Reeves, William Sr.

Summary

Father:
Mother:

Birth: 1777, Virginia
Birth Source: 1850 Census of Posey County, Indiana

Death: after 1850, probably Posey County, Indiana
Death Source:

Spouse1: Eleanor Wiggins, m. 24 Feb 1805 in Harrison, Kentucky

Narrative

Children of William Reeves, Sr. and Eleanor Wiggins:

1. Richard Reeves, b. 1805 KY
2. Milton Reeves, b. 1807 KY
3. William Reeves, Jr., b. 1816 KY
4. Phillip Reeves, b. 1818 IN

The household of William Reeves, Sr. contained, in the 1830 census, 6 female children - 2 Females 5-9; 1 female 10-14; 2 females 15-19; and 1 female 20-29. In the 1840 census the figures are relatively unchanged with 2 females 15-19 who were apparently those 5-9 in 1830 but an additional female under 5 years old was added. This indicated that 5 female children, daughters of William Reeves, Sr. had married before 1840 and the remaining 3 married before 1850. The following Reeves females married in the years 1830 to 1850 and each married males from Robb township in Posey County and were found living there in the 1850 census. The following appear to be the daughters of William Reeves, Sr.:

1. Christian Reeves, b. 6 Apr 1812 KY, m. James Overton 1835
2. Freelove H. Reeves, b. 1810, m. Solomon Travis 1838
3. Eleanor (Ellen) Reeves, b. 1819, m. James Knowles 1836
4. (Jo)Hannah Reeves, b. 1809, m. Thomas Mullen on 26 Jul 1840
5. Drusilla Reeves, b. 23 Nov 1824, m. Thomas S. Endicott on 4 Jan 1842
6. Susan Reeves, b. 1826, m. William Jenkins on 14 Apr 1847
7. Olive Jane Reeves, b. 1831, m. William Defur on 27 Apr 1848

The above females and their spouses' were all residents of Robb Township in Posey County with the exception of Solomon Travis who is not recorded in census prior to his marriage to Freelove H. Reeves and removed to Wayne County, Illinois shortly after their marriage.

There is a William Reeves found on the Harrison County, Kentucky Tax lists from 1799-1815, except for 1804 (1798 is missing and he is not found previous to that).

In 1818, William Reeves and his wife Nelly, of Posey County, Indiana, sold two tracts of land in Harrison County, Kentucky to James & Benjamin Moore.

On 25 Jan 1820, William Reeves received a land grant from the U.S., General Land Office Records, 1776-2015 for 160 acres in Posey County, Indiana.

Research Notes

There is currently nothing to document the relationship between Richard and Milton Reeves to William Reeves, Sr. other than proximity. There were only a few Reeves' individuals in Posey County, Indiana during the years 1820 to 1850 and they appear to all be part of the family of William Reeves, Sr. Additionally, Richard and Milton both list their birthplace as Kentucky in census records which is where William Reeves Sr. and his wife, Elleanor Wiggins Reeves were married and lived prior to moving into Indiana.

I found that most of the children above have been erroneously credited to Jabez Reeves and his wife Mary Ross of Scott County, Indiana in the family trees listed at Family Search. This family may well be part of the Reeves family of Mason and Fleming counties of Kentucky but there is currently nothing to support a connection between this family and Jabez Reeves. Also, there are no records of Jabez Reeves residing in Robb Township, Posey County.

Sources

Kentucky, U.S., County Marriage Records, 1783-1965, online database at Ancestry.com
Harrison County, Kentucky Tax Lists
1818 Deed - William & Nelly Reeves to James H. Moore & Benjamin Moore - Harrison County, Kentucky Deed Book 6, p35
U.S., General Land Office Records, 1776-2015
1830 Census - Posey County, Indiana
1840 Census - Robb, Posey County, Indiana
1850 Census - Posey County, Indiana