For the next thirty-two years Bass Reeves brought to justice over 3,000 criminals Bass Reeves, was the first black U.S. Deputy Marshal west of the Mississippi River and one of the greatest frontier heroes in our nations history. [5] [6] [7] [8] Nats father passed away when he was about 15 years old. Wikimedia CommonsBass Reeves was born during the Antebellum Era, a turbulent time period before the American Civil War. The 13th Amendment is proclaimed, abolishing slavery in the United States. He learned their customs and languages and became a proficient territorial scout. Bass Reeves was the first African American commissioned to serve as a deputy marshal And when the Civil War broke out, Reeves went into battle with his master and was forced to fight for the Confederacy. You may not upload any more photos to this memorial, This photo was not uploaded because this memorial already has 20 photos, This photo was not uploaded because you have already uploaded 5 photos to this memorial, This photo was not uploaded because this memorial already has 30 photos, This photo was not uploaded because you have already uploaded 15 photos to this memorial. Born Mary Fields in about 1832, Black Mary, as she was sometimes referred to, was a slave at birth. He also tracked Use the links under See more to quickly search for other people with the same last name in the same cemetery, city, county, etc. You can customize the cemeteries you volunteer for by selecting or deselecting below. Note: This article was edited and compiled from the following sources: https://www.greatblackheroes.com/government/bass-reeves/, https://allthatsinteresting.com/bass-reeves, https://www.legendsofamerica.com/we-bassreeves/. Fagan knew of Reeves and his ability to negotiate Indian Territory and speak the languages, so Reeves was named the first black Deputy Marshal west of the Mississippi. . George Reeves joins the confederate army. Unavailable. The son, wanted for the murder Born to slave parents in 1838 in Arkansas, Bass Reeves was a member of the Confederate Army during the Civil War. and lawman. (1870 US Census, 1880 US Census). Bass Reeves was noted for his evenhandedness, honesty and integrity. Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. His wife, Nellie Jennie Reeves, tries to persuade Bass not to leave for his own safety,. His mother died in 1896 due to consumption (tuberculosis) leaving his father widowed with eleven children to care for. The American Civil War begins when confederate soldiers open fire on Fort Sumter in South Carolina and union soldiers surrender. Reeves took his job very seriously. He takes Bass, now a grown man, with him as a guard and valet and still as his slave. Exploring records relating to African Americans with the Say It Loud! Often they rode to such places as Fort Reno, Fort Sill and Anadarko, a round trip of more than 800 miles. Freedmen[2]is a term given to emancipated slaves and their descendants after slavery was abolished in the United States following the American Civil War. Judge Isaac Parker known notoriously as the Hanging Judge from sentencing numerous defendants to their deaths is installed at Fort Smith Federal Court. And fugitives took full advantage of the area. Reeves and his wife Nellie Jennie raised a family of ten children, five boys and five girls. In 1889, Love married his wife Alice and retired from cowboy life. Please reset your password. The New York Public LibraryAn illustration of a shootout in the Wild West. Every dollar helps. Depending on the outlaws for whom he was searching, a deputy would generally take with him from Fort Smith, a wagon, a cook, and a Native American posseman. Like the many outlaws he had arrested, he was tried before Judge Isaac Parker. Brought to trial before Judge Parker, he testified that he shot the cook by accident while cleaning his gun, and was acquitted. Texas State Historical Association (TSHA) If you change your mind, you can easily unsubscribe. west of the Mississippi River. Section 107 related to Copyright and Fair Use for Non-Profit educational institutions, which permits the Texas State Historical Association (TSHA), to utilize copyrighted materials to further scholarship, education, and inform the public. In 1889, after Reeves was assigned to Paris, Texas, he went after the Tom Story gang for their long-term horse theft operation. Bass Reeves began to ride the Oklahoma range in search of outlaws. There is a problem with your email/password. One of the high points of Reeves career was apprehending a notorious outlaw named Bob Dozier. Then, learn about the Buffalo Soldiers, the first all-Black peacetime regiments in U.S. history. This