Surname Saturday - Reece

I am related to the Reece line through my paternal Great-grandmother, Gussie Creed Kuhn. Gussie was born in St. Joe, Texas, December 9, 1889 and her given name was Pearl Augusta Creed. Her parents were Joseph Micajah Creed and Mary Elizabeth Reece.

Gussie Creed Kuhn's parents as listed on her death certificate from April 15, 1975

Mary Elizabeth Reece, Gussie's mother, was born in Kingsville, Johnson County, Missouri on February 23, 1846. Her obituary from the March 24, 1927 Courier Dispatch and Times Democrat, Pawnee, Oklahoma, states that her father was Reverend William Reece, "pastor of the Methodist Episcopal Church of Desota, Kansas." This find led me to an 1860 census for a Reece family in Johnson County, Missouri. The age of the Mary E. listed matches "my" Mary.

1860 census for the Reece family

I tentatively link this census to the Reece family...which I quickly realized is often spelled Reese. Following the individuals listed in the 1860 census leads me to an 1880 census for the same family. They now live in Johnson County, Kansas.

1880 census for the Reece family

Note a Nancy E. Creed living with William Reece. This child is Mary and Joseph Creed's first child, Nancy Estella Creed. The places of birth for herself and her parents matches the information that is certain for Mary and Joseph. Therefore, I'm accepting this William H. Reece and his wife, Elizabeth, as Mary Elizabeth Reece's parents. In a lucky genealogy tidbit, Elizabeth's brother is also living with the family...bingo for her maiden name: Alexander.

I am able to find William H. Reece's headstone in DeSoto Cemetery, DeSoto, Kansas, along with his wife, Elizabeth.

I am able to track William from his death in 1889 back to his marriage to Elizabeth in 1836.

This is where the documentation stops. I know that William Reece was born in Tennessee October 2, 1809, but I have found no information that links him to the next generation. If he had an obituary, I have not been able to find it. I have located two other men with the surname Reece in the same counties that William Reece lived in: Isham and Jesse. They are of the appropriate age to be his siblings and both are from Tennessee. Their migration patterns match those of William and he named two of his children Isham and Jesse. To date I have not found a conclusive link between them. There is a marriage record for Isham Reece from Rhea County, Tennessee. Perhaps a lead...

Reece To-Do List:
1. Contact Johnson County, Kansas to search for probate records for William Reece.
2. Trace the lives of Isham and Jesse Reece to learn their connection to Tennessee and see if it links them to William and his time in Tennessee.
3. Then what???

The joy of discovering spelling mistakes - Wedding Wednesday

I've always considered Joseph Creed a nomad of sorts. He really didn't seem to be fond of sticking to one place for any period of time, although I'm sure he was just a product of the times he lived in. He was born in North Carolina in 1841 and moved to Missouri sometime between 1850 and 1861, which is when he enlisted in the Cass County Home Guards Cavalry. I know that Joseph married Mary Reece and I had a family history indicating that it was September 4, 1862. So now for finding proof...

Joseph and Mary Creed many years after their marriage.

I find Mary living with her parents, William and Elizabeth Reece, in 1860 in Johnson County, Missouri. By 1865 the Reece family is living in Johnson County, Kansas, without Mary. This makes sense if she was indeed married in 1862. I checked both Johnson Counties in Kansas and Missouri for record of her marriage but come up dry. I just figured it was another record lost to time and forgot about it.

Last week I was able to make a short visit to the Midwest Genealogy Center, one of my favorite places on Earth. Not kidding. My purpose for stopping was to find more information about William Henry Reece, Mary Reece Creed's father, and hopefully connect him with another generation. (See my post here about my journey with William Reece.) I have found an Isham Reece that I believe may be William's brother but I have yet to find proof. I decided to track down more information on Isham in order to "back-door" link him to my William. I know that Isham lived in Douglas County, Kansas, which is located just west of Johnson County, Kansas. While at the library I found a book entitled Douglas County, Kansas Marriages, 1854-1884, Vol. I, by Donna M. Shogrin and published by the Douglas County, Kansas, Genealogical Society, Inc. I found several "Reece" entries to include one for Van Buren Reece, one of William's sons. I had no idea that the Reece family lived in Douglas County, Kansas. Could this be where Mary was married, too?

Alas, no. No listing under Mary Reece. But, for some reason I decided to look under Creed, just in case, and low and behold there is the marriage listing! It is listed under Joseph Creed and Mary PERCE with the ceremony held on September 4, 1862. It states that the original record was from the Kansas State Journal, so I'm not sure if it was a transcription error or a printing error at the paper, but I'm sure it is my couple. Sometimes finding spelling errors is the best part of researching!

William Henry Reece is a silly beast

William Henry Reece is a silly beast. I can't seem to trace him past, well...him. But I have found many Reece neighbors that could be related.

William Henry Reece (1809-1889) is the father of Mary Elizabeth Reece Creed, a lady I have written about before. William Henry Reece married Elizabeth Alexander in Johnson County, Missouri in 1836. They had five children that I am aware of: Van Buren, James, Mary, Jesse and Isham, all of which were born in Missouri. (There is a sizable gap in years between James and Mary so I am sure there may be more children). In 1850 William Reece lives in Jackson township, Johnson County, Missouri with his wife and the children already listed. In the same township, only three census pages later, is Isham Reece (1806) with his family. Next door to Isham is a Jesse Reece (1793). All three of the Reece men I found were born in Tennessee in 1793, 1806 and 1809. Close enough to be brothers. And note that William named one son Jesse and one son Isham. Coincidence? Perhaps.

Sometime between 1860 and 1865 William Reece moved his family to Johnson County, Kansas, and he is found there in 1865. Just eight miles away is Isham Reece with his family, the same individuals from the 1850 census. Again, just a coincidence? I'm beginning to think not. In 1870, William is still found in Johnson County, Kansas whereas Isham has moved back across the state line to Missouri.  

Clearly, Isham is the more popular of the three men because there are 12 family trees on Ancestry.com that include him (and if that isn't an indication of popularity then I don't know what is). Some state that he has a brother named Jesse and most state that his father's name was Jesse. But not a single tree mentions William Reece. I have found quite a few references to Isham Reece across the Internet. Sadly, searches for information on William Reece only yield hits for posts I have made on various boards looking for information. I think the evidence is fairly strong that Isham and William are related. They live practically next door in Missouri and then both move to Kansas in the same time frame, only to live miles apart there. Still not enough proof for me...the search continues for my silly beast.