Reavis Family
(Click on names of spouses for more information about their families.)
First Generation in America
Edward D. Ashley Reavis (about 1690, ENG - 1750 NC)
married Sarah Gilliam (about 1710 - 1778 NC)
Edward Reavis was of English birth, and came to Henrico County in Colonial Virginia where "received a royal patent to land of the James River" because he had paid for the importation of two people to Virginia. "Every 'Reavis' (white), harks back to this Edward of Henrico Co VA. He bought and sold several pieces of property, first in VA and eventually in NC. He signed his full name with an "X" as so many then did...." The Reavis name is sometimes spelled Rivis, Revis, or Reves in the records.(1)
Edward's first wife is believed to be Hannah Alley. She died in Virginia, after bearing six children. Edward's second wife was Sarah Gilliam, who came from a very early colonial family. To learn more about the Sarah's family, click on her name above. Sarah was the mother of our ancestor Jesse, and three other children. (1)
"Edward and most of his family moved to Northampton County, NC about 1747. Edward died in Northampton County 1751/2.
"Sarah Gilliam Reavis, the widow, moved most of her family to Surry County, North Carolina about 1770/2. Records show that they were members of the Dutchman's Creek Baptist Church. Sarah's name does not appear on church records after November, 1778." (2)
Edward Reavis died in 1750. His will mentions his plantation and many personal effects including furniture, dishes, farm implements and livestock. Reavis also owned one negro slave.
Sources:
(1) Quotes and information are from the biography of Edward Reavis found at https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Reavis-23#_ref-0 The biography, in turn, used information from the following sources: http://www.fmoran.com/reavis.html, The Reavis Family by Marie Reavis Hall, and North Carolina Wills: A Testator Index 1665-1900 T. W. Mitchell.
(2) http://www.fmoran.com/reavis.htm
Second Generation
Jesse Reavis (1735, VA - 1835 NC)
married Fortune Jordan (about 1738 NC - about 1790 NC)
"Jesse was abt 12 years old when parents moved from Henrico County, VA, to Northampton County, NC...." (1) About ten years later, he married a young woman named Fortune Jordan. We may possibly be doubly related to Fortune Jordan -- she may be related to the Jordans that are in the Hamlin family!
Jesse and Fortune had at least four children: Susan, David, John, and our ancestor, Edward Reavis (born about 1772).
The year that Edward was born, Jesse helped organize the Dutchman's Creek Baptist Church.(1)
In 1778, Jesse Reavis enlisted as a soldier in the Revolutionary War. He was promoted from private to corporal the next year.(1)
Fortune died around 1790, and Jesse married Prudence Webb and, after her death, Mary Gibbons.(1)
Jesse lived to be at least 100 years old! He is recorded in the Surry Co, NC Tax List in 1835.(1) Living to 100 years old in our era is noteworthy -- how much more so in a time prior to modern medical advances!
Sources:
(1) Reavis Family. "Generation 2." http://homepages.rootsweb.com/~reavis/Jesse2.html. <28 July 2019>.
Third Generation
Edward Reavis (1772 NC - 1812 NC)
married Mary Haddock (1774 MD - 1850 NC)
Young Edward Reavis was named after his grandfather, the first Reavis of the colonies. Edward was the youngest son of his mother, Fortune, who died before she was able to see him marry.
Edward married Mary Haddock (or Haddocks) in Surry County, NC, in 1795. Mary's family had come to North Carolina from Maryland.
Edward and Mary had at least eight children, including our ancestor William Reavis.
Edward did not have his father's longevity, and died in 1812, at only 40 years old. Most of their children were still very young at the time. After his death, Mary married Jeremiah Patrick, whom she also outlived.
Fourth Generation
William Reavis (1798 NC - 1882)
married Mary Ann Hendricks (1803 NC - 1854 IN)
William Reavis was born in North Carolina about 1798. William was the oldest boy in the family and his father died when he was only about fourteen. This probably put a great deal of responsibility on his shoulders until his mother remarried. The War of 1812 began at the same time. Although the Reavis family may not have been directly affected by the fighting, knowledge of the war surely added to the stress in their lives.
