So, what do you think?? This is exactly how I feel when I think of my sweet brothers!

Hope everyone is ok. I sure am having a lot of feedback on my family history stories. There was a tv show about one of our great grandmothers, the warrior queen Bodica, on Discovery last week.

Let me hear from you.

More "Silver Billy" Reed Information

HISTORY OF THE REED FAMILY FROM 1776 - 1938

By James Reed of the fifth generation, the

Oldest known member of the family now living.

Written at Dublin, Texas

From 1933-1938 A large part of this history is written from memory.

Used by permission of Esther Gene (Choate) Johnson

Submitted by Winnie Ward Conway

Great, great grandfather Nathan Reed lived in Pendleton District, South Carolina. Little is known about him. He was of Scotch descent and his wife was Irish, which makes their descendents Scotch-Irish. She, it is understood, came from Ireland. Characteristics of both nationalities crop out all down the line.

The Scotch were a very self-reliant people. They believed in standing on their own feet. They were clannish and had the "staying" qualities: always a staunch friend, but not very talkative. As a friend the Irish were just as staunch, more hilarious, quick spoken, witty, loved their grog, and always ready for a scrap.

Nathan Reed had two sons: William and Isaac. Little is known about William. He seems to have been rather eccentric. He went to Tennessee in an early day, as the land was being sectionized. Each section was numbered and then sold to the highest bidder. He knew exactly where each number was located. It seems the transaction was in the open and when a section was put up he wanted he bid it in. He had an old cart there with a horse hitched to it and when the deed was ready he would go to the cart, get a sack of silver, and pay for the land. After that incident he was always called "Silver Billy."

The other son, Isaac, was born June 6, 1778. Isaac married Elizabeth Harper in September, 1797. Elizabeth was born March 20, 1779. Isaac and Elizabeth lived in Pendleton District, South Carolina. They had eight children: four sons and four daughters. The number which was born in South Carolina is not known. In 1815 Isaac moved to Tennessee. He lived in Tennessee nineteen years and was a prominent preacher (Baptist) before he came to Texas in 1834. The year he began preaching is not known.

Isaac Reed and grandfather Herrion met frequently at protracted meetings tho they did not live in the same county. When he came to Texas in 1834 and settled in Nacogdoches County, Texas was then governed by Mexico. Protestant sermons were forbidden in Texas but Isaac Reed continued to preach anyway. He owned several slaves. At his own expense he had his slaves build a church house. The nails for nailing on the roof were probably all that had to be bought. Later he moved to Panola County.

On the 3rd day of May 1937 a marker was set up under the tree where Isaac Reed stood to preach one of the first Protestant sermons ever preached in Texas (one hundred and one years ago.) On that day hundreds of people gathered there for the annual home coming of Old North Church, the first Protestant church in the State.

From the time Isaac Reed moved to Panola County until 1845 no data is available. He and grandfather Herrin organized Macedonia Church in Panola County. He traveled over the country preaching in isolated communities. He seems to have been a very vigorous man, both mentally and physically. He frequently preached two hours at a time.

Around the 12th of May 1937, my niece, Mrs. A. F. Jones, and her husband visited that Old North Church and they were shown the tree under which Isaac Reed stood to preach that historic sermon. She said the original house was burned down several years ago.

John McKnelly

John McKnelly is Beatrice Nelson's maternal great great grandfather. Here is the latest info I found about him:

JOHN McKNELLY, born 1761, in Ireland, immigrated to America (New York) in 1775. He came with his brother, who was two years older, and they became separated in New York and never found each other. John McKnelly searched for his brother for years. Before he died he requested a promise from his sons that they continue the search for his lost brother. The sons advertised in the larger news papers in the United States, as well employed detective agencies, in an effort to find their father's brother. Result was that the name McKnelly, as this family was taught to spell the name, was never found.

As a young man JOHN McKNELLY came from New York to the state of Ohio. Within the next few years he visited in North Carolina and while there he met a girl named Rebecca Pridemore who was of English parents. He returned to Ohio, and again in the following year he went back to North Carolina and married Rebecca Pridemore. They settled in Ohio and reared their family there.

There were five sons and three daughters, the order of their ages now known. Four of these sons, when grown, walked from Ohio across the state of Indiana, with axes on their shoulders, and settled in Clay County, Illinois. After a home was made it appears that the three sisters also came to Illinois as the respective families are in Illinois.

Later their father, JOHN McKNELLY, came to join the children in Illinois. The oldest son remained in Ohio, Married, and had one son who was a bachelor. Their names are not known. Rebecca (Pridemore) McKnelly remained in Ohio, also.

JOHN McKNELLY is buried at Old Union Cemetery, near Bible Grove, Clay County, Illinois. The grave has a marker. The McKnelly's owned something like twelve hundred acres of land.

More About John McKnelly:
Burial: Aug 1843, Old Union Cemetary, Bible Grove, ILL

Happy Fourth of July. I hope all of you had a great holiday. We spent the evening watching the kids play in Reed's backyard. After our traditional brisket dinner, we set off fireworks (sparklers, mainly) at a friend's out-of-town house.

We are leaving for Utah July 20th to take Matt to EFY in Idaho. Vicki will be at NASA learning the details ofl the new NASA Academy status for her school.

Let us know how you are all doing.

Captain William "Billy" Bean

Note the handsome and dashing Captain Billy Bean! He is the 7th Great Grandfather of Bill, Laura, John, and Harry Reed. ( John Bright Culbertson's Great Grandfather - in- law)

Captain William 'Billy' Bean (1721-1782) son of William Bean and Elizabeth Hatton was the first recorded permanent white settler in what later became the state of Tennessee. While settled in Pittsylvania (Danville) County, Virginia he traveled to Holston country on hunting expeditions with Daniel Boone. In 1768 he cleared some land and built a cabin on Boone's Creek of the Watauga River in an area where he understood the hunting was good. The next year he brought his family to the lower Watauga. He was soon joined by his brothers-in-law, George and John Russell, and by other relatives and friends from southern Virginia. His son Russell was the first recorded white born in Tennessee. William is said to have been "a man of parts", having been a substantial landowner in Pittsylvania County and a Captain in the Virginia militia. Members of the Bean family were prominent in civil and military affairs in the Watauga Valley for many years. The colony was outside of any governmental control so they founded the Watuaga Association. In the fall of 1775 the Wautuga residents held a conference and decided to side with the American cause. A committee was formed that included William and they declared themselves the "Washington District." In 1776 an ordinance was appended to the North Carolina Constitution appointed William and 20 other individuals as Justices of the Peach for the Washington District. He served in the Revolutionary War from 1776 to1780 as a Captain in the Watauga Riflemen. At the Battle of Kings Mountain, Captain Bean and his man scattered a band of Tories and hanged 9 of them. His last will and testament was signed in 6 January 1782, four months prior to his death.