Reeves, James
Summary
Father: Unknown ReevesMother: Unknown McCauley
Birth: c1804, Orange County, North Carolina
Birth Source: 1820 Census
Death:
Death Source:
Spouse1: Mary Collins, 15 Feb 1825 (bond), Orange County, North Carolina
Narrative
Children of James Reeves and Mary Collins:- Unknown Daughter, b. c1826
- Mary A. Reeves, b. 1829
- Isabella Reeves, b. 1831
- Eliza Reeves, b. 1836
- Nancy Reeves, b. 1839
James Reeves is listed in the 1840 census again in Orange County in the Southern Division with the following household: 1 Male 30-39, 1 Female 0-5, 2 Females 5-9, 2 Females 10-14, 1 Female 40-49.
By 1850, James and Mary Reeves are located in Alamance County with the four daughters named above.
In the past it had been believed that George Reeves, Sr. married a daughter of Col. William McCauley of Hillsboro because he mentioned a grandson in his will named James Reeves and left him a house and lot in Hillsboro. James sold this property under the influence of strong drink to Meredith Adams. He then petitioned the court to have his property restored because he had been swindled. The case went to the North Carolina Supreme Court around 1832.
Various testimony in the case demonstrated that this James was a relative of George Reeves. Frederick Reeves and his son William David Reeves were called upon to testify for him. However, he was not James, the son of George Reeves, Sr. That James Reeves had married Elizabeth Madden in 1805 and moved to Hancock County, Indiana, dying there circa 1849. His signature differs from the James of the lawsuit, grandson of William McCauley, as well. The James who married Mary Collins can be found on the 1850 census of Alamance County in his forties.
(Source - research of Larry Cates as posted on Ancestry.com Reeves message board 11 May 2006.)
Sources
1826 Will of William McCauley, Orange County NC, WB E p971830 Census - Orange County, North Carolina
1840 Census - Southern Division, Orange County, North Carolina
1850 Census - Alamance County, North Carolina