| Notes |
- Notes from Ancestry tree by Karen13472 about Rachel Ward.
Rachel (Ward) Reed was probably the daughter of Alexander and Mary (McFarland) Ward.No document was found that would definitively prove that relationship, however several documents exist that corroborate family lore as shown by the following timeline of events:
1791: "Ordered that a road be laid off from Neilys Ferry on French Broad River to ___Mill on Big Pigeon River and that Samuel Jack, John McFarland, Jno. Casey, Alex Rodgers,Alex ward, John Ward, Henry Nave, Thomas Keeny, Charles Adkins, Thomas Anderson,William Bell, and Robert Miller being first duly sworn, view and mark the same and report next court." [i]This area would be in present day Cocke County and indicates that the above men were, at least, neighbors.
1793: John McFarland witness to will of Alexander Ward, who lived on claim south of French Broad. Per his will, Alexander Ward has wife Mary, son David, daughters Phoebe, and Rachael [ii] (wife Mary is considered by many to be John McFarland's daughter Mary, born 1764.)
1796: Mary Ward marries Seth Moore on July 13th in Jefferson County, Tennessee. [iii] This is probably the widowed Mary (McFarland) Ward.
1796, Oct. 4: Seth Moore is named as one of the purchasers of Alexander Ward's property in the record of his estate sale.Seth Moore would have been Mary McFarland's husband for about 3 months.ii
1800: Seth Moore is listed on the census page with the McFarland family on the Morgan, Buncombe County, North Carolina census.Although the census was alphabetical, it shows that Seth Moore was living in the same district as the McFarland family.The children inSeth Moore's home are of an appropriate age to be the children of Alex and Mary(McFarland) Ward. [iv]
1801: Feb. 23. John McFarland of Buncombe purchases from Seth Moore of Buncombe 118 acres at the mouth of Beaverdam Creek, beginning at the bank of Pigeon River on line of McDowell's survey, for $75, paid in hand. Witness, Nathan Dever and Sam'l Rutherford. Signed Seth Moore. [v]
1807: DAVID WARD, a minor heir of ALEX. WARD-302 acres-Cocke County-on French Broad River beginning at a black oak corner to ALEXANDER ROGERS, with old conditional line, corner with WILLIAM HORN, conditional line with HORN, crossing road leading from Newport to mouth of Noley Chuckey-CC LEVY GIBSON and GEORGE SEWELL Surveyed February 4, 1807. [vi]
1809: Rachel Ward marries James Reed in Haywood County on Nov. 11.Haywood County was formed in 1809 from the same part of Buncombe County that Seth Moore and theMcFarlands were living in 1800.
1818: Seth Moore is listed with John McFarland and David Ward on the Ste Genevieve County, Missouri census taken October 18th. [vii]James Reed is not found on this census; however this does not preclude a familial relationship.Family tradition holds that James Reed and family were already in Cole County by 1818.As of Feb 2014, an 1818 census was not available for Cole County (nor Cooper County as Cole County was formed in 1820 from part of Cooper County.)
Family lore states that Rachel (Ward) Reed's parents were David Ward and an unknownMcFarland/McFarlin.Also that Margaret M (Moore) Robinson, who is buried in Reed Cemetery near Rachel, was Rachel's half-sister. [viii]Margaret's son George W Robinsonmarried Rachel's daughter Elizabeth Reed with their oldest son being named Seth Moore Robinson. [ix]
This lore in conjunction with the documents listed above form a list of circumstantial evidence that leads to the conclusion that Rachel (Ward) Reed was the daughter ofAlexander Ward and Mary McFarland.David Ward was Rachel's brother.(Alexander Wardalso had an uncle named David Ward who lived in Tazewell County, Virginia.)Mary (McFarland) Ward (Rachel's mother) married Seth Highlands Moore - middle name ofHighlands is found on an 1841 land patent - and they were the parents of Margaret M (Moore) Robinson which would make Margaret, Rachel's half-sister as family tradition has long held.
A closing note per a sketch written by Nell Turner: "Rachel Ward Reed was a woman of some refinement, education and culture who ran away from home as a young woman to marry her young lover, an Irish red head, James Reed."vii
-Compiled by Nancy Schmidt, last updated February 10, 2014
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[i] Greene Co. TN Minutes of Court of Common Pleas 1783-1795, p. 117
[ii] "Tennessee, Probate Court Books, 1795-1927," images, FamilySearch, Jefferson > Wills, 1792-1810, Vol. 1 > image 23 of 321.
[iii] "Tennessee, State Marriage Index, 1780-2002," index, FamilySearch, Seth Moore and Mary Ward, 1796.
[iv] "United States Census, 1800," index and images, FamilySearch, 004440903 > image 126 of 461.
[v] North Carolina, Buncombe County, Deed Book 5, pp. 211-213.
[vi] TERRITORY SOUTH OF FRENCH BROAD-LAND GRANTS,transcibed by David Templin,#178. "http://genealogytrails.com/tenn/sevier/fblgPg1.html" accessed Feb. 10, 2014
[vii]Counties of the state of Missouri. Missouri, State and Territorial Census Records. Missouri State Archives, Jefferson City, Missouri, United States, images FamilySearch; Ste. Genevieve>1818>page 7 of 12
[viii] Information regarding family lore was found on several family trees with the most specific information found on http://familytreemaker.genealogy.com/users/s/c/h/Chris-Schmidt-TULSA/index.html.
[ix] Seth Moore Robinson headstone located in Bogata Cemetery, Bogata, TX.
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1785 - 1872 (87 years)
[2]