The family of Owen Traveler Reese 1792-1876

At last!  A Reese family that I can mostly trace!  And best of all, in working on this family, I learned that I only had found three of their 8 (or possibly more) children.  It was a lot of fun doing the admittedly superficial research for this family, as I had to pull it together from a lot of different sites and documents.  Of course there are still remaining questions, but this was a very close knit family, with Owen and his wife, Margaret Ellen Moon,and most, if not all, of their children living out their lives in and around Kempton, Tipton County, Indiana, and buried at the Kempton cemetery.  The children were born in Fayette County, Ohio and the Reese family moved to Kempton between the census years of 1850 and 1860.  

One thing I've learned about Owen is that he may have served in the War of 1812.  There are records for Owen Rees and Owen Reece in Ohio but I have not delved into them yet.  It was only after the family moved to Indiana that the Reese spelling was standardized in this branch of the family.  

Owen and Margaret were married in 1813 but their first known child was born in 1818 or 1819, so it's possible that there are other children not yet discovered, or that there were unsuccessful pregnancies.  Their first known child is Christine or Christiane.  She married David Goodnight, who was a descendant of Samuel and Magdalena Berkheimer Goodnight. His parents are Leonrad and Martha Fernaugh Goodnight  The Goodnight name will show up later in this post, as the families had several mingled branches.  Christine and David's known children are William, Samuel, Isaac, Margaret, Martha, Margaret (again), John, Mary, Levi, and Christie Ann.  She died in 1877.

Thomas Jefferson Reese was the first known son, born in 1821 and died in 1887.  Some sites are giving him the designation "Rev." but I have not yet found what denomination he was associated with.  It is also possible that he was in the Civil War.  There were two Thomas Reese soldiers from Indiana on the National Park Service database, but I haven't explored that further.  He generally used the name "Jefferson"; that is on his headstone.  Thomas married Priscilla Gustin, the daughter of James and Sarah Palm Gustin or Gustine.  Their children are John, Sarah, William, Andrew, Jackson, James, Margaret, Emma, Mary, David, and Thomas J.  

Ann Marie was born in 1824 and died in 1902.  She never married, living with her parents, then as a boarder, and in her last years with another family member.  I don't know whether it was her choice to stay single or whether she had a physical or mental challenge.  

Isabella was born in 1827 and died in 1892.  She married William Floyd, the son of John and Nancy Spurgeon Floyd.  Their children are Margaret, John, Henry, Mary, and unnamed female, Martha, and Christina.  

Andrew Jackson was born in 1828 and died in 1903.  He married Lucinda Moomaw, the daughter of Henry and Anna Gray Moomaw.  Their children are Margaret, John, Eliza, Owen, Mary, Amanda, and Isabell.  It is a little confusing here regarding Lucinda.  There seem to be records for a Lucinda Rees who married George Hoover in 1870 and then a Lucinda Hoover who married David Croy in 1881, all in Tipton County.  There are three possibilities:  Perhaps the death date for Andrew is wrong (there were other men named Andrew or Jackson Reese in the same area).  Perhaps Andrew and Lucinda divorced.  Or perhaps the Lucinda Rees who appears to have married George Hoover is a different one, although Lucinda is not a name I've found in connection with other Reese families.  

Eliza Matilda Reese was born in 1830 and died in 1900.  She married Samuel Goodnight Dunham, the son of Jacob and Catherine Goodnight Dunham.  (Catherine Goodnight and Leonard Goodnight, mentioned above, were siblings.) Their children are William, Margaret Catherine, Jacob, and James.  

Margaret was born in 1832 and died in 1912.  She married Amos Dunham, who was also the son of Jacob and Catherine Goodnight Dunham.  (Do not ask me to figure out all the ways the children of Christine, Eliza, and Margaret are related.  It is too much for this brain!)  Their children are Margaret and James.  Amos died and Margaret then married John Wilson, also seen as Rev. John Wilson.  They had no children together.

And the last known child is Albert, who married Eliza J. Bonecutter, the daughter of George and Nancy Conner Bonecutter.  (I did a little research and "Bonecutter" may be the rough translation of the German word for butcher.  Otherwise, I can't explain it!)  Their children are Margaret, John, Thomas, Albert, and Ada.  

I have also seen the names of James and Eleanor listed as children of Owen and Margaret.  The birthdate shown for James is much too late for the couple, and I've seen no birthdate at all for Eleanor.  At the moment, I consider them as being outside of this family, but I wanted to mention them in case someone knows more about these two.  

