Limas or Elymus Reeve - LIMA1

Limas or Elymus Reeve - LIMA1

Male negro slave

Jackie Dinan
Richard Wines

Southold

Widow Elizabeth Reeve

Southold Town Records Volume 3: 84-85.
Baptism dates from Cutchogue: Southold's First Colony (1940) by Wayland Jefferson, pages 159, 161, 163–166.
Death notice for Miriam Reeve listed in the Cleveland Supplement "R", Long Island Traveler, December 18, 1879, page 3. M=Mattituck.

Excerpt of Reverend Epher Whitaker's memorial, "Lymas" published in the Suffolk Times (April 18, 1870) taken from Grania B. Marcus, Discovering the African-American Experience in Suffolk County, 1620-1860 (1995, 1988), page 104.

A History of Mattituck, Long Island, N.Y. Charles E. Craven (1906), pages 207-9 (photo and unverfied biographical information not included here).

Male

Reverend Epher Whitaker stated that Elymas was exposed to religious education by "Blind Betty" (#412) who could recite most of the Bible from memory.

1783, calculated from reported age (30 years) at the time of his manumission.

April 10, 1870

April 12, 1813 (manumission certificate approved by overseers of the poor). April 13, 1813 (manumission certificate recorded in town book by town clerk).

He may be the son of Reuben Reeve (#1678). He was the husband of Hagar (#1676) and father of nine known children:
Miriam Reeve (Jan 8, 1815 [baptism]-Nov 30, 1822);
Parthenia Reeve Silone (Sep 15, 1816 [born]/Dec 19, 1816 [baptism]-Sep 7, 1883 [died]; married Alexander Silone);
Keren Happuck Reeve (Oct 23, 1818 [baptism]-);
Elymas Reeve (Apr 14, 1820 [baptism]-[died] after 1843);
Betsey Sylphy Reeve ( Apr 28, 1822 [baptism]-Mar 10, 1910 [died], married [unk] Rock);
Reuben Reeve (Aug 15, 1824 [baptism]-);
Enos (Jul 16, 1826 [baptism]—February 21, 1900). His name wasn't recorded in baptism record, but identified from other sources. He married Julia A. Woodhull in California.
Keturah Reeve (May 27, 1828-Jan 13, 1881, married Francis Girard);
John Bunyon Reeve (Oct 29, 1831-Jan 17, 1916).

He was enumerated as head of household in the 1820 [as "Simas Reve"], 1830, 1840, 1850, 1860, and 1870 Federal censuses, as well as the 1865 New York State census.

He's the subject of much oral history usually focusing on his religious faith. Care must be taken to distinguish between unverified oral histories and documented evidence.