|
About Reagor.net | Personal Web | Professional Web | Webmail | Genealogy | Resources | Family Reunion | Contact us | ||||||||
|
|
About Reagor.net | Personal Web | Professional Web | Webmail | Genealogy | Resources | Family Reunion | Contact us | ||||||||
| Title | Jim M Reagor collection of sources | |
| Short Title | Jim M Reagor collection | |
| Source ID | S20 | |
| Text | 1.1.1 ANTHONY REAGOR 1.1.1 THE GENEALOGY OF THE: REIGER, REGER,RIEGER,REGAR,REGUR,RAGAR RAGER,REUGER,REAGER,REAGOR, RIGOR AND RIGOUR FAMILIES JOSEPH E. RIGOR SECTION H PAGE 2 ANTHONY REAGOR:- "WHO WAS ANTHONY REAGOR?" The earliest known ancestor of the numerous Reagors who settled Tennessee was one ANTHONY REAGOR, birthdate, birthplace, and parentage unknown. A family legend amongst some of the Reagors, but not all of them was that he was an Indian captive who had escaped. Other family members claim to know nothing of that story and only know that their ancestory was German. The details of the Indian massacre is covered in detail in section "A" pages 10 through 14. There is no question but that the above ANTHONY REAGOR was not an Indian captive who escaped. Briefly, following the story in section "A" with its complete coverage, we found that the early pioneers, at least several branches only spoke German-they all settled in an area where Germans and perhaps a few Irish were located. The Germans in those days were very thrifty, had no use for the negroes, simply because, when the negroe had the opportunity to help himself, he still leaned upon the white man, and no use for the Irish, who lived for the most part like savages, even to the extent of using bear skins for their clothing-this part of the early American history is fully documented in A. B. Faust's book, "The Germans in the American Colonies." It follows-,as a wishful "IF"-John (Hance) Reiger who was killed, along with his wife, by the Indians and his two daughters along with his only son, named JOHN and not Anthony, the two daughters being returned (not escaping) and the town minutes reporting that the son had been killed...IF the son had lived-he was about 12 when taken captive-and he spoke ONLY GERMAN--where did he learn his English? Why would he choose a very UNCOMMON name as Anthony for his name and disregard his name as being JOHN??? This is all presented as a wishful "IF"...and has absolutely no basis of fact. BUT, be that as it may, regardless of what has been and will be uncovered, there will always be a few who will like to think that ANTHONY REAGOR was an Indian captive.... In addition, the writer accidentally came across a family of REGERs who live in Greenfield, Indiana whose ancestor-they did not know-but reading section "I" we find they could go back to one SAUL REGER, whose father we must from investigation assume to be one ANTHONY REGER who married a widow Simmons.(see also census section). This family, without any suggestion, related in full detail the old story of John (Hance) Reiger being taken captive by Indian Chief Killbuck while his father and mother were killed-but they knew the story as we find it-the boy was killed and his two sisters released later on. First, let us examine the several ANTHONY REAGERs who were living in Virginia in the 1700's: The first ANTHONY REAGER, also spelled REGAR was the senior, born in 1689-we can cover him by referring to section "A" pages 3 through 7. The second ANTHONY REAGER also spelled REGAR and RUGER was the son of the above mentioned Anthony and we can cover him by reading section "B" pages 1 and 2. The third ANTHONY REAGER is the son of the second Anthony named above and here we run into our first "problem"-his name is also spelled REGAR and REGER(see census section "R"). At the time his fathers estate was sold, 1780, and at least until 1781, he was in jail for refusing to pay taxes for a just cause. He along with some very prominent neighbors and friends. We have been unable to find the exact date they were released, other than the 1784 tax record, mistakingly called the first U.S. census shows Anthony Reger as being taxed for land he owned, and a single person, obviously he did not marry, at that time. Or he could have been married-with several children-no facts as yet. The Shooks, Brocks, Sears, etc were neighbors of this branch of the Reager families, this should be an important factor at that time. The Anthony Reager covered here also could have been married before he encountered tax problems as he was born between 1740 and 1745 in Lancaster County, Pa. where his father owned a 200 acre farm-up to 1747. Therefore we can only conclude at this time that we are unable to find anymore about this branch of ANTHONY REAGER. This leaves us with a big question mark concerning him and his descendants, if any. But we cannot rule this branch out as a possibility of being the ancestors of ANTHONY REAGOR, therefore this is number 1 as a "guess". Next we have JOHN REAGER, the son of Anthony Reager, Jr.-we have traced most of John Reager descendants but have been unable to locate any of his Anthony Reager descendats as of 1964. This could be possibility #2. This leaves the ANTHONY REAGER, SR. branches covered for the present time. Now we have another ANTHONY REAGER, son of Burckhart Reager-see section "C" pages 1 and 3. From our knowledge of this person, we have an idea he settled in Kentucky as can be read in the stories on pages mentioned previously. This Anthony Reager, also spelled Rigar, Rager, Rigger and Reagor, was an ensign in the Revolutionary War. (He has been wrongfully "claimed" by the REGER branch.) Now about the name spelling:- In the various census reports we find many different versions-as follows: Rager, Regar, Reager, Reagor, Reger, and Rigar. The Jacob Reger branch spelled their names as REAGOR until about 1830 when the family agreed upon REGER. However we find the original Jacob spelled his name as REAGER in the original land grant. The Anthony Reager branch spelled their names as REAGER, REGAR and one census taker spelled it as RAGER. Most generally the family name was spelled REAGER. The Michael Reager branch spelled their names as REAGER until 1820 when in a deposition it could readily be seen that the name was changed to RAGER, although we have reason to believe at least one branch spelled the name as REEGER. A Jacob Reager branch, who settled in Pa. finally settled on REEGER. The Burckhart Reagerr branch spelled their names as: REAGER, RIGAR, REAGOR(at least to 1820), RAGER, RAGAR, and finally settled on