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It's my hope that anyone researching the line of ANDREW REED, SR. (April 20, 1750 – 184?) will take note, once and for all, that his WIFE’S MAIDEN SURNAME was NOT necessarily “RYAN” (Ahhhhhhhh!). Although a few Montgomery Co., VA land deeds, and possibly one other record “do” clearly reference Andrew, Sr.’s wife as “Mary” (or by her nickname, “Polly”), the fact is, WE HAVE YET TO confidently IDENTIFY MARY’s MAIDEN “SURNAME”!
Now although I’ve made several attempts, over the last several years, to correct this errant information (via internet postings), for some reason, I "continue" to see it posted on various websites - time and time again! In fact, part of the reason for my “frustration”, per se, over this issue is further due to the “possibility” that it “may” (just “may”) have even been myself, who hastily and inadvertently posted this misinformation via in an online posting, or response, to another Reed researcher (more likely), some ten years or so ago. Yes, we all make mistakes, and I’ve made a few myself (only a few, mind you!), but geez, this little “gem” just won’t seem to go away! Well, regardless of the actual source of the misinformation, it would be very much appreciated if anyone, who still has this errant info in their REED databases, would “please” remove it immediately, so this unfounded, unsubstantiated information can cease being distributed into cyberspace –once and for all!
Secondly, with regard to “when” Andrew, Sr. and Mary’s marriage likely took place, the best evidence I’ve seen, to date, indicates that it likely occurred “no later than” 1776. Although the marriage could have, indeed, occurred “prior to” 1776, the 1776 date merely represents the “latest feasible” year the marriage could have occurred, “if” one accepts the notion their eldest son, George, was born (legitimately) on May 31, 1777, as one multi-generational, family bible record clearly indicates. The family bible in which I speak of is one that was apparently handed-down through the generations, to the descendants of Mark Anthony Reed (if my memory serves me correctly) - a grandson of Andrew, Sr.
Thirdly, with respect to “where” Andrew and Mary’s marriage took place, although it’s also speculative at this point, it’s a good bet it took place in present-day Franklin Co., VA, where Andrew, Sr., George, Sr. and other family members (other than Peter, Sr.) appear to have lived at that time (c 1770s). In fact, Andrew Reed, Sr.’s Rev War Pension Application states that he resided in then-Bedford Co (now the northern half if Franklin Co.) at the time of his military service (from June until Dec, 1776), and that he moved on to Floyd Co sometime after said military service. Now, one must remember that, prior to Franklin Co.’s formation in late 1785/early 1786, the northern half of Franklin Co. (approximately that portion of the present-day county lying north of the Blackwater River) was actually part of Bedford Co -and had been since Bedford Co.’s formation c 1754. The southern half, in turn, was part of Pittsylvania Co (if I’m not mistaken), until the time of Henry Co’s formation c 1782 (as I recall). In any event, Dr. Wood also noted in his seminal text on Floyd Co., that (based on Reed descendant’s interviews) George Reed, Sr. came from Franklin Co., VA prior to his settlement in present-day Floyd Co.. We further note that Bedford Co. tax records from the early 1780s establish all of the Reed men (except Peter, Sr.) in “then”-Bedford Co (which is now the northern half of Franklin Co.). We can even note the May, 1784 land record which seems to place George Reed, Sr. along the north fork of Maggodee (aka “Maggoty”) Creek, which is located along the present-day Roanoke/Franklin Co., VA border. My point? That such evidence “does” tend to speak of the George Reed, Sr. family residing in (the northern portion of) present-day Franklin Co., VA from at least the mid-1770s (if not much earlier) until the mid-1780s. So, based on the aforementioned public records, it would seem safe to presume that Andrew Reed, Sr. and Mary Reed not only married in present-day Franklin Co., but that many of their older children were also born there as well. The younger ones (i.e., those born after say, 1787), however, were apparently born in present-day Floyd Co., VA.
Fourthly, speaking of other early “Reed” settlements in the area, Peter Reed, Sr. appears to have resided in present-day Floyd Co as early as 1778, as he was included on the “Botetourt” Co., VA militia list in that year. And this, of course, would somewhat jibe with our present notion of Peter’s birth year being around 1756/1757. Having said this, and given the fact that from c 1770 until 1790, roughly the eastern half of present-day Floyd Co (including a good portion of the Beaver Creek valley/basin) was part of Botetourt Co., it seems quite possible that Peter, Sr. “might” have been the first REED, in George, Sr.’s line, to have permanently settled in present-day Floyd Co. - rather than George, Sr. Indeed, given the fact that, at that time, all men aged twenty-one and above were required, by law, to serve in the county militia, as well as the fact that neither Peter, Sr.’s older brother, Andrew, Sr., nor his father (George, Sr.) were included on said 1778 militia list, then it would at least seem plausible to presume that “only” Peter, Sr. resided in present-day Floyd Co., VA as of 1778 – nearly a decade before the first land deed was recorded for George Reed, Sr. - Peter’s father, and the Floyd Co “patriarch”, if you will.
