Eleanor Penrose (Dyment) Reeves (1856 - 1928)

Born 16 Aug 1856 in Tyne Valley, Prince Edward Island

Ancestors

Descendants

Died 17 Oct 1928 at age 72 in Freetown, Prince Edward Island

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Biography

Eleanor Penrose Dyment was born on 6 August 1855 in Tyne Valley, the eldest daughter of Charles Dyment and Elizabeth MacDougall. ^[1]Her father died when she was young, and her brother Levi was the head of the Dyment household in 1881.^[2]

She married Joseph T. Reeves (Big Joe) on 13 September 1882. Her brother Levi and Parmenas Ellis were witnesses, and Rev. John Allen performed the ceremony.^[3] Joseph was born 1 March 1859 in Freetown, PEI, the son of Thomas Reeves and Sarah Jane Strang.

At the time of their marriage, Joseph Reeves was a farmer from Fifteen Point, and Penrose Diamond was a spinster from Tyne Valley. Her name was recorded as Penrose in the 1891 census, as well on her marriage license, so it was probably the name she used.

Penrose and Big Joe first lived in Muddy Creek, then they moved to Lower Freetown where Joseph's father Thomas lived. Joe was a farmer, a well- digger and a brickmaker. He made the bricks that were used to build Holmans store in Summerside and the Roman Catholic Church in Mt. Carmel. ^[4][5]

Eleanor Penrose and Joseph had seven children born in Muddy Creek. There was only one entry in the PEI Baptismal Index for this family, a later entry for their daughter Elizabeth. Although Joseph was raised in the Church of Scotland, in the 1891 census he said he and everyone in his household were "free thinkers", which might explain the lack of baptismal records.

In 1891, Joseph and Penrose were in Lot 17 with Sarah (7), Frank (5), Lottie (3), Henry (1) and Joseph (3/12). Joseph was farming. On this census record, Penrose said that both of her parents were born on the Island.^[6]

Eleanor P. Reeves was living with husband Joseph T. Reeves in the 1901 census in Lot 25. Children at home were Jane (17), Frank (16), Lottie (14), Henry (12), Walter (10), Elizabeth (5), Frederick (3), and Eddie (3). Dates of birth for the children in this family have been taken from this census. Joseph was a Presbyterian, and Eleanor Penrose a Methodist.^[7][8]

In 1911, Eleanor Penrose and Joseph were living with Elizabeth, Walter, Fred and Eddie.^[9]

In the 1921 census, they were living in North Bedeque with their son Frederick and Thomas Phillips.

Eleanor Penrose died 17 October 1928 in Freetown, PEI.^[10][11]

"There passed away at her residence in Freetown on Wednesday after a lingering illness, Mrs. Joseph Reeves, at the age of seventy-one years. Before her marriage she was Miss Eleanor Diamond of Tyne Valley but came to Freetown with her husband and family about twenty years ago. Mrs. Reeves was an estimable Christian woman of a kind and loving disposition, her thoughts were always of others, ready to help in times of sickness and trouble. She was beloved by all who knew her, a devoted wife and mother and had made a wide circle of friends throughout the community. Besides her husband there are left to mourn five sons and three daughters."^[12]

Other obituaries give surviving sisters as Mrs. (Dr.) George Rodman and Mrs. Austin Farvell of Boston; Mrs. A. Phillips, Mrs. Lemuel Cudmore and brothers Levi and Charles on the Island.^[13].Sister Mary Ashton was Mrs. Phillips, Sarah Louise was Mrs. Cudmore. Elizabeth Jane's second husband was Austin Farwell. That leaves Susan as Mrs. George Rodman. And, since two of these sisters lived in the States, we know that they were in contact with the family back on PEI. However, Eleanor Penrose's obituary does not match that of her mother's, in 1900 that said she was survived by 2 sons and 4 daughters.^[14]

Sources

1. ↑ Last name Dymont, Baptized on 8 March 1857 by Jacob Gale, Bible Christian Minister, PEI Collections Database, PEI Baptismal Index. The date was the same on the 1901 census.
2. ↑ "Canada Census, 1881," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MVN7-K6T : 4 October 2018), Levi Dyment, Lot 13, Prince, Prince Edward Island, Canada; from "1881 Canadian Census." Database with images. Ancestry. (www.ancestry.com : 2008); citing Levi Dyment, citing Library and Archives Canada, Ottawa, Ontario.
3. ↑ Prince Edward Island Marriage Registers, 1832-1888 Division of Vital Statistics. Public Archives, Charlottetown. Publication: online database with images, familysearch.org Marriages 1878-1888 , image 246 13 SEP 1882
4. ↑ Freetown Historical Society. Freetown Past and Present, family of Joseph Reeves starts on page 390.
5. ↑ For the Reeves family,see also The Island Register, http://www.islandregister.com/reeves1.html, for The Descendants of Simon Reeves and Sarah Taylor; there is also a Dyment genealogy on the same site, but it has a number of inaccuracies
6. ↑ Library and Archives Canada. 1891 census. http://www.bac-lac.gc.ca/eng/census/1891/Pages/item.aspx?itemid=3175201
7. ↑ Date of birth of Charlotte matches the Charlotte Giles in Salem, Massachusetts, and her family in US census records also matches the Freetown history; however this Charlotte said she was born in Maine, the daughter of Charles Sawyer on her US Social Security Claim
8. ↑ 1901 Census of Canada Publication: Library and Archives Canada website, images also on Ancestry and automated genealogy
9. ↑ "Recensement du Canada de 1911," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QV9P-Z66G : 16 March 2018), Elenor Reeves in entry for Joseph Reeves, 1911; citing Census, Prince Sub-Districts 7-48, Prince Edward Island, Canada, Library and Archives of Canada, Ottawa, Ontario; FHL microfilm 2,418,538.
10. ↑ North Bedeque church records, images on familysearch.org - cause of death - anaemia
11. ↑ Find a Grave, Memorial ID 150302432
12. ↑ Obituary from a family scrapbook, no date, no source
13. ↑ see Summerside Journal October 22 1928, from PEI Ancestry website
14. ↑ Obituary, Mrs Charles Dyment, Pioneer 7 May 1900, page 4, col. 8