William Reed UE (abt. 1724 - bef. 1817)

Ancestors

Husband of Nancy Agnes (Nesbitt) Reid — married about 1760 in New York

Descendants

Died before 19 Apr 1817 before about age 93 in Thurlow, Hastings, Upper Canada

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Biography

William Reed was a United Empire Loyalist.
UEL Status:Proven
Date:

William Reed was likely born about 1733 somewhere in New England.

About 1760, he married Nancy Agnes Nesbitt. Their first seven children were born between 1764 and 1780 in New England. Their ten children were:

Between 1770 and 1775, William and his family were in Long Island, N. Y. William may have been one of the original lot holders of the Harperfield settlement c.1772 in Ulster Co NY, on the Delaware. (William and Nancy may have participated with a group of Connecticut homesteaders who settled along the Delaware headwaters of the New York territory some time after 1757.) Between 1783 and 1785 they emigrated to Canada.

During the American Revolutionary War of 1775–1783, William fought on the side of the British King (sometimes referred to as Tories).. William did Military Service as a Sergeant during the revoltionary war. ( A William Reide did become a prisoner at some point…but this may have been a different William.)

Harpersfield was destroyed by Indians and Tories in 1777.

William, Nancy and their children were forced to flee to Canada in 1788. It is reported that their daughter Sarah was born en route to Canada. She may have been born in Queensbury near Lake George.

Abt. 1789, they arrived near Foxboro with 4 grown sons; Thurlow C4 L4 ^[1].

In the History of the Settlement of Upper Canada, it says that on the fifth day of March, 1798 William was appointed as an assessor.He wrote his will in 1799.

In 1802, William was a farmer in Thurlow Tp C4 L5. In 1812, William with his son William built Corbyville mill on West bank.

William's will was probated August 29, 1827.

Family

• John REED b: ABT 1764 in Colonial America Marriage Esther ETHERLEY b: 1766 ABT 1786 in U. S. A.
• Susan REID b: 1768 in Colonial America
• Samuel L. REED b: 22 SEP 1770 in Long Island NY Marriage to Mary LAKE b: 18 JUL 1781 in Staten Island, NY; Married: ABT 1796 in Thurlow Twp., Hastings Co., Ontario, Canada
• Elizabeth REID b: 03 DEC 1771 in Of, , Hastings, Ontario Marriage to William FOSTER b: 27 JUL 1757 in Ontario, Canada ;Married: ABT 1787 in Ontario, Canada
• Nancy REED b: 11 DEC 1775 in New York Province Marriage to Elias UE HUFFMAN b: 26 AUG 1768 in Ulster Co., NY; Married: 31 JAN 1791 in Bath, Lennox & Addington Co., Upper Canada
• William REID b: ABT 1776 in Colonial America
• Abigail REID b: 17 AUG 1780 in Colonial America
  

Marriage 1 Thomas GILES b: ABT 1780 Married: BEF 1807;

Child Sarah GILES b: 29 SEP 1805

Marriage 2 Daniel B. WAY b: BEF 02 DEC 1762 in Albany New York Province c: 02 DEC 1762 in New York, USA Married: 08 FEB 1807 in Prince Edward Co., Upper Canada

Child William WAY b: 19 DEC 1807 in Northport, Sophiasburgh Twp., Prince Edward Co., Ont. c: 14 JAN 1808

Marriage 3 John SPENCER b: 1767 in East Greenwich, Kent, Rhode Island, USA Married: 1798;

Child-Samuel Hamilton SPENCER b: 28 MAR 1799 in Sophiasburgh Twp., Prince Edward Co., Upper Canada

• Sarah REID b: 1783 in Colonial America;Marriage to Joseph PARKS b: 27 MAR 1780 in Kingsbury, Charlotte Co., NY;Married: 08 JUL 1801 in Thurlow Twp., Hastings Co., Ontario, Canada
• Solomon REID b: BET 1785 AND 1787 ; Marriage 1 Sarah LAKE b: BET 1784 AND 1786 in New York, USA Married: BEF 1805
• Betsy REED b: BEF DEC 1791 in Ontario

Property

“In 1771 Colonel Harper removed his family from Cherry Valley to Harpers-field, for the purpose of making a permanent settlement, and diving the patent into lots. He was accompanied by several men to assist him in making the survey, one of them being David Hendry.

Said Rev. H. Boies: "The colonel first erected a shelter for his family, in the form of an Indian wigwam, and there lived till a house could be built, but not long after their arrival the colonel was called away on business. His wife then super-intended the erection of a dwelling, directing the men whom the colonel had brought with him, and before her husband's return the walls were fully raised. The house was soon roofed, and fitted for the residence of the first white family that ever made a home in Harpersfield."

This house stood on lot No. 108, near a small stream which crosses the turnpike a few rods west of the burying ground at Harpersfield Centre-west of the stream and north of the turnpike.

The survey was finished in 1772, and soon after a number of emigrants arrived, most of them from New England, but some from other sections.