It's been fun doing this brief sketch.  I know more about my children's ancestors and how they would have interacted.  Can you imagine the family reunions that could have taken place?  Or maybe they all met for Sunday dinners together, after church.  That would be quite an event!   

This is the last of my posts for the Rees/Reese family, unless I find out some of the answers to the many questions I have.

 

The family of Solomon and Ann possibly McNeal Rees

The heading for this post is something of a misnomer.  I am really not at all sure about the "family" I'm writing about.  I'm not sure who Solomon's parents are, I'm not sure who his wife is, and I'm not sure who his children are.  Ugh.  But I am sure (or as sure as I can be, with limited documentation) that he belongs in the line of Rees or Reese families that eventually join the Dunham line, so I'll lay out some of the possibilities here.

Solomon's parents may be Morris and Sarah Butterfield Rees, or they may be Thomas and Margaret Bowen Reese, or they may be Thomas and Hannah Rees Rees.  At the moment, I'm leaning toward the parents being Thomas and Margaret Bowen Rees, because they were disciplined for allowing a "hireling schoolteacher" to teach in their home, and Solomon is thought to have married a school teacher.  But I can find no other records that give me a confident feeling about this.  All three couples that I mentioned seem to have sons named Solomon, born in the time period that would "work".  I have as yet found no records for Solomon's marriage, nor have I found a likely McNeal family (supposed maiden name for Ann) in the general area.  And then, lists of his children are muddled and messy, and missing supporting documents.  What's a family historian to do?  I'm choosing to put this post together for the next people trying to sort this family, and I hope that they can zero in on the correct information.

I have names for seven children for Solomon and Ann.  I am confident about one of them, and there are possibilities for others, but take this with a grain of salt and a big desire for verification.

The son I am confident of is Owen, Owen Traveler to be exact.  He may actually be the youngest of the children, and there is a story that he acquired his middle name when he was born while his parents were enroute from Washington County, Pennsylvania to Fayette County, Ohio.  If that is true, Owen may have been born later than the 1791 birth year I have for him, because it is likely that his parents didn't arrive in Ohio until sometime about 1805.  Owen married Margaret Moon, the daughter of Thomas and Jean Gray Moon.  I currently show three daughters for them, Christine, Eliza Matilda, and Margaret.  Owen died in 1876 in Tipton County, Indiana.  

Rebecca seems a likely candidate to be a daughter.  She was born in 1793 and may have lived as long as 1896.  She married James Davis, the son of John and Sarah McNeal (!) Davis.  Their children are Jacob, Solomoin, John, Rebecca, Mary, Amanda, Thomas, and Isaac. 

Some lists show Hiram as a son.  He married Edith or Adah Dungan in 1828.  They had one daughter, Dezire.  I found a will for him but it listed a brother Stephen as executor, and as far as we know, there are no Stephens thought to belong to Solomon and Ann, so either this is the wrong Hiram, or he has been wrongly attached to this family.

Sarah is also a possibility.  There is a Sarah who married Moses Rees, the daughter of William and Charity Dillon Rees.  Her children are listed as Margaret, Moses, Catherine, Solomon, William, and James.  I am not sure this is the correct Sarah, but at this point, I can't eliminate her.  

Lydia Rees married Jacob or/and Joseph Butler and had a son John.  She is reported to have lived from 1774 to 1863, so it seems possible that there are more children.  I'm not at all sure she belongs to this family, but again, I can't eliminate her.

I have also seen John and Sampson on lists of children, but find nothing at all to give credence to these reports.  Facts, I need facts!

Again, I would appreciate any help anyone can give me on this family.  And please, don't take any of this as fact.  This is not a family I have spent a great deal of time on, and I'm mostly making suggestions here, hints to prove or disprove if time allows.

 

The family of Thomas Rees and Hannah Rees

 In case you haven't noticed, this is not an easy family (Rhys, Rees, Reese) to follow.  Not only did cousins marry, but other family connections are also in the mix.  And then there's the matter of the names of the children.  I don't have enough fingers and toes to count all the Thomas, Hannah, Margaret, Morris, and so on Rees names that I've come across.  If a child wasn't named for their parent, then they were named for aunts and uncles, with only an occasional "where did that name come from" thrown in just to upset the apple cart.  