would have made her birth year 1840 and closer to Bass Reeves' age. Nellie Reeves was born in 1840, in Texas,United States. During the prior two years, not a single crime was committed in his patrol area. It is unclear how and exactly when Bass Reeves left his owner but at some Reeves was married twice and had eleven children. Oops, we were unable to send the email. Flowers added to the memorial appear on the bottom of the memorial or here on the Flowers tab. He arrested over 3,000 criminals and was . Bass was 62, he was an imposing figure; always riding on a large white stallion. Also starring ESSENCE digital cover star Zazie Beetz, Edi Gathegi, RJ Cyler, Regina King, LaKeith Stanfield, Delroy Lindo, Daniel Deadwyler and Deon Cole, The Harder They Fall premieres on Netflix on November 3. As a part of the films rendition of the Rufus Buck Gang that breaks their leader from prison, Bill is as sly as he is ruthless. This entry belongs to the following Handbook Special Projects: We are a community-supported, non-profit organization and we humbly ask for your support because the careful and accurate recording of our history has never been more important. The court stated, therefore we hold that Ben Reeves, because of the fact that he murdered his wife, Castella Brown, is not disqualified from inheriting from her under the Creek law of descent and distribution, and therefore the plaintiff in error DeGraggenreid took, by his conveyance set forth in this cause, his entire interest in the allotment of said Castella Brown.[5], On September 22, 1911, a Ft. Leavenworth clerk wrote to Mrs. Sallie Sanders of Ft. Smith, Arkansas on behalf of Ben Reeves. https://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/entries/reeves-bass. Although details are unclear, it is believed that during an argument over game of cards, Bass struck George. While Reeves was a successful farmer, rancher, and father, he occasionally worked as a scout and used his tracking skills to help lawmen find criminals but his true second act had yet to begin. The stories of Reeves familiarity with the land and his own fugitive past eventually got around to Fagan. Becoming a Find a Grave member is fast, easy and FREE. Reeves embarks on a manhunt for Jim Webb, a horse thief and cowboy believed to have killed eleven people; after a fierce gunfight, a dying Webb gives Reeves his scabbard and his pistol carved with notches from prior kills. In any case, Reeves went to live among the Creek and Seminole Indians. based on information from your browser. In her early years, she worked as groundskeeper at the Ursuline Convent of the Sacred Heart in Toledo, Ohio. Supreme Court. Please check your email and click on the link to activate your account. Reeves is sent to apprehend Tom Story for horse theft and murder south of the Red River. Ben Reeves remained in Okmulgee and later married Fleccia Cromartie of Iowa. No animated GIFs, photos with additional graphics (borders, embellishments. Records relating to Bass Reeves and his family: Inmate Case Files from Leavenworth Penitentiary (. In honor of Black History month, I wanted to introduce one of the greatest lawmen in US history and the inspiration for the Lone Ranger television series and movies. The Western District of Arkansas is established. The rough and tough lawman decked out in an intimidating hat, slick suits, polished shoes, and two colt .45 Peacemakers strapped at his sides reportedly arrested over 3,000 outlaws. "Bass Reeves" was originally a standalone limited series that was coming to Paramount+ with Taylor Sheridan, but it's morphed a bit. Are you sure that you want to delete this memorial? Nellie Reeves (Jennie) Also Known As: ""Nellie Jennie"" Birthdate: estimated between 1814 and 1874 : Birthplace: Texas, United States: Death: Immediate Family: Wife of . 1875, Indian Territory. He lived in Muscogee, Georgia, United States in 1900. Bass Reeves (1838 - 1910) (shown) was a former slave who became a deputy U.S. Initially, Bass Reeves worked as a water boy, and then he later became a field hand. If the name Bass Reeves sounds familiar to you, there are a few reasons. cemeteries found within kilometers of your location will be saved to your photo volunteer list. After 32 years as a US deputy marshal, more than three thousand arrests -- and only fourteen fatalities in the line of duty -- Reeves takes on a new career opportunity in the Muskogee police force. An email has been sent to the person who requested the photo informing them that you have fulfilled their request, There is an open photo request for this memorial. ", 2023 Minute Media - All Rights Reserved. GREAT NEWS! Marshal Bass Reeves in 1900. He earned the name Deadwood Dick in 1976 after winning $200 in a competition in the Dakota Territory that required contestants to rope, throw, tie bridles, and saddle a horse. He learned their languages and customs, and sharpened his skills as an ambidextrous marksman. Winnie was a Cherokee Freedman.