Saturday, December 20, 2008

Reed Homestead 3D Rebuild

Since the James Harrison Reed homestead, where Ida L. Reed resided, in the Arden area of Barbour County was burnt down, I decided to use Google's Sketchup program and Google Earth to make a 3D replica of the home, based on the few photographs that I have (which have been posted to this blog). For those of you who use Google Earth and would like a copy of the .kmz file with the 3D rebuild of the Reed homestead, please let me know.

I was just guessing on the paint colors, since I probably only saw the house once, if at all, before it was burnt down, and I would have just been a small boy at that. So if anyone who saw the home and remembers paint details and any other things I may have missed, please let me know.

From my model, I am guessing that the cleared land across the road from the house, was the land cleared and owned by James Harrison Reed. It would be nice to have some land records that detail the extent of their holdings.


Tuesday, August 26, 2008

William Reed(e) Died 29 May 1882 in Upshur Co., WV

A William Reede, who was a farmer in Upshur Co., died at the age of 79 on 29 May 1882. Given his residence and birth year of c1803, this may be the same William Reed who was married to Ceny Adams and perhaps previously to Lucinda Creighton, as mentioned previously.

Friday, July 11, 2008

DNA Revisited

I currently have DNA experts trying to verify results and determine why first cousins twice removed have at least seven markers that are off by at least one. We can at least safely say that our Reed family belongs to the R1B1 haplogroup, confirming Celtic origins. However, we need more males (who have the Reed/Reid surname) in the family to participate in the DNA projects to help narrow in on our origins. I would especially encourage descendants of Hampton Homer Reed to participate, given the DNA discrepancies between two Hampton descendants. If you have the funds, I would recommend getting a test from FamilyTreeDNA and participating in the Reed project. If your money is tight, I would recommend the Sorenson Molecular Genealogy Foundation (SMGF), which is free to participate (you just have to provide four generations of your genealogy along with swished mouth wash, which they provide. When I did it postage was also covered by SMGF. would be glad to help anyone put their four generation genealogy together.) Please note that the various DNA projects protect your identity, so please do not this keep you from participating. I am very security minded and I participated. Thanks ahead of time for your participation, which will greatly help our efforts to discover our roots. Send me any questions that you might have.

Saturday, January 26, 2008

Creighton (Crayton) Connection


The above was written by Ida L. Reed, and for awhile, based on this I had thought that her grandfather William Reed's mother was named Sarah Creighton, however, I recently questioned this as it appears that William's mother was probably a Diana Rumsey. I believe, now, that what Ida meant was that Sarah was Lucinda's mother. I have seen from census records that a Sarah Crayton lived in Rockingham Co., VA in the early 1800s, where are Reed family was living. It is certain to me that Sarah is Lucinda's mother, especially since a Sarah Crayton is giving permission for Lucinda to marry in the following marriage record from Orange County Marriages, 1747-1850 by John Vogt and T. William Kethley, Jr.:

Lucinda Crayton & William Read married 15 May 1826; witnesses - P.S. Fry and Ezekiah Richards, bondsman - Ezekiah Richards, permission to marry - Sarah Craton

(Ezekiah Richards was likely related to a Richard Richards and Richard Richards, Jr. of Orange Co. This is based on the fact that all three, together, took inventory of Johnathan Lancaster's estate in 1852.)

According to a 16 Sep 1875 Harrison Co., WV marriage certificate of William Reed and "Seney" Adams, William was listed as a widower who was born to a William and Diana Reed in Orange Co., VA. Seney was listed as having been born to an Eva? Adams in Harrison Co., WV (father was unknown). Our William Reed's wife Lucinda died on 22 Feb 1873, which would allow for our William to be a widower in 1875. Additionally, William and Seney lived next door to James Harrison Reed's sister Sarah in the Elk district of Barbour Co. for awhile. This is enough for me to believe that this was our William. Based on the marriage certificate, I also believe that Benjamin Read was the brother to William, and that Diana (Dysa, Dicy) was the mother to William. I offer up the following marriage records from the same Orange Co. book as further evidence (note that Benjamin was married 5 days before William):

Benjamin Read & Sarah Payne married 10 May 1826; witnesses Francis Badger, Benjamin Hume, P.S. Fry, bondsman - Daniel Young, son of Dyannah Teal

William Read & Dysa Rumsey married 22 Oct 1802; bondsman -Henry Teel

Dicy Reed & Henry Teel married 26 Apr 1813; widow, witness - Richard Chapman, bondsman - George Herndon, performed by minister J. Goss - 5 May 1813

Based on these records I would say that Diana (Dicy) married her bondsman Henry Teel after the death of her husband William Read.

