Reuben R. Ream (1823 - 1900)

Born 29 Mar 1823 in Fairfield County, Ohio, United States

Ancestors

Descendants

Died 4 Jun 1900 at age 77 in Rush Township, Rooks County, Kansas, United States

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This profile is part of the Ream Name Study.

Biography

Reuben was the son of Sampson and Minerva Anna (Stukey) Ream. He was born on the old Ream homestead. ^[1] Reuben is reputed to have been loved by everyone and his home was a haven for both his relatives and his friends. As an example, his brother Samuel lived with Reuben after the death of his wife and three children. ^[2] His mother also moved in after she was widowed. ^[3] Reuben moved on to Kansas in 1875. ^[4] This account was given by Mrs. H. H. Rolfe.

Reuben R. Ream, with his oldest daughter Effie Ream Bender, Jake Bender her husband and their oldest child Laura, Reuben's daughter Sarah and his son Alpheus, left Delphos, Ohio, the first part of September, 1875 by train and went to Kansas City, Missouri. There they unloaded the teams, wagons, household goods and farm equipment from their train and continued their journey by wagon to their new home in what is now Rush County, Kansas. They were about eight days on the road to the site of this farm on the wild unbroken prairie. Reuben R. Ream bought a tract of one hundred and sixty acres. On this place there was a one room house built of native sand stone which was Reuben's first home here, and which is still standing (1938). The Benders homesteaded one hundred and sixty acres adjoining Reuben's land on the south. On this place they built a two room stone house which is still in use (1938), though it does not belong to any of the family now.

Mary Steiner Ream, wife of Reuben, and two daughters, Nettie and Ada, joined the rest of the family in the spring of 1877. They went by train to Larned, Kansas, and brought the remainder of their household goods with them. The new home was about forty miles from Larned, so they were only a day's drive from their destination.

In 1878, Newton Ream, the eldest son of Reuben, and his family, arrived and homesteaded the hundred and sixty acres adjoining the father's place on the west. In the same year also, Reuben Ream homesteaded another quarter section one mile west of the property he had bought. On this homestead he built a sod house. These houses were usually built of blue stem sod which was found in the draws. The sod was broken with a common walking plow and the large slabs of sod were carefully picked up and piled one on top of the other until a wall of sufficient height had been attained which was usually between ten and twelve feet. Lacking any kind of lumber, the roof was thatched with willows that grew in abundance along the creeks. On top of these willows was placed a layer of dust from the stone quarries. The floor was hard packed clay and the door was either a large steer or buffalo hide.

Newton Ream's first home in this country was a dugout which was about five feet in the ground and another five feet above the ground and built of stone. The roof and floor were finished in the same manner as the sod houses.

The hardships that these Kansas pioneers endured were almost unbearable. Before they learned that their most certain and profitable crop was wheat, they made the mistake of trying to raise the same crops they had grown in Ohio and the failure of these crops on the prairies worked untold hardships on them. Their nearest post office was at Rush Center, Kansas, eight miles away and their nearest trading post was at Larned, forty miles to the southeast. The children walked three miles to a school which was in session three months during the summer.

In 1900 Alpheus Ream bought his father's first home and moved in it soon after the latter's death that same year. Alpheus Ream's youngest daughter, who married H. H. Rolfe, lives on this place a the present time, (1938).

Death

Inscription:

aged 77y 2m 16d

Burial:

Locust Hill Cemetery

Rush Center

Rush County

Kansas, USA

Marriage

Reuben was married to Mary Steiner (1827-1920) on 7 September 1848 in Fairfield County, Ohio. ^{[5] [6]}

Children

• Effie Lillian Ream (1849-1921)
• Newton V. Ream (1851-1929)
• Fernando F. Ream (1856-)
• Anna Mosella Ream (1858-1932)
• Janett M. Ream
• Francoize M.
• Sarah Ream (1862-)
• Nettie H. Ream (1866-)
• Alpheus U. Ream (1869-)
• Ada Mary Ream (1869-)

Sources

1. ↑ Denniston
2. ↑ Denniston
3. ↑ Denniston
4. ↑ Denniston
5. ↑ Marriage Records. Ohio Marriages, FamilySearch, Salt Lake City, Utah. (Ancestry.com. Ohio, County Marriages, 1774-1993 [database on-line]. Lehi, Utah: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2016), Film Number: 000295269. Cit. Date: 30 Jun 2017.
6. ↑ Denniston

• Find A Grave: Memorial #112400334 retrieved 14 June 2017
• Reverend S. Ream, A Genealogical History of The Ream Family in Fairfield County, Ohio, Cleveland, Ohio: Central Publishing House, 1908, pg. 12. Cit. Date: 9 Jun 2017.
• 1860 U.S. census, population schedule, NARA microfilm publication M653, 1,438 rolls. Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d. (Ancestry.com. 1860 United States Federal Census [database on-line]. Provo, Utah: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2009. Images reproduced by FamilySearch), Year: 1860; Census Place: Sugar Grove, Fairfield, Ohio; Roll: M653_961; Page: 732; Family History Library Film: 803961. Cit. Date: 30 Jun 2017. Microfilm of original records in the National Archives, Washington D.C.
• 1870 United States Federal Census,, population schedules. NARA microfilm publication M593, 1761 rolls. Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration. (Ancestry.com. 1870 U. S. Federal Census [database online], Provo, Utah: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2009. Images reproduced by FamilySearch). Year: 1870; Census Place: Washington, Van Wert, Ohio; Roll: M593_1275; Page: 409B; Image: 11721; Family History Library Film: 552774. Cit. Date: 30 Jun 2017. Microfilm of original records in the National Archives, Washington D.C.
• Tenth Census of the United States, 1880, (NARA microfilm publication T9, 1,454 rolls). Records of the Bureau of the Census, Record Group 29. National Archives, Washington, D.C. (Ancestry.com and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. 1880 United States Federal Census [database on-line]. Provo, Utah: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2010. 1880 U.S. Census Index provided by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints © Copyright 1999 Intellectual Reserve, Inc. All rights reserved). Year: 1880; Census Place: Brookdale, Rush, Kansas; Roll: 395; Family History Film: 1254395; Page: 562B; Enumeration District: 360; Image: 0551. Cit. Date: 30 Jun 2017.
• United States of America, Bureau of the Census, Twelfth Census of the United States, 1900, Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 1900. T623, 1854 rolls. (Ancestry.com. 1900 United States Federal Census [database on-line]. Provo, Utah: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2004). or Family Search, Year: 1900; Census Place: Union, Rush, Kansas; Roll: 498; Page: 6A; Enumeration District: 0240; FHL microfilm: 1240498. Cit. Date: 30 Jun 2017.
• Denniston, Elmer Leonidas. Genealogy of the Stukey, Ream, Grove, Clem, and Denniston Families, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania: The author, 1939, pg. 146.