Reeve, Mark

Summary

Father:
Mother:

Birth:
Birth Source:

Death: Nov 1694, New Jersey
Death Source: Will and Estate

Spouse1: Ann Hunt, m. 3 Dec 1686, New Jersey

Narrative

Children of Mark Reeve:

1. Charles Reeve
2. Mark Reeve
3. Joseph Reeve

Mark Reeve was a passenger on the ship Griffin as servant of Edward Champneys. They arrived in Salem on 23 Jun 1675.

The inventory of the estate of Mark Reeve was appraised 19 Nov 1694 and recorded with his will.

From the entry on the Reeve family from History and Genealogy of Fenwick's Colony, New Jersey:

Mark Reeve was another of those early pioneers of America who calculated by his mental endowments and high moral character to give a moral force to the neighborhood wherein he dwelt. He turned his attention more to the religious associations than his intimate friend, William Hall, although the latter is frequently mentioned in the early records of Salem Monthly Meeting, showing that he was a consistent member of the Society of Friends. Mark Reeve, in 1684, married Ann Hunt, of Salem, and on the following year the executors of John Fenwick directed John Woodledge, the deputy surveyor, to lay off sixteen acres of land which Mark Reeve had purchased of them in the town of Cohansey. It is most probable that Mark made that place his home for a short time, but a few years later he purchased a large tract of land on the south side of Cohansey creek, opposite Cohansey (known at the present time as Greenwich). In the year 1705, a four rod road was surveyed from Salem to Maurice river, which, after crossing the Cohansey, passed between James Pierce's and Mark Reeve's land. The Reeve family held large tracts of land in that section for more than a century and a half, but at this time the family have disposed nearly or quite the whole of it. As early as 1698 James Duncan and Mark Reeve made application to Salem Friends for assistance to build a meeting house. There was one erected, having been built of logs, near the banks of the Cohansey, on the main street, where the present brick meeting house now stands. The exact time of Mark Reeve's death does not appear in the records, but circumstances go to show that it was about 1716 or 1717.

Although the above biography mentions records later than 1694, the author appears to have been unaware of either the will of Mark Reeve or the fact that he had a son named Mark. These later records would appear to be references to the son. The following deed abstracts from New Jersey Colonial Records provide further evidence of Mark's death in 1694:
1695 July 15. Do. Samuel HEDGE of Salem Town, gentleman, to the heirs of Marke REEVE of Chohansey River, yeoman, dec'd, for 161 acres on the Back Neck, near the River Tweed in said Co., betw. William DARE and David SHEEPHERD. (DB 5, p487)

1695-6 Feb. 17. Do. George GARRETT of Manneton Creek, Salem Co., husbandman, to John BEESWICK of said Co., bricklayer, for 100 acres on said creek, formerly occupied by Marke REEVE. (DB 6, p40)

1696-7 Jan. 14. Do. William DARE of Cesariae River, Salem Co., mariner, to David SHEEPHERD of the same place, for 50 acres on the South side of said river, in the Back Neck, between grantor and Widow REEVE, part of 800 a. bought of James REED October 1, 1696. (DB 6, p121)

The following entries from Calendar of New Jersey Wills, Vol. I. 1670-1730; Unknown Counties, NJ also establish that Mark died between 6 May 1694 and 5 Jan 1695:
1694 May 6. Johnson, William, of Cesaria River alias Chohansie, tailor; will of. Wife Frances. Sons - Samuel and William, both under age. Real and personal estate. Executor--Mark Reeve. Witnesses - Joseph Estland and Anthony Woodhouse. Recorded January 5, 1694-5.
1694 June 7. Inventory of the personal estate, £53.13; made by Sam'l Hunter and Leonard Berryman.
1694-5 Jan. 5. Mark Reeve, the executor named in the will, having died before it was proved, administration is granted to the widow, Frances Johnson.

Research Notes

The marriage date is listed in various databases as either 7 Sep or 3 Dec.

Sources

Birth:
Marriage:   New Jersey Colonial Documents, Volume XXII, Marriage Records 1665-1800, p320
Death:         History and Genealogy of Fenwick's Colony, New Jersey, published 1876.

1694 Will - Mark Reeve - Salem County, New Jersey, Will Book A, p133
New World Immigrants, p530, excerpt from Memoir of John Fenwicke, Chief Proprietor of Salem Tenth, New Jersey, by Robert G. Johnson, in Proceedings of the New Jersey Historical Society, IV (1849-1850), p61
1876 Publication:   "History and Genealogy of Fenwick's Colony, New Jersey"   page 179 (accessed July 2019)
NEW JERSEY COLONIAL RECORDS, West Jersey Records: Part 10 - Volume 21 Calendar of Records 1664-1703, pp. 611, 613, 617
Calendar of New Jersey Wills, Vol. I. 1670-1730; Unknown Counties, NJ, p265