Reager, Rager, Rager, Ragar, Rigor, and Rigour. This leaves us with no possible conclusion as to how or why Anthony Reagor first spelled, in the family Bible, the name as REGER and then later as REAGOR. In conclusion, at least for the present(1965) we can only reason that ANTHONY REAGOR was not an Indian captive, but a relation to one of the Reagers, possibly either John or Anthony Reager, Jr. In order to finally determine his ancestory we will find it necessary to thoroughly check the entire family to the present day, the same as was necessary with the many other branches as covered in this book. This will of course take some years and the fine cooperation of the many Reagors. Joseph Rigor 1965 THE GENEALOGY OF THE: REIGER, REGER,RIEGER,REGAR,REGUR,RAGAR RAGER,REUGER,REAGER,REAGOR, RIGOR AND RIGOUR FAMILIES JOSEPH E. RIGOR SECTION B PAGE 2 ANTHONY REAGERS WILL:-- Dated: October 27, 1775 "In the name of God Amen, I Antoney Reager of Hampshire County and Colony of Virginia, being weake of body but of sound memory blessed be God do this day, twenty seventh day of October in ye year of our Lord One Thousand Seaven Hundred and Seaventy five, make and publish this my last will and Testament in manner following, that is to say, First I desire all my lawful debts be paid. Secondly I give and bequat my dear wife her lawful third allso I give all ye messuage to tenements setuate on ye south fork whereon I live- to be sold at public vendue to ye hiest bidder and my sons to have an equal share save my youngest son Martain is to have twenty pounds more than ye rest and ye three garls to have twenty pounds a peace save my Daughter Maddenlin to have a young cow and my son Antoney to have my Bible and my Will is that my Dear and beloved wife shall have her possession of my house without molestation or desturbans. Likewise I make Hearmon Shuck and my Wife my Right and lawful exetors of this my last will in trust for ye intent and purpose in this my last will contained in Witness Wherof I be said Antoney Reager have to this my last Will and Testament set my hand and seal ye day and year above written--" Signed sealed and delivered by ye said Antoney Reger as and for his last will and testament in preasents of us who were present at ye signing and sealing thereof. (signed) ANTONEY RUGER The will is in deed book #5, page 114 at Romney, Hampshire Co., West Virginia. THE FROSTS AND RELATED FAMILIES OF BEDFORD COUNTY, TENNESSEE WRIGHT W. FROST CHAPTER 5 PAGE 106 The probability of a direct connection between Anthony Reagor of Tennessee and the Swiss family of Reagers is based upon the supposition that there was another son, John, born to Anthony and Juditha Schaub Reager about 1715, who did not accompany the family to America in 1737 but who came later--in the early 1750's. Although this theory is not adequately confirmed by documents available to the writer, it was held by Jesse Bryan, deceased, of Decatur, Illinois, who made a study of the Reager family in connectin with that of the Hires, Shobes, Stookeys, and other related Swiss families. Even though this John Reager may not have been within the immediate family of the Reagers who immigrated in 1737, he may have been closely related to them, as will be seen in the next section of this chapter. The idea is presented not as a verified fact but as a reasonable assumption. If definite proof to the contrary could be offered, then there would be less reason for including the story of the Reager immigrants of 1737; but in the absence of such proof, the inclusion seems appropriate, if for no other reason, to let the future researcher know that its consideration had not been overlooked. THE FROSTS AND RELATED FAMILIES OF BEDFORD COUNTY, TENNESSEE WRIGHT W. FROST CHAPTER 5 PAGES 108-115 JOHN REAGOR--THE MISSING LINK? For any connection between John Reagor (spelled as in a copy of a document to which reference will be made later) and the Swiss family of Reagers, dependence must be placed largely upon suppositions, probabilities, and reasonable conclusions. Jesse Bryan, deceased, a careful student of the Reagers and related Swiss families, stated that there was no doubt that John Reagor was the son of Antoni and Juditha Schaub Reiger of Benken, Switzerland, although he did not come to America with his parents; but there is considerable doubt in the mind of the writer. The chief bases for this alleged relationship are found in a letter written from America by Jacob Pfau to his father and other relatives in Benken, Basel, Switzerland. The letter was dated September 17, 1750. Its main purpose was to encourage Jacob Pfau's father, brother, and brothers-in-law to come to America. They are told that they would have it much better than at home. In his letter, Pfau refers to his sister "Dorde" (Dorothy), who is thought to have been the wife of his brother-in-law, Hans Rieger, whom he particularly indicates would find a better life in America and whom he fancies would be coming within a year. He also refers to a brother-in-law in Nuremburg, indicating that these Swiss people had German connections. Finally in the letter, Jacob Pfau refers to the kindness of "Leine" (Leonard Hire) in sending his son Rudy and four horses to transport the Pfau family 300 miles from the coast of Maryland to "Frederick Town" (the present Winchester, Virginia). He adds that the Hires live some eighty miles farther inland. (This letter was printed by A. B. Faust in Jahrbuch des Deutsch-Amer. Hist. Ges. von Illinois, 1918-1919, pp. 20-23.) The significance of the Pfau letter in the ancestry of Anthony Reagor of Tennessee is that it indicates a close family, as well as geographical, association between Hans Rieger and the Pfaus, Hires, and the Swiss family of Reagers. A father and son relationship between Antoni and Hans Reiger (Rieger in the letter) there may have been; but in the opinion of the writer, the Pfau letter neither proves nor disproves the point. Perhaps it is too much to assume that Hans Rieger took his brother-in-law's advice and came to America to make better his position; but the records of Augusta County, Virginia, hold the story of a man by a similar name who did come to America but whose life was cut short by an Indian massacre. As in the earlier stories of the Swiss family of Reagers, there seems always to be confusion in spelling. Four documents involving the estate of the deceased, as recorded in Augusta County, use four different ways of spelling his name as follows: 1. Bond was made by Mathew Patton as administrator of the estate of John Reger, deceased, May 19, 1758 (Will Book 2, p. 251). 