John Reed

John Reed (1762-1838) was a Revolutionary War veteran from South Carolina who moved to present-day Scott County after the war had ended.

See Also: Revolutionary War Veterans
See Also: The Scott County Lineage Project

Biography

Born in South Carolina about 1762, little is known about Reed’s background. However, his parents may have been Nathaniel Reed (1720-1790) and Rebecca Isaacs (1730-1799).

Revolutionary War

Reed volunteered for service in the Continental Army and was assigned to guard the Savanah River under Gen. Andrew Pickens. Later, he was drafted for a three-month tour. He served a third tour after volunteering again. He fought at the Siege of Ninety-Six.

After the War

Reed married Nancy Morris in South Carolina in 1783. They moved to what would become Scott County, settling on New River. It has been written that they made the move in 1796, although settlement in present-day Scott County is generally not believed to have begun that early. One of his sons, Isaac Reed, served in the War of 1812 from Tennessee, according to a later war pension application, an indication that the family had settled in the New River area by that time.

Reed had at least four children. The oldest, Isaac, married the Phariba Hatfield, the daughter of Scott County Revolutionary War veteran Joseph Hatfield. Isaac Reed was elected the first Scott County Trustee in 1850. Another, Rebecca Rachel Reed, married William “Billy” Buttram of New River, the brother of Scott County Sheriff Bailey Buttram. Still another, Allen Reed, settled in the Mountain View area near Robbins.

John Reed died in December 1838. He may be buried on Brimstone Creek, though the exact location of his grave is unknown. (However, other sources say he was buried at Bakers Forge in Campbell County. The documentation is inconclusive.)

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