Unknown County GaArchives Biographies.....Reeves, Jeremiah 1772 - 1837
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Joy Fisher http://www.genrecords.net/emailregistry/vols/00001.html#0000031 January 31, 2005, 8:15 pm

Author: J. H. Campbell

JEREMIAH REEVES, JR.

  Jeremiah Reeves, Jr., was the second son of Jeremiah Reeves, Sr., and Jane,
his wife, whose maiden name was Brazile. He was born in Halifax county, North
Carolina, on the third day of November, 1772, and removed with his father's
family to Georgia in his twelfth year. He obtained hope that God for Christ's
sake had pardoned his sins, in the year 1804—was added to the Church at Sardis,
Wilkes county, Georgia, in the same year. "With regard to his conviction or
conversion I* have no data but my own recollection. One incident is now fresh,
because at the time it made a most powerful impression. I was then in my eighth
year; he was a man of lively turn of mind and fond of such company. Now for the
incident. I went in company with him to a distillery in the neighborhood; (I
have heard him say since, in relating his experience, he went there to try to
drive off his melancholy feelings.) While there, I saw him once or more shedding
tears, which affected me. We, however, left for home; when about half the
distance, he stopped and wept aloud. Said he to me, "Son, go home and tell your
mother I am such a vile sinner I believe the Lord is about to kill me." I
obeyed, went home; he left the road and went into the woods. My mother, on my
arrival, went in search; found him near night, and brought him home, still
weeping. During the night he found deliverance; prayed with the family next
morning, which I have no recollection of his ever failing to do, night and
morning, from that time till his death. He held family prayers always, when even
confined to a sick bed."

*His son, A. E. Reeves.


  He was chosen and ordained to the office of deacon of Sardis church in 1806,
and commenced public exercise in prayer and exhortation soon after he united
with the church. In 1813, the church at Skull Shoals sent an invitation to him,
as also the church at Sardis, to take the pastoral charge of them. Sardis church
submitted the matter to him, requesting him to relate his call to the ministry,
which he did. But he being somewhat undetermined with regard to his fitness,
requested an indefinite suspension of the matter. The church, however, proceeded
to license him at the next conference, (he having become more reconciled,) in
the words of the church minutes, "for further proof of his ministry." At the
July conference, 1813, the church agreed to call a presbytery for the purpose of
his ordination. Wednesday after the fourth Sabbath in August, 1813, was the day
set apart. The presbytery, composed of Matthews, Rhodes and Davis, met according
to appointment, and proceeded to his ordination. He then, responded to the call
of the churches above named, and became their pastor in the same year. In the
year 1815, having received a call from a church in Clarke county, and from one
in Morgan, he removed from Wilkes to the former county. His labors were confined
to those and contiguous counties for eight years, serving the three churches
alluded to a portion of the time. In 1823, being impressed that it was his duty
to change his field of labor, to some extent, and having received a call from
two churches in Jackson county, he removed to said county, serving one church
still (Mar's Hill) in Clarke county, and Walnut Fork and Academy, in Jackson.
Here (a brother, I. Davis, from that county, writes me) "he encountered
considerable difficulty and persecution on account of his stern advocacy of the
mission and temperance cause. The Association (the Sarepta) in which he was then
thrown, was anti. At that time he persevered temperately but firmly, till he
became instrumental in forming many societies throughout the bounds of the
Association, and also the means of getting up a good missionary spirit."

  While resident in Jackson county, he received an appointment from the Georgia
Baptist Convention. His field of labor was mostly confined to the Cherokee
country. He traveled two years through that section, part of the time on his own
account, and part under appointment of the Convention; met with and encountered
many hardships, as the country was wild and just settling up. He was one of the
first pioneers to that section of the State—aided in constituting several
churches, ordained deacons, formed temperance societies, and inculcated the
missionary spirit wherever his lot was cast.

  He was married to Mary Echols in the year 1794, in the twenty-second year of
his age. She united with the church a short time after he did; was the mother of
nine children—five sons and four daughters. Two of the daughters are dead and
two living. Five sons yet living, three of them members of the church, and both
daughters also. The old lady survived him several years.

  His labors as a minister was not characterized by any great accessions at any
one time to his churches, but by gradual increase of such as wore well. His
churches were generally well disciplined. It was his practice to urge
strenuously and to have kept up weekly prayer meetings at the respective
meetinghouses he attended, or in the neighborhood. Prayer was always his great
weapon of defense. He prayed much. "I recollect an incident, which is as
follows: An individual in the neighborhood, a wicked man, fell out with the old
man; rode up to the gate one day and called father out, abused him much,
threatening to sue him. He replied calmly to the threat by saying, ‘I will sue
you, too.' ‘Sue me?' was the inquiry, accompanied with abuse. 'Yes, I will sue
you at the court of heaven. There it is where I institute all my suits, and
where I enter all my appeals, and have hitherto had justice done me, and I am
sure I will have it again.' In his family worship, and I presume in private, he
did not fail for some time to present this man's case to a throne of grace. The
consequence was, that after the lapse of time, that man became his friend
without any explanation on the part of father.

  "He died at my house, at Mount Zion, on the 27th of January, 1737, [sic -
should probably be 1837 - transcriber] in the sixty-fifth year of his age. His
remains were interred in the burying ground of the Baptist church at said village.

  "He was then on a tour of several weeks' appointments in the low country. He
preached, sang and prayed at intervals daring his whole sickness, which lasted
some two weeks, during which time he would frequently urge me to take him in
some vehicle to meet his appointments, remarking that it was a settled principle
with him not to disappoint a congregation. Toward the latter part of his illness
he lost the power of recollection, but seemed to retain his rationality. A few
incidents in a short way:

  "When he was found to be sinking, the physician prescribed brandy-toddy. (He
at this time could not tell what was his own, the name of his companion, or any
of his children, or that he had any family.) The toddy was offered; he refused,
which was the first thing refused from the hands of his physician or friends
during his illness, remarking in his own words, "That is the old Prince—I cannot
encounter him; I know his power too well. I have long since declared against
him," As remarked, he seemed to have lost the power of recollection, from the
fact we could not bring his mind to bear upon any circumstance in his former
days. All seemed to be lost so far as pertained to the things of this world. But
speak of the Saviour, or God the Father, or of heaven, he was as perfectly
conversant as at any time in his life, and when he could not tell his own name,
would quote scripture as correctly, sing hymns, pray as connectedly and as
appropriately as I ever heard him. Not an hour before his death, Mr. Bryan, a
Presbyterian brother, was asked to pray. He accordingly sang; father joined in
the singing; would wait for the giving out of the lines, as the rest of us. When
we knelt down, father commenced audibly to pray as Mr. Biyan did; both prayed.
He closed before Mr. Bryan, continued to respond to Mr. Bryan's petitions until
he closed—and yet could not tell where he was!

  "He bore his affliction with patient resignation, was sensible of his death,
and possessed strong confidence of his acceptance with God."


Additional Comments:
From:

GEORGIA BAPTISTS: HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL
BY
J. H. CAMPBELL,
PERRY, GEORGIA.


MACON, GA.: J. W. BURKE & COMPANY. 1874.

Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1874, by
J. H. CAMPBELL,
In the office of the Librarian of Congress, at Washington.



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