Reeves, John

Summary

Father:
Mother:

Birth: c1798
Birth Source: Census, see Research Note 1.

Death: c1873
Death Source: FreeBMD & Census

Spouse1: Frances/Fanny ROBERTS

Narrative

Nothing is presently known about John's early life. In census returns, John is consistent that his place of birth was Bishop's Cleeve, Gloucestershire.

It is likely that this is the John REEVES who married Fanny ROBERTS by Banns at the Parish Church of St John the Baptist, Beckford in October 1836.
No issue of this marriage has yet been identified.

On the 1841 census taken on 6 June, John and Fanny Reeve are living in the small hamlet of Bangrove/Bengrove in the parish of Beckford, where they remain all their married lives. His age is given as 35 and he is working as an Agricultural Labourer. The enumeration notes he was NOT born within county (Gloucestershire), which is contrary to the three subsequent census returns.

At the time of the 1851 census, on 30 March, John and Frances are enumerated in Bengrove under the surname Reeves. He indicates he is 47 years old (so perhaps born c1804 but see Research Note 1.) and that he was born in the nearby parish of Bishop's Cleeve, Gloucestershire and that his wife was born on Overbury, Worcestershire, which is adjacent to GB_GLS_Beckford. Both are employed as Agricultural Labourers.

A decade later and the 1861 census shows John and Frances Reeve again in Bengrove. He is now 57 years old. Frances's age is given as 48 (sic) and her place of birth is Conderton, Worcestershire which is adjacent to Overbury and both are within the same parish.

On the 1871 census John Reeve is shown as being 73 years old, which places his birth closer to 1798. See Research Note 1.

At the time of the 1881 census, Fanny Reeve appears as a Widow at Bengrove.

There are two death registrations in FreeBMD which might match our subject. The death of John REEVES during the first quarter of 1873 at the age of 74 is a better match to a birth around 1798 than the death of John REEVE during the first quarter of 1874 at the age of 73. Both are registered in the Winchcomb Registration District. See Research Note 2.

Research Notes

(1) The 1851 and 1861 census suggest John was born around 1804. As already noted the 1871 census points to an earlier date of around 1798. Since the 1871 census was the closest to his death, a stronger correlation between his age at date and his age in 1871 might be expected.

(2) FamilySearch has two baptisms at Bishops Cleeve which are worth further investigation

• John REEVES in May 1798 https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:NLT5-LQH
  The Bishop's Transcript of the Parish Regsiter (from Ancestry) shows him to be the son of Edward and Mary Reeves of Cleeve.
• John REEVE in January 1800 https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:NYJH-3YT
  The BT shows this John to be the son of Richard and Mary Reeve of Gotherington. Gotherington is a hamlet in the north of the parish of Bishop's Cleeve.

Sources

Birth:       
Baptism:  
Marriage: Marriage Register Transcript at The Genealogist
Death:     
                 
1841 Census: HO107, Piece 0368, Book 9, Folio 16 reverse, Page 1, last household
1851 Census: HO107, Piece 1971, Folio 296 face, Page 24, Schedule 8
1861 Census: RG9, Piece 1793, Folio 93 face, Page 21, Schedule 6
1871 Census: RG10, Piece 2658, Folio 33 face, Page 23, Schedule 113
1881 Census: RG11, Piece 2565, Folio 88 face, Page 19, Schedule 3 - Widow Fanny HOH