Around 1820, William married Maryann Hendricks, daughter of Henry Hendricks. They had at least ten children:
Elizabeth Reavis, 1823, NC
Isaac Reavis, 1825, NC (our ancestor)
Lemuel Reavis, 1827, NC
Asberry Reavis, 1828, NC
Enoch Jones Reavis, 1830, NC
William Henry Reavis, 1832, OH
Isabel Elizabeth Reavis, 1836, OH
John Reavis, 1836, IN
Jesse Franklin Reavis, 1838, IN
Sarah Caroline Reavis, 1840, IN
William and Maryann lived in North Carolina until about 1830, when they moved to Ohio, and then Indiana, to work on the canals that were being built to facilitate steam boat transportation.
"William's first land record is in Madison Co. Indiana in 1837. It is said that he worked on the Canal that was being built to connect the Ohio River with the Great Lakes. But the project went broke and work on the canal stop[p]ed. Not having any work, William decided to settle north of Alexandria on what is now State Rd 9. In order to do this he had to cut a road though the wilderness. Afterwards, he built a cab[i]n about two or three miles from Alexandria. Over time he accumulated several hundred acres of land and bec[o]mes quite prosperous." (1)
The Indiana Central Canal project went broke because of the Panic of 1837. Only eight of 296 proposed miles had been completed! (2) It is interesting that amidst the panic, William Reavis had the foresight to buy land.
Mary Ann died in 1854. "It is said that when he married his second wife she persuaded him to sell his land, and move to Kansas...."(3) The move to Kansas took place in the 1870's. Why they chose to move to the dusty Kansas prairies, we do not know. In 1876, Kansas' exhibit at the Centennial Exhibition in Philadelphia may have attracted some. But William Reavis and his wife were already in Kansas by 1875. As one Kansasian said, "Whether it be the Centennial Exposition, or from any other cause, the facts exist that our roads are and for some time have been literally whitened with the wagon-covers of incoming settlers. Not infrequently the words "To Kansas," in rude chirography, upon the side, telling to the thousands upon their route the inspiration that moves them westwards. Welcome all!"(4)
Until his death in 1882, William Reavis lived in Towanda, Butler County, Kansas, -- a long way from his childhood home of North Carolina!
Sources:
(1) Revis-Reavis family in America, compiled by Barbara Lucas, ...from notes found in the Anderson Indiana library. "suiquin" originally shared this to Reavis Family Tree on Ancestry.com.)
(2) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indiana_Central_Canal
(3) Revis-Reavis family in America, compiled by Barbara Lucas
(4) https://www.kshs.org/p/kansas-in-1876/13268
Fifth Generation
Isaac Reavis (1825 NC - )
married Sarah A. Kinyon (1830 NC - )
Like his father, Isaac was the oldest boy in the family. Already a married adult when his father moved to Kansas, Isaac stayed in Indiana.
Isaac married Sarah A. Kinyoun sometime prior to 1847, when their son Lemuel was born. Little Lemuel Reavis was named after Sarah's father, Lemuel Kinyoun. The Kinyouns were an old North Carolina family who had also moved to Indiana.
Isaac and Sarah and Lemuel Reavis are listed in the 1850 census in Indiana. In 1856, they are recorded in Iowa's state census as living in Des Moines, Iowa.
From there, things start getting confusing.
In 1860, Sarah Kinyoun Reavis and son Lemuel were living with Sarah's parents in Linn County, Missouri. I have not yet found where Isaac was at the time. (Note: There is an "Isaac Reaves" who is listed as a Civil War soldier from Missouri. Perhaps this was our Isaac, and accounts for his absence. However, the war did not start until 1861, so I'm not sure why he would be gone in 1860.)
In 1863, there is a marriage record between an Isaac Reavis and an Elizabeth Lewis, in Douglas County, Nebraska. The 1870 census lists this couple still in Nebraska. Isaac is listed as being born in North Carolina, adding validity to the theory that he is our Isaac.
In 1890, there is a marriage record between Isaac Reavis and Elizabeth Kinyoun in Nebraska.