The first lots sold by Colonel Harper appear to have been purchased by the men named in the following list, which is taken from a large parchment chart of the survey, on which the names are written upon the several lots:

Lots no. 2 and 9, Nathan Darley; No. 13, Samuel Claston; No. 19, Jedediah Gaylord; No. 29, John Lindsley; No. 50, W. Reed; No. 61, William McFarland; No. 128, Benjamin Morse; No. 137, Martin Kellogg; No. 145, Ezekiel Woodbeck; No. 154, Peter Dyzart; No. 185, David Hendry; No. 188, William Wardwell; No. 189, John McClelland; No. 190, Thomas Porter.”

http://www.dcnyhistory.org/books/munsharp.html

On 20 July 1797, William Reed (or Reid) petitioned the British Government for a land grant. The Upper Canada Land Petition "R". Bundle 3, #107 was made in Thurlow twp, Hastings Co, Ontario. It states that he imigrated with his family consisting of a wife and eight 
children from the United States to this Country early in the year 1788. 
He received an order for 200 acres of land, but no family lands
. He settled in the Township of Thurlow where he now resides.

He goes on to say that he would like family lands for his children. He received 450 additional acres.

So, they were settled on 600 acres along the Moira River north of Belleville Ontario. (see United Empire Loyalist Links, Vol 3, Hastings & Prince Edward Counties.) He settled and farmed on Lot 4, Consession 4, Thurlow Twp., Hastings Co., Ontario, Canada.

Research Notes

Nancy Agnes Nesbitt was linked to as wife to Reid-4471 and Reed-3321 as they do not represent the same person as: The William from NC fought on the side of the Revolutionaries whereas the other William ,likely from New York, fought on the side of the Loyalists. I have removed this William Reid as her husband

(http://canadianheadstones.com/familytrees/getperson.php?personID=I16532&tree=Lake says that they are sceptical of the South Carolina North Carolina family connection claimed by some, in spite of the Sgt in SCLM refernce made in William's petition. Many regiments were seconded by the SCLM. He could have belonged to any militia or regiment in the colonies, depending on where he was and when, and not neccessariy connected to the Joseph-Robert-William Reed families in Rowan and Mecklenburg Counties NC. None of the children's names fit there, nor circumstances.
It is more likely that William Reed mustered out of theDelauncey's Brigade. Most of this group were settled in New Brunswick but there is specific mention of some who preferred to stay in the American colonies and see if they could get their land back. They eventually gave up and headed north.

Possible Parentage

Family tradition suggests that William descended from John Reed b. 16 March 1633, d. 1730 of Norwalk Connecticut. John was from a family of Reeds in Cornwall (some suggest Dorchester as the family home). However, the family Coat of Arms suggests that there may be a connection to the family of Reedes living in Wembury south of Plymouth who were granted similar Arms during the Visitation to Devon 1620.

John Reed was commissioned as an officer in the Parliamentatian army under Cromwell during the English civil war (1649) but departed England upon the Restoration of King Charles II some time around 1660. John settled in Providence Rhode Island but moved to Norwalk Connecticut in 1684 where he married the widow Anne Derby. The connection between William and John and Anne (Derby) Reed has not been positively confirmed.

The Christian names that William and Nancy gave to their children (and the order given them) may indicate that William’s parents were a "John and Susan Reed" and Nancy's, "Samuel and Elizabeth Nesbit".

Sources

1. ↑ Mattie McCurdy 30 Apr 99

• United Empire Loyalist Links, Vol 3, Hastings & Prince Edward Counties, Ont., by Russ Waller, UE
• Upper Canada Land Petition Page: "R". Bundle 3, #107,
• Index to the Upper Canada Land Books
• William Reid's Book - "Sons and Daughters of American Loyalists" on page 261 indicates that a William Reed settled at Thurlow, Ontario.
• Arnold
: According to the material I have William Reed was b c1733 US, d between
1799, when he wrote his Will, and 1820 when his son applied for land
stating he was s/o the late William Reed. He probably died in Thurlow
 twp. He married Nancy Nesbitt. I have no dates for her. Their children
 were John, Samuel, Nancy, Solomon, William Jr, Susan, Elizabeth,
Abigail, Sarah, Betsy. I assume these are named in his Will.

This info can be found in the book "Loyalist Lineages of Canada
1784-1984". This book contains material found in the applications of the
members of the UEL Association of Canada.

- Libby
• Loyalists Lineages of Canada This book was published in 1984 by Toronto Branch of the United Empire Loyalists of Canada. Page 539 traces a line from William Reed and Nancy Nesbitt to a Mr. D. Hoare who was born in 1931. William and Nancy had at least four children - Nancy, William, Solomon and Samuel.
• William Reid's Book - "Sons and Daughters of American Loyalists" on page 261 indicates that a William Reed settled at Thurlow, Ontario. I think this may be near Belleville, Ontario. He has a daughter - Nancy who married Elias Huffman of Richmond. She was awarded land as a daughter of a Loyalist by an order in council on March 24, 1835. A copy of the land grant for that date should be available in from the National Library and Archives of Canada in Ottawa. William Reid as a Loyalist would also have received a land grant. The first source refers to Nancy Reed marrying Elias Hoffman which would be presumably the same as Elias Huffman. This book would be available from Global Publishing. This company is on the web.
• Re: Hoffman. The Old Fort District of Kingston, New York which is in Ulster County contains an original Hoffman stone House. There is always a possibility that this may be the family which Nancy Reed married into.
• New York Archives and Library, Albany, New York. This organization has an online genealogical database.
• Huguenot Society, New Paltz, New York. Search for the Huguenot Society on the web. It has an on line genealogical database too. New Paltz is not far from Kingston, New York. Have you considered joining the United Empire Loyalists' Association of Canada.
• https://www.geni.com/people/William-Reed-UEL/6000000002860836109,