Jesse John Reavis

Jesse John Reavis

Jesse John Reavis married three times.

1. He married Fortune Jordan circa 1757 in Virginia. born circa 1738, died between 1790 and 1806
2. He married Prudence WEBB between 1790 and 1808. Prudence was born circa 1780. She died before 1806.
3. He married Mary Gibbins on Oct 06, 1806, in Surry NC, Mary Gibbons was born in 1774 in NC. She died after 1850.

• Jesse Reavis, the son of Edward and his second wife Sarah Gilliam, bade goodbye to his birthplace on the James River in Virginia and founded a new home on the Roanoke River in Northampton County, North Carolina.
• Born about the year 1735 and evidently named for his mother's father, Jesse lived to the age of 92 years. He was a virile man and fathered a son when over 80 y/o.
• This son, Joel Reavis, lived until the year 1907. The elapsed time from Jesse's birth to Joel's death was therefore 175 years - an exceptionally long time to be embraced in the combined lives of a father and his son.
• These dates and ages are intriguing, in that they suggest that Jesse would doubtless have remembered many incidents of the Virginia home, and being fifteen years old at the death of his father Edward, founder of the Reavis family, he would have known much of that patriarch.
• Then having lived until his own son Joel was a lad of fifteen, he would probably have told Joel many things about first and second-generation Reavis'.
• Unfortunately for us, Joel, at his death, left no written family record, probably considering it unimportant, and no one seems to have set down anything that Joel had heard of his forebears.
• What an exceptional opportunity to obtain authentic, first-hand genealogical data that was irretrievably lost with the passing of Joel Reavis!
• Fenton Goss Reavis, of the line of Jesse's half-brother James Reavis, originally collected the source material which constitutes the incentive for the present book prior to the year 1888, which was long before Joel's death had occurred, but unfortunately,
• Fenton Goss Reavis never knew of Joel's branch of the family. We must therefore look to public records for what little we can learn of Jesse John Reavis, his purchases and sales of land, and his moves from one locality to another. Jesse's mother Sarah, apparently in honor of this son's becoming of age in 1756, deeded to him 160 acres of land in Northampton County.
• The consideration stated in the instrument was significantly for "love, goodwill, and affection." Jesse remained on this land for many years. Meanwhile, he was raising a family with Fortune Jordan, his first wife. Her given name is learned from its appearance on the deed which evidenced the sale of their home when the family decided to establish a new home in far western North Carolina in Surry County. This move was accomplished only a few years prior to the outbreak of the American Revolution, in which Jesse served.
• Jesse's family was accompanied by his mother Sarah, with her son John and at least two of her daughters, all of whom joined in this migration. Glimpses of this family group in its new home are obtained through church minutes fortunately preserved at Wake Forest University, a prominent Baptist institution of North Carolina.
• These records are self-described as "Minutes of Dutchman's Creek Baptist Church located in the forks of the Yadkin," an expression which signifies that the location was on uplands that drain into the Yadkin, not at the edge of that river. Jesse is named in these minutes as one of the seven founders of the church on 5 October 1772. Sarah's name appears a few times, and the baptism of one of her daughters is also recorded.
• James, the half-brother of Jesse, was later taken into the same church 'by letter,' presumably having carried this instrument of transfer from a corresponding church in Northampton County. Conforming to the way of life in the new community, Jesse engaged in farming. This was necessarily of more general character than just tobacco growing, for such homes as his had to be essentially self-supporting out there on the frontier.
• In the 1790 U.S. census, Jesse's name, correctly spelled, appears in the Salisbury District of Surry County, where also lived several other Reavis', descendants of Jesse's brother James. Jesse is therein listed as having one son over sixteen and two females, presumably his wife and a daughter, but no slaves. Slaves were never numerous in hilly western North Carolina where small farming was generally practiced, although some Reavis' in that area did own a few slaves. In Davie County, North Carolina, this notice was filed on 19 April 1830: "Division of lands of Jesse Reavis to allot dower to widow Mary - 61 acres & dwelling house."