2. Inventory and appraisement by Abraham Smith and others of the estate of Hance Reger, Dec'd, was made November 15, 1758, and recorded March 8, 1759 (Will Book 2, p. 294). 3. Sale bill of John Reager's estate and the settlement of the estate of John Reagor--both documents recorded on the same day, August 23, 1765 (Will Book 3, p. 417). Although the name used in each was different, there can be little doubt that all four of these documents referred to the estate of the same man. Either John or Jack is considered the English equivalent of the Swiss or German Hans. Hance can easily be accepted as an anglicized Hans or a poor spelling of it by a record clerk. The one use of Hance in these early records is of primary importance, for it helps to show a connection between Hans Rieger of Benken, Switzerland, and Hance Reagor of Gibson County, Tennessee. The latter was a grandson of Anthony Reagor of Bedford County, Tennessee. Unlike John, Hance is not a name which has beween used frequently. As will be pointed out in a later section of this chapter, its use by another generation of Reagors appears to have been more than a coincidence. The most significant Reagor record in the Archives of Augusta County, Virginia, is found in an indenture for the disposal of John Reagor's land on November 21, 1772. For an unusually good documentary account of a family story, the following is quoted from the indenture. ...whereas John Reagor in his lifetime had purchased of James Wood and Robert Green a certain tract of land situate lying and being on North Mill Creek a branch of the South Branch of Patomak in the County of Augusta containing four hundred and seven acres but before any conveyance was made for the same the said John Reagor was murdered by the enemy Indians and his son and two daughters carried into captivity and the said Mathew Patton haveing administered on the personal estate of the said John Reagor dec'd. In order to preserve the land for his heirs obtained a title to the said tract of land above mentioned from William Green eldest son and heir of Robert Green in his own name by deeds of lease and release bearing the xxiii th. and xxiv th day of May MDCCLXIII duely recorded in the Court of the said County of Augusta. But on the express condition that if the heirs of the said John Reagor dec'd should return from captivity he the said Matthew Patton should reconvey the said tract of land to such of them as were legally entitled to the same as by a bond executed by the said Matthew Patton lodged in the hands of James Wood Gent of Frederick County will more fully appear and whereas Dorothy Reagor and Barbara Reagor daughters of the said John Reagor decd. did some years ago return from captivity but John Reagor son and heir of the aforesaid John Reagor dec'd. has never yet returned nor has been heard of since he was taken and it is doubtful if he is alive and the s'd Dorothy Reagor haveing intermarried since her return with the above named John Likens and the said Matthew Patton being desirous to fullfill his trust agreeable to the condition of his bond aforesaid has in consequence thereof agreed to convey a moiety or half share of the said four hundred and seven acres of land to the said John Likens in right of his said wife Dorothy on this express condition that in case the said John Reagor son and heir of the above named John Reagor dec'd shall return from captivity that the said John Likens his heirs or assigns shall reconvey the said moiety or half share of the tract aforesaid to the s'd John Reagor his heirs or assigns according to the condition of his bond or writing obligatory bearing equal date with these presents now this indenture witnesseth that the said Matthew Patton for and in consideration of the premises and of the sum of five shillings current money to him in hand paid by the said John Likens the receipt whereof he doth hereby acknowledge and therefore doth release.... Further description of the half of the property which was deeded to John Likens indicates that John Caplinger, who had married Barbara Reagor, received the other half. Annals of Augusta County also show record of a similar transfer from Matthew Patton to John Caplinger. Both John Likens and John Caplinger made bond for the return of the land to their brother-in-law John Reagor, who by the right of primogeniture in Virginia at that time would have been entitled to it if he should have returned and claimed it (Augusta County, Virginia, Deed Book 19, pp. 86-94). ANTHONY REAGOR OF TENNESSEE (1746-1824) If in this book there is any ancestor who seems like a character out of a story book, it is our Anthony Reagor. The possessive pronoun is used to distinguish the Anthony Reagor of Tennessee from others with the same name, though usually spelled differently. Perhaps Anthony is not the name his German-Swiss parents called him-- this boy of twelve who was made orphan by an Indian massacre and who for many years was held captive by them. What exciting tales he could have told about the tragic and dramatic experiences of his early life. Perhaps he told his children and his grandchildren about the weeks or months he spent, as a lad of four or five, on a sail boat crossing the Atlantic before landing in a new country to settle in the wilds of its western frontiers. Many of his stories, however, may have not been far different from those of other early settlers in Tennessee. The part of the Anthony Reagor legend which was most likely to survive him longest was that which was most different from the stories told by other pioneers. It takes only a few words to sum up the traditions which have reached the writer concerning his great-great-great-grandfather Anthony Reagor, who is reported to have come to this country from Germany with his parents. While he was still a small boy--twelve years of age according to some accounts--the Indians killed his father and mother and kept him as a prisoner for a long time. Another account is that he was the sole survivor of a large family from an Indian massacre. With only such meager information on Anthony Reagor's ancestry, the writer and others have sought to link him with early Virginia families with similar names. The writer did not originate the theory that Anthony Reagor of Tennessee was the missing son and heir of the John Reagor who was killed by Indians in 1758. Indeed, he would not accept it until many months of study convinced