Reeves, Avery

Summary

Father: probably Jonathan Reeves
Mother: probably Nancy Hooker

Birth: c1775, North Carolina
Birth Source: Age 50-59 in 1830 Census

Death: before 1840, Franklin County, Tennessee
Death Source: No census records after 1830 census

Spouse1: possibly Rebecca, died Sept. 1860 in Franklin County, Tennessee

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Narrative

Although THERE IS NOTHING TO DOCUMENT OR PROVE THE IDENTITIES of Avery's children, based upon naming patterns, proximity, age and sex of unnamed children in 1820 and 1830 census along other factors such as the repeated use of the name Avery by descendants, the children of Avery Reeves appear to be:

1. William Reeves, b. 1795
2. Jonathan Reeves, b. c1800
3. Nancy Reeves, b. 5 Apr 1804, m. William C. Handley
4. Sarah Virginia Reeves, b. 25 May 1810, m. James G. Dickey
5. Hance Henderson Reeves, b. c1812

Avery is presumably part of the Reeves family of Granville County NC who had relocated to York County around 1790. He is the most likely candidate to be the Avery Reeves who was bondsman for the marriage of Ruth Reeves to John Sanders in Wake County, North Carolina in September of 1795. The 1790 census of Wake County listed a Jonathan Reeves with five male children at least one of which was over the age of 16 and several daughters. It may well be that both Avery and Ruth were children of Jonathan Reeves who died in Wake County in 1798. Jonathan was the son of Malachi Reeves born circa 1720.

Avery Reeves was a buyer at the estate sale of Allen Reeves on 19 Apr 1808 in York County, South Carolina. In the York County, South Carolina 1810 census, he is recorded there with the following household: Males - 2 under 10; 1 16-25; 1 26-45; Females - 2 under 10; 1 16-25; 1 26-45.

He migrated to Franklin, Tennessee where he, along with an Abner Reeves, is on the 1812 Tax List. It should also be noted that Hance McWhorter is also listed on that 1812 Tax List. Avery is also recorded in the 1820 census there. His household is listed as follows: Males - 1 under 10; 1 10-15; 1 16-25; 1 26-44; Females - 2 10-15; 1 26-44.

He is recorded in Franklin County TN again in the 1830 census when he was listed as 50-59 years of age. His household consists of the following: 1 Male 15-19, 1 Male 20-29, 1 Male 50-59 and 1 Female 50-59.

Mauldin Reeves, the son of Burgess Reeves of this family, was also recorded in the 1820 census in Franklin County. Additionally, there were other Reeves residing in that county at the time whose origins are currently unknown. It should also be noted that John Sanders who married Ruth Reeves, probable sister of Avery, migrated to Franklin County, Tennessee and can be found a few households from Avery Reeves in the 1830 census and is the owner of adjoining property in deed records.

Hance Henderson Reeves who is recorded in the 1840 census of Franklin County, Tennessee where he was listed incorrectly as “Ancil” Reeves was undoubtably a son of Avery Reeves. He was the head of household for a family that included a widowed mother, another male of approximately the same age and several female siblings plus his own young family with several daughters under 10. Hance Reeves named his first son Avery and is probably the son listed as 15 to 19 years of age in Avery's household in the 1830 census.

Jonathan Reeves who was living in Franklin County and listed in the 1840 census with a family in which all of the children were born after 1835 indicating that his marriage would have taken place after 1830 is the most likely candidate for the son 20-29 in Avery's household in 1830.

Another possible son of Avery Reeves is William Reeves, born 13 Jul 1795 in North Carolina, who is first listed in the 1830 census of Franklin County, Tennessee along with Avery. The oldest male child in Avery Reeves' household in 1820 would be the right age for William.

A descendant of Hance Henderson Reeves has participated in the Reeves DNA Project and been placed in DNA Group 3 which descends from William Reeves of Granville County, North Carolina.

Research Notes

One of the witnesses to a Franklin County deed executed by Avery Reeves was Hance McWhorter. Hance McWhorter, later of Gibson County, Tennessee, was the son of Hance McWhorter, Sr. whose daughter Mary married a John Henderson in York County, South Carolina and one of their sons was Hance Henderson.

Rebecca, the youngest daughter of Hance McWhorter, Sr. was supposedly born circa 1775 in South Carolina. There currently seems to be no credible documentation available regarding Rebecca's spouse and she was known to have still been single in 1800 about the time Avery would have arrived in South Carolina. There is a documented connection between Rebecca McWhorter and the Reeves' family in York County, South Carolina for Rebecca was a witness in Nov of 1800 when John Henderson (her brother-in-law) was plaintiff in a suit against Wiley, William and William Reeves, Sr.

Interestingly, the death of a Rebecca Reeves, age 85 and born 1775 in South Carolina, is recorded in the U.S. Federal Census Mortality Schedules Index in Franklin County, Tennessee in Sept. 1860. The name Rebecca is used frequently among the descendants of Avery Reeves.

As descendants from this Reeves' line participate in the new autosomal DNA projects being offered by Ancestry and Family Finder, it will be interesting to see if they find matches to McWhorter and/or Hooker descendants.

Sources

1810 Census - York County, South Carolina
1820 Census - Franklin County, Tennessee
1830 Census - Franklin County, Tennessee