James Marion Reeves (abt. 1823 - abt. 1883)

Born about 4 Nov 1823 in Georgia, United States

Ancestors

Descendants

Died about 1883 at about age 59 in Alabama, United States

Problems/Questions Profile managers: Joshua Johnson [send private message] and Albert Reeves [send private message]

Biography

James Reeves served in the United States Civil War.
Enlisted: 1861
Mustered out: 1865
Side: CSA

James was born in 1823. He was the son of Loftin Reeves and Nancy Jeans (see research notes below). He married Mary Ann Childers in Gwinnett County, GA on July 27th, 1846^[1]. Mary Ann may have been married before, as a John Childers, lived with them. However, he also may have been a young brother. She was about 18 years old when she married James Reeves. They moved to Talladega County, Alabama before 1860. James enlisted in the Confederate Army on July 29, 1861 in Lineville, AL. He was in Company I, 14th Alabama Infantry Regiment, aka Hillabee Rifles^[2]. He was 35 years old. He was captured at Gettysburg on July 2nd, 1863, according to the Fort Delaware Society but was reported as missing in action in May ^[3]. James was taken first to Fort McHenry, then on to Fort Delaware, where he was held until the war was over. After signing the Oath of Alligience^[4], he was sent to Mobile, AL, by ship. Apparently, his house was burned during the war and his wife moved the family to Randolph County, living with or beside Loftin Reeves. Mary died before 1870, when the census shows James with his new wife Sarah Fuller. Sometime after 1870 James moved back to Talladega County where he remained the rest of his life. He passed away about 1883. ^[5]

Research Notes

Parents

Although James has been said to have been the son of Thompson and Cinderella Reeves, that was in error. He was the son of Loftin and Nancy (Jeans) Reeves, as proven by Loftin's estate records^[6]. Also the estate records of Thompson Reeves, make no reference to a James Marion (or James M, or J. M.) Reeves^[7]. 12 children are listed, 8 living and 4 deceased^[8].

Children Listed In The Will of Loftin Reeves

These are all in the estate record cited above

Clay County Estate File of Loftin Reeves.

• "That the decedent left seven children who survive him, viz: Wiley Reeves, who is of full age and resides in Clay County, Alabama, post office Lineville, Arminda R Johnson, wife of James Johnson, who is of full age and resides in Clay County, post office, Lineville. Malinda Hall, wife of ______ Hall, who is of full age and resides in Chambers County, Alabama, post office, Fredonia. A.J. Reeves, who is of full age and resides in Talladega County, post office Munford. James M Reeves, who is of full age and resides in Talladega County, post office Munford. Matilda Morris, wife of Dumprey Morris, who is of full age and resides in Panola County, Texas, post office ____. Louisa Perry, wife of John O Perry, who is of full age and resides in Walton County, GA, post office, Monroe." This document is entered into court record. There is also a similarly worded document in the estate file.

• The court ordered that all of the children be notified that Wiley Reeves was seeking to be the administrator of the estate.

• December 10, 1879 A letter was issued to the sheriff to serve A.J. Reeves and James M. Reeves in Talladega County with notice that Wiley had filed the last will and testiment of Loftin Reeves, which named his as executor^[9]. If they wanted to contest that, they were to appear in Clay County court on January 20, 1880.

Civil War Prisoner

The following email was sent to Renee Newman in 2014 after she made an inquiry about James M Reeves, who was held at Fort Delaware as a prisoner of war, as it seemed that would match the records of James Marion Reeves^[10].

"Hello Renee: The Fort Delaware Society database contains information confirming that Private J. M. REEVES, Co. I, 14th Alabama Infantry was held as a POW at Fort Delaware. I was able to examine his Compiled Military Service Records via www.fold3.com and we will be updating our research information on this Confederate soldier with the following.

James Marion REEVES

·J. M. REEVES was enrolled for Confederate service on 29 JUL 1861 at Lineville, Talladega County, Alabama by Captain John T. Bell to serve as a Private for the duration of the war in Captain Bell’s volunteer company, the Hillabee Rifles. This company was enrolled as Company I, 14th Alabama Infantry.

·Private REEVES was present or accounted for until 2 JUL 1863 when he was listed as missing in action at Gettysburg.