him that it was a logical conclusion and that no other acceptable explanation of Anthony Reagor's origin and the tradition of his captivity by the Indians had been offered. Although it is too late for Anthony Reagor's heirs to file claim to his birthright on North Mill Creek, in Pendleton County, West Virginia, they can accept with reasonable credulity the claim that the young son John Reagor, legally dead in Augusta County in the Colony of Virginia, was one of the earliest settlers "on the waters of Big Flat Creek" in Bedford County, Tennessee, where he was known as Anthony Reagor. It must be conceded that parts of the two stories do not fit together perfectly. Many parts of this genealogical jigsaw puzzle are still missing, and many which have been found have been altered by the erosion of time. In genealogical reconstruction, as in placing together the parts of a jigsaw puzzle picture, the general design often can be determined even though many of the parts are missing. At first glance, there appear to be two contradictions or inconsistencies-- the unverified tradition of "sole survivor" and the variation in names. The tradition that Anthony Reagor was the sole survivor of his family from an Indian massacre might seem to preclude his being the brother of Barbara and Dorothy Reagor who returned from Indian captivity and whose husbands, John Caplinger and John Likens were awarded the land which belonged by the right of primogeniture in the Colony of Virginia to their missing brother. A closer study of the indentures by which the husbands of these Reagor girls received the landed estate of John Reagor tend to transform their survival into a confirmation of their relationship to Anthony Reagor rather than a contradiction of it. John Reagor died in the spring of 1758. In 1772--fourteen years later--Matthew Patton, administrator of John Reagor's estate, stated in the indenture to John Likens: "John Reagor son and heir of the aforesaid John Reagor dec'd has never yet returned nor has been heard of since he was taken." This strongly indicates that in their captivity the son was separated at all times from the daughters and that the daughters thought that their brother was dead and vice versa. If the historical account is correct that both Shawnees and Delawares under Chief Killbuck took part in the raid in which John Reagor's three children were taken into captivity, then it is quite possible that the girls were taken by one tribe and the boy by another. Why, after his release or escape from the Indians, did Anthony Reagor not return to his home place and claim the land which should have been his? He probably did not know that his father had bought the land, since the transaction was completed after his father's death. Even if Anthony were aware of his birthright, land was so plentiful and so fertile in Tennessee that he may have considered his father's estate not worth claiming. A more likely explanatin of Anthony Reagor's failure to return to his home place after his Indian captivity of more than fourteen years--possibly as long as thirty years-- is that his release or escape may have occurred hundreds of miles from his home. He even may have been traded by one Indian tribe to another. Until some record or tradition is discovered which can more fully explain when and where his captivity ended, the possibility of its happening in Tennessee must not be overlooked. The difference in names, though puzzling, also might be accounted for easily if all the facts were known. Matthew Patton, administrator of the John Reagor estate and trustee of it until the return and marriage of the two daughters, definitely called him John. Possibly the name was John Anthony Reagor. On the other hand, Matthew Patton may have not known the boy's name and called him by the name of his deceased father. But whatever his mother and father may have called him, it may have been William Shook who gave him the name which stuck with him after his return from captivity during which he probably was called a still different name. William Shook had been acquainted personally with at least three, and possibly four, different Reagers by the name of Anthony. If a long lost Reager should have come wandering into his settlement, it would have been the natural thing for William Shook to call him Anthony. Particularly would this have been true if the reunion took place hundreds of miles from the former home of both Shooks and Reagers. To William Shook the name "Anthonyreager," like "Damnyankee" to Southerners during the Civil War, probably seemed like one word. By superimposing the traditions of the Tennessee Reagors upon the historical and documentary records of Basel, Switzerland, and of Colonial Virginia, we are able to determine a number of statistics on Anthony Reagor. If he was taken into captivity in 1758 at the age of twelve, he must have been born in 1746. Since records of Augusta County, Virginia, declare that he had not been heard from by 1772, his captivity must have lasted at least fourteen years to an age of twenty-six or more. If the above dates are applicable to him, he must have been approximately forty three years of age when, on December 11, 1789, according to Bible record, he married William Shook's widowed daughter, Margaret Shook Brock. The absence of any other records of Anthony Reagor prior to his marriage, suggests that there were not many years from the time of his release or escape until his marriage. Being taken as a boy of twelve and being kept so long, he might have been expected to have accepted the life of the Indians and to have married an Indian girl; but if he ever did so, not the slightest hint of it has been included in the traditions of the Reagor family in Tennessee. The earliest known documentary evidence of Anthony Reagor's residence in Tennessee is his inclusion in the first recorded tax list for Bedford County in the year 1812. His name was recorded as "Anthony Raigor." Although no undisputed records have been found to prove it, there can be little doubt that Anthony Reagor lived in Knox County near the Shooks before settling in Bedford County, near Flat Creek. It is the opinion of the writer that all of Anthony Reagor's children, with the possible exception of Catherine, born in 1805, were born in Knox County, or more correctly in the area south of the French Broad River which later became a part of Knox County. Anthony Reagor's name was not included in the Knox County Tax List for 1806, the first year settlers