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OSBORN REAVES, BORN 1790 IN NORTH CAROLINA AND ESTHER OSTEEN, BORN 1792 IN NORTH CAROLINA WERE MARRIED IN 1812 IN WILLIAMSON CO TENNESSEE. THEY WERE INDIANS AND SAID TO BE CHEROKEE. HOWEVER, THERE IS NO EVIDENCE, OTHER THAN THE ORAL FAMILY HISTORY, THAT THEY WERE CHEROKEE. ARE THERE ANY SIOUAN DESCENDED FAMILIES OUT THERE CONNECTED TO THAT REAVES FAMILY?
Maybe there are some clues to their origins and the geography probably points to people other than Cherokee.
Hope you haven’t already “mined” this info and that some will be of help.
In 1820, Osbourn Reaves was in Davidson Co, Tenn. (one son was born there abt. 1818.)
Also in 1820 Davidson Co were Edmond, David Sr, David Jr, Elisha, George, Robert, William & Elijah (?) Reaves and these people (prob. cousins, uncles or brothers of Osborn) are claimed by various researchers as descendants of the immigrant William RYVES, b.abt.1636 Oxford, Eng., d.abt.1695 Surrey Co., Va; imported into Surrey Co., Va by Littleton Scarburg in 1652 at 16 yrs old. Several of William RYVES’s sons moved to GRANVILLE & PITT Co’s NC (prob. as early as the 1720’s) and there are several Peter Reaves in these lines.
The Edmond Reaves of 1820 Davidson Co., Tenn appears to be the same as the Edmond Reaves, b.abt. 1776 Granville Co., NC (formerly Bute Co), who m’d Green DUKES (b.abt.1780 NC), dau of Samuel DUKES and Wennifred BASS of Granville Co., NC. Lots of people on the forum will recognize these surnames in this area.
Some of the descendants of the Surrey Co., Va William were in Wilkes, Orange & Rutherford Co’s, NC, as well.
Edmond is claimed to be the son of William RIVES, b. 1 July 1748 Iredell Co., NC, whose brother George is associated (court deposition) with the “Mallata” John BUNCH and the trader/Indian interpreter Robert HIX who had m’d a dau of William Rives, b.1680 Surrey Co., Va; d. abt.1751 Granville Co., NC, who would have been a great-uncle (?) of Edmond.
Anyway, this area of NC was not Cherokee country. The LAWSON & MARTIN connections of Osborn’s kids also makes me suspect that the REAVES were not Cherokee, but it doesn’t prove anything.
One of the Peter REEVES/REAVES in this line (too young to be Osborn’s father) was b.abt.1776 Granville Co., NC; d. aft. 1841 Searcy Co., Arkansas; m’d abt 1801 Sally REDDEN, b.abt. 1785 Va., and several of their children were born 1802 to 1807 in Wilkes Co., NC and later ones 1809 to 1824 in Tenn with daughter Rebecca born 13 June 1813 in Wayne Co., Tenn. Quite a coincidence. (a James REAVES, age over 45, lived in Wayne Co in 1820)
Regarding the OSTEENs : the 1790 NC census shows Osteens only in Carteret Co., which contains Cape Hatteras. (Naturally, this could be a “missing records bias” so we can’t take it to the bank. )
The possible connection that I see between the Reaves and the Osteens are the Land Deeds in Chowan, Granville and Craven Co’s NC, of William RIVES (b.1680 Surrey Co., Va; d.bef. 1751 Granville Co., NC). His descendants were around this area of NC later and Craven Co adjoins Carteret Co., NC. Also not Cherokee country.
Most of this info has been gleaned from the work of these other researchers and I’ve only attempted to give you an overview so I hope this is lucid enough to follow as possible clues.
Some of these researchers have GOFORTH, LAWSON, FREEMAN & SCHUTT ancestors.
Bill
Bob,
The “Marriage Records of Williamson Co., Tenn., 1804-1850, p.159” from Genealogy.com’s Genealogy Library online:
John REEVES + Nancy KENNY, June 30, 1809, Bond: Jno. EDGAR.
Osburn REEVES + Esther H. OSTEEN, May 5, 1812, Bond: Jesse OSTEEN.
John C. REEVES + Rebecca PINKSTON, Sept 19, 1819, Bond: Alexander WOOD.
………………………………
It would be a good guess, like you said, that Jesse Osteen is Esther’s father and he’s one of the Osteen’s in Carteret, NC.
1790 Carteret Co., NC Census, New Bern District; p.438:
Jesse OSTEEN = 10100.
(1 male over 16 yrs; 1 female. – maybe just married?)
Next door:
David Osteen = 13200
(1 male over 16; 3 males under 16; 2 females.)
(last 2 zeros are for FPC and Slaves.)
Next door to David:
Samuel Osteen = 20200.
(2 males over 16; 2 females.)
Several houses down the list:
John Osteen Sr. = 11400.
(1 male over 16; 1 male under 16. 4 females.)
Next door:
John Osteen Jr. = 11300.
(1 male over 16; 1 male under 16. 3 females)
Several houses further on:
William Osteen = 13200.
(1 male over 16. 3 males under 16. 2 females.)
………………………………………………………………………..
Since Wayne Co, Tenn is where Esther and Osborn eventually end up living, I looked there.
1830 WAYNE Co., TENN census, p.300:
Jesse OSTEEN = 01000001 – 2310010 – 0 – 0.
household contains:
1 male 5 to 9 yrs old.
1 male 50 to 59 = Jesse, b.abt.1760s.
2 females under 5.
3 females 5 to 9.
1 female 10 to 14.
1 female 30 to 39.
No FPCs.
No slaves.
If the 30 to 39 yr old female is Jesse’s wife, this is probably a second wife and family.
Also here in 1830 is George REEVES, p.310, who is 30 to 39;
and Redding REEVES, p.313, who is 20 to 29 yrs old.
I haven’t taken the time to try to find out who they are but since they’re in Wayne Co., they may be related to Osborn.
In 1830, Robert and “Ozburn” Reeves are in Carroll Co, 3 counties to the N.W. of Wayne Co. (Lewis PINKSTON is here too).
More later,
Bill
Bob,
The oldest Reaves on that 1820 Davidson Co., Tenn census with Osborn, David Reaves, over 45 yrs old, is probably the David Reaves who d.late 1820s (not found on 1830 census), and listed in “Tennessee Genealogical Records” by Whitley, as having served 84 months service during the Rev. War. in NC. Whitley’s source was Pierce’s Register, Volume X, p.287, document 2684.
His grant of 640 acres was passed to “his heirs”, unnamed.
Bill
Research indicates that Osborn Reaves’ family may have lived in South Carolina before 1790. Does anyone have information on South Carolina Reaves families and their Indian connections? I read that through 1776 South Carolina controlled the Cherokee trade and that many “mixed” Indian families trace their Indian roots back to that place and time. It was a common and acceptable practice for traders to have both an Indian wife/family and a white wife/family.
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