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Below is a family biography from the book,  The History of Crawford County, Arkansas published by Goodspeed Publishing Company in 1889.  These biographies are valuable for genealogy research in discovering missing ancestors or filling in the details of a family tree. Family biographies often include far more information than can be found in a census record or obituary.  Details will vary with each biography but will often include the date and place of birth, parent names including mothers' maiden name, name of wife including maiden name, her parents' names, name of children (including spouses if married), former places of residence, occupation details, military service, church and social organization affiliations, and more.  There are often ancestry details included that cannot be found in any other type of genealogical record.

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Capt. David Reed was born in Orange County, Ind., in 1823, and is a son of Elias and Polly (Newjent) Reed, natives of North Carolina and Virginia. When five years old the father accompanied his parents to the Cumberland River country, Kentucky. After his first marriage he lived some time in White County, Tenn., and his father having previously moved from Kentucky to Orange County, Ind., he immigrated hither in 1815, on a pack horse. There he lost his first wife, and married Polly Newjent about 1821. In the fall of 1831 he started for Missouri, with two wagons, one six-horse and the other a four-horse vehicle, and the following spring located in Wayne County, Mo., when the country was a vast wilderness. He was a farmer, and a soldier in the War of 1812, and several of the Indian wars, although he did no active service. He departed this life in 1836, and his wife in 1851. The grandfather, Robert Reed, was a native of Ireland, and a soldier in the earlier Indian wars, previous to the Revolution. In the latter he fought in the battles of Camden, the Cow-Pens, Guilford Court-house, Eutaw Springs and others. He was a man of ability, and lived in North Carolina, Kentucky and Indiana. Going to Wayne County, Mo., in 1832, he died the same year. His wife also died in that county, aged one hundred years. David Reed was the second of ten children, and was educated at a subscription log school-house in Wayne County. At an early age he was left to help care for the younger children, and in May, 1847, joined Company I, of the Third Missouri Mounted Volunteers. Crossing the plains he served eighteen months in the Northwest and New Mexican army, and after fighting in the battle at Santa Cruz, returned overland, via Kansas City and St. Louis. He also served throughout the Civil War as captain of Company C, Second Missouri Cavalry, which he organized, having previously commanded Company B, of the State Guards of Missouri, three months. He was on the Prince raid through Missouri and Kansas, and in the spring of 1862 operated in Mississippi and Tennessee, under Gens. Van Dorn, Price, Loring and Pemberton, participating in the battles of Corinth and vicinity, Tupelo, Miss.; Denmark, Tenn.; Iuka, Miss.; siege of Corinth, Franklin, Tenn., and surrendered at Jacksonport, Ark., in June, 1865, having never been captured or wounded. In 1865 he was married in Randolph County, Ark., to Mrs. Isabelle Brem, daughter of James Drake, and a native of Alabama. Her father was born in Kentucky, served under Jackson in the War of 1812, being in the battles of Horseshoe Bend and New Orleans, and died in Arkansas. Mr. Reed has had four children, two sons and one daughter now living. He settled in Crawford County, on his present farm in 1868, and proceeded to make a home in the wilderness. He has a farm of eighty acres, and has made farming his principal occupation, although he is a blacksmith and wagon-maker by trade. He cast his first presidential vote for Polk in 1844, but from the time of the war until 1876 gave no other vote, since which year (when Tilden was his choice) he has voted for every Democratic candidate. He has refused to be a candidate for the Legislature, or to hold the office of sheriff, but served as justice of the peace eight years in Wayne County, Mo. He has belonged to the Baptist Church over twenty years, and his wife is also a member.

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This family biography is one of 222 biographies included in The History of Crawford County, Arkansas published in 1889.  For the complete description, click here: Crawford County, Arkansas History, Genealogy, and Maps

View additional Crawford County, Arkansas family biographies here: Crawford County, Arkansas

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