[1]. It's an interesting move and one that I think is very positive. A year later, he married Nellie Jennie from Texas and immediately began to have a family. Your new password must contain one or more uppercase and lowercase letters, and one or more numbers or special characters. Reeves stands trial for the cooks murder before Judge Parker and is represented by his friend and colleague, former US Attorney W.H.H. Previously sponsored memorials or famous memorials will not have this option. At the age of sixty-nine Reeves accepted a job as patrolman with the Muskogee city police department, and from 1907 to 1909 there was reportedly never a crime committed on his beat. This browser does not support getting your location. Whatever the case, Reeves soon took refuge with the Creek and Seminole Indians in what is now Oklahoma. At . Bass Reevess legendary career as a U.S. marshal ended in 1907 when the new state On February 13, 1903 he was received at Ft. Leavenworth Penitentiary and became Inmate No. Nudie E. Williams, Photos and Memories (1) After the death of his wife, Reeves married Winnie Sumter of Muskogee, Okla., and. While the story told in the all-Black western is entirely fictional, many of its characters were actual figures. Bass Reeves's legendary career as a U.S. marshal ended in 1907 when the new state of Oklahoma assumed policing duties over the Indian Territory. He was a lawman from the Old West and a hero. Weve updated the security on the site. Bass Reeves was born during the Antebellum Era, a turbulent time period before the American Civil War. Bill was said to have killed up to eight men before being hanged in 1896. Reeves, though reluctant to take on the difficult task, did the job when no other deputy dared to. In 1909 his health failed, and he died on January 12, 1910, of Bright's disease. https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XVFF-WTT. At the age of 69 Reeves He killed fourteen men in the performance of his duty while assigned to the federal district courts at Paris and Sherman, Texas, during his thirty-two-year career as deputy. Bass Reeves died on January 10, 1910 in Muskogee, Below is an article about Reeves from Matt Helm first published in blackpast.org. When the Civil War broke out, William Reeves' son George was made a colonel in the Confederate army and took Bass to war with him. Are you adding a grave photo that will fulfill this request? Period: 1865 to 1875. Starring in the limited series is David Oyelowo ("Selma," "The Butler," "Les Miserables"), as was previously announced when this was going to be a standalone series. Https://books.google.com/books?id=oLSZAAAAIAAJ&pg=PA627&lpg=PA627&dq=Cynthia+Tolliver+supreme+court&source=bl&ots=ppz5UDbEBj&sig=ACfU3U03UsaC1R9sBabfBMIWgxxUBI3hzA&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiqtKr_6M7xAhWEPM0KHUoiCLQQ6AEwEXoECB4QAw#v=onepage&q=arkansas&f=false . He always bore a very good reputation and I never know of him doing anything wrong until he got into the trouble which caused his commitment to the penitentiary. If not, see our friends at Ancestry DNA. Bass married Winnie Jane FOREMAN Sumner on month day 1900, at age 62 at marriage place . Love died in California at the age of 67 in 1921. The American Civil War ends. Reeves, who at this point was now nearly 70, joined the Muskogee Oklahoma Police Department as the only Black patrolman. All photos uploaded successfully, click on the Done button to see the photos in the gallery. But according to biographer Art T. Burton, Bass Reeves is the closest real person to resemble the fictional Lone Ranger on the American western frontier of the nineteenth century.. Her job was to protect the mail from thieves and deliver the mail, regardless of weather conditions. Just a few years later, on January 12, 1910, Bass Reeves died of Brights disease an outdated term for a kidney disease that is now known as nephritis. Remove advertising from a memorial by sponsoring it for just $5. According to Ben, she was unapologetic and said she thought more of his [John Wadlys] little finger than she did of my whole body. In a rage, he murdered his wife right then and there. In 1895, the gang robbed, raped, and murdered; eventually being captured in August of that year. He married Nellie Jennie (or Jinney), a Texas native, in 1864, and they raised a family of ten, five boys and five girls. [5] He married Nellie Jennie from Texas, with whom he had ten children, five boys and five girls. 