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.