Esther Cathey (1767-1840) and John Reed (1767-1847) of Burke Co., NC, Logan Co., KY and Bedford and Marshall Co., TN

Marty and Karla Grant

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[Cathey Home] - [Table of Contents] - [George Cathey (1725-1790)] - Esther

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Esther Cathey is my 6 times great aunt.

Esther Cathey was 8 Apr 1767 per her tombstone. She was born in Mecklenburg Co., NC.

She is a child of George Cathey (1725-1790). Her mother is said to be Ann Price, however, it has to be George’s 2^nd wife Margaret, because they were married before 1767.

Esther Cathey is a proven child of George as named in the 1823 Wilson Co., TN court case as his daughter:

The bill also states that Violet Cathey one of the daughters of said George decd, and John Reed who had intermarried with Esther another of the daughters of said George decd, executed a deed of relinquishment to the complainant for 248 acres of said land, which said deed is also appended and made a part of said bill, which 248 acres was the one half of the 640 acres after deducting for a part that was take by older claims and the deed for the 248 acres was the division which had been made between him and William Campbell the other grantee.

She was also named in George Cathey’s now lost Will, ca late 1780s:

Bedford County, Tennessee Deed Book D, p. 82

20 Feb 1812 Violet Cathey of Bedford Co., TN and Joseph McDowell of Maury Co., TN to John Dysart of Bedford Co., TN. For $200, 200 acres in Bedford on the waters of Rock Creek being part of a tract of 2,500 acres granted to George Cathey by grant No 107 and by his Last Will & Testament devised to Violet Cathey, Esther Cathey and Ann Moore and being part of Violet Cathey’s lot agreeable to a division amongst the legatees ... Joseph C. McDowell ...

S: Violet (X) Cathey, J. C. McDowell

Witnesses: Alexander Neill, Francis Dysart

Esther Cathey married John Reed in Burke Co., NC before ca 1790. Since they had two apparent daughters with them on the 1790 census, I’d estimate their marriage at ca 1787 or 1788. John Reed was born 15 Jun 1767 (per his tombstone). His findagrave entry lists him born in Mecklenburg Co., NC, a son of William Clayborn Reed Sr and Sarah Jane Patterson. I don’t know if any of that is correct, but it could be. I don’t know how, or if, John Reed is related to Robert Reed who married Esther’s older sister Elizabeth Cathey. One might assume they were siblings as there is only a ten year age difference between them and they married sisters. However, I don’t know that Robert and John are brothers, cousins, or something else.

There are two John Reed’s listed on the 1790 census in Burke Co., NC. Ours is listed in the 1^st company a few houses from his mother-in-law Margaret Cathey. He is next to James Neill who would be a brother-in-law, in-law. The other one is in the 6^th company near no known relatives. It’s curioius that both entries have the exact same enumerations.

1790 Census - Burke County, North Carolina

Page	Name	Males 16+	Males under 16	Females	Others	Slaves
	1^st Company
88	Jno Reid	1	~	3	~	~
	6^th Company
94	Jno Reed	1	~	3	~	~

My analysis (who each person *might* be)

John Reed 1-0-3-0-0

1m 16+ (before 1774) John Reed (1767)

3f (before 1790) 1. Esther Cathey Reed (1767) wife

2. daughter?

3. daughter?

The other John Reed appears to be much older than ours. He is listed on a 1778 land entry for 100 acres on Camp Creek, a branch of Muddy Creek. As our John would have only been 10 or 11 then, this record is not him. In 1787, this same older John Reed, entered a 25 acre tract adjoining his plantation on Camp Creek of Muddy Creek. I don’t know how this older John Reed is related to ours, but at least we know where he lived approximately. I think this is the region near Dystartsville in present day McDowell County. Our John Reed wasn’t in that section, but probably closer to Pleasant Garden(s) where George Cathey resided, also in present day McDowell County.

John Reed was listed on the 1793 Burke Co., NC tax list in Cpt. Caison’s company and taxed for one tithe. This is our John Reed for he is near several of his Cathey in-laws. Burke County North Carolina Land Records, 1779-1790 Volume II, Edith Warren Huggins, Southern Historical Press.