All this is to say, I've found a lot of errors in family trees and have probably made a few myself.  I started out with a list of 16 potential children for the family of Thomas and Hannah Rees Rees, but only have some degree of confidence about 8 of them, and the birthdates of each child could be wrong by a matter of years.  Thomas is the son of Thomas and Margaret Bowen Rees, and Hannah is the daughter of Morris and Sarah Butterfield Rees.  Thomas died in 1812 in Fairfield County, Ohio, and his wife probably died there too.  Thomas, at least, had been born in Chester County, Penssylvania, then went to Frederick County, Virginia, and they raised their family mostly in Washington County, Pennsylvania.  Thomas and Hannah would have been close to 70, or maybe a little older, when they moved to Fairfield County.  

Morris Rees was one son, born about 1757.  He died in 1842 in Fairfield County, Ohio.  His marriage was to Coracy or Corracy Townshend, the daughter of John and Hannah Richards Townshend.  As did his parents, he is considered a patriot in the American Revolutionary War, having suffered depredations in 1781, probably at the hands of one of the indigenous peoples loyal to and stirred up by the British.  Their children are John, Hannah, Mary, Thomas, Morris, Sarah, Coracy, Anna, Isaac, Gertie, a second Mary, and Lewis.

Thomas may have been born about 1759 and died in 1832.  He married twice.  His first wife is Ann Crumley, who may be the daughter of William and Hannah Mercer Crumley.  Their children are Nancy, Rachel, Jesse, Sarah, William, Solomon, Hannah, James, Thomas and Asenath.  His second wife is  Elizabeth Harlan, the daughter of George and Mary Harris Harlan.  They had one daughter together, Kessiah.  

Margaret was born about 1760 and died in 1845 in Fairfield County, Ohio.  She may have married Larkin Reynolds, but I've found no further information for that marriage.  She married James Hunter, the son of David and Martha Hunter.  The only child I've found for that couple was Thomas.  If seems likely that there are more children.

Jesse was born about 1767 and died in 1812 in Fairfield County, Ohio.  He married (are you ready for this?) Hannah Rees, the daughter of William and Keziah Pray Rees.  I have not yet determined which Rees family William belonged to.  Jesse's children are Rebecca, Hannah, John, Thomas, Maria, David, Elizabeth, Abner, and Margaret.  

There seems to have been a daughter Hannah, who married an Isaac Davis and then a Nathan Paxton, but I've not found children listed for either marriage.  Hannah's death date is given variously as 1820 and 1850, so it's quite possible that there are two Hannahs, mixed together.  In 1850, there was a Hannah Paxton living with Jesse and Sarah Greene, in Clark County, Ohio.  The census shows that she was born in 1774 in Virginia, so this could indeed be Hannah, and Sarah could possibly be a daughter.  Could and possibly, not is...

Mary was born about 1769 and died about 1775.

And then there is Solomon, who married Ann, and is a mystery to me.  I show him twice on our family tree, once as the son of Thomas and Hannah, and once as the son of Thomas and Margaret Bowen Rees.  Obviously, one of these is wrong.  But for the record, their children are Sampson, John, Sarah, Lydia, Owen, Hiram, and Rebecca.  

There may also be a daughter, Sarah, but I've found nothing definite about her.  

Even those these children mostly died less than 225 years ago, the records about them are not easily found.  I would so love to hear from others who can tell me more about this family. 

 

The family of Thomas Rees and Margaret Bowen

 Are we ready for a deep dive into a very complicated family?  I've heard of twisted and intertwining branches before, but this one is more like a whole thicket of such trees.  I am not at all sure I have it all figured out correctly, but here is my attempt to make sense of the family of Thomas Rees and Margaret Bowen.  Margaret is the daughter of Henry and Jane Carter Bowen, and Thomas is the son of Thomas and Rebecca Price Bowen.  Thomas was born "about 1705". in Chester County, Pennsylvania, the third generation of his Welsh Quaker family to have roots here. His grandfather, David Rees, was the original immigrant.

Thomas and Margaret married in Chester County in about 1732, although I have not found documentation to support that date.  Nor have I found confirmation of many of their children's birth dates or even years.  I'm reasonably sure that the children I will mention here are their children, but I'm not at all sure about the birth order.  Thomas and Margaret moved from Chester County, Pennsylvania to what was then Frederick County, Virginia (now Berkeley County, West Virginia) in about 1753.  This was just prior to the French and Indian War, and it's possible that the family, or at least part of it, had to leave soon after they arrived, due to the repeated raids from the native people that began during this time.  As Quakers, they were against all violence and it's uncertain how or if they would have defended themselves, had they stayed at their new home. It's also possible that they simply went to the nearest fort and sat out the difficult times.