south of the river were taxed, as were those of the Shooks. This probably means that Anthony and Margaret Shook Reagor and their children were the first of the Shooks to migrate to Bedford County and that their migration took place before 1807, when Margaret's brother, William Shook, Jr., is believed to have settled there. The Reagors apparently left Knox County before records were being made of land ownership in the area known as "South of the French Broad" and arrived in Bedford County before it seemed important to have records made of land ownership in order to be able to hold it. Although the Shooks are thought to have settled by 1786 in what later became Knox County, Tennessee, the only record which has been found on Anthony Reagor in Knox County is in J. M. G. Ramsey's "Annals of Tennessee," pp. 592-593, and even there his name is not spelled correctly. Ramsey relates that on April 22,1794, William Casteel, wife, and four children were killed by Indians in their home south of the French Broad River, nine miles from Knoxville and two miles from the residence of Dr. James Cosby. Their bodies, according to Ramsey, were found by Anthony Ragan, who had gone to the Casteel home to go hunting with Casteel. Another child, Elizabeth Casteel, later Mrs. Dunlap, was badly wounded and "was taken to Mr. Shook's, who then owned Major Swann's Mill, where Dr. Cosby dressed her wounds," while Reagan alarmed the settlement. While there are records in Knox County of Ragans and Reagans--both ways of spelling used for the same man within the same paragraph, no record has been found of an Anthony Reagan or Ragan. It is the firm conviction of the writer that another error in spelling or copying has been made and that William Casteel's hunting pal and discoverer of this tragic end was in fact the Anthony Reagor who Married Margaret Shook Brock, the daughter of William Shook. The family association of Anthony Reagor and Mr. Shook certainly cannot be ignored as attempt is made to identify the characters in this tragic episode of early Tennessee history. In the index of the Bedford County, Tennessee, Grant Book 1 is found the name of Anthony Cooper Reagor; but the writer has been unable to find any record concerning Anthony Cooper Reagor or any other Reagor in this book. In fact, no record has been found in Knox or Bedford Counties or in the Archives of the State of Tennessee where Anthony Reagor ever acquired any land, though he owned land at the time of his death in 1824. Unsuccessful searches have also been made among the records of Davidson and Rutherford Counties which earlier contained the present Bedford County. The name of Anthony Cooper Reagor is mentioned not because of any significance it seems to have but more as a notice to future researchers that it had not been overlooked by the writer in his search for records of Anthony Reagor, the progenitor of the Tennessee Reagors. Another public record of Anthony Reagor is found in the 1820 Census Report for Bedford County. He is listed as "Anthony Rager," a neighbor of his son "William Rager" and his brothers-in-law Abraham and William Shook, Jr. When Anthony Reagor died, on September 7, 1824, all of his children, except Jacob who died as a young man, seem to have been living in, or within visiting distance of, the Flat Creek Community. The older daughter, Mary Magdalene Reagor, had already married David Floyd; but nineteen year-old Catherine Reagor had not yet married. Bedford County Deed Book S, ;. 379, records the instrument by which John Reagor, Isaac Reagor, David Floyd, and Catherine Reagor for the consideration of $1700 assigned to "James Reagor or Abraham Reagor or William Reagor and A. W. Reagor the landed estate of Anthony Reagor (deceased)." The purpose of this assignment is not clear to the writer; but it certainly is amply verification of the residence, land ownership, and death of Anthony Reagor in Bedford County, Tennessee. According to the record in the Reagor Bible, Margaret Shook Reagor survived Anthony until September 18,1838. The Census Report of 1830 indicates that she was living in the home of her son James Brock Reagor who apparently lived with his family in Anthony and Margaret's old home place. It is assumed that both Anthony and Margaret were buried in the Shook Graveyard, where a number of their children and grandchildren are buried and where it is assumed also that Margaret's father, William Shook, if not her mother, Catherine Sears Shook, was buried. There are a number of older graves marked by uninscribed grave stones. Before closing the story of Anthony Reagor, the progenitor of the Tennessee Reagors and their descendants, the writer feels that he should anticipate a question which many will ask, "Did Anthony Reagor serve in the Revolution?" To the best of his knowledge and belief, the answer is, "No." The writer has in his files a photocopy of the military records of an Anthony Reager (spelled seven other ways in the records) who served as an Ensign in Captain Silas Zane's Company in the 13th Virginia Regiment commanded by Colonel Russell from April 15, 1777, and as corporal a few weeks previously. At first, he was tempted to claim his service record for his own ancestor, since the Anthony Reagor of Tennessee was of military age during the Revolution and since no record has been found to prove that he was doing anything else during the war period; but two rather compelling reasons caused him to abandon the idea. In the first place, if Anthony Reagor had been released by the Indians in time for him to have entered the Revolution Army in 1777, his release would have been known by his sisters, and Anthony Reagor would not have later considered himself as the "sole survivor" of an Indian massacre. In the second place, there is a line of Reger descendants who claim that their ancestor, Anthony Reager, was Ensign Anthony Reager--with the other spellings--and that he married "the widow Simmons" and reared a family in what is now Barbour County, West Virginia. It is the writer's opinion that the Anthony Reagor who settled in Bedford County, Tennessee, remained a captive of the Indians throughout the Revolution. The old Reagor Bible, to which reference has been made, was printed in England in 1770. In 1959, it was in the possession of the widow of the Reverend Paul Reagor of Walnut Creek, California. Paul Reagor was a grandson of James Brock Reagor, fifth son of Anthony and Margaret Shook Reagor. The writer has been able to obtain a certified copy of the family