John Reed is listed on the 1795 Burke Co., NC tax list in Cpt. John Hawkins company, taxed for 301 acres, and one tithe. Burke County North Carolina Records 1755-1821 (Including Wills Index, 1784-1900) Volume 4, Edith Warren Huggins, Southern Historical Press, 1987.

On 25 Sep 1795, Martin Antoni of Fayette Co., KY, deeded land on the East Fork of Pigeon River to George Cathey and William Chambers for £300. The land was 620 acres in Buncombe (now Haywood) being part of a 700 acre grant to Joseph Dobson in 1787. Witnesses were Joseph Dobson, John Penland and John Reed. (Buncombe Co., NC Deed Book 4, p. 408).

John Reed is listed on the 1796 Burke Co., NC tax list in an unidentified company, taxed for 125 acres and zero polls. I thought this might be the older John Reed, but he is listed next to Elijah Patton, who would be our John’s brother-in-law. Burke County North Carolina Records 1755-1821 (Including Wills Index, 1784-1900) Volume 4, Edith Warren Huggins, Southern Historical Press, 1987.

On 21 Sep 1796, William Cathey of Burke Co., NC, sold his 380 acres in Davidson Co., TN to his brother-in-law Andrew Neill of Logan Co., Ky for £194. This was the land granted to William Cathey in 1793. John Reed (brother-in-law) and James Carson were witnesses. (Davidson Co., TN Deed Book D, p. 183).

John Reed and family left Burke Co., NC and moved to Logan Co., KY by 1797. They were following brothers-in-law Andrew Neill who arrived there by 1794 and Alexander Neill who arrived by 1796.

John Reed was listed in Logan Co., KY on the 1797 tax list, taxed for one white male over 21 and 2 horses. The 1798 tax list is missing or else there wasn’t one.

By 1799 John Reed was listed with a 200 acre land entry on Big Muddy Creek. James Reed, relationship unknown, appeared on the same tax list for the first time. John’s brother perhaps? Esther’s widowed mother, Margaret Cathey was also listed there in 1799.

John Reed is listed on the 1800 tax list in Logan Co., KY. James Reed is listed also, but Margaret Cathey is no longer listed.

The 1800 census is lost for Kentucky.

John Reid and James Reid are listed near each other (alphabetically) on the 1801 tax list in Logan Co., KY, John still with his 200 acres, James with no land.

For the 1802 Logan tax list there are two John’s listed, one is John Reed, Shoemaker, with 100 acres on Muddy Creek originally entered by David Hughes. The other is John Reed with 300 acres on Big Muddy originally entered by Thomas Bailey.

John Reed is also listed on the 1803, 1804 and 1805 Logan tax lists. He has 200 acres in 1803, 300 in 1804 and two tracts of 200 acres each in 1805, always on Big Muddy Creek. The other John Reed is also listed those years, each time with 100 acres on Little Muddy Creek.

John Reed is listed on the 1806 and 1807 Logan tax lists with three tracts of land, 200a, 100a and 100a. The other John Reed of Little Muddy Creek is also listed those years. There is also another John Reed in the other district.

John Reed is not listed on the 1808 Logan Co., KY tax list, nor in 1809 or 1810. The one from Little Muddy is still there in 1808, listed as John “Senr” while the one in the other district is still there, but not our John. This is because sometime around 1807 or ‘08, the Reeds followed the Neills and other family members to Bedford Co., TN to settle on or near land inherited from Esther’s father George Cathey.

The 1810 census is lost for Tennessee, but they probably would have been listed in Bedford County.

John Reed is listed on the 1812 Bedford Co., TN tax list, though his surname is somewhat obscured, but I think it’s him. Here is his entry and a few nearby entries of known relations.

