The Reeves Family

(this data is NOT entirely documented but is the best summation of the information we currently have)

researched by Jana McPherson Black and Nancy McPherson Petersen

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My great grandmother was Ellen Elizabeth Reeves. Her story is tragic in our family history. Ellen was born 14 April 1856 in Bethnal Green, Middlesex, London, England. She died 5 June 1895, Islington, London, England (age ~ 39) of an infected tooth, when my grandfather was barely 7 mos. old. Her death left my great grandfather a widower with 7 children (one twin had died at the age of 10 months) at the age of 43. Within 10 years, the family dwindled from 10 to 5 members as other tragic deaths took a toll...

A certified copy of Ellen's and William's marriage certificate reports:
William James Dewhurst (iron worker) m. Ellen Elizabeth Reeves (spinster) 25 December 1874, Parish Church of St. John the Baptist, Hoxton, Middlesex, London. WJD's address was 35 Robert Pl.(?-illegible); his father's name is William Henry Dewhurst (alternately shown in various records to have been a Police Constable to the Metropolitan Police Force, a water colour artist and a print colourer!). EER's address was 5 Brittannia Gardens; her father's name, John Reeves (Baker), she is listed as a minor. The witnesses names are illegible, unfortunately.

Grama said Ellen was Irish-from-Ulster, but her birth certificate places her birth in Bethnal Green and her father was also b. in London, according to census records in 1851 and 1861. Sussannah Daniels nee Green, Ellen's mother, was born in Shoreditch, Hackney, Middlesex. There are census records from 1841 that show a John of the right age; one with a father named John (labourer), mother named Mary and younger brother Frederick, the other with father James (shoemaker), mother Charlotte, brother Thomas and sisters, Ann and Charlotte, living in Finsbury, but there is no proof yet that either are the right family. Another 1841 record lists father John, mother Caroline, son James and daughter Elizabeth living at Brittania Cotttages ~ interesting as John named his youngest daughter Caroline and Ellen listed her residence as Brittania Gardens when she married - could John have had two marriages? Curiously all the 1841 Reeves were b. "out of county," so research continues to try to prove any Irish connection. Or perhaps and Irish connection may be explained by a quote from Irish Genealogy Online; "In the year 1890, there were no births recorded of the name Reeves in Ireland. Any Reeves families that were in Ireland at the time were likely to be of English origin." Since Ulster is the Protestant portion of Ireland and Ellen was known to be Catholic, confusion continues.

In the Summer of 2000, we finally got Ellen's birth certificate. Information on her birth certificate led us to finding her family group in Census records 1851 - 1881 Census.  As a result of lots of time and collaborated research, my cousin Nancy, and I are able now to show the beginnings of Ellen's genealogy.

Family of John Reeves and Susan Daniels

[1] Census reports put John's birth between April 1812 and March 1815. Death at 52 puts his birth between 1816 and 1817... The IGI shows a John, son of John and Elizabeth b. 1 May 1812 and Chr. 18 APR 1813 Saint Mary, Lambeth, London, England also a John, son of John and Elizabeth b. 28 Feb 1812 and Chr. 17 October 1814 Saint Leonards, Shoreditch, London, England. John Reeves last shows up in the 1861 census, thus must have died between 1861-1871, since the 1871 census shows Susan as a widow with her youngest child Caroline, age 9 (thus conceived abt. 1861. A marriage record for John Reeve and Susan Green is found in 4Q 1850, Bethnal Green, Vol 2 pg. 4. The marriage certificate shows John Reeves, Upholsterer as father of John and James Daniels, Tilemaker, as father of Susan. Both men are shown living on Coventry St., Bethnal Green, however, the census puts the Daniels family on Little Collingswood, adjacent to where John and Susannah settle. A look at the map shows that Coventry and Little Collingswood are only one block away from each other.

UPDATE 2005: 1871 census indeed shows Susan Reeve, widow, and all the children except daughter, Susannah, living at 7 Alfred Row, Bethnal Green. The 3rd Quarter 1869 includes a listing for the death of a John Reeves, 52 years old, in Bethnal Green., which is off slightly, but not by much.

[2] (from Nancy, Spring 2002) Susan was a widow when she married John Reeves. In 3rd Quarter 1845, Susan(nah) Daniels and Charles James Green married; 2nd Quarter 1846, this couple gave birth to Charles James Green, Jr.

[3] (from Nancy, Spring 2002) 3rd Quarter 1848, Susan(nah) Daniels and Charles James Green may have conceived Susan before Charles, Sr. death. If Susan Jr. was conceived with Charles, there is a Susan Green born in Marylebone in 3rd Quarter 1849 who could be this child... otherwise we will have to see how far in the 3rd Quarter Charles Sr. died. If Susan Jr is the child of Susan and John Reeves, there is a Susan Reeves born in Bethnal Green (where she is supposed to have been born) in 4th Quarter 1849. However, it was not until 3 Nov. 1850, that Susan Green nee Daniels marries John Reeve. By 1871, Susan is no longer listed as living with the family. There is a Susan in the right age range working as a servant in Kensington, but this is not proved.

[4] There are three possibilities for a John Reeves Jr.'s birth, all in Bethnal Green between 1st Quarter 1853 - 2nd Quarter 1854. Then 14 April 1856 Ellen Elizabeth Reed is born.

[5] The 1881 Census; Bethnal Green, Parliamentary Borough of Hackney, Ecclesiastical District of St. Peters on pg. 12 shows #61; 26 Durant Street; John Reeves, age 26, Bootmaker, b. Middlesex, Bethnal Green with wife Emma, age 24, b. Middlesex, Bethnal Green and daughter Emily, age 1, b. Middlesex, Bethnal Green - it is likely this is Ellen's brother.

[6] Caroline shows up in the 1871 census, age 9. In 1881, there is an unmarried Caroline with a 5 mos. old son, but no proof she belongs to us. In 1891, another Caroline shows up alone working as a chambermaid - again no proof so far she is ours.

If you are descended from this family, I would love to hear from you !