Loftin Reeves

Summary

Father: Probably John Reeves
Mother: Probably Sarah MNU

Birth: 1792, South Carolina
Birth Source: Census records and second wife's application for pension for his War of 1812 service

Death: 21 Nov 1879, Clay County, Alabama
Death Source: War of 1812 file of Elizabeth Johnson Reeves' widow's pension and probate documents of Clay County, Alabama

Spouse1: Nancy Elizabeth Jeans, m. 13 Jan 1820 in Jackson County, Georgia
Spouse2. Elizabeth Johnson, m. 11 Nov 1855 in Randolph County, Alabama

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Narrative

Children of Loftin Reeves and Nancy Jeans:

1. James M. Reeves, b. 4 Nov 1823
2. Burgess Reeves, b. 1826
3. Wiley Reeves, b. 5 May 1827, d. 1900 Clay County, Alabama
4. Matilda Reeves, b. 1831, d. 1902 Panola County , Texas, m. Dempsey Morris
5. A. J. Reeves, b. c1830, living in Talladega County, Alabama in 1879
6. Nancy C. Reeves, b 1834, m. Newton Abner
7. Mary E. Reeves, b. 1836
8. Louisa Reeves, b. 1840, m. John Oliver Perry
9. Lucinda Reeves, b. 1841
10. Malinda Reeves, b. 1843, m. Caleb Hall
11. William H. Reeves, b. 1845

Possible Child of Loftin Reeves and Elizabeth Johnson:

1. Arminda Abner Reeves, b. 1858, m. James Johnson

The parents of Loftin Reeves are undocumented but appear to be John Reeves and his wife Sarah. John and Sarah are named as the parents of Frederick Reeves in his Bible and there is much documentation to suggest a sibling relationship between Frederick and Loftin. John is recorded in the 1790 census of Pendleton County, South Carolina with 1 male over 16, 5 males under 16 and 4 females.

Again in the Pendleton County census of 1800 John Reeves' household is listed as - Males: 4 under 10; 2 10-15; 2 16-25; 1 over 45 (total of 8 sons) and Females: 1 under 10; 1 10-15; 1 16-25; 1 26-44.

John Reeves's wife is identified as Sarah in a Pendleton SC deed of 1804 which she signed relinquishing her dower right to land being sold by John Reeves to Benjamin Fuller.

The family bible of Frederick Reeves who appears to be Loftin's brother lists his father as John and mother as Sarah. A transcription of that bible is attached to Frederick Reeves page.

By the 1820 census in Gwinnett County, Georgia, eight Reeves male individuals are found - John Reeves, 26-44; Frederick Reeves, 26-44; Jonathan Reeves, 26-44; Loftin Reeves, 26-44; Malachi Reeves, 26-44; Isaac Reeves, 16-25; Burgess Reeves, 16-25; and Thompson Reeves, 16-25. After 1850 when census records include place of birth, the older of these individuals list their birth place as North Carolina while the younger list South Carolina.

The DNA of Loftin and his apparent siblings, i.e. Thompson, Burgess, etc. although closely matching that of the descendants of William Reeves who died in Granville, North Carolina in 1751 has one unique match. The individuals believed to descend from John Reeves share a matching result on one allele "CDY b" (35) where other DNA Group 3 participants descending from William Reeves do not match them.

Loftin Reeves was a recipient in the Cherokee Land Lottery of 1832 in DeKalb County, Georgia in the Fifteenth District, Third Section.

He remained in Gwinnett County until around 1850 when he is found in the census of that year in Division 88 of Walton County. By 1860 he had moved into Alabama in the Southern division of Randolph County.

In Loftin's statement of 30 Mar 1871 when applying for a pension for his service in the War of 1812, he stated that he was drafted into Capt. David Gillespie's Company, 4th Regiment of Georgia Militia, Col. Booth commanding - McLintock's Brigade. He stated that he participated in no engagements. They marched from Ft. Hawkins to Mobile, Alabama where he was on duty at various fort and stations on the Alabama River. He was discharged in April of 1815 at Fort Hawkins, Georgia. Burgess and Frederick Reeves served in the same company and received land warrants for their service as well.

He assigned one of the land warrants for his service in the War of 1812 to Samuel Rees and on 16 Jun 1856, a certificate for Land Warrant #5696 was issued to Samuel Rees for 80 acres in Iowa.

Research Notes

(1) Recently information has come to light thanks to Reeves' researcher Renee Newman that James Marion Reeves who was believed to the son of Thompson Reeves was actually the child of his brother Loftin. Thompson Reeves left no will but there is a four (4) page administrator's petition filed in September of 1885 included in his estate file which lists all of his heirs including four who were deceased by the time of his death but James Marion Reeves is not listed among them.

The probate documents of Loftin Reeves however, do list a son James M. Reeves whose age in various census documents is the same as that of the James Marion Reeves previously believed to be the son of Thompson. Probate documents for Loftin include his will written on the 30th of July 1878 which does not list all of his heirs, but a petition filed by his son Wiley Reeves who was administrator of his estate in December of 1879 gives a complete listing of them. Among Loftin's heirs is a son James M. Reeves who was living in Talledega County, Alabama at that time.

Tax Digests for Walton County, Georgia name James Marion Reeves, next to Loftin, Burgess and Wiley in Brantley's District. Some years he is listed as J. M.Reeves, some years he is Marion Reeves. He is first named in 1849 tax list, is missing in 1850, but again listed in 1851, 1852, 1853 and 1857. The presumed son of Thompson, James M., was also believed to have lived in Talledega County, Alabama but only one James M. Reeves is recorded in census records there, particularly in the 1880 census when probate documents of Loftin Reeves give that as the address of his son James M.

(2) In the 1870 census of Clay County, Alabama, there is a 12 year old child living in Loftin's household, Armenda Abner. The 1860 census of Randolph County lists the same child as the daughter of Newton and Nancy C. Abner, age 24, living in the next household between Loftin and his son Burgess. Nancy Abner is almost certainly Loftin's daughter Nancy C. Reeves and the child Armenda is his granddaughter whose parents are presumably deceased; however probate documents of Loftin Reeves list Armenda as his daughter child. This may indicate that he adopted her after the death of her parents. The belief that Armenda's surname was Abner, rather than Reeves is further confirmed by Clay County, Alabama marriage records which list her name as Arminta Abner when she married J.D.T. Johnson on 12 Dec 1876.

Sources

War of 1812 Widow's Pension file of Elizabeth Johnson Reeves, Claim #40225
1820 Census - Gwinnett County, Georgia
1830 Census - Walton County, Georgia
1832 Cherokee Land Lottery
1840 Census - Walton County, Georgia
1850 Census - Walton County, Georgia
1860 Census - Randolph County, Alabama
1870 Census - Clay County, Alabama
Tax Digests, Walton County, Georgia
Estate File of Loftin Reeves, Clay County, Alabama
Clay County, Alabama Marriage Record Book A, p. 333