And this, of course, jibes with the early and mid-1780s tax records which show George, Sr., Andrew, Sr. and Humphrey, Sr., etc in “Bedford” Co., while Peter, Sr. appears to have moved further west into the Indian creek valley, which was then part of Montgomery co., VA (even prior to 1790) – as opposed to the Beaver Creek area. Anyone confused yet?
Fifthly, and curiously enough, however, we also see that a “Samuel” Reed was known to have owned land in and around the Wills Ridge area (which lies adjacent to the Beaver Creek area) by c1782, which was again, several years before the first “recorded” land deed for George Reed, Sr. This Samuel Reed also seems to have owned land along the Back Creek area along the present-day Roanoke Co/Franklin Co border in 1781 - an area that was then part of Botetourt Co as well. And yet, as mentioned earlier, by 1784, we also see that George Reed, Sr. (presumably) purchased over 300 acres of land along the north fork of Maggoty Creek/River – land which just happened to be within close proximity of Back Creek, and “just across the border” in then-Bedford Co (present-day northern Franklin Co.).
In any event, what may be extracted from the above commentary is the notion that “maybe” the aforementioned Samuel Reed, and our George Reed, Sr. “may” have been closely related after all. Public records indicate that “a” Samuel Reed (slightly older than George Reed, Sr.?) apparently died in then-Botetourt Co (present-day Roanoke Co - since 1838), in 1793, and so ‘maybe” this Samuel Reed does tie-in with our George Reed, Sr.’s line in some way. But at this point, we just can’t say with any degree of assuredness. Hopefully, a male (REED) descendant of this Samuel Reed will soon come forward to participate (i.e., DNA-test) in the REED DNA project (see familytreedna.com), so that “science” can finally help confirm or deny, what nearly a century of research, utilizing only “the old paper trail”, has not been able to yield-and that’s solid, irrefutable evidence regarding the relatedness of this early Samuel Reed, and our George Reed, Sr. Such testing could help us establish whether these men shared a common REED ancestor or not. But again, I digress.
Sixthly, and backing up just a bit, to make a somewhat unrelated point, we’ve also long had a record indicating that George Reed, Sr. first settled in or around the New River Valley as early as Dec, 1752, apparently residing (for a while) on several hundred acres of land along Catawba Creek, located in the northwestern corner of present-day Roanoke Co. In fact, several early settlers of the region also settled here, as this just happened to be the portion of the large tract that William Preston (nephew of James Patton, the land agent for much of SW VA land at that time) was trying “to move, per se, or settle at this particular time (c 1752). .We also know of his apparent 1754 purchase of land along the north fork of the Roanoke River, etc. But, due to the somewhat frequent incursions of Native American tribes (most notably those by the “bloody” Shawnee), beginning in the mid-1750s, nearly all of the sparse settlements in this region would be occasionally evacuated, almost completely, according to Preston’s accounts.
Now although we have “a few other” land records for George, Sr. prior to 1770, that provide clues as to where he may have resided during this earlier period (i.e., the 1750s – 1770s), it seems we can somewhat safely say, at this point, that such areas of settlement included: the eastern end of present-day Montgomery Co, in and around present-day city of Roanoke, and even down in the southwestern end of present-day Franklin Co., VA. To be sure, he, like so many other settlers during this tumultuous era, could very well have even resided further east of these areas (in present-day Bedford Co as well?), or even ventured down into the relatively “safer” western NC settlements, for a brief period of time, although my sense, at the moment, is that he didn’t.
Seventhly (sounds like a Will doesn’t it?), with regard to the past confusion over the many county boundary changes in this part of SW VA, during the late1770s, genealogical researchers should understand that the Beaver Creek area, where George Reed, Sr. (c 1725/30 – 1807; the “Reed family patriarch” of present-day Floyd Co., VA ) permanently settled (possibly even before 1787/88), was “actually part of” Botetourt Co., VA, from about 1769/70 (when Botetourt Co was formed), until 1790, when this portion of Floyd Co (including the Beaver Creek basin) was annexed into Montgomery Co., VA. Let that “sink in” a moment, as it may help you with your future records research regarding this area. In fact, acknowledgement of this fact allowed me to realize (as mentioned earlier), that George, Sr.’s family did NOT reside in present-day Floyd Co. during the mid-1770s, nor did his sons, Andrew Reed, Sr., George Reed, Jr. or Humphrey, Sr., etc. But as for Peter, Sr. well he did apparently reside in Botetourt Co (likely in the Beaver Creek area) until the mid-1780s (and thus was in Botetourt Co records) until moving further west into the Indian Creek area, which was “then”(as earlier indicated), in Montgomery Co, and thus ”he” (i.e., only Peter) should have been included in Montgomery Co. records during the mid-1780s on, while George Reed, Sr. and the rest of the family shouldn’t have been included in Montgomery Co records until 1790, when the Beaver Creek and adjacent areas were “finally” annexed into Montgomery Co. And as we all know, Floyd Co., VA was formed in 1831. Well, enough of the regional history and geography commentary.