·Federal POW records show that he was captured at Gettysburg on 2 JUL 1863, confined at Fort McHenry on 6 JUL 1863 and sent to Fort Delaware arriving the next day on 7 JUL 1863.

·NARA Roll 47, a microfilmed collection of records pertaining to Fort Delaware, shows that he was admitted to and discharged from the Fort Delaware Post & Prison Hospital on four occasions: 5 FEB 64 to 17 MAR 64; 6 APR 64 to an unknown discharge date; 13 SEP 64 to 1 OCT 64; 21 APR 1865 to an unknown discharge date. In none of these instances was the cause for his treatment recorded.

·NARA Roll 45, another set of microfilmed records pertaining to Fort Delaware, tells us that he was housed in Division 10. Confederate POWs were housed together in administrative groups of about 100 men known as “divisions”. The men were usually from the same states and/or units in the field. Each division was under the supervision of a Confederate sergeant, himself a POW. They ate together and bunked together in the wooden POW barracks outside the fort on Pea Patch Island. Officers and enlisted men were housed separately in the wooden barracks for security reasons. Aside from this, no records have survived to tell us where any numbered division was located within the large barracks complex.

The surrender of the Confederate Trans-Mississippi Department dated 26 MAY 1865 at New Orleans, but not signed by Lieutenant General E. Kirby Smith until 2 JUN 1865 aboard a Federal warship in Galveston Bay, ended the Civil War. There were no longer any sanctioned Confederate armies in the field. President Andrew Johnston announced his Presidential Amnesty Proclamation on 29 MAY 1865. The Federal War Department issued General Orders No. 109 on 6 JUN 1865 directing the release of all POWs holding the ranks of captain down to private against whom no charges were pending. The prisoners to be released were required to take the Oath of Allegiance and government-paid transportation was to be provided to them to a point nearest their homes which could be reached by water and/or rail. Releases were organized with primary consideration given to destination for logistics purposes, and secondary consideration given to how long each individual had been in prison. General Orders No. 109 was announced in the Fort Delaware prison pen on 10 JUN 1865 and the oath-taking and releases commenced. By the end of June 1865, only a hundred or so prisoners remained.

·James M. REEVES, Private, 14th Alabama Infantrytook the Oath of Allegiance at Fort Delaware under General Orders No. 109 on 14 JUN 1865 and was released. His place of residence for transportation purposes was given at Randolph County, Alabama. He was described as having a sallow complexion, dark hair, brown eyes and standing 5 feet 8 inches tall. He signed the Oath by making his mark.

Henry Robinson Berkeley, a Virginia private captured in March 1865 and confined at Fort Delaware, kept a detailed diary of his imprisonment. He noted in his diary on 14 JUN 1865 that the “Alabama boys were called out but did not get off”. He wrote on the following day 15 JUN 1865 that “Taliaferro and Mercer left this morning for their homes, also the Alabama boys.” NARA Tape 45 showed James M. REEVES’ release date as 15 JUN 1865. A post-war report to Quartermaster General Montgomery Meigs stated that in June 1865, some "3,000 released rebels from Point Lookout and Fort Delaware" were sent by ocean-going vessels to Mobile, Alabama. [OR III, Volume 5, p 289]

It seems likely that James was sent south from Pea Patch Island by ocean-going steamer to Mobile, and transported by river steamer up the Tombigbee and Alabama rivers as far as Montgomery. Depending on whether rail transportation was in operation between Montgomery and the Alabama/Georgia state line, he could have gotten closer to Randolph County by rail before having to walk home."

Timeline

• 1849 Marion Reeves was on the Walton County, GA tax list along with Loftin, Burgess, and Henry A Reeves

• 1850 James M Reeves was on the US Census in Gwinnett County, GA^[11]. He was 24 years old. His wife Mary Ann was 22, John age 7, and Littleton age 2.

• 1851-1853 He was on the tax lists in Walton County, GA.

• He moved to Alabama between 1853-1860

• 1860 He was in the US Census in Talladega County, AL.

• Civil War

• 1866 Alabama State Census Randolph County, Marion Reeves was living beside Loftin Reeves^[12].

• 1870 He was in the US Census in Randolph County, AL^[13].

• 1880 He was back in Talladega County, AL^[14].

• 1883 He is said to have died

James was born in 1823. He passed away in 1883.

