve and Mary Purrier:

1. James Reeve, b. c1640s
2. William Reeve, b. c1648
3. Isaac Reeve
4. Mary Reeve, m. Thomas Terrill

The book "Southold Town - 1636-1939- The Oldest English Town in the State of New York" was presented by the official town historian Wayland Jefferson and bears the authorization of the town supervisor, S. Wentwood Horton (later a state senator). It included a "deposicion" (deposition) sworn to by Thomas Osman on March 18, 1658, in the presence of Barnabas Horton and Thomas Moore, all three of whom are known to have been here at that time. The purpose of the deposition was to establish ownership of land in an area called Hashamomock, east of Hashamomock Pond and west of what is now Greenport. In 1636 Osman was living in Antigua, an island in a Caribbean archipelago then called the Summer Isles. He said he and William Purrier, his future father-in-law, and James Reeve, who became his brother-in-law, 'did go adventuring' that year to the 'Chowan country' of North Carolina in quest of turpentine, a valuable commodity then known as spirits of resin.

The Chowan country, they soon discovered, was already alive with other Englishmen also looking for turpentine, which was obtained by making incisions in the trunks of pine trees and distilling the resin that exuded from them. The trio ran into a Thomas Reeve, who was with William Salmon, Thomas Terrill, Thomas Benedict, Henry Whitney "and others who had come hither from ye Summer Isles".

Discouraged by the competition, the whole party "did set sale" with Matthew Sunderland (how they met him is not explained) "to the country the said Sunderland had from his mater, one James Farrett, by letter patent from ye Earle of Starlinge. And ye said Osman does further depose that ye said company with others whose names he has forgotten did set downe on ye necke called Hashamomock and did ingage in distillinge sperrits resin from ye trees in ye greate swampe and further Sunderland, Salmon, Whitney and Benedict did from ye beginning owne ye said necke in equal shares and did so from our first sitting downe in ye yeare 1636-7". (Hall, p. 18)

Analysis done by Wesley Baker and others on this family incdicate that this eldest James Reeve was the husband of Mary Purrier. Her father William Purrier refers to "my Eldest Daughter, Mary Reeve" along with another daughter Martha Osman who would be the wife of Thomas Osman from the Osman Deposition. He additionally mentioned an Isaac Reeve "who now lives with me,"Thomas Terrill that Marryed my GrandDaughter, Mary Reeve," and "James Reeve, my GrandSonne, now living wth me" whom he appointed as administrator of his will.

Although William is not referred to in Purrier's will, he is mentioned as a brother in the will of his son James.

Research Notes

This James was formerly conflated with his son James. See talk_NY_Southold_Area_Families for past and further analysis of the generations of James's and the connection to the Purrier family.

Sources

1658 Deposition - Thomas Osman
1671 Will - William Purrier - New York Wills Liber 1, p224

FamilySearch - Baker, Wesley L. (1970). Study of the Reeve Family of Southold, Long Island, N. Y...'
Hall, Warren, Pagans, Puritans, Patriots - Yesterday's Southold - a Bicentennial Flashback.
A history of Mattituck, Long Island, N.Y. by Charles E. Craven, pub. 1906