The best I can figure, Sarah died sometime between 1860 and 1863. Isaac then married Elizabeth Lewis in Nebraska, and after her death, he married Sarah's younger sister, Elizabeth Kinyoun.
Sixth Generation
Lemuel N. Reavis (1847 IN - 1909 OR)
married Isabelle Lambert (1864 MO-1885 WA)
Lemuel was born in Indiana to young parents, Isaac (age 22) and Sarah (age 16). In 1860, at the age of 13, he and his mother were living with his Kinyoun grandparents in Missouri. I have not been able to find him in the 1870 census. His mother had apparently died, and his father was remarried and living in Nebraska.
The next time Lemuel showed up in census records, he was 33 and living in Cottonwood, Umatilla County, Oregon. He was single, and working as a laborer. The family next door was the Lamberts, who were also from Missouri. The Lamberts had many children. Their oldest was sixteen-year old Isabelle. Within a year, Lemuel and Isabelle married. Their marriage took place in Nez Perce County, Idaho.
Lemuel and Isabelle had three children: Ida Irene (our ancestor, born 1882, in Washington), Luther (born 1884, in Washington), and Earle Jesse (born 1886, in Council, Idaho). On December 30, 1887, Isabelle died. Her body was buried in Walla Walla, Washington.
In 1892, Lemuel and two of the children were living in Stevens County, Washington, (probably near Spokane.)
Luther probably died while very young. Earle ended up living in such far-flung places as Saskatchewan, Los Angeles (where he was a detective) and Florida. Ida Irene married Charles Garred, and remained in the Northwest, where she and Charlie raised eight children.
Lemuel Reavis died in 1909, when he was thrown from a horse in Tolgate, Oregon. He was 62. In those 62 years, Lemuel had lived in Indiana, Missouri, Iowa, Oregon, Washington, and Idaho. Someone in the family has a gag photo postcard from Lemuel, showing an African warrior.
Seventh Generation
Ida Irene Reavis (1882 WA - 1954 OR)
married Charles W. Garred (1864 MN - 1933 OR)
(Click on names of spouses for more information about their families.)
First Generation in America
Edward D. Ashley Reavis (about 1690, ENG - 1750 NC)
married Sarah Gilliam (about 1710 - 1778 NC)
Edward Reavis was of English birth, and came to Henrico County in Colonial Virginia where "received a royal patent to land of the James River" because he had paid for the importation of two people to Virginia. "Every 'Reavis' (white), harks back to this Edward of Henrico Co VA. He bought and sold several pieces of property, first in VA and eventually in NC. He signed his full name with an "X" as so many then did...." The Reavis name is sometimes spelled Rivis, Revis, or Reves in the records.(1)
Edward's first wife is believed to be Hannah Alley. She died in Virginia, after bearing six children. Edward's second wife was Sarah Gilliam, who came from a very early colonial family. To learn more about the Sarah's family, click on her name above. Sarah was the mother of our ancestor Jesse, and three other children. (1)
"Edward and most of his family moved to Northampton County, NC about 1747. Edward died in Northampton County 1751/2.
"Sarah Gilliam Reavis, the widow, moved most of her family to Surry County, North Carolina about 1770/2. Records show that they were members of the Dutchman's Creek Baptist Church. Sarah's name does not appear on church records after November, 1778." (2)
Edward Reavis died in 1750. His will mentions his plantation and many personal effects including furniture, dishes, farm implements and livestock. Reavis also owned one negro slave.
Sources:
(1) Quotes and information are from the biography of Edward Reavis found at https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Reavis-23#_ref-0 The biography, in turn, used information from the following sources: http://www.fmoran.com/reavis.html, The Reavis Family by Marie Reavis Hall, and North Carolina Wills: A Testator Index 1665-1900 T. W. Mitchell.
(2) http://www.fmoran.com/reavis.htm
Second Generation
Jesse Reavis (1735, VA - 1835 NC)
married Fortune Jordan (about 1738 NC - about 1790 NC)
"Jesse was abt 12 years old when parents moved from Henrico County, VA, to Northampton County, NC...." (1) About ten years later, he married a young woman named Fortune Jordan. We may possibly be doubly related to Fortune Jordan -- she may be related to the Jordans that are in the Hamlin family!
