Crawford Co., AR - Biographies - Capt. David Reed

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SOURCE: History of Benton, Washington, Carroll, Madison, Crawford,
Franklin, and Sebastian Counties, Arkansas. Chicago: The Goodspeed 
Publishing Co., 1889.
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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 Price 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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