A REEVES GENEALOGY THE REVES FAMILY The Descendants of WALTER REEVES of Burlington County, New Jersey, Through His Eldest Son JOHN By Haviland F. Reves REVES ASSOCIATES Detroit - Michigan 1951 Copyright, 195 1, by Haviland F. Reves Fox Theatre Building, Detroit, Michigan Library of Congress Catalog Card Number: 51-11880 Pictorial insert by courtesy of Detroit Colortype Company and The Baring Press, Detroi Composition by Composition Service, Detroit Printed by offset by Edwards Brothers, Ann Arbor, Mich THE REVES FAMILY To Mary Eveline Reves, who has made possible the completion of this work by her love and understanding, and active assistance and lively humor through the hours of research and writing. PREFACE This book is the record of the family of John Reves, oldest son of Walter Reeve(s), of Burlington County, N. J., who died in 1698. The families of two other children of Walter -Walter, Jr., and William -have been recorded in "The Reeves Family" by Stevens and Birch; little is known about the families of the other five sons. This record of the senior branch of the family has been given, as title, the distinctive spelling used in each generation since Walter Reeve(s), but now almost extinct. It is to be hoped that this record may be some day completed to the latest gener­ ation, where gaps now occur, and take its part in a comprehen­ sive genealogy of the entire Reeves Family. The orthography "Reves" gives identity to a distinct family line which marks the logical limits of this work, although it is, save for the Kansas line, nearing extinction. To extend the study back to the earliest American generations, as briefly indicated, upon a scale of treatment similar to that given the John Reves line (still necessarily incomplete), would require a work too vast for a single individual to undertake, or to be included in a private or family library. Records of the John Reves family for the first several gen­ erations are disappointingly scanty. The late H. C. Campion, Jr., who devoted a half century to research in the Reeves family history, wrote in 1939 that this branch "tended strictly to their own business and were not in any way involved in local offices nor military activities. .. Very little is known about this branch of the family so far as I have been able to discover." (Ref. D41) The papers left by Campion, now at Cape May Court House, N. J., have been studied in detail, but contain disappointingly little information about this line, in comparison to" extensive material about other Reeves lines. Campion's work followed 45 years of research upon the Walter Reeves line by the late Samuel V. Reeves; neither lived to write the book which he had planned. Part of Samuel V. Reeves' work was embodied in the book cited above, of which his daught~r, Mrs. Clara R. Birch, was co-author. She has gener­ ously made available much additional material, particularly upon some lines of descendants of Thomas Reeves3, gathered since 1885 by her father and herself, which has been embodied in the present work. vii viii PREFACE This work was originally projected upon a much smaller scale, to be a record of the family of Henry Braly Reves6. This was expected to have local interest, because nine gener­ ations of the family, counting from his grandfather-in-law Nicholas Wilhelm, have lived in the Detroit area. Further study showed the need of a comprehensive genealogy of the family, starting five generations further back in the Reves line, and this work has accordingly included a record of all descendants it has b.een possible to discover. Brief biographies have been given wherever information has been made available, though many are necessarily fragmentary. Some material in the personal sketches, which the writer would have preferred to omit, has been included because of the wish of some persons concerned to have such a record of the personal history of their own branches. Some hypothetical - in a few cases dubious - material has been included and suitably indicated, to suggest lines of future research, or to record its improbability. All qualifications of statements should be given full weight and all sources individ­ ually assessed for probable reliability, in any quotation or other use of this work. The criterion for inclusion of available material has been its (present or possible future) genealogical, family, or his­ torical interest. It is regretted that some sources did not furnish more nearly complete information, for their own lines, despite repeated inquiry and the use of a very detailed question­ naire. Departing from the practice of many genealogies, the female lines of descent have been included. The paths of this family history have gone into every state of the Union except Maine and Mississippi. Occupations have ranged widely-wheelwrights, blacksmiths, farmers, mariners, physicians, clergymen, superintendents of schools, engineers, automotive