Reeves, John

Summary

Father: William Reeves
Mother: Margaret

Birth: 13 May 1795, South Carolina
Birth Source: Headstone

Death: 21 Nov 1877, Bond Co., Illinois
Death Source: Headstone

Spouse1: Nancy Harper

Narrative

Children of John Reeves and Nancy Harper:

1. Robert Maury Reeves, b. 1825
2. William Berney/Bernay Reeves, b. 1828
3. George Washington Reeves, b. 1830
4. Margaret Ann Seveny Reeves, b. 1832
5. Sarah Ann Reeves, b. 1834
6. James Clark Reeves, b. 1836
7. John Sterling Reeves, b. 1838
8. Thomas Lockart Reeves, b. 1840
9. Timothy Jefferson Reeves, b. 1843

John Reeves enlisted 28 Sep 1814 in the company commanded by Capt. Robert Evans; in Col. Robert Dyer's Regiment of volunteer mounted gunmen; in General Coffee's Brigade. Most of these men came from Williamson County, Tennessee. The records show that Corporal Reeves received an honorable discharge at Columbia, Tennessee on the last day of February or the first day of March 1815. Pension claim states that John Reeves, age 75, of Bond County, Illinois, was married to Nancy Harper 8 Jun 1824 in Dickson County, Tennessee. It also shows that in 1850, he had been living in Tishamingo County, Mississippi, and in 155, in Grayson County, Texas. It also states that his War of 1812 service was served as a substitute for a G. Reeves and that he enlisted in Davidson County, Tennessee.

He was married to Nancy Harper on 8 June 1824 in Dickson County, Tennessee when he was 29 years of age.

In 1828, John and Nancy Reeves and their two sons, Robert Maury (age 3 years) and William Berney (less than 1 year old) were members of a party of people who moved from Maury County Tennessee (SW of Nashville) to Bond County Illinois. Other members of this party were William and Nancy (Lee) Harper, (Nancy was a first cousin to Robert E Lee); Thomas L and James Sterling Harper, brothers of William Harper; and Elisha P and Nancy (Reeves) Matthews. Nancy Reeves Matthews was a sister to John Reeves and Nancy Lee Harper was a sister to the Harper brothers, therefore the three couples were intermarried. Soon after their arrival, a son Elisha P Matthews, Jr., was born (October 1828) to the Matthews couple in Greenville, Bond County Illinois. James Sterling Harper subsequently returned to Tennessee. The three couple elected to settle in the eastern part of Bond County, later to be known as Pleasant Mound Township. John Reeves and Elisha Matthews settled in Section 23 while William Harper chose a site in the adjoining Section 22 to the west. These home sites were heavily timbered so each party also took out claims to prairie land approximately 2 1/2 miles to the southwest. John Reeves so claimed 80 acres of such prairie in the SW corner of Section 27. These original claims were filed with the Federal Land Office in Edwardsville, Illinois.

Seven more children (5 boys and 2 girls) were born to John and Nancy Reeves after they settled in Bond County, but two of them died in infancy. Since there were as yet no churches in the area, Divine Services were regularly held in the Reeves home.

In 1846, John Reeves deeded land in the NW quarter of Section 23 for a school house. This crude structure was made of logs and contained no glass windows but mere openings for the light to enter. The floor was dirt but the structure did contain a brick fireplace. This was one of the first school houses in the eastern part of the county.

Apparently neither John nor Nancy Reeves received much formal education during the earlier part of their own lives since documents reflect their "X" mark in lieu of a signature.

The village of Fairview (Pleasant Mound) was surveyed by R.K. Dewey on 28 January 1857 for the proprietors, Elisha Matthews and John Reeves.

Two of John and Nancy Reeves' sons, William Berney and James Clark, were gone for four years (1861-1865) while serving in the Union Army during the Civil War. Nancy Reeves passed away on 31 Mar 1869, at the age of 66 years. John Reeves lived to the ripe old age of 82 years, 6 months,and 8 days. He died of Typhoid Pneumonia on Wednesday, 21 Nov 1877 and was buried the following day along side his wife in Maxey Cemetery. His burial date was one week before Thanksgiving. In May 1964 a marker was unveiled at his grave site in commemoration of his service in the War of 1812.

The original Reeves homestead remained in the Reeves family for four generations, until it was sold in September of 1972 by Mervin F. Reeves.

Sources

Headstone, Maxey Cemetery, Bond County, Illinois

1830 Census:  Bond County, Illinois
1840 Census:  Bond County, Illinois
1850 Census:  Bond County, Illinois
1870 Census:  Bond County, Illinois

War of 1812 Pension claim by John Reeves, 14011, Cert #9260 (Fold3)