The OTHER Samuel Reed in South Carolina

Frankly, folks, I get quite dismayed every time I still see George Reed and Abigail Leger listed as parents of our ancestor Samuel Reed.  Despite all the secondary sources you can find that might make you believe it (other family trees, DAR applications, Manning Files, etc.), good evidence proves that it simply is not true.

The death dates of the two Samuel Reeds with the good sources we have should be the easiest way to tell that these Samuels are not the same.  Our Samuel died in 1823 (his will being recorded 14 Nov 1823 in Barnwell County, SC).  According to the other Samuel's Revolutionary War record, he died twenty years later in another state!  Would you not call that undeniable proof? 

Cover card of the Other Samuel's war record states "Born in Penn. Son of George."

My source?  The other Samuel Reed's (son of George) quite detailed Revolutionary War record at the National Archives and available to us through Fold3.com (formerly Footnote.com) and Ancestry.com.  Check it out if you can.  It really is fascinating reading. 

This other Samuel's timeline found over and over in this record: 

• 1749 - Born on January 26 in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, to George Reed

• 1762 - Moved to Rowan County, NC and then on to South Carolina with his parents when he was 13 years old

• 1775 - Enlisted in militia and served in the Revolutionary War for about six years under his father, Colonel George Reed, and others

• 1790 Census - "Capt Saml Reed" living in Abbeville County, SC

• He remained in South Carolina until about 1800 or 1806 when he moved to Georgia. 

• 1832 - His war pension of $20.00 a year was executed on September 25 when he lived in Gwinnett County, GA

• 1840 Census - Living in Gwinnett County, GA

• 1840 - Moved to St. Clair County, Alabama, after the death of his wife to live with his children

• 1843 - Died on February 8, most likely in Alabama

We genealogy researchers of 2012 are very, very fortunate to be able to find most of this information without even getting up from our desks.  Time was, however, that researchers wrote letters to the archives to try to find out information about their ancestors.  The archivists were usually diligent (as well as patient) in their responses.  Here's a copy of one such response that sums it all up quite well. 

Click on images to enlarge.

Who were our Samuel's parents?  To date, I've seen several other supposed parents of our Samuel Reed, but I have seen ZERO evidence to convince me.  Have you any evidence?

OUR Samuel Reed was born in Ireland around 1751.  He was still in Ireland when his son Hugh was born there in 1783.  (Source for Hugh's birth date is his tombstone.  Source for his birthplace is the 1850 census.)  Our Samuel shows in the 1800, 1810, and 1820 censuses in Barnwell County.  He died in Barnwell County in November 1823, per the recording of his will on 14 Nov 1823.

Please help spread the word! 

Any questions?

Margaret Reed and Newport Head Had At Least Five Daughters

Last week, I received images of a document that provided some rich information on the daughters of Newport Head and Margaret Reed (a daughter of Samuel and Mary Clark Reed).  (Many thanks to Judy Womack!)

The document was a case in the Chancery and Equity Courts of Barnwell County, South Carolina dated 4 Jan 1851.  (Box 15, Group 30  - Margaret Head & Margaret Head Jr et al vs W.R. Halford S.B.D et al 01-04-1851)   I will give the full document at the end of this post.  For now, let's focus on this excerpt:  

It names “the said Elizabeth Head, Margaret Head the Younger, Mary Lott (wife of William Lott) and Jane Odom (wife of Thomas Odom) are the daughters of the said Margaret Head the Elder (the wife of Newport Head) and that the said Rebecca Lott is the daughter of one Ellen Lott who is now dead and who was in her lifetime the daughter of the said Margaret Head.” 

All the trees I could find on Ancestry (even mine) had only three daughters for Margaret and Newport Head, listing the eldest daughter as “Mary Ellen”  followed by Jane and Elizabeth Ann.  After some digging, I found daughter Margaret and her husband Levi McClendon. 

Ellen Head Lott, Rebecca’s mother referred to in the document, eluded me. 

Rebecca could be found in the 1850 census living with the preacher’s family next door to her grandparents Margaret and Newport.  In 1860, she was living with these grandparents. 

