Reeves, Tillman Hampton

Summary

Father: Reeves, Reuben C. N.
Mother: Mary C. Slaton

Birth: 1 Mar 1850, DeKalb Co., AL
Birth Source: Family Bible of Reuben C. N. Reeves

Death: Nov 1887, Corsicana, Navarro Co., TX
Death Source: Smith/Reeves Family History compiled about 1972, author unknown
Death: Oct 1884, Comanche Co., TX
Death Source: Letters of administration dated Mar 1885, probate records, Comanche County, Texas

Spouse1: Martha Caroline Montgomery, 16 Nov 1871, Winston Co., AL

Narrative

Children of Tillman Hampton Reeves and Martha Caroline Montgomery:

1. Alice Reeves, b. 30 Nov 1872, Winston County, Alabama; d. 8 Mar 1963, Custer County, Oklahoma; m. Alonzo Elustrus Crow
2. Ellen Reeves, b. 11 Sep 1874, Winston County, Alabama; d. 7 Nov 1956, Corsicana, Navarro County, Texas; m. (1) Joe Moore; (2) Andrew Jackson Smith
3. Robert Wilson Reeves, b. 30 Oct 1876, Comanche, Ellis County, Texas; d. 14 Jan 1953, Tulsa, Tulsa County, Oklahoma; m. Mary Jane Dunivan
4. Ann Reeves, b. 1879, TX
5. Mary Tillman Reeves, b. 21 Dec 1884, Eastland County, Texas; d. 18 Jun 1978, Montclair, San Bernardino County, California; m. (1) Walter Lee Hall; m. (2) Aaron Chance

Child of Martha Caroline Montgomery and unknown:

1. Catherine Maud Isabelle Reeves b. 21 Jan 1888, Corsicana, Navarro County, Texas; d. 2 Jun 1965, Tonkawa, Kay County, Oklahoma; m. William Archibald Smith

Tillman Hampton Reeves was the first of the six children of Reuben C. N. Reeves and Mary C. Slaton. His birth is recorded in his father's Bible, as well as his siblings other than William R. Reeves who was born after his father left to fight in the Civil War. Tillman's name and birth date are also listed in the bible that purportedly belonged to his grandfather, Wade Hampton Slaton. A transcript of the page containing Tillman's name and that of other of Wade Slaton's children and grandchildren was provided to Barton Lewis in an email from Rev. Sherman Isbell dated 16 Jan 2012. Rev. Isbell was sent the transcript by Lynn Slaton in the 1980s. The present location of the Slaton bible is unknown. Tillman's name is listed in the Slaton bible as "Tilman Hamton Reeve," the only place known to spell out his middle name.

Shortly after his marriage, Tillman began thinking of moving to Texas in the footsteps of his brother in law, John Walker Montgomery. Tillman wrote the following letter to John, dated 5 Sep 1872, Houston, Winston Co., AL (the letter was in the effects of his daughter, Alice Reeves Crow and transcribed by his great-granddaughter, Della Joan Smith Claybourn; the words in parentheses may be in the original or are Joan's editorial additions):

Dear Brother and Sister,

I again seat myself to drop you a few lines to let you know that we are all well and hoping that you all are in the same health and doing well.

I have nothing strong to write only times is hard and money (scarce). Dry weather is burning up everything but there will be good crops made here. Corn will be 90 cents this fall, (wheat) will be high here, there is no (wheat) here. Bacon is 10 to 12 1/2 cents lb, beef from 3 1/2 to 4 cents.

John, I am to come to (your) country next spring and I want (you) to give me the railroad and the way to come out there. I want (to) come by public conveyance. I want you to give me full instructions how to come and if I have to go by Memphis, Tenn. or not. Tell me how to (instruct) the railroad and give me all the points of railroad and how far it is from McKinney if you know and if (you) don't give the best you know and don't fail to give me all the (dates).

So I must come to a close. Write to me soon.

I remain yours,
T. H. Reeve, P.M.

To: John W. Montgomery
McKinney, Texas"

[Note by Della Joan Smith Claybourn] "At the time of this letter, Tillman Reeves would have been 22 years old and Martha [his wife] 20 years old. His trip to McKinney to see John was probably to make plans to move to Texas from Alabama."

Tillman ran a general store in Winston Co., AL and kept ledgers where he entered transactions. He also made other, genealogically important entries such as the birth dates of his children, his marriage date and the following entry which details his family's move from Alabama to Texas in the spring of 1876:

"On the 11th day of March 1876, I left Houston [Alabama], bound for Texas. I got off at Dallas on the 17th of March '76 and on the 19th day of March we got to C. M. Harvey [or Hawley] on the Brazoe River and then moved to Eastland Co., Texas on the following Summer." --T. H. Reeve

Tillman died at the age of thirty-seven in about Nov 1887, a few months before his wife gave birth to their last child.
Tillman died in Oct 1884, at the age of 34, from causes unknown. This contradicts the Nov 1887 death date which the family had always cited for him, in order to preserve the fiction that he was the father of Martha Caroline's final child, Catherine Maud Isabelle Reeves. This discovery was made by Peggy Clack Williams, granddaughter of Alice Reeves Crow, Belle's sister, who found the letters of administration of Tillman's estate dated Mar 1885 at the Comanche County, Texas courthouse. Belle's father's identify is unknown.

Sources

Birth:       Reuben C. N. Reeves Family Bible
Death:      Letters of administration of Tillman H. Reeves, probate records, Box 119, Comanche County, Texas courthouse
History:   Bible of Wade Hampton Slaton
                   Letter from Tillman H. Reeves to John W. Montgomery dated 5 Sep 1872
                   Store ledger of Tillman H. Reeves
Census:    1850 U.S. Federal census, Division 25, DeKalb Co., AL
                   1860 U.S. Federal census, Eastern Division, Marshall Co., AL
                   1870 U.S. Federal census, Township 9, Winston Co., AL
                   1880 U.S. Federal census, Eastland Co., TX