records in this Bible. It is interesting to note that the first family record is the marriage of Anthony Reger to Margaret Shook Brock on December 11, 1789. The spelling used in recording the births of their nine children was Reager. The Bible, owned originally by Margaret and Anthony Reagor, came into the possession of their son James Brock Reagor, who brought his bride into the old Reagor home about a year after his father's death. Here they lived for the remainder of his mother's life, and here all of James Brock Reagor's children, except his last, were born. The births of these children were recorded in the name of Reagor, as were the marriages of Anthony W. Reagor and James Brock Reagor in 1820 and 1825, respectively. It appears that the Reagors of Tennessee had agreed upon the present spelling by 1820. It is assumed that the old Reagor Bible remained in the home of James Brock Reagor's widow until her death in 1894. There seems to have been an understanding that the Bible should then become the property of Joseph Anthony Reagor, the only surviving son of James Brock and Elizabeth (Betsy) Covey Reagor, though it may have been taken for a time to the nearby home of their youngest child, Rosanah Margaret Reagor Parker. It is reported that by a later agreement between Joseph Anthony Reagor and his only surviving sister, Rosanah Margaret Reagor Parker, the Bible should be given to Joseph Anthony Reagor's son, William Franklin Reagor, a minister in Seattle, Washington. From him it passed to his own son Paul Reagor, a minister in Oakland, California. The writer readily concedes that much of the story on Anthony Reagor is not documented and that he may have drawn some unwarranted conclusions from such documentation as has been found; but rather than leave a genealogical vacuum, it has been thought better to present the available facts and to allow the reader to share in the most logical conclusions. He will welcome the uncovering of any additional records or traditions which will help to confirm or refute any conclusions which have been drawn. YOU TAKE IT FROM HERE WILSON, MARSHAL ANDERSON N.Y.C. PUBLIC LIBRARY CALL LETTERS APV (WILSON) Children of William and Catherine Sears Shook: 1. Margaret, born May 29, 1766 died Sept. 1838 in Bedford Co. Tenn. Married first: James Brock of Virginia Married second: Capt. Anthony Regar Jr. of Hardy County, Virginia She and Capt. Regar lived on Flat Creek of Bedford Co. where they reared a large family. A great granddaughter is Mrs. M. K. Hinds of Cullowee, N.C. ROSTER OF SOLDIERS AND PATRIOTS OF THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION BURIED IN TENNESSEE COMPILED BY LUCY WOMACK BATES IN 1974 REVISED BY HELEN CRAWFORD MARSH IN 1979 PUBLISHED BY TENNESSEE SOCIETY, NSDAR PAGE 145 Reagor, Anthony (b. 1760/d. 9-7-1824 Bedford Co.) Bur. in Shook Cem., S. of Flat Creek, Bedford Co., TN. Grave marked with fieldstone: A.R., 1760-1824. m 12-11-1789 to Margaret Shook Brock (a widowed dau of William Shook) b. 1766/d. 9-18-1838 Bedford Co., TN. bur beside her husband. Grave marked with fieldstone: M.R., 1766-1838. Ch: William b. 1790 Knox Co., TN; John b. 1792 Knox Co., TN; Mary Magdalene b. 1793/d. 1856 m. David Floyd; Jacob b. 1795/d. young; Anthony Wayne b. 1797/d. 1846 m. Rhoda Boone. Ref: Cem. Records of Bedford Co., TN. by Marsh; Rev. War Soldiers and Patriots of Bedford Co., TN. by Marsh; Family Records of William Floyd. CALENDAR OF VIRGINIA STATE PAPERS VOLUMN 2 PAGE 686 Hampshire Co. 1781 Petition of Jacob Brake and others for pardon for having through ignorance and the persuasion of others joined in the late "Conspiracy against the State the object of which was to refuse payment of Taxes, and to oppose the Act of Oct. 1780 for raising Troops for the Service--------- Sitting forth the same reasons given in John Claypole's application why they should enjoy Executive clemency, and adding, that they "have been instrumental in detecting and bringing in some of the Principle conspirators to Justice--------- Signed by----
ANNALS OF AUGUSTA COUNTY VIRGINIA 1726 - 1871 WADDELL PAGE 295 After Cornwallis entered Virginia, a party of Tories raised the British standard on Lost river, then in Hampshire, now Hardy county. John Claypole, a Scotchman, and John Brake, a German, were the leaders, and drew over to their side a majority of the people in the neighborhood. Their object appeared to be to organize and march in a body to join Cornwallis upon his approaching the Valley. The militia of Shenandoah, Frederick and Berkeley were called out to suppress the insurrection, and a body of four huundred men was speedily equipped and mounted. General Daniel Morgan, of Frederick, being out of service and at home, was called to the command, and advanced with the troops into the disaffected region. Claypole was arrested, but released on bail, and Brake was punished by the army living at free quarters for a day or two on his cattle pens and distillery. No collision occurred. but one man was killed by a drunken attendant of general Morgan, and another, while running away, was shot in the leg. The militia were out only eight or ten days. The Tories soon became ashamed of their conduct, and several of their young men volunteered and went to aid the capture of Cornwallis.--(Kercheval, page 199) HISTORY OF HARDY CO. OF THE BORDERLAND MOORE, ALVIN EDWARD PAGE 63-64 N.Y.C. PUBLIC LIBRARY CALL LETTERS (HARDY CO.) ITB Very early the people of Hardy County demonstrated their dislike of paying taxes to or being otherwise controlled by an eastern Virginia government. In 1781, Hampshire County Lieutenant Van Meter led a milita company to enforce the payment of taxes and recruitment of men for the cause of the Revolution in Lost River Valley and the "South Fork" area, "about fifteen miles above Moorefield". The identification of this area by the Federal Writers' Project group who wrote "Historic Romney" as the Petersburg area apparently is correct, since Kercheval, as stated before, referred to the killing of John Brake's wife by Indians at her home on the South Fork of the Wappatomaka or South Branch, and also referred to Brake's residence at the time of the Tories' armed resistance as being "about fifteen miles above Moorefield, on the South Fork of the River". In the South Fork valley Van Meter was told by a defiant group of fifty armed men, led by John Brake, that they would pay taxes only to Great Britain, and that they would not serve in the American Army, but were going to join the British