Sorting out Eden

Notes on Eden:

listed in Military history of Wayne County, NY p 233-234. Section titled “Rolls of the companies in the thirty-ninth infantry, as they were in the summer of 1813. In Cpt. George Culver’s company, June and July, 1812, with brother Rufus. Silas Reeves listed in Culver’s company in 1813, and Rufus and Eden are missing.

Post from 2002 billmaxey@compuserve.com UNKNOWN ACCURACY

Name: Eden REEVES

Birth Date: 24 Jan 1775

Birth Place: Newark, New York

Death Date: 17 Dec 1846

Death Place: Vigo Co., Indiana

Burial Place: HullsCemetery

Spouse: Eunice

Children: Susan

William Kelsey

Annie

Spouse: Phebe LARKINS

Marriage Date: About 1815

Children: Eunice

Cyrus E.

John

Helen Louisa

Cassius E

Notes:

1820 census in Phelps twp, Ontario Co, New York.

1830 census in Harrison twp, Vigo Co, Indiana

Helen Reynolds Burnham in her letter of 1933 says that her great

grandfather Eden Reeves served in the war of 1812.

According to the military records of Eden Reeves he served 7 days with Capt

George Culver's Comapny of Militia, 39 Reg't (Howell's New York) of

Infantry in the War of 1812 from July 11th to the 18th.

****** 1820 census in Phelps Twp, Ontario Co., New York.

1830 census in Harrison Twp, Vigo Co., Indiana

Helen Reynolds Burnham in her letter of 1933 says that her great

grandfather Eden Reeves served in the war of 1812.

According to the military records of Eden Reeves, he served 7 days with

Capt. George Culver's Company of Militia, 39 Reg't (Howell's New York) of

Infantry in the War of 1812 from July 11th to the 18th.

From ancestry poss. dates b. 24 Jan 1775, d. 17 Dec. 1846, uncited.

Phebe Larkins b. 1795 poss Richmond, RI. uncited

more confusion:

2867. Larkins — Reeves.—Phebe Larkins was b. in R. I. about 1795, and was the dau. of Nicholas Larkins. She m. Eden Reeves (who was born in or near Newark. N. J., in Jan., 1775). Eden was the son of Cyrus or Silas Reeves, who was born in England, left home when quite young, joined the English Navy and afterwards settled in this country and married. What was the name of his wife? Did Phebe Larkin have any Rev. ancestors? There were ten Larkins who served from R. I., mostly from Hopkinton or South Kingston, and one of them was named David. The name of David has been handed down in the family here. Both the Larkins and the Reeves families moved to New York, and any information in regard to them will be greatly appreciated.—H. L. R.

Eden Reeve's Family in Vigo Co.
http://www.ingenweb.org/invigo/lostcreek.htm

April 10, 1850, Mr. Oilman married Miss Helen Reeves, the fourth in order of birth of the five children of Cyrus and Phoebe (Larkins) Reeves. To this union have been born four children: Helen L., wife of James B. Reynolds; Anna; Frank, who married Alice Lee; and Harry, married to Jennie Feltus.

Facts:

The Silas who died in Lyons, NY left a will naming six children, one of them Eddon (spelling from the will). This Silas died in Lyons, NY in between January 16 and February 10th 1813 per his will. The will mentions his daughter Eunice Foster, which ties him to Suffolk Co. NY through David Haines Foster. This Silas definitely came from Long Island and with the connection to the Haines family I have every reason to believe this is the Silas named in Bethuel's will. I believe his brother Zebulon maybe be in the area as well as there is evidence of a next generation Zebulon. I'm still researching these individuals. Silas was not born in England.

Besides being in the will and listed in military musteres in 1812 and 1813, Eden is in the 1820 census in Phelps (569) Nicholas Larkins is on the previous page (496). He is in the 1830 census in Vigo. Co. IA and he is missing from Palmyra. He is also in the 1840 census in Honey Creek under the spelling Edon. There are clear marriage records for Eden Reeve and Phebe Larkins showing 1815 as the year of marriage, unable so far to confirm a first wife being Eunice Kelsey, but it's possible. Looking closer at the 1820 census, there are children listed over the age of 10, at least 3 in fact, the marrige year if 1815 is well documented so 2 things must be true, there must have been a first wife and Edon must be older. Phebe would have been 20, the census shows 1 male between 26-44, this must be Eden, meaning he was born between, 1776 - 1799, I'll need to examine the other census to narrow it down and see if the listed date is correct, at this point it's at least possible (1820: 1011011200)

Vigo Co.

These are just reseach notes I'm posting about Vigo Co., Indiana. They are neither organized, nor do I understand yet how the pieces come together.