• This is probably the same Jesse, and evidence of his having a third wife, Mary Gibbons. This genealogy is indebted in particular to David Hayes Reavis of Nashville, Tennessee, a great-great-grandson of Jesse Reavis, for much information herein presented relative to this line of his forebear. 9 viii.
• Mary REAVIS was born circa 1740. 10 ix.
• Judith REAVIS was born circa 1740. She died after 1787. 11 x.
• John REAVIS was born in Henrico County, Virginia circa 1745. He died 1820. He was buried at Bear Creek Baptist Church in Davie County, NC. He married Granny (last name unknown) circa 1783. Granny was born circa 1760.
• John Reavis, the seventh and final son of Edward and his second wife, Sarah Gilliam, was born in Henrico County, Virginia, probably about the year 1745. The family moved into Northampton County, North Carolina in 1747, hence John was too young to have remembered anything of Virginia. John's father died in 1751, and it was in the early 1770s that John's brother Jesse and their mother Sarah, with the sister Judith, and perhaps the sister Mary also, are known to have migrated from Northampton County into western North Carolina where they settled in Surry County. Presumably, John accompanied them, a grown man by this time. Such a conclusion is supported by the fact that when the 1790 U.S. census was taken,
• John and his family were enumerated in old Surry County. John's family was then small, consisting of the parents with two males under sixteen years of age, their sons. The name John does not appear in the Dutchman Creek Baptist Church record, but sometime before 1789, he had been a member of Flat Rock Baptist Church in Surry (now Yadkin) County. In 1792, Bear Creek Baptist Church was organized by Flat Rock Baptist Church. John was the first prior elder of Bear Creek Church.
• In 1793 and 1795, he was sent as a messenger to the Baptist Association. In 1802, John was appointed to record minutes. In 1808, he was sent as help to Deep Creek Baptist Church, and in 1820 he was sent to help Flat Rock.
• John was buried in Bear Creek Church Cemetery. The gravestone, still legible in 1969, simply reads 'John Reavis 1820.'
• A gravestone beside John reads 'Alyse Reavis, October 1820, age 25 years.' This would be the daughter-in-law of John and the first wife of Jesse (son of John).
• Many of the inscriptions in this cemetery of this age and older have completely worn away. All of the old markers were identical, made by hand with the inscriptions hand carved. The family name of John's wife is unknown. Even her given name failed to come down within the family because later generations knew her simply as Granny. One descendent says: 'It seems to me that my grandmother said Granny was a Ridings.' John left no will, and it is difficult to identify any public records of any real estate transactions as positively referring to him. Another John (son of Jesse, son of the original Edward, who served in the Revolution) lived nearby, and it is not easy to tell which particular John Reavis is meant when the name is found in a public record of that period.
• A few of John's descendants migrated west, and at least one family of John's line defied western migration patterns and moved north to Virginia. Some of John's descendants still live in Virginia, but they are most numerous in western North Carolina. We are indebted to Calvin Reavis (1846-1948) of Burlington Junction, Missouri, great-grandson of John Reavis, for information as to where the homestead of John lay. Calvin calls attention to the southern line of the present Yadkin County, which forms the northern boundary of the present Davie and Iredell Counties so that at one point the three counties meet, and he says: "The land of my great-grandfather (John) lay across the county line, and in the inheritance, Dave and Sam got the land on the Yadkin side and Joseph and Jess (all sons of John) got the land on the Davie side, but must have disposed of it before my time. I think the Reavis land ran to the Iredell County line." On a rough sketch of a map showing the common corner of the three counties, Calvin states: "About 40 rods over here is where my great-grandfather (John) lived and raised his family and died." Elsewhere he has this: "Over here 8 or 10 rods on the Yadkin side is a little graveyard where a Pensioner John, his wife, and Rushing John are buried, also a few other graves, without markers except flint rocks on them." This abandoned cemetery is south of Lone Hickory on what is now known as the Bill Reavis place (in 1971). It is owned by Reavis's descendants, Hugh and Hazel Reavis Brandon. Rushing John was the unmarried son of John (the present subject), and Pensioner John was presumably the son of Jesse, John's half-brother.