33 Facts That Capture The Strange And Salacious Life Of Benjamin Franklin, Two Siblings Just Pleaded Guilty To This 1993 Cold Case Murder After Their Accomplice Confessed On TV, What Stephen Hawking Thinks Threatens Humankind The Most, 27 Raw Images Of When Punk Ruled New York, Join The All That's Interesting Weekly Dispatch, Listen above to the History Uncovered podcast, episode 23: Bass Reeves, also available on. In 1864 he married Nellie Jennie (d. 1896) and after her death Winnie Sumter (1900-1910). federal judges or other court officials. The couple ultimately raised five girls and five boys together. Since he was illiterate Reeves often memorized warrants that were read to him by the You need a Find a Grave account to continue. Arkansas is granted statehood, entering the United States as a slaveholding state. Resend Activation Email. Having never learned to read and write, he had someone to read the subpoenas or warrants to him until he memorized which name belonged to each warrant. included the Indian Territory. Unavailable. Bass Reeves marries Texas native Nellie Jennie. In 1906 Bass only wrote one letter to his son and received none for that whole year. His wife, Nellie Jennie Reeves, tries to persuade Bass not to leave for his own safety, but Bass argues that it's the best job he can get to keep a roof over his family's head. Include gps location with grave photos where possible. 1901 - Reeves's Arrests Make the Press . Covering some 75,000 square miles, the United States Court at Fort Smith, was the largest in the nation. There have also been quite a few impressive bronze statues that were erected in his likeness. Ben "Bennie" Reeves was born around 1882 to Bass Reeves and Nellie Jennie in Texas. and killed fourteen outlaws during his years as a marshal, garnering a reputation The New York Public LibraryAn illustration of a Confederate campsite during the Civil War. He married Nellie Jennie (or Jenney), a Texan, and the couple had 10 children, five boys and five girls. While Reeves was a successful farmer, rancher, and father, he occasionally worked as a scout and used his tracking skills to help lawmen find criminals but his true second act had yet to begin. https://www.tshaonline.org, https://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/entries/reeves-bass. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/147727516/jane-reeves. Search above to list available cemeteries. In 1875, Isaac C. Parker was appointed federal judge of Indian Territory. The real Nat Love was born into slavery in 1854. However, in recent years, Reeves story has started to get more attention. In 1893, he transferred to the Eastern District of Texas, and in 1897, to serve at the Muskogee Federal Court in the Indigenous territory. Another outlaw was Tom Story, expert horse thief and murderer, who sold stolen horses south of the Red River from 1884 to 1889, and who lost his life at the Delaware Bend crossing in an attempt to beat Reeves to the draw. Todays post was written by Holly Rivet, archival technician at the National Archives in St. Louis. Bass Reeves grew up illiterate and remained illiterate for his entire life. He spends the next 32 years as a federal peace officer in Indian Territory. The second outlaw dropped his gun in surprise, and they were both arrested. He married Nellie Jim Webb, a cowboy and horse thief with eleven notches on his pistol handle, was outshot in a fierce running gunfight after a manhunt that lasted from 1893 to 1895; the dying Webb acknowledged Reeves as the better man by giving the deputy his pistol and scabbard. So it is one of the safest places for escaped slaves. During this time, young Bass impresses the owner of his family with his pleasant demeanor and aptitude for working with livestock. Bass Reeves . He began his life as an outlaw at the age of 18, robbing stagecoaches, banks, and stores. Reeves approached the three murderous Brunter brothers and handed them a warrant for their arrest. He married Nellie Jennie (or Jinney), a Texas native, in 1864, and they raised a family of ten, five boys and five girls. Producing are MTV Entertainment Studios, Bosque Ranch Productions, Yoruba Saxon, and 101 Studios. Are you sure that you want to delete this photo? Have this option Love was born into slavery in 1854 fugitive past eventually around. Married Winnie Jane FOREMAN Sumner on month day 1900, at age 62 at marriage place January 10, in... If not, see our friends at Ancestry DNA or here on the difficult,. 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