The following record, given the witness name, may be a sister or cousin to William and Benjamin Read:

Nancy Reed & William Dunaway married 17 Dec 1827; witness - P.S. Fry, bondsman - John Read. (From other records: Nancy A. Reed, born 1808 in Virginia, USA; died 09 Mar 1856 in Shelby, IL)

The witness P.S. Fry may have been a Philip S. Fry from Loudoun, Co., Va, and chief executive of Orange Co. from 1844-1859. It appears P.S. Fry witnessed many marriages in Orange Co., so it is likely that he was somehow associated with the court.

Thursday, January 17, 2008

Walter Newman Reed of Augusta Co., VA


Ida L. Reed mentioned a Walter Newman Reed as being a relative that visited the family in West Virginia and had shared genealogical information with her. This post is to aid in the discovery of how he might be connected to our Reed family, and thus further the Reed lineage.

Walter Newman Reed was born to a William A. Reed (b. c1829 in VA) and Martha E. Smith (b. c1838 in VA) on 19 Feb 1858 in the Burke’s Mill area (Churchville) of Augusta Co., VA, an area just across the border from Rockingham Co., where our Reed family was living in the early to mid-1800s. William A. Reed was a carpenter, and was likely the son of a Benjamin Reid (b. c1805 in VA) and Sarah "Sally" E. (b. c1804 in VA), who was also a carpenter. Martha Smith Reed was most likely the daughter of a George Smith (b. c1803 in VA), who was living in Augusta Co. in 1850. There was a William Reed who was b. c1829 in Orange Co., VA to a Benjamin Reed and Sarah E. Paine. There was a Sarah E. Paine b. c1804 in Orange Co., VA. Benjamin and Sarah E. lived in the Burke's Mill area of Augusta Co. and then in Mt. Sydney with their son John W.

Walter was living with his wife Mary B. (b. c1869 in MO), at a home near the intersection of Spring Hill Rd and Roman Rd in Spring Hill Village north of Staunton, Augusta Co., during 1910-1920. Walter and Mary married c. 1882 and had one child, a daughter named Elva, born c.1891. Walter, listed as Newman W., was working as a farmer.

Elva may have been the Elva K. who was married to a Herbert B. Brown on Swoope Rd. in the Pastures area of Augusta Co. in 1920. The one divergent information is that her mother is listed as being born in VA instead of MO. Elva K. may have actually been an Elva Keracofs (b. c1889 in the Pastures area). At any rate, Herbert and Elva had three children by 1920: Norwood (b. c1914), Willa Belle (b. c1916), and Virginia (b. c1918). Elva Reed was not the wife to William Brown Craig, who was living in the South River area of Augusta Co. in 1920.

Benjamin Reid, the probable grandfather of Walter, may likely have been brother to William Reid, the father of James Harrison Reed. If that is correct, Walter would have been Ida’s second cousin. The following represent that which I base this conjecture. A William Reed (b. c1800/05 in VA) was living in Barbour Co., WV in the late 1800s and lived next to one of the sisters of James Harrison Reed. This William, who was remarried to a Ceny Adams, according to others’ research, was said to have been the son of a William Reed and Diana and was born in Orange Co., VA. According to others’ research, a Benjamin Reed (b. c1805 in Orange Co., VA) was the son of a William Reed and Diana Ramsey. According to marriage records, a William Read married a “Dysa Rumsey” on 22 Oct 1802 in Orange Co., VA. A Dicy Reed was a head of household in Orange Co., VA in 1830. The problem lies in that Ida says here great-grandmother's name was Sarah Creighton. So unless William was married twice, there is an error some place.

Ida L Reed also mentioned that her great-grandfather Reed fought in the Revolutionary War, so he would've probably been born in the 1760s. There was a William Read (b. c1766 in Culppeper Co., VA) who was the son of a John and Mary Read, who could be a match. His father John, descended from the Colonel George Reade who came over from England in the mid-1600s and died in Yorktown, VA. This is the same George Reade who was an ancestor of President George Washington. This would be a close match to Ida's claims that are Reed family sprung from a Captain George Reed, who came to America from Scotland in 1645. Ida had also claimed that George Washington's grandmother Elizabeth Reed was of our line. John's father's name was Joseph, and others had said that our James Harrison Reed's grandfather or great-grandfather was named Joseph.