Reeve, Benjamin F.

Summary

Father: Benjamin Reeves
Mother: Mary Crooke

Birth: 17 Oct 1798, Prince William County, Virginia
Birth Source: Biography, year of birth from gravestone at Little Flat Rock Church Cemetery

Death: 18 Jul 1877, Rush County, Indiana
Death Source: Biography

Spouse1: Elizabeth D. Driskell, m. May 21, 1820 in Mason County, Kentucky (bond dated 19 May)
Spouse1: Mrs. Elizabeth B. Parker Tower, m. 30 Apr 1840, Rush County, Indiana

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Narrative

Children of Benjamin F. Reeve and Elizabeth Driskell:

1. George Washington Reeve, b. 4 Jul 1829
2. Francis M. Reeve
3. Martha D. Reeve
4. Sarah D. Reeve
5. Henry C. Reeve
6. Mary E. Reeve
7. John B. Reeve, b. 28 Oct 1834
8. Eliza Matilda Reeve, b. 10 Nov 1837

Children of Benjamin F. Reeve and Elizabeth Parker:

1. Ann P. Reeve
2. Hester H. W. Reeve, b. 30 Nov 1843
3. Infant Son Reeve, d. 24 Sep 1847
4. Benjamin F. Reeve, b. 14 Oct 1848
5. Nancy Jane Reeve, b. 30 Aug 1851

There were also 3 children who died in infancy born to Benjamin's second marriage.

Benjamin F. Reeve, the pioneer school teacher in Noble township, served the district in both the upper and lower houses of the state legislature and also served for many years as justice of the peace in and for his home township.¹

REEVE ELDER BENJAMIN F., (deceased). It is a act worthy of consideration that nearly all of the eminent men of this country have struggled up from obscurity to fortune, position and fame. Here industry, talent and genius secure the highest rewards of life. In a word, the true nobility -nature's rulers - God's noblemen - come to the front and the people recognize them. They make our laws, shape our institutions and free the minds of the masses from the debris of ancient ignorance that would other wise trammel its intellectual development. Among this class of men stood Benjamin F. Reeve. The family are of English descent, having crossed the Atlantic at an early day and settled in Virginia, where Asa Reeve, the grandfather of the subject of this sketch, was born and grew to manhood, was married and raised his family, removing afterward to Fleming County, Ky., where he died about 1817, at an advanced age. Mr. Reeve's father's name was also Benjamin, and he was born in Virginia about 1760, where he was married to Miss Mary Crook, the daughter of Hezekiah Crook, natives of Virginia. By this marriage were born seven children, as follows: Elizabeth, Susan, Fanny, Thomas, Benjamin F., John and Reason Reeve, all of whom are dead. The subject of this biography was born in Prince William County Va., October 17, 1789 (sic 1798), where he lived until he was 6 years old, when his parents moved from Virginia to Mason County, Ky., and settled six miles below Maysville near the Ohio River. Here his father died in 1830, at the age of 70, his wife having died a few years previous. Benjamin F. received in his youth a good English education, which enabled him to fill with credit the many honorable positions he occupied through life. He was married in Mason County, Ky., May 21, 1820, to Elizabeth D. Driskell, daughter of Adam and Sarah (Shockley) Driskell, to whom were born eight children, viz., George W., Francis M. (deceased), Martha D., Sarah D., Henry C., Mary E., John B. and Eliza M. Reeve. In 1833, he moved to this county and settled in Noble Township, where he arrived March 23 of that year. Here the devoted wife and loving mother died October 17, 1839, casting a shadow over the lives of those she loved in life and which time alone could dispel. He married for his second wife Elizabeth B. Tower, the widow of John Tower, and the daughter of North and Clarissa (Highbee) Parker, all of whom were pioneers of Rush County. Mrs. Reeve was born in Jessamine County, Ky., June 7, 1816, came to this county when a girl, where she grew up and was married to John Tower, November 13,1834, by whom she had two children, both of whom died in infancy. Mr. Reeve was the father of seven children by this marriage, viz., Ann P. (deceased), Hester H. W., Benjamin F., Nancy J. and three died in infancy. His wife became a member of the Christian Church in 1832, and still adheres to that faith. Mr. Reeve followed teaching as an occupation for fifteen years, in which profession the greatest success attended his labors, having turned out more of his scholars as teachers for the time engaged than any person who has ever taught in Rush County; and many of the best citizens of the county owe all they are to his strict moral teaching in school and church. He was ordained an Elder of the Christian Church in 1832, which position he always filled with honor and success. He was a good logical speaker, and his arguments were plain and convincing, His hatred of deception, fraud and hypocrisy was known of all men. His impulses, always earnest, were usually in the right direction. The fixed determination with which he prosecuted every purpose in life, and the fidelity with which he discharged every trust committed to his care will remain through all time as a conspicuous example to those who come after him. He had the respect and confidence of the people of Rush County, which they expressed by electing him to a seat in both the House and Senate of the State. During five sessions, he held a seat in the State Legislature-two terms in the House, from 1836 to 1838, and three years in the Senate, from 1841 to 1844. He was one of the Board of Managers of the Whitewater Canal, and a Director of the Northwestern Christian University, and was Justice of the Peace in Noble Township twenty-eight years. He was a thoughtful, well-read man, of a practical turn of mind. A man whom every one trusted and revered. He died at his home in Noble Township July 18, 1877, in the 79th year of his age, dying as he had lived, a kind, Christian man. By his death, Rush County lost one of its foremost citizens, the nation a patriot, education a firm defender and patron, the church an exemplary Christian, and the family a kind and loving protector.

Research Notes

Note that the above biography states he was born 17 Oct, whereas his headstone states 28 Oct. There is an infant son, d. 24 Sep 1847, in the same cemetery where B. F. is buried.

Sources

Marriage1:  Kentucky, County Marriages, 1797-1954 (bond) (FamilySearch)
Marriage2:  Indiana Marriages, 1811-2007 (FamilySearch)
Death:        Headstone, Little Flat Rock Christian Church Cemetery, New Salem, Rush County, Indiana

1830 Census:  Mason County, Kentucky
1840 Census:  Rush County, Indiana (B F Reeve)
1850 Census:  Rush County, Indiana
1860 Census:  Rush County, Indiana (indexed as Reece)
1870 Census:  Rush County, Indiana

¹Genealogy Trails, Rush County Townships & Villages
Rush County, Indiana, Historical Atlas, 1879

A long biography of Benjamin F. Reeve, as well as an assessment of his theological significance, may be found at: Evans, Madison. Biographical Sketches of Pioneer Preachers of Indiana, pp. 374-385