Capt. James Neill’s Company

# Name

87. John Reed married to Esther Cathey.

88. John Bailey married to Hugh Cathey’s daughter Margaret.

89. Hugh Cathy son of John Cathey (d 1764) married to Jane Bailey.

90. George Cathy married to Margaret Moore, d/o Ann Cathey Moore Neill

99. Thos Bailey probably related to Hugh Cathey’s wife.

103. James C. Neill son of Andrew Neill and Mary Cathey McDowell Neill.

On 28 Sep 1812, Alexander Neil and John Reed, both of Bedford Co., TN, gave 50 acres to Andrew Neill “for love and affection” it being part of George Cathey’s 2,500 acre grant. Witnesses were J. L. Neill and James McMurray. (Bedford Co., TN Deed Book D, p. 138)

The three men above were all sons-in-law of George Cathey.

I was unable to locate the John Reed family on the 1820 census. They should have been in Bedford Co., TN that year. Brother-in-law Andrew Neill had made a move to Marengo Co., AL by then before returning to Tennessee later. Perhaps the Reeds did the same? Unfortunately, the 1820 census is lost for Alabama.

There was a lawsuit in Wilson Co., TN in 1823 regarding some land that Esther’s father George Cathey had entered in 1784. Since George was dead, his heirs were named in the suit. That included his daughter Esther and her husband John Reed. This document is the proof that she is George Cathey’s daughter, though the 1812 deed citing his Will also proves it. Click here to read the Wilson Co., TN court case.

On 7 Nov 1825, John Reed purchased 50 acres from Peter Lee for $263. The land was on Garrison Fork of Duck River. (Bedford Co., TN Deed Book T, p. 178). I don’t know which John Reed this was (see 1830 census notes below).

On 4 Feb 1826, John Reed sold four lots (9, 10, 23 and 24) in Farmington to Nathaniel Dryden for $200. Dryden was his son-in-law. Witnesses were Thomas Dryden and Hosea Mullings (another son-in-law). (Bedford Co., TN Deed Book T, p. 300).

On the same date (4 Feb 1826), John Reed sold lot 22 to Joshua Graham for $50. There were no witnesses to this deed. (Bedford Co., TN Deed Book U, p. 2).

On 23 Oct 1826, Alexander Neill and wife Ann Neill made a deed of gift “for love and affection” to John Reed and wife Esther Reed, their one third interest in the 2,500 acre land grant to George Cathey. Alexander signed, Ann made her mark. Witnesses were Hosea Mullings and Nathan Dryden, sons-in-law of John and Esther Reed. (Bedford Co., TN Deed Book W, pp 189-190)

At some point in the 1820s, John and Esther Reed deeded property to the Church of Christ. I couldn’t find the deed in the book and page I took from the index which means I transcribed it incorrectly or it was wrong in the index. (Bedford Co., TN Deed Book X, p. 114).

On 2 Aug 1826 John Reed and wife Esther Reed “Formerly Esther Cathey” sold two Farmington town lots to Thomas H. Shockley for $115, being Lot numbers 8 and 21. Shockley was their nephew-in-law, having married Angeline Louise Neill. John signed the deed, Esther made a mark. Witnesses were James Bryen (or Dryden) and John D. Reed, relationship unknown. (Bedford Co., TN Deed Book X, p. 266).

On 10 Feb 1827 John Reed and wife Esther Reed “Formerly Esther Cathey” sold a lot in Farmington to Joshua Graham for $55, being Lot Number 7. Witnesses were Christy McElhanan and D. Appleby. (Bedford Co., TN Deed Book X, p. 283).

On 14 May 1827, George Cathey of Cooper Co., MO (Esther’s brother), appointed John Reed of Bedford Co., TN his attorney to deal with all his lands in Tennessee including any he might have right to as an heir of George Cathey Sr, deceased. (Bedford Co., TN Deed Book Y, p. 450 and Gibson Co., TN Deed Book A, p. 371).

