Thomas Reeve of Southold

Not the same as Thomas Reeves of Springfield. Not the husband of Mary Reeve. Evidence needed to support as son of Robert Reeves & Agnes Reeve

Thomas Reeve(s)

• BIRTH: 1611, probably in Warwickshire, England
• DEATH: c1665, Southold, Long Island, New York
• BURIAL Old Burying Ground of First Presbyterian Church Southold, Suffolk County, New York, USA
• PLOT Cemetery has no record of a marker or of this person. Does not mean he is not buried here. There was a survey done in the 1950s and it is not in their records.
• Father: probably Thomas Reeve
• Mother: Unknown
• Three brothers: probably James, William and Thomas Reeve of Long Island

Disputed Origins

• Birth previously seen as 1624 Caldecote, South Northamptonshire Borough, Northamptonshire, England
• Origins as son of Robert Reeves & Agnes Reeve seem outdated.
• “Although the father of James, William and Thomas Reeve of Long Island is generally believed to be unknown, if the published volume, A history of Mattituck, Long Island, N.Y. is to be believed, their father was also named < Thomas >. That book on page 44 makes the statement “The eastern part of the Reeve lot was owned wholly or part by William Reeve who died in 1696 a son of 1st Thomas.””
• William Reeve was named as one of the executors of his brother James' estate in the 1692 will written by James Reeve and probated 4 Jul 1698.

Family

Updated April 2022

Thomas Reeve was born about 1611[1], possibly the son of Thomas Reeve.

Thomas Reeve, age 24, sailed from London to St. Christopher (West indies) aboard the Matthew on 21 May 1635. Also aboard were fellow future Southold settlers William Salmon and Thomas Terrill.[2] From there all three traveled to North Carolina where in 1636 they joined Thomas Benedict, Thomas Osman, William Purrier, James Reeve, and Henry Whitney before all of them travelled on to Southold, NY, according to a deposition by Thomas Osman.[3]

The children of Thomas and Mary Reeve:[4]

1. Thomas born about 1646 d 1682; married Agnes Ryder.
2. John born about 1652; married 1st Hannah Brown; married 2nd Martha _______; died 15 December 1712
3. Joseph born about 1656; married 1st Abigail _______; married 2nd Deliverance (Homan) Whitehair; died 1736 age 80
4. Hannah born about 1657, no further record found
5. Jonathan born about 1658 or 1659 (of age in 1680); married Martha _______; died 16 February 1707

Thomas Reeve died about 1665.[5] There are 21 references to Thomas Reeve in the existing Town land records, the latest in 1665 in which year he apparently died and "Widow Reeve" appears. She is shown 7 times, the latest in 1677, and her name seems to have been Mary (first record 1666 Plum Island deed).[6]

Disputed children

< The Reeves Project: A global genealogical collaboration > Reeve, Thomas (1611 UK - c1665 NY)

(1) Son "Thomas Reeve, Jr." Prior to 24 September 2020 the first son was listed here as Reeve_Thomas_Jr_4224. This is now believed to be incorrect, see <Research Notes for Reeve_Thomas_203 > “There are several Thomas Reeve's in the small town of Southold, New York in this time period. This Thomas Reeve who died in 1682 and was married to Agnes Rider was most likely the son of (this Thomas); <Reeve, Thomas Jr. > (c1660 NY - 1707 NY) was not this Thomas’ son.

(2) Son Walter Reeve of Burlington. For relevant discussion see < Research Notes for Reeve_Walter_4745 >

(3) It seems Thomas had a daughter Hannah Reeve born 1657 (citation needed). The old NYGBR identified the 1st wife? of Peter Dickerson as “a daughter of the Thomas Reeve who died between 1675 & 1683.” < GoogleBooks > That describes his son Thomas Reeve, Jr., who however is too young to have fathered Peter’s wife; nor is a name “Hannah” given. Later studies are skeptical that Peter Dickerson had a first wife at all. There does not seem to be a record for a daughter of either Thomas Reeve that fits the descriptions.

Disputed identity

https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Reeve-261

Thomas and/or James Reeve?

Note that an ongoing question exists regarding whether Thomas Reeve was the sole Reeve progenitor in Southold, NY at this time, or if there was a second Reeve Southold line beginning with James Reeve, a contemporary of Thomas. There have been many genealogies published over the centuries supporting one or the other scenario.

