Reeves, Jeremiah

Summary

Father: William Reeves
Mother: Anne

Birth: c 1782, Wake County, North Carolina
Birth Source: Deed by Heirs of William Reeves; age and place of birth from 1850 Census, Madison County, Kentucky

Death: aft 1860, Estill County, Kentucky
Death Source: No records after 1860 Census of Estill County, KY

Spouse1 Deborah Lanham, m. 17 Jan 1805, Madison County, Kentucky

Narrative

Children of Jeremiah & Deborah Lanham Reeves:

1. William S. Reeves
2. Stephen Reeves
3. Martha Reeves "Patsey"
4. Harvey Reeves
5. Elizabeth Reeves
6. Rittie Ann Reves
7. Jeremiah M. Reves

Jeremiah Reeves, the youngest of William Reeves' children, followed his brother George' migration from North Carolina to Madison County, Kentucky around 1802. George is documented as marrying in Madison County KY in January, 1801. Jeremiah isn't recorded in Madison County until the 1803 tax listing although he was probably there by 1802 for his brother George is recorded with 2 white male tithes over 21 years of age that year. It appears that Jeremiah may have remained with his relative George Reeves in Grayson County, Virginia during the year 1801 as he traveled from North Carolina to Kentucky for he is listed with his Reeves' relatives on the Grayson VA 1801 tax list.

By January of 1805, Jeremiah married Deborah Lanham whose family had migrated from Maryland to Ft. Boonesborough much earlier.

Of interest is the fact that Jeremiah is again listed on the Grayson VA tax list of 1811 which may be an indication that he returned to assist the family when George Reeves died in 1811.

At the time of William Reeves' death, Jeremiah and his young family had settled not far away in Rockcastle County, Kentucky because he is listed as "of Rockcastle County" in a deed recorded in Madison County on 24th of October 1822. In the deed listed as Reeves Heirs to Reeves, all of the children of William Reeves along with the heirs of Sarah Reeves Geer of Wake County, NC who had died prior to that date, sell their interest in William Reeves land on Otter and Muddy Creeks in Madison County to Jeremiah. This deed is recorded in Deed Book Q, Pages 7 to 9.

A previously unidentified daughter, Martha Reeves wife of Isaac N. Adams, has now been documented to be the daughter of Jeremiah Reeves and Deborah Lanham of Madison County, Kentucky. One of their descendants has been in contact with other family members and located the family bible of Isaac N. Adams which records "Isaac N. Adams, son of John and Susannah Adams was maried (sic) to Patsy Reves daughter of Jeremiah & Deborah Reves December the 4th A.D. 1834".

Jeremiah returned to Madison County after 1822 and is found there in census records until 1860 when he and Debby were living in neighboring Estill County in the household next to their daughter Elizabeth and Jefferson Reeves. Jeremiah cannot be found in any subsequent census records so it is presumed that he died sometime between 1860 and 1870 in Estill County. To further confirm that his death occurred before 1870 his apparent widow, 85 year old Debbie Reeves, is recorded in the household of son-in-law Jefferson Reeves in the census of that year.

Sources

Kentucky Marriages, 1802-1850, online database at Ancestry.com
Deed by Heirs of William Reeves, Madison County KY Deed Book Q, p. 7-9
Family Bible of Isaac N. Adams
1810 Census - Madison County, Kentucky
1820 Census - Rockcastle County, Kentucky
1830 Census - Eastern Division, Madison County, Kentucky
1840 Census - Eastern Division, Madison County, Kentucky
1850 Census - District 2, Madison, Kentucky
1860 Census - Estill County, Kentucky
1870 Census - Estill County, Kentucky (HOH Jefferson Reeves)
Tax Lists of Grayson County, Virginia
Tax Lists of Madison County, Kentucky