On 28 Nov 1828 John and Esther Reed deeded 80 acres to Gabriel Silbey for $500. Witnesses were John Ellerson (Ellison) and William Igget? (Bedford Co., TN Deed Book AA, p. 298)

There are three John Reeds listed on the 1830 census in Bedford Co., TN. One is obviously too young, but the other two are both the right ages. This may be a case of duplication, or it might represent two different men of the same name. Both entries are given below. Of the two, the one on page 9 seems the most compatible with what we know about how our John Reed’s family should have looked at this time. One of the others had a wife named Louisa per a deed dated 7 Nov 1830 (Bedford Co., TN Deed Book AA, p. 177, John & Louisy Reed to Robert Wait.)

1830 Census - Bedford County, Tennessee

Page	Name (Males first row, females on second)	0-4	5-9	10-14	15-19	20-29	30-39	40-49	50-59	60-69	70-79	80-89	90-99	100+
9	John Read	~	1	1	~	1	~	~	~	1	~	~	~	~
	Slaves=000020-000000	~	1	1	~	1	~	~	~	1	~	~	~	~
76	John Reid	~	1	1	1	~	~	~	~	1	~	~	~	~
	Slaves=0	~	~	2	1	~	~	~	1	~	~	~	1	~

My analysis (who each person *might* be)

John Reed 011010001-011010001 p. 9

1m 60-69 (1760/1770) John Reed (1767)

1m 20-29 (1800/1810) John P. Reed (1807) son

1m 10-14 (1825/1830) Son? Grandson?

1m 5-9 (1830/1835) Son? Grandson?

1f 60-69 (1760/1770) Esther Cathey Reed (1767) wife

1f 20-29 (1800/1810) Mary Ann Reed (1805) daughter

1f 10-14 (1825/1830) Daughter? Granddaughter?

1f 5-9 (1830/1835) Daughter? Granddaughter?

2 slaves

John Reed 011100001-002100010001 p. 76

1m 60-69 (1760/1770) John Reed

1m 15-19 (1820/1825) Son?

1m 10-14 (1825/1830) Son?

1m 5-9 (1830/1835) Son?

1f 90-99 (1730/1740) Mother? Mother-in-law?

1f 50-59 (1770/1780) Wife?

1f 15-19 (1820/1825) Daughter?

2f 10-14 (1825/18300 1. Daughter?

2. Daughter?

I don’t know who the other John Reed was, but he was about the same age as ours. His wife was younger than Esther, and either his mother or his wife’s seem to be residing with them.

On 16 Mar 1830, Joseph Cathey of Cooper Co., MO, sold John Reed and Alexander B. Reed, of Bedford Co., TN, a tract of 1,130 acres in Gibson Co., TN. This was land granted to George Cathey in 1788. George was John Reed’s brother-in-law. Witnesses were John Ellison and John P. Reed (John Reed’s son). (Gibson Co., TN Deed Book B, p. 86).

On 10 Feb 1832, John Reed and wife Esther Reed made a deed of gift to several of their children of three tracts of land on the East Side of Rock Creek. One was 91 ½ acres, one was 100 acres and one was 80 acres. The grantees were:

∙ Alexander B. Reed

∙ Hosa Mullins (sic) and wife Peggy Mullins formerly Peggy Reed

∙ Isaac W. Walker and wife Violet Walker, formerly Violet Reed.

Witnesses were John T. Neal and John Harkness. (Bedford Co., TN Deed Book CC, pp 107-109).

The above deed proves Alexander, Margaret “Peggy” and Violet are John and Esther’s children.

On 25 May 1832, John Reed and wife Esther Reed made a deed of gift to Benjamin C. Brantly and wife Eliza M. Brantly, formerly Eliza M. Reed, their daughter. 95 acres on west side of East Fork of Rock Creek. Witnesses were Alexander B. Reed and John W. Walker. (Bedford Co., TN Deed Book DD, pp. 138-141).

On 2 Sep 1834 John and Esther Reed deeded 100 acres to Nathaniel Dryden (son-in-law) for $800. Witnesses were R. M. Dryden, and I. W. Walker (another son-in-law). (Bedford Co., TN Deed Book EE p. 185).

In 1836 Marshall County was formed from several counties including the part of Bedford where the Reeds resided.

On 22 Feb 1837 John Reed received a land grant from the State of Tennessee of 31 acres. It was entered 13 Jan 1837. He sold this land in 1847. (Marshall Co., TN Deed Book B, p. 149).