There are 9 known children of Thomas and Margaret, with two others showing up on some lists but not others.  I'll mention them all here.

Henry seems to have been the first born, in 1732.  He married Martha Thomas, the daughter of Evan and Catherine Thomas, and had one child, Catherine.  He next married Ann Neill, the daughter of Lewis and Lydia Hollingsworth Neill, and they had at least five children-Gabriel, Lydia, Gideon, Lewis, and Margaret.  (I have not yet determined whether Lydia Hollingsworth is part of the Hollingsworth family that is shown on another line tying into the Beeks family.)  Henry died in 1772 in Frederick County, Virginia.

Thomas was born about 1734, according to some sources, and in 1749, according to others.  The date must have been closer to 1734 because his children were born starting in 1755.  His wife was Hannah Rees, who was the daughter of Morris and Sarah Butterfield Rees.  Thomas and Hannah were first cousins once removed, as Thomas was the great grandson and Hannah the grandaughter of David Rees the immigrant.  Thomas and Hannah's children are Solomon, Morris, Thomas, Margaret, Thomas again, Sarah (twice), Jesse, Mary, and Hannah.  It may be this same Thomas (or possibly a son or another of the Thomas name) who later married Ellen Downing, the daughter of William and Phebe Downing. Thomas died in 1812 in Fairfield County, Ohio.  I'll follow this family in a future post.

William was born about 1736 and died in 1822 in Greene County, Tennessee.  He married Charity Dillon, the daughter of William and Mary Rees Dillon.  Trees show that Mary was the daughter of Thomas and Margaret but the dates don't add up.  She was likely part of another of the Rees men.  William and Charity had at least the following children-Moses, Mary, William, Sampson, Thomas, James, Margaret, Ann, Mary and John.

David is a true challenge, and one that I have not yet solved.  At least three different families are claiming David, born 1738 in Chester County, with Thomas and Margaret as his parents.  He is said to have died in 1786 in Virginia, in 1787 in Newberry, South Carolina, and in 1812 in an unspecified location.  I'm reasonably sure that he married Elizabeth Babb, the daughter of Philip and Margaret Babb (or, barely possible, Thomas and Sarah Foulk Babb).  Their children are John, Hannah, Elizabeth, Ann, and Sarah.  Many online trees call him the "Fighting Quaker" who fought on the British side in the Revolutionary War.  Obviously, he was dismissed from the Quaker Meeting for this and other transgressions.  The Fighting Quaker David was the one who died in Newberry, S.C.  I'm just not convinced yet that this was our David.  If someone has evidence that would prove or disprove him, I'd love to see it!!

Robert was another son, born sometime in the 1740s.  He married Sidney Lewis, the daughter of Henry and Mary Roger Lewis, "contrary to discipline".  I haven't followed their story, but usually this meant dismissal from the church, unless the couple could convince the fellowship that they truly repented of this.  Sometimes it simply meant that the happy couple had not bothered to get approval from parents and the church, and had been married by a justice of the peace.  The couple did stay married, and had children Lewis, Robert, David, Thomas, Elizabeth, Signey, and Margaret.  It may be this Robert who later married Rachel Brackney had had a daughter Mary, but I'm not sure that this is correct.  Robert died in Clinton County, Ohio in 1815.

And here's our first "maybe", as far as children go.  Mary Susannah was reportedly born about 1725, before the supposed marriage date of her parents, and died in 1781 in Frederick County, Va, or in 1831 in Greene County, Tennessee.  She is said to have been the Mary Rees who was married to William Dillon (see above).  If correct, then when William Rees married Charity Dillon, he was marrying his niece, which isn't impossible in that time and place.  

Mary is listed as another daughter, and may have been referred to as Polly.  She died in 1820 in Berkeley County, WV.  Her husband was John Brabson, who is so far unidentified.  Their children are Thomas, John, Elizabeth, Ephraim, Margaret, and Robert.

Jane or Jean was another daughter, also born in the 1740s.  She married Jacob Moon, the son of Simon and Louretha Humphrey Moon.  (The Beeks line also includes this couple, and I hope to someday write about the Moon family.)  Their children are Jacob, James, Margaret, Mary, Thomas, Simon, and possibly another James.  Jane died in 1812 or 1817 in Arden, Berkeley, West Virginia.  This is another couple that married outside of church discipline.  