Army. Van Meter tried in vain to dissuade them from their purpose, then returned to Romney, and reported the situation to Thomas Jefferson, Governor of Virginia. At the home of John Brake the Tories organized a company and elected John Claypole of the Lost River valley as captain. Of the outcome of this situation Kercheval wrote: "While General Morgan was taking a little needed rest near Winchester, after defeating Tarleton at the battle of the Cowpens, the General was informed of a nest of Tories holding out in some force on Lost River and South Fork in Hardy County, and was requested to lead an expedition to that section and quell the rebellion. The old warrior was soon on the march; arriving in the Lost River Valley, he found that John Claypole and his two sons were defying the authorities of that county. They were suppressed; and the expedition proceeded to the stronghold of the other insurgents on the Fork, about 15 miles above Moorefield, where they found John Brake, a well-to-do German, well fortified and determined to resist an attack. Brake and his insurgents had previously withstood several attacks from the militia, and had become very bold and his band had increased in numbers. But they were now confronted by men who had come to subdue and not to parley. The house was surrounded; many Tories escaped to the woods, however, and were not captured; but the moving spirit, Brake, capitulated, and Morgan and his little army feasted on the products of the old Tory's farm, mill, distillery, beeves, pigs, lambs and poultry--while their horses enjoyed the unknown meadows, oat fields, etc." A few of the rebels against Virginia regimentation refused to surrender and were killed. Others were imprisoned. Several months later insurgents or Tories filed a petition to the newly elected Governor of Virginia(Thomas Nelson), and an eloquent plea for clemency for them was made by Captain Peter Hogg. The Governor pardoned them; and then many of them enlisted in the American Army. Some of them died in the line of duty. PENDLETON CO. W. VA. GENEALOGY MORTON, OREN FREDERIC PAGE 63 N.Y.C. PUBLIC LIBRARY CALL LETTERS ITB In Hampshire was John Claypole, a Scotchman, who had a band of 60 to 70 men. They resisted the payment of taxes, and at their meetings they drank toasts to the health of the king and damnation to Congress. General Daniel Morgan, the hero of the Cowpens, was sent against them in the summer of 1781, and smothered the insurrection in a few days. The tories were pardoned, Claypole appealing for clemency and pleading ignorance of the real situation. There was no fighting although one tory was accidentally shot. Claypole had followers on the South Fork in Pendleton. One of these at Fort Seybert, who claimed his oath of allegiance was not binding, was taken to Patton's still-tub. He was doused three times in it before his German obstinacy was sufficiently soaked out to permit him to hurrah for Washington. This style of baptism does not seem to have been administered by Morgan's men, who scarcely came this far up the river. It was perhaps at the same time that a party of tories, pursued through Sweedland valley, were noticed to throw the corn pone out of their haversacks, so as to make better time with their feet. A HISTORY OF THE VALLEY OF VIRGINIA KERCHEVAL, SAMUEL 4 TH EDITION TENNESSEE STATE LIBRARY CALL LETTERS F232.S5K35 PAGES 144-146 In 1781 Cornwallis entered Virginia at the head of a large army, and in the month of June a party of Tories raised the British standard on Lost River, then in the county of Hampshire (now Hardy). John Claypole, a Scotsman by birth, and his two sons, were at the head of the insurrection.(Moses Russell, Esq., informed the author, that it was reported and believed at the time that Claypole's two sons went to North Carolina, and had an interview with Lord Cornwallis, who appointed and commissioned them both captains in the British service, and sent the commission of colonel to their father.) Claypole had the address to draw over to his party a considerable majority of the people on Lost River, and a number on the South Fork of the Wappatomaka. They first manifested symptoms of rebellion by refusing to pay their taxes and refusing to furnish their quota of men to serve in the militia. The sheriff, or collectors of the revenue, complained to Col. Vanmeter, of the county of Hampshire, that they were resisted in their attempts to discharge their official duties, when the colonel ordered a captain and thirty men to their aid. The insurgents armed themselves, and determined to resist. Among them was John Brake, a German of considerable wealth, who resided about fifteen miles above Moorefield, on the South Fork of the river, and whose house became the place of rendezvous for the insurgents. When the sheriff went up with the militia posse, fifty men appeared in arms. The posse and Tories unexpectedly met in the public road. Thirty-five of the latter broke and ran about one hundred yards, and then formed, while fifteen stood firm. The captain of the guard called out for a parley, when a free conversation took place, in which this dangerous proceeding on the part of the Tories was pointed out, with the terrible consequences which must inevitably follow. It is said that had a pistol been fired, a dreadful scene of carnage would have ensued.(Isaac Vanmeter, Esq., then about eighteen years of age, was one of the posse, and related these facts to the author.) The two parties, however, parted without bloodshed. But instead of the Tory party retiring to their respective homes and attending to their domestic duties the spirit of insurrection increased. They began to organize, appointed officers, and made John Claypole their commander-in-chief, with the intention of marching off in a body to Cornwallis, in the event of his advancing into the Valley or near it. Several expresses were sent to Col. Smith, requesting the aid of the militia, in the counties immediately adjoining, to quell this rebellion. He addressed letters to the commanding officers of Berkeley and Shenandoah, beat up for volunteers in Frederick, and in a few days an army of four hundred rank and file were well mounted and equipped. Gen. Morgan, who, after the defeat of Tarleton and some other military services, had obtained leave of absence from the army, and was now reposing on his farm (Saratoga) in Frederick, and whose name was a host in itself, was solicited to take the command, with which he readily compiled. About the 18th or 20th of June the army marched from Winchester, and in two days arrived in the neighborhood of this Tory section of Hardy county. They halted at Claypole's house and took him prisoner.