Eden Reeve's Family in Vigo Co.
http://www.ingenweb.org/invigo/lostcreek.htm

April 10, 1850, Mr. Oilman married Miss Helen Reeves, the fourth in order of birth of the five children of Cyrus and Phoebe (Larkins) Reeves. To this union have been born four children: Helen L., wife of James B. Reynolds; Anna; Frank, who married Alice Lee; and Harry, married to Jennie Feltus.



Zadock Reeve (1796-1885) in Vigo Co. He may be the grandson of Zadok Reeve (1741-abt 1820 L.I., NY) m. Phebe Tappen. Zadok may have had up to 10 children at least Silas, Zadock, John and Jane, perhaps Elias, one of the sons maybe father to Zadock (1796-1885) possibly Elias, no solid proof on this.

http://www.archive.org/stream/historyofvigocou00brad/historyofvigocou00brad_djvu.txt

MART M. REEVE, Glenn, Lost Creek township, was born in the township where she now resides, June 25,. 1836, a daughter of Zadoc and Mary M. (Col ton) Reeve, natives of New York, former of whom was born October 14, 1796, and latter April 11, 1800. They were married December 29, 1816. Zadoc Reeve was a house and ship-carpenter, and was one of the pioneer settlers of this county. He laid ofip the first school district in Lost Creek township, and bought the farm on which Mrs. Reeve no\^ resides, containing eighty acres, before the National Road was made. He had a con- tract on the National Road from Clear Creek to Cory's Creek; also constructed the bridges across Lost Creek, Sugar Creek and Clear Creek, and built the first schoolhouse in Lost Creek township, which was called " Reeve's school-house." Mr. and Mrs. Reeve had a family of nine children, of whom Mary M. is the eighth in order of birth. Mr. Reeve was a Master Mason; he served as school trustee. He died March 7, 1885, and his wife died August 15, 1862. Mary M. Reeve has two sons: David M. and Zadoc, who are industrious and prominent farmers.


http://wc.rootsweb.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi?op=REG&db=stobie&id=I251241

5.
John Melton Coltrin (John Coltrin8, William Coltrin7, Rebecca Maxham6, Abigail Ellis5, Gideon Ellis4, Freeman Ellis3, John Ellis2, John Ellis1) was born 24 APR 1824 in Terre Haute, Vigo County, Indiana, and died 21 FEB 1880 in Terre Haute, Vigo County, Indiana. He married Minerva Reeve 24 DEC 1848 in Terre Haute, Vigo County, Indiana, daughter of Zadoc Reeve and Mary M. Colton. She was born 6 SEP 1826 in Sullivan County, Indiana, and died 14 SEP 1913 in Harrison Township, Vigo County, Indiana. She was buried in Highland Lawn Cemetery.


Child of John Melton Coltrin and Minerva Reeve is:
+6i.
John Coltrin was born 6 SEP 1859 in Terre Haute, Vigo County, Indiana, and died 19 APR 1916 in Terre Haute, Vigo County, Indiana.

Pieces of the puzzle...

So I noticed something interesting this week. I'm on a quest to fit my Bethuel in to Solomon Reeve and Sarah Rumsey's family. There is no direct evidence to link Bethuel to Solomon, it's likely if there once was, it was destroyed during the British occupation of Long Island. Having hit a brick wall with Bethuel, I've been chasing down sidelines to mine. Most recently, I've been working on Silas Reeve(s).

Silas's will lists his children, two of who are Annie Reeve and Eden Reeve. Annie marrys Thomas Franklin and both her family and her brother Eden's family end up about ten miles apart from each other in Vigo Co, Indiana. Thomas and Annie Franklin settle in Sugar Creek and Edan and his family settle in Harrison. These two townships are part of twelve townships that ring Terre Haute Indiana.

Vigo County Indiana sparked something in my memory about Zadock. If you look back in my blog here Zadok, you'll see a passage about him from my favorite source, Baker. Notice there's a notation about Vigo, County. How interesting.....

A little more research show Zadock, probably Zadok's son, living in Lost Creek, Vigo Co. Indiana. Well, Lost Creek also happens to be one of the twelve townships surrounding Terre Haute, in fact Zadock Jr. is living only about ten miles from Annie and Eden. Now isn't that a coincidence, in all the country, these Reeve descendants end up living 10 miles apart. Except that experience has taught me that in genealogy coincidence is often more that coincidence. Might there be more here than an odd coincidence.

It's my theory that Bethuel and Zadok were brothers. Bethuel had son Silas who moved to the Palmyra, New York area. Zadock had son Zadock Jr. who moved to the Vigo Co. Indiana area. Silas and Zadock Jr. were cousins. Silas had Annie and Eden. Something traumatic happens to the family and Silas, his wife and Rufus his first born son die within the first three months of 1813. The British burn almost the whole town of Sodus, NY, where they were living in June of 1813. Annie and Eden also end up in Vigo, Co. Indiana just ten miles from Zadock Jr.