Sources

1. ↑ Marriage: "Georgia, U.S., Marriage Records From Select Counties, 1828-1978"
   Georgia Archives; Morrow, Georgia; County Marriage Records, 1828–1978
   Ancestry Sharing Link - Ancestry Record 4766 #504541 (accessed 2 August 2023)
   James M Rieves marriage to Maryann Childers on 27 Jul 1846 in Gwinnett, Georgia, USA.
2. ↑ Civil War Service Record (Alabama) of J.M. Reeves enlisted a Lineville, AL. https://www.fold3.com/image/8278605
3. ↑ Civil War Service Record of J.M. Reeves. https://www.fold3.com/image/8278196
4. ↑ Civil War Service Record of J.M. Reeves. https://www.fold3.com/image/8278631
5. ↑ Memorial: Find a Grave (has image)
   Find A Grave: Memorial #94940093 (accessed 28 December 2022)
   Memorial page for James Marion Reeves (4 Nov 1823-1883), citing Allen Elston 1860 Cemetery, Old Eastaboga, Talladega County, Alabama, USA (plot: Unmarked Grave).
6. ↑ Probate: "Alabama, U.S., Wills and Probate Records, 1753-1999"
   Clay County Alabama, Estate Records 1866-1915; Author: Alabama. Probate Court (Clay County); Probate Place: Clay, Alabama
   Ancestry Sharing Link - Ancestry Record 8799 #7245252 (accessed 2 August 2023)
   Reeves Loftin probate on 10 Dec 1879 in Clay, Alabama, USA.
7. ↑ FamilySearch.org. Clay County, AL Estate File of Thompson Reeves. Image 1650. https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:33SQ-GR5N-9YZG?i=1649&cc=1978117&cat=989157
8. ↑ Clay County, Alabama Estate file of Thompson Reeves. A document with 4 pages list his heirs beginning at image 1664. Note that he also had a son named A.J. but he lived in a different county, than A.J. who was the son of Loftin Reeves. https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:33S7-9R5N-9YJY?i=1663&cc=1978117&cat=989157
9. ↑ FamilySearch.org. Clay County, AL Probate file of Loftin Reeves. image 1646. https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:33S7-9R5N-9YVV?i=1645&cc=1978117&cat=989157
10. ↑ I no longer have access to the original email. The text below is the text I copied to my Ancestry family tree on July 2, 2014, after receiving their reply. Records can be obtained from http://www.fortdelaware.org/index.htm
11. ↑ 1850 Census: "1850 United States Federal Census"
    The National Archives in Washington D.C.; Record Group: Records of the Bureau of the Census; Record Group Number: 29; Series Number: M432; Residence Date: 1850; Home in 1850: Harbins, Gwinnett, Georgia; Roll: 71; Page: 165a; Line Number: 32
    Ancestry Sharing Link - Ancestry Record 8054 #18693306 (accessed 2 August 2023)
    James M Reeves (24) in Harbins, Gwinnett, Georgia, USA. Born in Georgia.
12. ↑ 1866 Census: "Alabama, U.S., State Census, 1820-1866"
    Original data: Alabama State Census, 1820, 1850, 1855 and 1866. Montgomery, Alabama: Alabama Department of Archives & History. Rolls M2004.0008-M2004.0012, M2004.0036-M2004.0050, and M2008.0124
    Ancestry Sharing Link - Ancestry Record 1576 #509102 (accessed 2 August 2023)
    Marion Reeves in Randolph.
13. ↑ 1870 Census: "1870 United States Federal Census"
    Year: 1870; Census Place: Township 21, Randolph, Alabama; Roll: M593_37; Page: 542B
    Ancestry Sharing Link - Ancestry Record 7163 #12849209 (accessed 2 August 2023)
    James M Reaves (50), Farmer, in Township 21, Randolph, Alabama. Born in Georgia.
14. ↑ 1880 Census: "1880 United States Federal Census"
    Year: 1880; Census Place: Eastaboga, Talladega, Alabama; Roll: 32; Page: 25A; Enumeration District: 130
    Ancestry Sharing Link - Ancestry Record 6742 #6448811 (accessed 2 August 2023)
    J M Reeves (56), married, Farmer, head of household in Eastaboga, Talladega, Alabama, USA. Born in Georgia.

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