Timeline for Jesse:

• 1750 mentioned in father's Will.
• 1756 His mother Sarah Reavis deeded to him certain property. His half brothers Thomas and William Ravise witnessed this deed.
• 1759 DB3-68 Jesse Reavis of Northampton County to Sam Reavis 26 Oct 1759 -40 acres part of 326 acres, joining the two parties, Allen and Jesse Reavis, on Jamry's Run..(Jamry Jordan is believed to be the first wife of William-2)
• 1765 Jesse Reavis and wife Fortune of Northampton County 123 acres to Samuel Reavis 21 Feb 1765, which was part of a tract which had belonged to John Gilliam, joining John Pritchard, Lashley's Run, Sam Reavis, William Allen.
• 27 Apr 1767 DB4-91 Sarah Reavis of Northampton County to William Reavis of same 27 Ap 1767, 144 acres north part of 525 acres deeded Jesse Gilliam 5 Nov 1767 on NS Lashley's Run join Walter Clark, Wm. Reavis, Baley, Myrey
• 1768 Jesse witnessed deed of land from Wm Clark to Samuel Reavis -100 acres on Jamry's Run, Northampton Co NC
• 1772 Jesse Reavis was named as one of the organizers of Dutchman's Creek Baptist Church in church minutes.
• 1778 Jesse is mentioned in Colonial Records of North Carolina as having served in the Revolutionary War (listed as Reves -served under General Francis Marion, in a Volunteer Unit). He enlisted as a Private on July 20, 1778; promoted to Corporal in the following October, and serv a total of nine months.
• Jesse Reeves is listed in the Army Accounts of North Carolina line, in the same publication, meaning, of course, Jesse Reavis (however there was a Jesse Reeves not of our lineage).
• 1789 Jesse Reavis of Surry County bought from Harris Revis of Rutherford Co. 540 acres on Harmon's Creek.
• 1790 Jesse Reavis (correctly spelled) census of Salisbury District of Surry County, N.C. with one son over 16 years, and 2 females, presumably his wife and a daughter, no slaves.
• 1791 Jesse Reavis (also Reviss) was granted by the state 100 acres on Dutchman's Creek, in Surry County; Dec. 20th.
• 1792 Jesse Reavis and Prudence his wife are listed on the Bear Creek Baptist Church register, indicating his second marriage occurred before that time.
• 1795 Jesse Reavis in Surry County, signed the marriage bond of Edward Reavis to Mary Haddocks. (d/o William Haddock).
• 1796 Jesse Revis/Reavis sold to Edward Reavis, both of Surry County, 400 acres in the same county at the head of Harmon's Creek. A sale from father to son.
• 1797 Jesse Reves bought from Theophilus Evans 400 acres and 200 acres on Little Elk Creek in Wilkes County. There are three records of this..one having the name Reeves... this may belong to another Jesse.
• 1798 Jesse Reves bought from Wm Lenoir 150 acres on Reddin River in Wilkes Co. Again, this may not be Jesse-2.
• 1802 Jesse Reavis of Surry County sold to Harris Reavis of Rutherford County, 140 acres on Harmon's Creek. Witnesses were: Joseph Reavis, Edward Reavis, James Renard. Maybe he was deeding back part of the land he bought from Harris Reavis in 1789.
• 1835 Jesse Reavis, Sr. listed on the Surry Co, NC Tax List, making him 100 years old when he died.

Note:

• Jesse was abt 12 years old when his parents moved from Henrico County, VA, to Northampton County, NC abt 1747.
• He was named as one of the organizers of Dutchman's Creek Baptist Church in church minutes.
• He was mentioned in Colonial Records of North Carolina as having served in the Revolutionary War. He enlisted as a Private on July 20, 1778; promoted to Corporal in the following October, and served a total of nine months.