William Ambrose Reed (abt. 1704 - 1790)

Born about 1704 in County Armagh, Ireland

Husband of Mary Jane (Mitchell) Reed — married 1724 in Lycoming County, Province of Pennsylvania

Descendants

Died 1790 at about age 86 in Potts Grove, Northumberland, Pennsylvania

Problems/Questions Profile manager: Jeffrey Lee Schrader [send private message]

Biography

William was born in 1704. He passed away in 1790.

In 1724, William married Jane Mitchell in Jefferson, Lycoming County, Pennsylvania.

HISTORY: Copied from Ancestry.com William Reed was born to Thomas Read and Dolly (Letson) Read. Not much is known about them except that family lore says that Dolly came to the United States with two Sons; William Reed and John Read and several daughters. Thomas was not with her and was presumed to have died in Ireland where it is said the Read family originated in Donegal or Ulster. The family settled in the Maryland and Delaware areas later moving into the frontier country of Pennsylvania.

William Reed is said to have married Jane Mitchell and moved to Chester County Pennsylvania then later to Cumberland County which being settled and broken into other Counties later leaving William in Clinton County Pennsylvania near todays Lockhaven. He built a house which was fortified and was known as Fort Reed (Sometimes Fort Reid). William and his sons manned the Fort along with area settlers. It was a good defense against the Native American attacks. Somewhat of a history is needed to understand the area and need for this Fort.

Some lands had been purchased from the Iroquois Indians at the "Treaty of Fort Stanwix" in 1768. It was called the "New Purchase". Northumberland County was formed from it in 1772. There was an argument between the Native Americans and the settlers on what land was included in the Treaty. The settlers claimed it went west past the mouth of Bald Eagle Creek along the Western Susquehanna River in Pennsylvania. The Native Americans said it was east of Lycoming Creek. The Colonial Government agreed it was east of Lycoming Creek. Some settlers still settled in the area west of there and were under constant threat of the Native Americans attacking them. The settlers were out of Jurisdiction of the Colonial Government, so they created their own form of rules known as "Fair Play" rules. Tensions existed especially in the "Fair Play" area.

In 1778 two settlers were killed by Native Americans and two Native Americans were killed by Col Antes. This created an extremely serious situation. The Settlers requested help from the Supreme Executive Council but were rejected at first. The Supreme Executive Council later saw the fighting was building everywhere including the area of "Fair Play". They promised to send one hundred firearms, thirty-one of which were rifles from the Harris Ferry and seventy more rifles from the Continental Store, along with five hundred pounds of lead and two hundred fifty pounds of gun powder. Even though the settlers requested troops, they weren't sent right away. Later, three settlers were killed. Three more men were killed, and seven women and children taken captive in two attacks over four days. Settlers on Loyalstock Creek were wiped out and their cabins burned. Two were killed and fourteen disappeared.

There were primitive Forts and fortified houses to give some relief to the settlers. From West to East they were; Fort Reed (Lockhaven), Fort Horn (North of Pine Creek), Antes Fort (Opposite present Jersey Shore), a fortified house (Near Lycoming Creek), and the fortified Harris House (near Loyalstock Creek), Fort Muncy and the fortified Brady House (Muncy) and Fort Freeland (near present Turbotville).

June 10,1778 was the bloodiest day ever known in the Lycoming County area. Three attacks took place. In one a party of twelve settlers were either killed or captured. In another, three men were ambushed, two were killed and one taken prisoner. In the last one a party of sixteen settlers was attacked. Twelve of the sixteen were killed and scalped. It included two women and six children. Two girls were taken prisoner and a boy and girl escaped and made it to settlements on Lycoming Creek. One group of Native Americans with Loyalist and British Tories are believed to have committed all these killings known as "The Plum Tree Massacre".

