Reeves, James Albert

Summary

Father: Asa Reeves
Mother: Lucinda Joslen

Birth: 20 Dec 1841, Brown County, Ohio
Birth Source: Article from 1944

Death: 28 Mar 1869, Nashville, Indiana
Death Source: Article from 1944

Spouse1: Sarah F. K. Dew, m. 21 Sep 1865, Brown County, Indiana

Narrative

Children of James Albert Reeves and Sarah F. K. Dew:

1. Annie Lucinda Reeves, b. 8 Jul 1867

The following article appeared in The Indianapolis Star on 20 Aug 1944. It mentions Newton Reeves of Bartholomew County, Indiana as a recently deceased brother and also names his father Asa Reeves.

DOWN IN THE HILLS
O' Brown County
By Frank M. Hohenberger

Through the Years Public-Spirited citizens have been interested in having the walls of Brown county courtroom decorated with portraits of men who have served as judges of the court, also numerous attorneys. At this time the following ex-judges are represented: William H. Wicks, James S. Hester, Francis T. Hord, Richard L. Coffey, Fremont Miller and A. C. Downey; also these attorneys: William Waltman, Anderson Percifield and William Browning. In the auditor's office there is a large lithograph of Maj. Gen. Jacob Brown, of the War of 1812, for whom this county was named.
Recenty there has been a movement on foot to locate a photograph of another Brown county legal light, James Albert Reeves, the soldier-lawyer, and it was found by W. C. Duncan, the Columbus attorney, a native of this county. A copy of the original, which was sent to Mr. Reeves's mother during the Civil War, accompanies this story. Plans are to have an enlarged copy made to hang with the group of pictures, a few of which were presented by relatives.

War Record.
Records of the War Department at Washington show that James A. Reeves enrolled Aug. 9, 1862, at Nashville, Ind.; was mustered into service Aug. 30, 1862, at Madison, Ind., as a private of Company H, 82d Regiment, Indiana Infantry, and was mustered out with the company and honorably discharged June 6, 1865, near Washington, a first sergeant.
Such is Mr. Reeves's brief record of the army service in the war between the states which covered the period of almost three years' time, and it gives little or no intimation as to the hardships, exposure to disease and death which this young Brown county solder endured from 1862 to 1865. The facts are more definitely stated that he incurred both smallpox and measles, also incipient tuberculosis. That he was in many battles is attested by the 24 bullet holes which were in the army pack he carried. A minie ball fired at close range grazed so close to an eye as to destroy the sight without seriously disfigured its appearance.

Family History.
The family history shows that James A. Reeves was born in Brown county, Ohio., Dec. 20, 1841, and moved with his father's family to the southern part of this county in 1847, locating along Gravel creek. This tract of land is now incorporated in the Brown county state park area. He was the son of an early and well-known pioneer citizen, better known as Asa Reeves.
Notwithstanding the brevity of public schools in Brown county, in that pioneer day, which was from two to three months, of four months in the maximum, throughout the period of time between the location of the family in Brown county and his enlistment in the army, he acquired a practical and useful education. He is reputed to have taught school and must have pursued methods of personal application not unlike those which characterized Abraham Lincoln, Andrew Johnson, Andrew Jackson, and many others whose youths preceded his a few years. That he had thus in some way acquired a good practical, if not a liberal education, is further attested by the fact that soon after his discharge from the army he entered upon the study of law in the office of the late James S. Hester, in Nashville.

Elected District Attorney.
It appears that in this chosen profession he became proficient enough to be elected district attorney for the counties of Brown and Johnson. It was while he was serving in this capacity that W. C. Duncan saw him upon one or two occasions in court. Mr. Duncan heard Judge Hester say that young Mr. Reeves had a wonderful mind for the acquisition of legal knowledge.
Mr. Reeves was married on Sept., 21, 1865, to Sarah F. K. Dew, daughter of John L. Dew of Nashville, and on July 8, 1867, there was born to this union a girl named Annie Lucinda Reeves. Due to great exposure during his army service, he suffered for some time with tuberculosis before his death on March 28, 1869, at Nashville. Thus, in the prime of his youth and bright prospects, being less than 28 years of age, and, although the war in which he had served so long and so well had been over for some four years, his life was sacrificed for his country. His grave, in Greenlawn cemetery, bears a government maker. A brother, Newton, died at Waynesville, Bartholomew county, several years ago.

Research Notes

Sources

Birth:          See Article "DOWN IN THE HILLS"
Marriage1:  FamilySearch - Indiana Marriages, 1811-2019
Death:        See Article "DOWN IN THE HILLS"
Burial:       Findagrave - Greenlawn Cemetery, Nashville, Brown County, Indiana

1850 Census:  Johnson Township, Brown County, Indiana
1860 Census:  Johnson Township, Brown County, Indiana

Article "DOWN IN THE HILLS" from The Indianapolis Star (Indianapolis, Indiana), 20 Aug 1944