And lastly (thank goodness!), and ALSO in the interest of “correcting the internet record”, I’ll simply defer to the following commentary from long-time Reed researcher, Susan Jurban, who hopes to remind REED researchers (“once and for all”), to cease propagating the “utterly unsubstantiated” notion that the maiden surname of the wife of George Reed, Sr. (c 1725/30 – 1807; the patriarch) WAS NOT ‘Wigington/ Wigginton! AHHHH!! In fact, about ten years ago I, personally, corresponded with THE foremost Wigington surname researcher in England at that time (he had authored a large text on this line), and he completely refuted the presence of any Wigington/ Wigginton family member in the Floyd or Franklin Co area of SW VA before the early 1800, OTHER THAN John Wigington (who was bc the mid-1750s - NOT c 1726, as the errant data also suggests). Now THIS John Wigington married a McGeorge lady c 1787, and she was the actual sister of George Reed, JR.’s wife – which, in turn, made THIS John Wigington, and George Reed, “JR.” (NOT “SR.”), brothers-in-law!
Well, without further adieu, I’ll let Susan’s insightful comments speak for themselves, and HOPEFULLY THIS absolutely baseless, “John Wigington”- George Reed, “Sr.” connection will ALSO CEASE TO BE PROPAGATED on the internet – once and for all! Hopefully Susan won’t mind me reposting her commentary, which was first posted several years ago:
“I'm fairly certain that George Reed, Sr.'s wife, Anna was not a "Wigginton".
------------------------------------
Dr. Wood states:
"About 1770 George Reed, whose wife was a Miss Wigington,
came with his brother-in-law from Franklin County across the Blue Ridge
Mountains and settled on the north side of Wills Ridge. Wigington settled on
the south side of this ridge and the two took up several thousand acres of
land."
----------------------------------------
Per the VA State Library, three land grants for a total of 1,535 acres were
issued for a George Reed & John Wiggington; however in 1818 & 1819, not ca.1770 (see below)
------------------------------------------------------------
1 July 1818
Montgomery County
400 acres on the head waters of Beaver Creek,
waters of Little River, adj. Andrew Reed, grants 67, p. 425.
1 July 1819
Montgomery County
195 acres on the south side of Esther's Creek,
waters of New River, grants 68, p. 240
1 July 1819
Montgomery County
940 acres on the head waters of Beaver Creek,
waters of Little River, grants 68, p. 242.
--------------------------------------------------------
Which George Reed were these grants for?
Certainly not George Reed, “Sr.”, who married Anna _______ ,as he died in 1807, in Montgomery County, VA.
Per his (George Reed, Sr.'s) Will, he had 293 acres on Beaver Creek, a branch of the Little River,adjacent to Carter Cox, Charles Simmons & Andrew Reed.
This land was granted to George in 1788 per a VA land grant (see below):
Reed, George, Sr.
14 April 1788
(then) Botetourt County
293 acres on the Gap Fork of Beaver Creek,
a branch of Little River, grants 16, p. 242
------------------------------------------------------
I have searched the Montgomery County, VA land tax lists & deed books and
feel that the George Reed who was granted the land with John Wiggington was
George (Jr.) who m. 1786 to Nancy McGeorge.
John Wiggington married on 5 September1787, in Bedford County, VA
to Margaret McGeorge,
who was most likely a sister to Nancy,
and d/o John McGeorge, who died in 1794, in Bedford County, VA.
This would mean that George Reed, Jr. and John Wiggington were brother-in-laws
through their marriages to the McGeorge sisters,
and probably the "brother-in-laws" who"the two took up several thousand acres of land"
were that Dr. Wood was referring to in his sketch;
however he (Dr. Wood) was apparently confused to some of the facts.
This information clearly suggests that the "Anna" who married George
Reed, Sr. was NOT a "Wiggington".
Also, the only known public record that we have which references Anna Reed (George, Sr's wife) at all, is from her daughter's (Sally Reed's) marriage record,
which lists Sally as the daughter of George & "Anna" Reed,
not "Nancy" Reed (George, Jr.'s wife's name).
The land tax records indicate that George Reed, Jr. only paid taxes on this
property for several years, and then Griffith Reed (who married Olive Reed, d/o
George, Jr.) started paying taxes on this property. “
There is no record in the deed books that this property was transferred to Griffith;
however in a law suit of Ormand Delong & his wife, Sarah (d/o George Reed, Jr.)
vs.
the heirs of George Reed, Jr.,
there are two deeds for this property that George, Jr. deeded to Griffith in 1822.
Apparently the deeds were executed, but never recorded (by the County Clerk)
Susan M. Jurban
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