Further note that WikiTree has likewise flip-flopped on this issue, with Thomas Reeve and James Reeve profiles being merged and separated repeatedly over the years. The current state is separate, distinct profiles for a Thomas Reeve and a James Reeve.

Family note

James Reeve of Southold was an immigrant to Southold, Long Island in the early 1640s, possibly arriving with William Purrier and Thomas Osman. He may have been a younger brother of Thomas Reeve of Southold

James Reeve married about 1645 Mary, shown to be Mary Purrier, daughter of William Purrier, in the source detailed below.[1]

Notes

A lengthy 50 page document by Wesley L. Baker of the Long Island Historical Society details an extensive search of the records of Long Island for information concerning the Osman depositions the whereabouts of which are now unknown. The conclusions reached based upon his findings begin on p. 37 of the document which can be viewed at Study of the Depositions of Thomas Osman. The conclusions contained there are reflected in the pages of The Reeves Project pertaining to this family.

This published study based upon the depositions of Thomas Osman mentioned above does not make any assertions regarding a familial relationship between James Reeve and Thomas Reeve who was also named in the deposition; however Y-DNA of descendants of both James and Thomas matches, proving that they were in some way related.

Although the father of James, William and Thomas Reeve of Long Island is generally believed to be unknown, if the published volume A history of Mattituck, Long Island, N.Y. is to be believed, their father was also named Thomas. That book on page 44 makes the statement “The eastern part of the Reeve lot was owned wholly or part by William Reeve who died in 1696 a son of 1st Thomas.”

References

• https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Reeves-7232#_note-0 cites

1. Baker, Wesley Logan, Study of the Reeve family of Southold, Long Island, N.Y. and Southold descendants of the Southampton, L. I. Reeves family : and genealogy of said families up to 1800, 1970 - Birth page 340 - Children of Thomas Reeve I page 343 - death page 341 - Two Reeve settlers page 340 - James Reeve & William Purrier page 340 https://archive.org/details/studyofreevefami00bake (one hour borrow with login) - or -https://www.familysearch.org/library/books/records/item/429959-stud... (view, print, download)
2. Hotten, John Camden, The Original Lists Of Persons Of Quality (John Camden Hotten, 1874), p 80-81
3. Baker, Wesley Logan, with Arthur Channing Downs, Jr., Study of the 1658 and 1686 Depositions of Thomas Osman and Early History of Hashamomuck in the Town of Southold, Long Island, N.Y., 1969 http://longislandgenealogy.com/ThomasOsman.pdf
4. Baker Study, p. 343
5. Great Migration 1634-1635, M-P. (Online database. AmericanAncestors.org. New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2010.) Originally published as: The Great Migration, Immigrants to New England, 1634-1635, Volume V, M-P, by Robert Charles Anderson. Boston: New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2007. p. 546. Sketch of William Purrier.subscription site
6. Genealogies of the Founding Families of Southold by Jefferson, Wayland 1939, Southold Town https://books.google.com/books/about/Genealogies_of_the_Founding_Fa...

• Ancestry.com. Study of the 1658 and 1686 depositions of Thomas Osman [database on-line]. Provo, UT: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2005. Original data:Baker, Wesley Logan,. Study of the 1658 and 1686 depositions of Thomas Osman : and early history of Hashamomuck in the town of Southold, Long Island, N.Y.. unknown: unknown, 1969. Page 31. < AncestryImage >
• FamilySearch source viewer: Study of the Reeve family of Southold, Long Island, N. Y., and Southold descendants of the Southampton, L. I. Reeves family at < FamilySearch>
• https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/7593709/thomas-reeves (has errors)
• https://longislandsurnames.com/getperson.php?personID=I3795&tree=Hubbs (outdated research)
• “Study of the Reeve family of Southold, Long Island, N. Y., and Southold descendants of the Southampton, L. I. Reeves family : and genealogy of said families up to 1800.” Baker, Wesley L. (Wesley Logan), 1905- < FamilySearch>; <AncestryImage>
• < The Reeves Project: A global genealogical collaboration Home page
• < The Reeves Project: A global genealogical collaboration > Reeve, James (c1610 UK - bef 1671 NY)
• < The Reeves Project: A global genealogical collaboration > Reeve, William (c1615 UK? - 1697 NY)
• < The Reeves Project: A global genealogical collaboration > Reeve, Thomas (1611 UK - c1665 NY)