John was born about 1744 and died in 1821 in Fayette County, Pennsylvania.  He left the Quaker faith and became a Baptist, and served in the Revolutionary War in the Pennsylvania militia.  From the dates we know, he would most likely have been involved in the ongoing battles with the natives that continued after Yorktown, for his dates of service are shown as 1782-1783.  He married Nancy Carter, the daughter of James and Hannah Chenowith Carter.  I have not been able yet to place James in the Carter family that came early to Pennsylvania but there is a possible connection there.  John and Nancy's children are Thomas, Elijah, Margaret, Hannah, Ruth, Mary, John, Nancy )John and Nancy are twins) and James.  After Nancy's death, he married Sarah Huston, and they had two children, Robert and David.

Solomon was born about 1745 and died in 1829 in Fayette County, Ohio.  He married Ann, possibly McNeil, and their children are Sampson, John, Sarah, Lydia, Owen, Hiram, and Rebecca. I will also follow this family in a later post.  

The final daughter is Margaret,  who was born in the late 1740s and married Thomas Rees, another son of Morris and Sarah Butterfield Rees.  Their children are Sarah, Martha known as Patsy, Charity, Jane, Hanna, Evan, Leah, Mary, and Joel.  I have not yet determined a death location for Margaret.  She is said to have died about 1815.

So the Beeks (actually Aldridge) family has strong Rees roots, with three direct ancestors shown here-Thomas, Jane, and Solomon.  That is, if I haven't confused my Thomases at some point.  I am very open to corrections and additions.  Please contact me!

 

 

Thomas Rees family 1681-??

 This is the most confusing family I've come across, in my 18 years of working on family history.  At this point, I have little to say about the Thomas Rees who was born in Wales and traveled with his parents, David and Elinor Lloyd Rees, to Philadelphia, where he eventually settled in the Welsh Tract, at least for a time. Thomas Rees and Morris Rees, whose family I wrote about last week, are brothers.

I should point out that the name Rees was a common Welsh name, originally spelled Rhys, and Thomas was also a common name for men.  I suspect that there are several men by the name of Thomas Rees in the time period of 1680-1750, and in Pennsylvania.  It appears that David may have had a brother Thomas.  David certainly had a son named Thomas, and he is most probably the one who belongs in this lineage.  But is our Thomas the one who died in 1713, or the one who died in 1740?  I cannot decide so I'll lay the two possibilities out.

The Thomas who died in 1713 had children Thomas, Sarah, Daniel, Mary, David, Isaac, Philip, Miriam, Thomas (again, likely the first one had died) and John.  Our Thomas, the sort of subject of this post, married Francis or Rebecca Price, the daughter of Philip Price, so including the name of Philip as a child is completely logical. Thomas and Rebecca had married in 1692 in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania.  But I am wondering if this Thomas was actually the age of David's brother, which would explain the early birth date.  There are several references to Thomas Rees as taxpayer and landowner in the 1680s and 90s, which would be prior to the time our Thomas would have been of age to own land and owe taxes, if his 1681 birthdate is correct.

Another Thomas Rees died in 1740 in Chester County, Pennsylvania.  I do not know where this list of children comes from but I show his children as Thomas, Henry, William, David, Robert, Solomon, Jane, Margaret, Mary known as Polly, and John.  I show son Thomas as having been born in Chester County, also.  This is likely to be either our Thomas or the son of the Thomas who died in 1713, but there are other possibilities, also.  

Since I have not much faith in either option (or in none of the above), I am not going to try to trace the children of Thomas until I have more confidence that I'm following the correct family.  I will simply note that both of the men I've mentioned had sons named Thomas, and in my next post, I'll follow that Thomas.  

If I've thoroughly confused you, join the crowd!  And if you have answers, please contact me.

The family of Morris Rees 1680-1768

 Morris Rees, an ancestor of the Beeks family, lived an interesting life.  He was born in Wales in 1680 and died in 1768 in Frederick County, Virginia.  In between those dates, he'd lived in Chester County, Pennsylvania and possibly at least one other location before settling in Virginia.  As a Quaker, his name is on several Society of Friends records, but also as a Quaker, birth information was not necessarily recorded for his children.  