(Claypole's former residence is now owned by Mr. Miller, and is abour forty-five or fifty miles southwest of Winchester, on Lost River in Hardy county.) Several young men fled, among them William Baker. As he ran across Claypole's meadow he was hailed and ordered to surrender; but disregarding the command, Capt. Abraham Byrd, of Shenandoah county, an excellent marksman, raised his rifle, fired, and wounded him in the leg.(The spot was pointed out to the author, by Mr. Miller, where Byrd stood when he fired at Baker, and where Baker fell. The distance is about four hundred yards.) He fell, and several of Morgan's party went to him to see the result. The ball had penterated just above the heel, ranged up the leg, and shivered the bone. As the poor fellow begged for mercy, he was taken to the house, and his wound dressed by the surgeon of the regiment. He recovered, and is still living. They took from Claypole provisions for themselves and horses; Col. Smith (who was second in command) giving him a certificate for their value. From Claypole's the army moved up Lost River, and some young men in the advance took a man named Matthias Wilkins prisoner, placed a rope around his neck, and threatened to hang him. Col. Smith rode up, saw what was going on, and ordered them instantly to desist. They also caught a man named John Payne, and branded him on the posteriors with a red hot spade, telling him they would make him a freemason. Claypole solemnly promised to be of good behavior, gave bail and was set at liberty. The army thence crossed the South Branch Mountain. On or near the summit they saw a small cabin, which had probably been erected by some hunters. Gen. Morgan ordered it to be surrounded, observing, "It is probable some of the Tories are now in it." As the men approached the cabin, ten or a dozen fellows ran out and fled. An elderly man named Mace, and two of his sons, were among them. Old Mace, finding himself pretty closely pursued, surrendered. One of the pursuers was Capt. William Snickers, an aid-de-camp of Morgan, who being mounted on a fine horse, was soon alongside of him. One of Mace's sons looking around at this instant, and seeing Snickers aiming a blow with a drawn sword at his father, drew up his rifle and fired at him. The ball passed through the crest of his horse's neck; he fell, and threw the rider over his head. Snickers was at first thought by his friends to be killed; and in the excitement of the moment, an Irishman, half drunk, who had been with Morgan for some time as waiter, and had seen much Tory blood shed in the Carolinas, ran up to the prisoner (Mace) with a cocked pistol in his hand, and shot the poor man, who fell and instantly expired. Capt. Snickers soon recovered from the bruises received in the fall, as did his horse also from the wound in his neck. The army proceeded on to pay their respects to Mr. John Brake, an old German, who had a fine farm with extensive meadows, a mill, large distillery, and many fat hogs and cattle. He was an exception in his political course, to his countrymen, as they were almost to a man true Whigs, and friends to their country.(Fourth Edition Note--Incorrect. The Tories in what is now Pendleton county were numerous and chiefly German.) Brake, as before observed, had joined the Tory band, and his house was their place of rendezvous, where they feasted on the best he had. All this appearing unquestionable, Morgan marched his army to his residence, they halted, and spent two days and nights with his reluctant host. His troops lived on the best his fine farm, mill and distillery afforded, &c., while their horses fared no less luxuriously upon his fine unmowed meadows, oat fields, &c. As Brake had entertained and feasted the Tories, Morgan concluded that he should feast them in turn. The third day, in the morning, the army moved on down the river, passed by Moorefield, and returned to Winchester, where it was disbanded, after a service of only about eight or ten days. Thus was this Tory insurrection crushed in the bud. The party themselves became ashamed of their conduct, and in some degree to atone for it and wipe off the stain, several of the young men volunteered their services and marched to aid in the capture of Cornwallis. ANSEARCHIN NEWS ARKANSAS HISTORY COMMISSION VOLUMN 28 NO 1 PAGE 31 SPRING 1981 THE WILL OF ROBERT HANKINS, KNOX COUNTY, TERRITORY SOUTH OF THE OHIO contributed by Mrs. L. S. Orrick, 1629 Wedgway Dr., Fort Worth, TX 76133 Knox County, Tennessee May Session 1794 In the name of God, Amen. I Robert Hankins of the County of Knox, Territory south of the Ohio... do this fifth day of February 1794 make and publish this my last will and testament...all debts be paid...to my beloved wife Elizabeth Hankins the third of my estate during her life and at her death divided amongst my heirs. I bequeath to my son William Hankins a black stalion colt two years old. I bequeath to my dear mother Mary Hankins eight pounds out of the estate for her support and if that be gone before assistance for her from the rest of my brothers to have support from my estate till they come. For remainder of my estate I will that it be kept until my youngest child comes of age and be equally divided amongst them by my executor and I ordain my worthy friend Andrew Evins and Elizabeth Hankins executors of this my last will. Signed and published and declared by the said Robert Hankins the testator as his last will and testament in presence of us who were present at the time of signing and sealing. Isaac Leainhart Thomas Hankins Anthony Reagor X John Casiday his mark Note that this is recorded as Robert, but signed Thomas Hankins. Mrs. Orrick would appreciate comment on this will and help in locating the final settlement of it. GENEALOGICAL ABSTRACTS FROM TENNESSEE NEWSPAPERS 1791-1808 SHERIDA K. EDDLEMON PAGES 291-293 THE KNOXVILLE GAZETTE Published by G. Roulstone and R. Ferguson 1791-1807 June 18, 1803, Vol. 4, No. 187 Blount Count, Tennessee. The following tracts of land will be sold on the Monday of January next, to satisfy the unpaid taxes. John OVERTON Reputed Owners Acres Situation Anthony RAGER 100 | |
| Linked to | Anthony Reager, Jr. Thomas Jefferson Reagor Family: Anthony Reager, Jr. / Catherine Shook | |
| Notes |
|
|
Reagor.net © 2004-12 Email: the postmaster |
|
This site powered by TNG © |