Jesse and Fortune had at least four children: Susan, David, John, and our ancestor, Edward Reavis (born about 1772).
The year that Edward was born, Jesse helped organize the Dutchman's Creek Baptist Church.(1)
In 1778, Jesse Reavis enlisted as a soldier in the Revolutionary War. He was promoted from private to corporal the next year.(1)
Fortune died around 1790, and Jesse married Prudence Webb and, after her death, Mary Gibbons.(1)
Jesse lived to be at least 100 years old! He is recorded in the Surry Co, NC Tax List in 1835.(1) Living to 100 years old in our era is noteworthy -- how much more so in a time prior to modern medical advances!
Sources:
(1) Reavis Family. "Generation 2." http://homepages.rootsweb.com/~reavis/Jesse2.html. <28 July 2019>.
Third Generation
Edward Reavis (1772 NC - 1812 NC)
married Mary Haddock (1774 MD - 1850 NC)
Young Edward Reavis was named after his grandfather, the first Reavis of the colonies. Edward was the youngest son of his mother, Fortune, who died before she was able to see him marry.
Edward married Mary Haddock (or Haddocks) in Surry County, NC, in 1795. Mary's family had come to North Carolina from Maryland.
Edward and Mary had at least eight children, including our ancestor William Reavis.
Edward did not have his father's longevity, and died in 1812, at only 40 years old. Most of their children were still very young at the time. After his death, Mary married Jeremiah Patrick, whom she also outlived.
Fourth Generation
William Reavis (1798 NC - 1882)
married Mary Ann Hendricks (1803 NC - 1854 IN)
William Reavis was born in North Carolina about 1798. William was the oldest boy in the family and his father died when he was only about fourteen. This probably put a great deal of responsibility on his shoulders until his mother remarried. The War of 1812 began at the same time. Although the Reavis family may not have been directly affected by the fighting, knowledge of the war surely added to the stress in their lives.
Around 1820, William married Maryann Hendricks, daughter of Henry Hendricks. They had at least ten children:
Elizabeth Reavis, 1823, NC
Isaac Reavis, 1825, NC (our ancestor)
Lemuel Reavis, 1827, NC
Asberry Reavis, 1828, NC
Enoch Jones Reavis, 1830, NC
William Henry Reavis, 1832, OH
Isabel Elizabeth Reavis, 1836, OH
John Reavis, 1836, IN
Jesse Franklin Reavis, 1838, IN
Sarah Caroline Reavis, 1840, IN
William and Maryann lived in North Carolina until about 1830, when they moved to Ohio, and then Indiana, to work on the canals that were being built to facilitate steam boat transportation.
"William's first land record is in Madison Co. Indiana in 1837. It is said that he worked on the Canal that was being built to connect the Ohio River with the Great Lakes. But the project went broke and work on the canal stop[p]ed. Not having any work, William decided to settle north of Alexandria on what is now State Rd 9. In order to do this he had to cut a road though the wilderness. Afterwards, he built a cab[i]n about two or three miles from Alexandria. Over time he accumulated several hundred acres of land and bec[o]mes quite prosperous." (1)
The Indiana Central Canal project went broke because of the Panic of 1837. Only eight of 296 proposed miles had been completed! (2) It is interesting that amidst the panic, William Reavis had the foresight to buy land.
Mary Ann died in 1854. "It is said that when he married his second wife she persuaded him to sell his land, and move to Kansas...."(3) The move to Kansas took place in the 1870's. Why they chose to move to the dusty Kansas prairies, we do not know. In 1876, Kansas' exhibit at the Centennial Exhibition in Philadelphia may have attracted some. But William Reavis and his wife were already in Kansas by 1875. As one Kansasian said, "Whether it be the Centennial Exposition, or from any other cause, the facts exist that our roads are and for some time have been literally whitened with the wagon-covers of incoming settlers. Not infrequently the words "To Kansas," in rude chirography, upon the side, telling to the thousands upon their route the inspiration that moves them westwards. Welcome all!"(4)
Until his death in 1882, William Reavis lived in Towanda, Butler County, Kansas, -- a long way from his childhood home of North Carolina!