My next step was to ask around.  Cousin Josie Reed stepped up to the plate once again.  (Thank you so much again, Josie!)  Here’s what she found: 

From the South Carolina Magazine of Ancestral Research (SCMAR), South Carolina Baptist Marriages and Deaths, 1835-65 (1848 issue)  "Died, on the 12th of May last, in Barnwell District, in the 23rd year of her age, Mrs. Ellen Elizabeth Lott, daughter of Mr. N. Head, and consort of Mr. S. Lott....member of Blackville Baptist Church."  

Rebecca’s mother was Ellen Elizabeth Lott, and her father was “S. Lott.”  Josie found a Samuel Lott in the 1850 census living nearby.  Could this be Rebecca’s father? 

Looking further, I found that Rebecca married her second cousin George L. Hartzog, son of Ann Clark Reed and John Andrew Zeigler.  Ann Clark Reed was a daughter of Hugh Reed and Jane McSpeddon.  On the death certificates of several of Rebecca’s children, we learn that her middle name was Margaret and that George’s middle name was Louis.  

The daughters were:  

Mary Head - born abt 1822, died unknown; married William Emory Lott born abt 1815; died unknown.

Ellen Elizabeth Head - born abt 1825, died 12 May 1848; married S. Lott.

Jane Head - born 20 June 1827, died 24 May 1900; married Thomas Odom born 21 Aug 1817, died 17 Jun 1891.

Elizabeth Ann Head - born 23 Feb 1833, died 13 Feb 1920; married John Shannon McClendon born 18 Dec 1830, died 7 May 1904.  Both are buried in Odom-McClendon Cemetery.  

Margaret Head - born abt 1834, died 21 Sep 1915; married Levi McClendon. 

All these answers lead to more questions, but isn’t that the way it goes in this genealogy game?  Will we ever have all the answers this side of heaven?  I surely hope not.  I’m enjoying the game!   

Last week I entered the Odom-McClendon Cemetery on Find-a-Grave from the list in The Barnwell Cemetery Books.  (Click here to see.)  I learned a lot figuring the relationships of the people buried there.  I also came to believe that this was where Newport and Margaret Reed Head are buried (although I have no absolute proof).  More on all this later. 

As promised, here is the full document. 

Chancery and Equity Courts of Barnwell County, South Carolina dated 4 Jan 1851.  (Box 15, Group 30  - Margaret Head & Margaret Head Jr et al vs W.R. Halford S.B.D et al 01-04-1851)

(Click on images to enlarge.)   

I'm Back ... I Think ...

It has been almost a year since I posted.  A lot has been happening, and I have a great deal to share with you.  So, I'm going to give it a shot.  Wish me luck! 

Graveyard Teaser Photo:  On March 10, 2012, the Hartzog-Reed Cemetery was "unveiled" by the Sons of Confederate Veterans who had recently done a marvelous job of cleaning it up.

Just a few of the things I need to share: 

~ I've met several new-to-me cousins since last October who have shared a lot of facts and photos.  I look forward to introducing them to you. 

~ On the graveyarding scene, fabulous progress has been made on three of our families' sites.  You're going to love it!

~ Margaret Reed and Newport Head had five daughters, not just the three most of us have on our trees.  Great documentation to share on this!

~ My mother died on January 1, 2012.  Expect a tribute to her very soon. 

SAR Membership Applications: A Warning

Recently, Ancestry.com made available the "Sons of the American Revolution Membership Applications, 1889-1970."  This is yet another fabulous resource for our research.  

Please keep in mind, however, that these are not primary sources.  Instead, they should be used as "jumping off points" for finding further information.  

For instance:  On my Ancestry profile for our Samuel Reed of Barnwell, I find two historical records available under Ancestry Hints.  Both are SAR Applications for descendants of Samuel and Mary Clark Reed.  One traces back to George Reed of Abbeville who was not our Samuel's father.  The other uses for proof an indent for the "other" Samuel Reed who was George of Abbeville's son.  

For further information this "other" Samuel and his father George, please click here:  George Reed and Abigail Leger Were Not the Parents of Samuel Reed of Barnwell. 