workers, printers, and writers. Virtually every major religious faith has been represented-with the historic family connections with the Church of England and the Society of Friends as background. Despite the latter faith, the family has given its full share of military and, especially, naval ser­ vice; many members have died in defense of their country. Not family pride, but a comprehensive reconstruction­ insofar as history, the available records, and research make possible -of a single complete family group extending into the present time from the earliest decades of our colonial history PREFACE ix and serving as a microcosmic record of three centuries, an epitome of American experience, has inspired this labor. The questions, Where did our people come from? What were their names and what were they like? How distant kinship can we trace among those living? have interested me since early childhood. Family tradition has been carried on from one generation to another in oral, often uncertain, form, and most is lost after the passage of three generations. Often in this family, the record stands, "He was a silent man." The paucity of close relations in my own case has also inspired the task of placing the answers on record. This family record lists the names of no great persons. A few have attained modest wealth and achieved some repute in their own fields; none has brought infamy to the name. But it is of greater significance that this numerous family represents the vast diversity of American experience -in temperament, in occupation, in locality, among other ways. The details of a whole cross-section of our country's history are epitomized in these pages. In a few instances, where sufficient accurate information was accessible, extended personal accounts have been given be­ cause the stories of these individuals and family groups selected may be considered as a typical sampling of this diversity. This record remains incomplete in some lines; but to delay publication would mean to lose irrevocably many links of the family connection. May it serve as a source of useful reference to workers in genealogy and history, who may be aided in their turn by some knowledge of the nearly 700 family and 7,000 indi­ vidual names indexed; and as a means whereby many in future generations may be enabled to realize their personal connection with the distant past, remembering their forefathers. Production of a supplement at some future date is contem­ plated, and all members of the family, genealogists, and others who may have knowledge of any additions or corrections to the record are urged to communicate it to the author. It is also suggested that changes of ownership or location of individual copies of this book be similarly registered, in order that an­ nouncements of supplementary material may be sent to the owners. Haviland F. Reves ACKNOWLEDGMENTS The list of those persons who have been helpful in the pre­ paration of this work would be long: in some measure, they are indicated in the references. The invaluable basic work of the late Samuel V. Reeves and Henry C. Campion, Jr., and the gracious cooperation of Mrs. Clara R. Birch are cited in the preface. Among others who have been of outstanding help are Henry C. Shinn, the late Mrs. Grace Taft Stutsman, Mrs. Anna S. Hunt, John Pickens Dornan, Mrs. Ralph 0. Stratton, Mrs. Margie K. Lewis, Mrs. Frank Reynolds Fish, Mrs. E. S. Edger~ ton, Mrs. Rosa L. Thorman, Mrs. W. J. Krause, Mrs. Gertrude Buchanan, and Miss Stella Moody. The author is especially in­ debted to Henry C. Shinn for the time, research, knowledge, sug­ gestions, and counsel which he has shared most generously; In addition, grateful acknowledgement is made for the de­ tailed and patient assistance given by many individual librarians, historians, and others not listed. Especial thanks for assistance in securing and for per­ mis_sion to use illustrative material are due to Henry H. Bisbee, 0. D., Miss H. Dorothy Atkinson, Mrs. Clement R. Budd, Miss Emma V. Duffield, N. R. Ewan, Mrs. Clara R. Birch, Henry C. Shinn, Miss Meta E. Sharp, Kirby G. Elliott, Mrs. Anna R. Dollison, and Mrs. Ida R. Seaman. Grateful acknowledgement is made to George W. Hofsommer and the Detroit Colortype Company for their generous cooper­ ation in the planning and processing of the engravings used in this work. Personal acknowledgement is due to Mary Eveline Reves for her assistance, from the earlier research to the printed work, including the task of reading the entire proof. Special assistance in editing portions of the copy was given by Mrs. Ida R. Seaman and Mrs. Grace Kronberg. The staff of the Burton Historical Collection, Detroit, under the direction of Mrs. Elleine H. Stones, have been especially helpful in making possible the most effective use of the resources of this great library, where most of the basic and co-ordinating research was performed.