We know that Morris was the son of David and Elinor Lloyd Rees, the immigrants.  He married Sarah Butterfield, the daughter of Thomas and Mary (possibly Taylor) Butterfield in 1718 at the Chester Monthly Meeting in Chester County, Pennsylvania.  Morris and Sarah had at least eight children and those children helped to thoroughly confuse the Rees family tree, as some married cousins and other Rees relatives.  

John was the first known son born, in 1720.  He married Lydia Hastings , the daughter of John and Mary Williams Hastings.  Their children are Lydia, Sara, Jacob, John, Morris, Hannah, Rachel and Enoch.  Various death dates are assigned to John (doubtless a confusion among several men named John Rees) but it appears that he died between 1791-1795.  He would have been of prime age and location to have served in the French and Indiana War, possibly even the Revolutionary War, if his Quaker beliefs had permitted.  I'm still researching that aspect of his life. There was a John Reese who was on the roll during Lord Dunsmore's War in 1774.  Is it this John?

Morris was the next son born, about 1721.  He married Sarah Hackney, the daughter of Joseph and Charity Harlan Hackney.  Their children are Morris, Mary, Margaret, Rebecca, Phebe, Charity, David, another Morris, Mary, and another Rebecca.  Morris died in 1800 in Frederick County, Virginia.  He also was old enough to have served in the two wars mentioned above.  It is also possible that the Rees families left Virginia (they mostly arrived in 1752-1753) and traveled east to less volatile locations during the wars. Morris Reece Sr and Morris Reece Jr were each listed as having missed one private muster from John Linsey's Company of Troop in Frederick County at a Court Martial held September 2, 1755, and it is quite possible that it is this Morris and his son Morris who are being referred to here.  Perhaps they missed a muster due to seeing that their families were safe. 

Jacob was born in 1723 and may have died in 1789 in Harrison County, in what is now West Virginia.  He married Hannah Kirk, the daughter of Roger and Jane Bowen Kirk.  Their children are Joel, Sarah, Jonathan, Jacob, Nathan, Morris, Hannah, and Jesse.  

Mary was their first daughter, born in 1726.  She married Job or Joel Hastings, the son of John and Mary Williams Hastings.  Their children are Hannah, Isaac, Henry, Thomas, Reese, and Sarah.  After her first husband died, she may have married Jesse Faulkner when she was about 60 years old.  I'm not sure this was the same Mary, but it's possible.  Mary died in 1794 in Berkley County, in what is now West Virginia.

Margaret was born in 1728 and died before 1788.  She married Archibald Jobe, the son of Thomas and Elizabeth Maxwell Jobe.  Their children are Morris, Thomas, Daniel, Sarah, Elizabeth, and Margaret. 

David was born in 1730 and died in 1812 in Berkley County, (West) Virginia.  He married Martha Chandler, the daughter of Jacob and Martha Greave Chandler.  Their children are Jacob, Jane, Enoch, Mary, Daniel, Ellis, Martha, Lydia, Hannah, and Samuel. A David Reece was fined in 1760 for being absent from a private muster from John Greenfield's Company in Frederick County.  We can't be sure this is our David, due to a multitude of David Rees (etc) men in the area, but it's possible.  `

Hannah was born in 1732 and died in 1803 in Frederick County, Virginia.  She married Thomas Reese, the son of Thomas and Margaret Bowen Reese.  (My next post will be about the family of Thomas and Margaret.)  Their children are Solomon, Morris, Thomas, Sarah/Sally, Margaret, Jesse, Mary, and Hannah.  

Finally, there is Thomas, born in 1734.  He married Margaret Bowen, who was the daughter of Thomas and Margaret Bowen Reese, mentioned above.  Their children are Elizabeth, Martha, Leah, Thomas, and Mary. Thomas died in 1819 in Berkley County, (West) Virginia.

As we can guess, there are many stories hidden in these brief facts.  Love, marriage (not necessarily in that order), children, war, religion, making a living and living a life were parts of each of these lives.  As near as I can tell, this was a family full of good people who faced challenging times and set a good  example for their descendants. 

The family of (Hugh) David Rees 1655-1706

 Researching this family has been like herding cats.  Just when one thing seems to fall in line, everything or everyone else is ready to escape to a new and better life, different parents, a possible second spouse, more or fewer children-anyone who has tried to research an early Pennsylvania family who traces back to Wales knows what I am experiencing.  In briefly researching for this family sketch, I've found a lot of questions, a lot of confusion, and a lot of dead ends.  This post will attempt to sort some of this out, point out possible alternatives, and at least leave some bread crumbs for the next searchers.  All help is most welcome.  