Who was Sarah A? Found her!

I've done so much work lately on Samuel Reed (1810-1887, son of Hugh) and his family that you would think I descended from him.  I don't, but some of my favorite people do!

One puzzle surrounding this Samuel eluded me ... until this week.  Who was his third wife "Sarah A.?"  With the help of her grandchildren found on the 1880 census, I found out!  (Interesting to note is that I did all of this research without leaving my desk.)

Sarah (born about 1828) first shows up on the 1870 census as wife of Samuel.  Samuel's first wife Matilda Willis died in 1865.  His second wife Jane died in 1968.  (See "Who was Jane E?" here.)  Some time between Jane's death and 1870, Samuel married Sarah.  Living with them in 1870 were six of Samuel's children.

By the 1880 census, all of Samuel's children had moved away from home, but Samuel and Sarah still had a house full of family.

Image from 1880 Census

D[avid] Bruce Reed is listed as a nephew, but he was actually Samuel's first cousin once removed.  Bruce's father was Samuel James Reed (1826-1862) who was a son of Samuel Reed and Elizabeth Boylston. 

We see "Idella Chisholm" there, listed as granddaughter.  She was in fact Adella Chisolm, daughter of Samuel and Matilda's daughter Adella who had died in 1876.

"John Reed" listed in the household was a mulatto farm hand.  (I would love to know more about him.) 

The biggest clues to finding Sarah were the two little girls listed as granddaughters.  It turns out that they were Sarah's granddaughters.  There names were transcribed as Minnie (born about 1868) and Sarah (born about 1843) "Bessillien." 

You can easily imagine the many ways to spell their last name.  After looking around the internet for all the variations, I found a listing on Ancestry for Sarah Elizabeth Bessellieu (1873-1946).  Her parents were John Howell Bessellieu and Anna Earle Larisey.  Her mother Anna died in 1875.  She had a sister named Mary Earle Bessellieu.  Could this be Minnie? 

Looking further, I discovered that Anna Earle Larisey Bessellieu's mother was Sarah Amanda Earle born about 1828 who married Henry Larisey.  Henry had died in 1867.  The puzzle pieces fell into place!

Sarah Amanda Earle was born about 1828 in Colleton County.  We know that her mother's name was Ann from the 1850 and 1860 censuses.  Ann Earle lived with Sarah and her family then.  (There are some good hints as to her parents' full names on Ancestry, but I have been unable to find any sources.  Therefore I will not add them here until documentation can be found.  Do you have any sources for them?) 

The 1850 census has Sarah living in St. Bartholomew's Parish in Colleton County with her husband Henry Larisey, her children Ann, Mary, and Henry; and her mother Ann Earle. 

In 1860, they are all in St. Paul's Parish in Colleton County.

By 1870, Henry Larisey and Ann Earle (Sarah's husband and mother) had died, and Sarah is married to Samuel Reed and living with him and six of his children in Blackville. 

(For 1880, see above.)

I have been unable to find anything further on Sarah Amanda Earle Larisey Reed.  Do you have a clue about when she died or where she is buried?

I was able to find out a good bit more about Sarah's grandchildren Minnie and Sarah.

Minnie was Mary Earle Bessellieu.  According to her SC death certificate, she was born on 12 Oct 1867. 

Her first husband was George Henry Campsen (1862-1894).  George was captain at the Morris Island Life Saving Station near Charleston, SC.

Minnie and George had at least two children:  Gertrude (b. 1885) and George Earle Campsen (1892-1958).

By the 1900 census, Minnie had married Harry M. Hutson and lived at 557 Meeting Street in Charleston with her children Gertrude and George Campsen and William Hutson, her son by Harry.

Harry died in 1915.  In the 1920 and 1930 censuses, Minnie is living in boarding houses.

Minnie died in Charleston on 24 May 1936 of "cerebral thrombosis" (blood clot forms in an artery that supplies blood to the brain).  She is buried at Magnolia Cemetery in Charleston. 

Minnie's son George is also buried at Magnolia Cemetery.  Her grandson George Earle Campson Jr. (1929-2010) served in the South Carolina House of Representatives from 1958 to 1964.  See his obituary here.  