How do we choose where to go, where to live, where to settle down? Sometimes we stay put. Sometimes we stay near family. Sometimes we venture out to find new territory with friends or family members. Maybe family members tell us about how nice it is where they live and we decide to go try it out.

In the Reeve line, Rumsey and Wines followed their brother Bethuel to Renslaerville (all sons of Joel). Silas and possibly Zebulon (Bethuel's sons) followed David Haines Foster to Palmyra. They were distant cousins and Silas and David's children eventually married. I can rattle off names and example, some times close family, sometimes more distant, sometimes just friends or neighbors. As humans, we tend to follow what is familiar or know to us in some way, even when we strike out into new territory. Now, I could be completely wrong here, but it's quite coincidental to have them all within ten miles. Really, you have to ask what made Eden and Annie up and move to Vigo Co. Indiana when their other siblings stayed in the Palmyra area. Did they just stick a pin in the map? Or did a family member mention, oh I think Cousin Zadock moved to Vigo Co., Indiana, he always writes how beautiful it is there. Maybe there was some other reason, maybe more will be come clear as I dig deeper.

Silas's Will

So I wanted to put this up as soon as possible for anyone who follows my blog (is there anyone out there who actually follows my blog?). I just receive Silas' will from Ontario Co. It's very feint and difficult to read. I'm missing some of the legal terms of the time that I could not make out, but the important facts are there.

This Silas is the son of Bethuel, brother to my Joel Reeve (1755). Silas was born around 1760, but that's a guess. In his will he makes no mention of a wife, meaning she must already be deceased. There is an obituary listed for Mrs. S. Reeves dated Jan. 26, 1813, after the making of this will on Jan. 16, 1813. It may not be Silas' wife, or it might have been and at the time of the making of the will, her death was certain and imminent. At the time of the making of the will six children were living: Mrs. Eunice Foster wife to David Foster, Annie or Anna Fraklin, wife of Thomas Franklin, Elizabeth Reeve, unmarried, Rufus Reeve, Silas Reeve and Edden or Eden Reeve. The text of the will is written in one handwriting, likely by someone other than Silas, and the name Reeve(s) is used, including the (s) as are all records having to do with this family. Significantly, however, Silas' signature is in different handwriting, larger that the other words on the page, and a bit shaky as if this was indeed a dying man.

There also appears to be an obituary for Rufus dated 16 Mar 1813 in a local paper. Something terrible happened to this family, it seems that three members died within the first few months of 1813. Silas, Rufus and Eden all appear in militia list for 1812, and one in 1813. The families deaths could be related to the War of 1812. According to the Wayne Co. site:

The town of Sodus is one of only two towns in Wayne County to ever experience a military battle within its borders. In the morning of June 19, 1813, during the War of 1812, the British attacked Sodus Point. The British seized the stores in the warehouses and burned the town.

This event occurred in June so it was not directly responsible for their deaths. Silas and Eunice appear to have stayed in the area, Anne Franklin went to Vigo Co., Indiana, and I have not located Eden or Elizabeth yet.

In the name of God, Amen. I Silas Reeves of the

town of Lyons, in the county of Ontario, being

weak in body, but of sound and perfect mind

and memory that is to say fit. I give and bequeath

to my three daughters all my household furniture and (?)

able belonging to my house Mrs. Eunice Foster, Anney

Franklin and Elizabeth Reeves and I do also give

and bequeath to my son Silas Reeves all my freehold

estate real and personal not be fore (?) to his

heirs and assigns forever I do also give to my son

Rufus Reeves one hundred dollars to be paid out

of my real or personal estate I do also give to my

son Edden Reeves fifty dollars to be paid out of

my real or personal estate and after the (?)

(?) to my three daughters above named I do

also give unto my daughter Elizabeth Reeves so

long as she shall live unmarried one quarter grant

of my real estate after the (secured legacy?) is paid for her

use so long as is a (??) I do also hereby appoint

Rufus Reeves and Silas Reeves sole executrix

of this my last will and testament hereby revoking

all former wills by me made in (?) where of I

have here unto set my hand and seal the sixteenth day

of January in the year of our Lord one thousand eight

hundred and thirteen.

Signed sealed (?) and Silas Reeve (signed)

(?) by the above named

Silas Reeves to be his last will

and testament in the presence of us

who have hereunto subscribed our

names as witnesses in the (?)

of the testator.

David H. Foster

Luke Mason

James Reeves

appears to have been proved 10 Feb 1813

Link to download will