Sources:
(1) Revis-Reavis family in America, compiled by Barbara Lucas, ...from notes found in the Anderson Indiana library. "suiquin" originally shared this to Reavis Family Tree on Ancestry.com.)
(2) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indiana_Central_Canal
(3) Revis-Reavis family in America, compiled by Barbara Lucas
(4) https://www.kshs.org/p/kansas-in-1876/13268
Fifth Generation
Isaac Reavis (1825 NC - )
married Sarah A. Kinyon (1830 NC - )
Like his father, Isaac was the oldest boy in the family. Already a married adult when his father moved to Kansas, Isaac stayed in Indiana.
Isaac married Sarah A. Kinyoun sometime prior to 1847, when their son Lemuel was born. Little Lemuel Reavis was named after Sarah's father, Lemuel Kinyoun. The Kinyouns were an old North Carolina family who had also moved to Indiana.
Isaac and Sarah and Lemuel Reavis are listed in the 1850 census in Indiana. In 1856, they are recorded in Iowa's state census as living in Des Moines, Iowa.
From there, things start getting confusing.
In 1860, Sarah Kinyoun Reavis and son Lemuel were living with Sarah's parents in Linn County, Missouri. I have not yet found where Isaac was at the time. (Note: There is an "Isaac Reaves" who is listed as a Civil War soldier from Missouri. Perhaps this was our Isaac, and accounts for his absence. However, the war did not start until 1861, so I'm not sure why he would be gone in 1860.)
In 1863, there is a marriage record between an Isaac Reavis and an Elizabeth Lewis, in Douglas County, Nebraska. The 1870 census lists this couple still in Nebraska. Isaac is listed as being born in North Carolina, adding validity to the theory that he is our Isaac.
In 1890, there is a marriage record between Isaac Reavis and Elizabeth Kinyoun in Nebraska.
The best I can figure, Sarah died sometime between 1860 and 1863. Isaac then married Elizabeth Lewis in Nebraska, and after her death, he married Sarah's younger sister, Elizabeth Kinyoun.
Sixth Generation
Lemuel N. Reavis (1847 IN - 1909 OR)
married Isabelle Lambert (1864 MO-1885 WA)
Lemuel was born in Indiana to young parents, Isaac (age 22) and Sarah (age 16). In 1860, at the age of 13, he and his mother were living with his Kinyoun grandparents in Missouri. I have not been able to find him in the 1870 census. His mother had apparently died, and his father was remarried and living in Nebraska.
The next time Lemuel showed up in census records, he was 33 and living in Cottonwood, Umatilla County, Oregon. He was single, and working as a laborer. The family next door was the Lamberts, who were also from Missouri. The Lamberts had many children. Their oldest was sixteen-year old Isabelle. Within a year, Lemuel and Isabelle married. Their marriage took place in Nez Perce County, Idaho.
Lemuel and Isabelle had three children: Ida Irene (our ancestor, born 1882, in Washington), Luther (born 1884, in Washington), and Earle Jesse (born 1886, in Council, Idaho). On December 30, 1887, Isabelle died. Her body was buried in Walla Walla, Washington.
In 1892, Lemuel and two of the children were living in Stevens County, Washington, (probably near Spokane.)
Luther probably died while very young. Earle ended up living in such far-flung places as Saskatchewan, Los Angeles (where he was a detective) and Florida. Ida Irene married Charles Garred, and remained in the Northwest, where she and Charlie raised eight children.
Lemuel Reavis died in 1909, when he was thrown from a horse in Tolgate, Oregon. He was 62. In those 62 years, Lemuel had lived in Indiana, Missouri, Iowa, Oregon, Washington, and Idaho. Someone in the family has a gag photo postcard from Lemuel, showing an African warrior.
Seventh Generation
Ida Irene Reavis (1882 WA - 1954 OR)
married Charles W. Garred (1864 MN - 1933 OR)
Irene was the mother of Jesse Garred, and the grandmother of Norma Garred.