Minnie's great grandson George Earle "Chip" Campsen III currently serves in the South Carolina Senate (Republican, District 43, Charleston & Berkeley Counties).  For further information, click here. 

Sarah Elizabeth "Bessie" Bessellieu was born on October 6 in 1871 or 1872.  (Her death certificate has 1871 while her tombstone has 1872.)

On 4 Aug 1895, she married Henry Leon Larisey (a second cousin).  They had three children:  Vivian, Karen, and Henry Jr.

Sarah's SC death certificate lists her as "Bessie Bessellieu Larisey" and her parents as John H. Bessellieu and Anne Larisey.  She died in Charleston on 4 January 1946 of cardiac failure (diabetic coma contributing).  She is buried beside her husband Henry Leon at Magnolia Cemetery in Charleston.  (Link to Bessie; link to H. Leon)

Settlement of Samuel Reed's Estate

Recent finds bring us closer to discovering exactly how Samuel Reed Sr.'s estate was finally settled. 

We know from his will found here exactly what his wishes were.  Looking further in his probate record, we see that his son Samuel, executor of the estate, proceeded with the usual bonds, inventories, vouchers, and accountings until October 1830.  Then, there is a gap in activities until 1846 after Mary Clark Reed's death.  On 10 December 1846, another inventory was ordered (see here).   A sale of personal property was held on 18 January 1847 (see here). 

Samuel Reed Jr. died on 26 May 1847 before the remainder of the estate was settled. 

Two of Samuel Sr.'s grandsons-in-law were willing to help settle the estate, but neither petition was granted: 

On 17 January 1848, William J. Fickling requested to be made executor (see here).  He was the husband of Jane Elizabeth Reed, a daughter of Hugh Reed & Jane McSpeddon.  (William J. Fickling died 10 months later on 26 November 1848.)

On 7 February 1848, Benjamin F. Simmons requested to be made executor (see here).  Benjamin Simmons was husband of Mary Reed, daughter of Samuel Reed Jr. and Elizabeth Boylston Reed. 

Recently at the SC Archives, I found a copy of an agreement dated 25 February 1848 between the heirs of Samuel Reed Sr. and Elizabeth Boylston Reed, wife of Samuel Reed Jr.  The image and transcription of the main text are below.  (Click on image enlarge.) 

Agreement of Reed, Boylston & Others with Elizabeth Reed

Feb. 25, 1848

We the undersigned heirs have this day agreed to settle the Estate of Samuel Reed Senr. deceased and Mary Reed his wife in the following manner, viz  First, those who have notes gone out of date agree to pay the principal of the money, but no Interest.  Secondly, we nominate and designate Elizabeth Reed to hold the papers of the Estate, collect, settle with the heirs, take receipts, She agreeing to act in correspondence with the instructions of the heirs and with the undersigned do Severally and Jointly agree to bind our selves in the sum of one Thousand Dollars, to abide by the foregoing stipulations.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ 

I've made quite a few trips to the archives this summer, but I've only begun to view the rich treasures to be found there.  More to come ... much more ...

Who was JANE E.? The answer surprised me.

Jane E. is buried beside Samuel Reed (son of Hugh) in the Hugh Reed family burying ground.  The inscription on her stone reads:  

In memory of 

JANE E.

Wife of 

SAMUEL REED

Who departed this life

March 10th 1868

Aged 44 years, 8 months

and 1 day 

That is all I've known about Jane until a chance discovery this week.  I found a marriage settlement for Samuel Reed and Jane E. Still at the SC Department of Archives and History!  I was excited at the possibility of finding out just who "Jane E." was.  This discovery, another trip to the state archives, and some online searching led to some very interesting discoveries. 

The marriage settlement is dated 17 February 1868, about three weeks before Jane died.  It seems to have been a very short marriage. The settlement deals with Samuel renouncing rights to any of Jane's property to which he might be entitled by law after their marriage except for "130 acres embracing the Mill & Pond."  It gives no clue as to her former identity other than her last name. 