In early summer 1778 news was brought to Fort Reed by a friendly Native American man, that there was an attack on its way. The Native American who brought the news was Job Chiiloway who was shot by an angry drunk settler while he slept. The drunk settler was angry over the deaths of the settlers that had been happening around them. It was too late to save Job Chiiloway. As Chiiloway had said, there was an attack in the Wyomong Valley area in which the settlement was overtaken and everyone killed in a massacre. This created a fear that led to everyone evacuating the area in what was called "The Great Runaway". They used whatever means they could to get down to a safer area until things calmed down about five years later. On their return home, the settlers found that almost everything had been burned or otherwise destroyed. The settlers would re-settle the area and successfully populate it this time. The Read family returned eight years later from their hideaway in Chester County, Pennsylvania. They settled the Clinton County and Clearfield County areas for several generations after that. Their name is mentioned often in the papers and history of the area.

Several Murals were painted on the walls of "The Locks Restaurant" in the 1960s by William Patton "Bill" Brown. They were destroyed in 1974. They can be seen in the Clearfield Progress News Paper which is online at Ancestry.com. Not much is known of Fort Reed except that a foundation was found, in 2006, at the site of the Heisey Museum (362 E Water Street) in Clinton County, Pennsylvania which may be the foundation of one of the buildings of Fort Reed. There was a monument placed at the Grafius House, by the Daughters of The American Revolution, commemorating Fort Reed. It may have been placed on the wrong site. The Monument does read.

John Buckalew headed a commission that was formed to study the location of the old Forts in the area. The Buckalew report found that citizen descriptions, and one citizen's detailed description, made them believe that Fort Reed (Fort Reid) stood a short distance from the river and just below the Baldeagle Canal. The citizen said that he recalled Indian burial mounds with one being as large as a two-story house and several small ones around it with the Fort being immediately east and just a short distance from the mounds.

I made a drawing of what I understand Fort Reed to look like and attached it to this story. I have read, "They built a stockade around their cabin." I have seen the Fort Gibson Stockade in Fort Gibson, Muskogee County Oklahoma, however, I believe theirs wasn't as large as the former. I also am not sure if the stockade surrounded the grounds or was the back just a fence that was built up. The "past and Present Clinton County" reads that it was made of hewn logs. (Furey 1892). It is as close as I can understand it as being. I drew it based on a similar drawing from the Clinton County Historical files that I received from Lois and Dale Bright.

William Reed was called before the Committee of Safety on 17 April 1777 to explain his (William's) not bearing arms in defense of the Colonies. William explained that he had been arrested in Ireland during the "Hearts of Steel Riots" and had been acquitted because he took an Oath to never take up arms against the King. He was then asked to take an American Oath. He agreed and it was as follows:

"I do swear to be true to the United States of America and do renounce and disclaim all allegiance to the King of Great Britain and promise that I will not speak or act anything prejudice to the cause or safety of the United States, or lift up arms against them, or be in any way assistant to their declared enemies."

The William Reed family never owned the land on which William built the Fort. It was bought by John Fleming. At some point and William bought a tract of land across the river. He lived there until his death in 1808.

The "American Historical Register" Vol 19 page 523 reads that the "Reed's House" was the residence of Squire and Captain Reed, a prominent man of the County, always active in public life and for a while during the outbreak of hostilities, in command of a Company of Provincial Troops. It reads that his house was always occupied by troops and garrisoned for defense.

Family lore once again relays that William Reed Sr was buried in the Chillisquaque Presbyterian Cemetery in Pottsgrove, Northumberland County Pennsylvania. The headstone is said to read as follows:.

1704 William Reed Sr. 1790. Colonial Wars. Sept 1747 Fort Reed. Adjutant 2nd Battalion. North Co. Committee of Safety. Feb 13,1777 North Co.

Nearby is a small stone that simply reads "Jane Mitchell Reed Wife of Willaim Reed".

Sources

• https://www.ancestry.com/family-tree/person/tree/159273252/person/242172187829/facts

https://www.familysearch.org/tree/person/collaborate/K8NY-N83 Last Changed: 27 June 2023 dianeknight1

Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/80199245/william-reed: accessed 24 April 2022), memorial page for William Reed Sr. (1709–1790), Find a Grave Memorial ID 80199245, citing Chillisquaque Cemetery, Mexico, Montour County, Pennsylvania, USA ; Maintained by Larry Hill (contributor 47187690) .