On 27 Sep 1837 John Reed Sr of Marshall Co., TN made a deed to William Gilchrist of Bedford Co., TN for $100. He sold him his one half of the 1,130 acre tract in Gibson Co., TN purchased from Joseph Cathey in 1830. Witnessed by John T. Street. (Gibson Co., TN Deed Book E, p. 511).

Alexander B. Reed, who owned the other half of the above land was dead by 1837, so what happened to his half of the property? Did it go to his heirs? I read the Gibson Co., TN Deed Book Index through ca 1846 and didn’t see any disposition of it, but could have missed it.

On ?? Sep 1838, John and Esther Reed sold 22 acres to Jesse Stegall for $221. Witnesses were John Ellison and B. W. Nowlin. (Marshall Co., TN Deed Book B, p. 220).

They are listed on the 1840 census in Marshall Co., TN next to widowed daughter-in-law Nancy Reed (widow of George Cathey Reed). The other older John Reed from 1830 wasn’t listed in 1840.

1840 Census - Marshall County, Tennessee

Page

Name

(Males first row, females on second)

0-4

5-9

10-14

15-19

20-29

30-39

40-49

50-59

60-69

70-79

80-89

90-99

100+

174

John Reed

Slaves=000000-000010

My analysis (who each person *might* be)

John Reed 0000000001-0000000001

1m 70-79 (1760/1770) John Reed (1767)

1f 70-79 (1760/1770) Esther Cathey Reed (1767) wife

1 slave

Esther Cathey Reed died on 28 Sep 1840 per her tombstone at the Reed-Walker Cemetery in Marshall Co., TN.

On 30 Dec 1843, John Reed made a deed of gift to Thomas A. Reed, James L. Reed and Joseph Stokes and wife Julia A. Stokes, formerly Julia A. Reed, for natural love and affection, plus $1. The land was 114 acres. Witnesses were Felix Ewing and J. C. Hall. The deed does not say so, but these three were John’s grandchildren by son George Cathey Reed who had died in 1822. (Marshall Co., TN Deed Book F, p. 250).

On 1 Apr 1844, John Reed gave a deed of gift to his grandchildren Mary Jane Reed and John P. Reed, children of his deceased son John P. Reed. The land was the 140 acre tract where John then lived excluding one half acre which was to be the family graveyard forever. (Presumably the Reed-Walker Cemetery.) Witnesses were John Ellison and Thomas A. Reed (a grandson). (Marshall Co., TN Deed Book H, p. 262).

On 29 Mar 1847, John Reed sold some land (acreage “not ascertained”) to James H. Neill for $75. Witnesses were John Laws and Thomas A. McNeil. (Marshall Co., TN Deed Book H, p. 290).

On the same day, 29 Mar 1847), John Reed deeded 31 acres to Bennett Pyland for $50, being a land grant he entered 13 Jan 1837. Same witnesses as the other deed. (Marshall Co., TN Deed Book H, p. 291).

About a week after making those two deeds, John Reed died on 6 Apr 1847. He is buried at the Reed-Walker Cemetery.

Children

John Reed and Esther Cathey had at least 11 children. Two of those are apparent daughters born before 1790 per their 1790 census entry. Those two have not been identified. The remaining nine are known. Alexander, Margaret and Violet are proven by an 1832 deed of gift from their parents. Eliza is proven by another deed of gift the same year. James L. Reed and John P. Reed are proven by their tombstones. George Cathey Reed is semi proven by an 1843 deed in which John Reed gave a deed of gift to George’s children, though no relationships were stated.

I still need proof for:

∙ Isabella Reed (1805-1884) wife of Nathaniel Dryden. They are buried at the Reed-Walker Cemetery, but that isn’t proof enough.

∙ Mary Ann Reed (1805-1894) wife of Ezekiel C. Cook.

See the family group sheet below for more on them.

For Family Group Sheet and other notes see my database pages for Esther Cathey and John Reed.

Revised: September 3, 2023

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