However, on the same page as the settlement is a conveyance from Samuel to Jane regarding land held in trust for her nephew Judson Hair whom she apparently loved dearly.  Here I found the name of her first husband:  T. E. Still. 

I looked up Jane E. Still on Ancestry and found her in 1850 with her husband Tobias and two-year old daughter Rebecca in Barnwell County, SC.  Living with them were Joseph Hair (21) and Furman Hair (16).  I knew from previous research that Joseph and (David) Furman were Jane's brothers.  And I knew they were all already on my family tree! 

So, the second wife of Samuel Reed (son of Hugh) was his first cousin Jane E. Hair Still.  She was a daughter of Lavisa Reed and David Hair.  Lavisa was a daughter of Samuel and Mary Clark Reed. 

But there's more ...

Then I was curious as to when Tobias died and where he was buried.  There were at least two Tobias Still's in the Barnwell area at the time.  Nothing I found seemed to fit. 

My next discovery was Tobias's probate record on FamilySearch.org where I found a big surprise.  Click here to see the full record.

In Jane's petition for administration of the estate shown above, Tobias E. Still "departed this life on Black Island near the City of New York while a Prisoner in the hands of the Federal Army Intestate on or about the twenty-eighth day of April, one thousand eight hundred and sixty-five." 

The prison was actually on Hart('s) Island in New York Harbor as shown on Tobias's service record to the left.  The date of death matches the probate record. 

Hart Island was used as a Prison of War camp at the very end of the Civil War and housed 3,413 Confederate soldiers.  235 of them died (around seven percent).  (For source and more information on Hart Island, click here.) 

Tobias was listed as a private in Company B of the 14th Regiment of the South Carolina Militia. The 14th was called to duty on 5 January 1865 at Branchville, SC.  Companies A and B were from Barnwell County.  Most of them were captured at Lynches Creek in February 1865.  They were sent to New Bern, NC, at first, and by April 10 they were at Hart Island.  The war ended officially on 9 April 1865 when Lee surrendered to Grant at Appomattox, but it wasn't until June that the release of prisoners began on the island.  Of the men from the 14th listed at this site who went to Hart Island, 50 percent of them died in April, May, and June of diseases such as pneumonia, chronic diarrhea, and typhoid fever.  

Photograph by Glenn Russell on Find-A-Grave (used with permission)

The men who died there were initially buried on the island.  Their remains were transferred to Cypress Hills National Cemetery in Brooklyn on 9 June 1941.  

I believe the grave shown at Find-a-Grave as that of "Thomas E. Still" is instead the grave of Tobias E. Still.  (Click here to see the memorial.)  In several records I have found on Ancestry from the National Archives, "T. E. Still" was a prisoner of war at Hart's Island and died on 29 April 1865.  There is no other T. E. Still who was a POW who died on that date.  The only original record I found that said his name was Thomas was published in 1912.  It is easy to see how the name Tobias could have been transcribed incorrectly into Thomas somewhere along the way. 


~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

My son Ian and I have made several trips to the South Carolina Department of Archives and History in the last week or so.  My initial goal was to look up some wills that were on Barnwell County's index at Family Search as well as what deeds they had.  We printed pages of the direct and indirect indexes of deeds granted to and from our Reeds, brought them home to study, and then went back to look up our finds.  The indexes range from the first deed record of our Samuel Reed in 1803 to 1930 when my own grandfather and his brothers deeded 2 lots in Barnwell and 67 acres of farmland on Turkey Creek to their mother for $10.00 and "L & A" (love and affection).  

I was browsing this index when I found the record of Samuel and Jane's marriage settlement.  It always amazes me how finding one such little nugget of info can lead to more that leads to so much more.  This is just the sort of thing keeps me going in this genealogical endeavor.  

Many thanks go to Mr. Glenn Russell whose photograph of the grave shows here.  Glenn went above and beyond in helping and encouraging me as I pondered the possibilities surrounding the grave of T. E. Still.  He's exactly the kind of person you love to run into.  He has posted over 3000 photographs for Find-A-Grave and told me that "it's not all that unusual for the name on a government headstone to be in error."  Glenn, thank you so much for all you do!