The first question is David's name.  Was his first name Hugh, or was it David?  I'm using David because I've not found anything at all that used the name Hugh, but it's possible that someone knows something I don't.  And as for "Rees", well, it could be Reece, Reese, Rhys, or even ap Rhys, which some have then interpreted as Price.  

David is the son of (unconfirmed) Henry and Elizabeth Lewis Rees.  (I'm reasonably confident that the mother's name is correct but I have also seen the father as John and as Price.)  He was born about 1655, probably in Pembrokeshire, Wales, and married Elinor Lloyd, who may be the daughter of Thomas and Catherine (verch) William Lloyd.  I don't have a firm marriage date for them, but it was sometime in the mid 1670's, still in Wales.  David and Elinor came to Pennsylvania in 1682, probably but not necessarily with their first children.  I'll explain that statement in a moment.

This family was party of the Welsh Quaker community.  In fact, I have seen David referred to as "Reverend", although of course the Society of Friends, as they are also known, did not use such titles as far as I know.  However, the Rees name does show up in Quaker records for generations.  

"Everyone" says that Rebecca, born in 1676 in Wales, is the daughter of this couple, and that she married Moses Bowen, the son of Evan and Mary McMillan Bowen.  It's also stated that they came to Pennsylvania in 1698.  For all of this information to be accurate, Rebecca would have had to stay in Wales from the time her parents emigrated until she married, or she would have had to return to Wales to marry Moses.  (Or perhaps they came earlier and the 1698 trip was a second one, which is plausible because Moses seems to have been relatively well=off.)  Rebecca and Moses are said to have had several children: John, Gwentholyn, William, Robert, Thomas, Margaret, Daniel, Henry, Catherine, and Priscilla.  I don't know when Rebecca died.  The most common date I've seen, without documentation, is 1780, which would have made her a truly ancient woman.  

Margaret is generally given as the next daughter.  She was born about 1678.  Her death date is sometimes shown as 1761 but I believe that applies to a different Margaret.  It is possible that she died as an infant or child and never made it to America.  

Morris is the next child and the first son, according to most lists.  He was born in 1680 and died in 1768 in Frederick County, Virginia.  He married Sarah Butterfield, the daughter of Thomas and Mary (possibly Taylor) Butterfield.  Their children are John, Morris, Jacob, Mary, Margaret, David, Thomas, and Hannah.  I will write more about this family in an upcoming post.  

Another family that I will be following in a future post is that of Thomas.  He was born in 1681 and died in 1713 in Haverford, Chester County, Pennsylvania.  His wife was Rebecca Price, the daughter of Philip Price and an as yet unknown mother.  It is possible that these families, Rees and Price, were related, as Rees and Price are both known variations of "ap Rhys".  Thomas and Rebecca's children are Thomas, Henry, William, David, Robert, Solomon, and Jane.  It is possible that there were two children named Robert.  

Lewis is the next son, and born in 1683, not long after David and family (or some of them) arrived here. He married Grace Row, the daughter of William and Eliza (maiden name unknown) Row.  Their children are Mary, Rebecca, David, Elinor and Hannah.  Lewis died in 1775, in Newtown, Chester, Pennsylvania.    

The final child who is traceable is John, born in 1686.  He married Hannah Welsh, the daughter of Philip and Hannah Haggett Welch.  (Note: I'm not sure whether this was a proper surname or whether it was simply descriptive of their origins.)  This couple is credited with a large family.  Rose, Edward, Ellen, Jane, Hannah and John seem to belong.  I have also seen Lucretia, Eleanor, Elizabeth, Harry, Thomas and Edward listed as part of this family, but I am not convinced.  I hope someone can come to my aid on this family.  I have not found a death date for him; the 1759 date I've seen applies to a different man.,

As in John's family (above) there are three more names I've seen as children of David and Elinor.  There may have been another John and another Thomas, and also a son James.  However, I haven't yet been able to verify anything about any of these babies, boys, or men.  I would leave them as "possible" at this point.

Although David died at a relatively young age, his children lived to see the settling of Pennsylvania, and the various battles and violence of the French and Indian War.  As Quakers, they may not have actively supported military activity, but they would have done what was necessary to protect their families.