Reeve, Thomas

Summary

Father: perhaps Mr. Reeve
Mother: Unknown

Birth: 1611, probably in England
Birth Source:

Death: c1665, Southold, Long Island, New York
Death Source:

Spouse1: Mary MNU

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Narrative

Children of Thomas Reeve and Mary MNU:
       1.  Thomas Reeve, Jr.   (See Research Note 1)

1. Thomas Reeve, d. 1682
2. John Reeve, b. c1652-1654
3. Joseph Reeve, b. c1656
4. Hannah Reeve, b. Nov 1657
5. Jonathan Reeve, b. 1659

Thomas Reeve, age 24, sailed from London for St. Christopher, West Indies in 1635 according to English emigration records. Also in this group were William Salmon, 25, and Thomas Terrill, 18.

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 master, 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." (See Osman Deposition for full text)

As Baker explained in his Study of the Reeve Family, "Southold was under the jurisdiction of New Haven from 1641 to 1662. Beginning in the latter year and for a short time thereafter, it was under the Colony of Connecticut. "Goodman" Reeves is referred to once in the New Haven Colonial Records, and once in the records of Connecticut. The New Haven record shows he and several others were appointed in 1660 to evaluate property in Hashamomuck. The Connecticut record shows that in 1662 he was one of 25 Southolders who "accepted to be made free of this Colony," i.e. elected to be made freeman of Connecticut. As only Thomas Reeves shows in Southold Records at these times, we believe that "Goodman" Reeves was Thomas Reeve. He lived at the South end of the Town Street, second easterly from the bridge." (Baker, p342)

Thomas Reeve first appears in Southold Town Records in 1652; an inventory of his lands was entered in 1656. It's believed he owned lands prior to these dates, however, but the original land records of Southold no longer exist. The 1656 inventory shows that his home lot in Southold was between Thomas & Richard Terry in the western end of the village and he also owned property at North Sea, Toms Creek, Old Field, Hog Neck and South Harbor. Later entries in his inventory included land and meadow at Oysterponds, Calves Neck, and Cutchogue, including 220 acres of woodland which he acquired in 1661-2 as a participant in the Cutchogue land dividend, located in present day Mattituck. The latest record of Thomas in Town land records was in 1665, the year he apparently died and "Widow Reeve" appears.

Research Notes

Some have claimed that this Thomas Reeve was actually the husband of Mary Purrier. However, further analysis indicates it was James Reeve. See talk_NY_Southold_Area_Families for past and further analysis of the generations of James's and the connection to the Purrier family.

Historical tradition indicates a close connection between Thomas and James Reeve, perhaps that they were brothers. The Y-DNA of descendants of both James and Thomas match, proving that they were in some way related.

(1)  Son "Thomas Reeve, Jr."
Prior to 24 September 2020 the first son was listed here as Reeve_Thomas_Jr_4224. This is now believed to be incorrect, see Research Notes for Reeve_Thomas_203.

Some researchers in the past have suggested that Walter Reeve of New Jersey was another son of Thomas. However, this has been disproven through YDNA testing. See the Research Notes on his page for further discussion.

Sources

1635 Ship List - Matthew of London
1658 Deposition - Thomas Osman
1660 Case - John Budd, Jr. vs Richard Skidmore - New Haven, Connecticut Colonial Records
1662 Election of Freedom from Connecticut Colony - Connecticut General Assembly Records

FamilySearch - Baker, Wesley L. (1970). Study of the Reeve Family of Southold, Long Island, N. Y...', p342
A history of Mattituck, Long Island, N.Y. by Charles E. Craven, pub. 1906
Long Island Genealogy - Baker, Wesley L. (1969). Study of the Depositions of Thomas Osman, p37