Escambia County FlArchives Biographies.....Reese, James Simpson 1866 - ************************************************ Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/fl/flfiles.htm ************************************************ File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by: Joy Fisher sdgenweb@yahoo.com February 11, 2008, 7:32 pm Author: B. F. Johnson (1909) James Simpson Reese James Simpson Reese, President of the Peoples National Bank of Pensacola, Florida, public-spirited citizen, progressive and prosperous business man, a descendant of a family distinguished upon two continents as statesmen, churchmen, patriots, soldiers and men of affairs for more than a thousand years, was born at Lowndesboro, Ala., July 4, 1866. When a child of tender years he was brought to Pensacola by his parents, George Reese and Anna Pickens (Simpson) Reese, where he has resided ever since. Though Pensacola is one of the oldest settlements on the North American Continent, in population and commercial importance it was scarcely more than a fishing village in 1871, when Mr. Reese's parents settled there, hence, not only has James Simpson Reese witnessed its developments into one of the most important marts of export and import trade on the coast of the Gulf of Mexico-a busy, progressive, prosperous city of more than thirty thousand inhabitants, but in the wonderful development of his adopted home, Mr. Reese has cheerfully borne his share of the burdens since he joined the ranks of the toiling sons of the South who have made this section rich and prosperous with no other capital than their brawn and brain, backed by an inflexible determination to succeed. Of English descent Mr. Reese comes of old pioneer stock, his immediate ancestors having played conspicuous roles in the foundation of this great Republic. The first of the family to emigrate to America were several brothers, and two sisters, of whom Rev. David Reese settled in Pennsylvania, and his son, David, who moved to North Carolina, was the founder of the southern branch of the family. Of the four original pioneers of the family, Charles remained in Delaware, where he died within a few years, and his family migrated to Pennsylvania. Another brother, George, settled in Maryland, and was the father of a large family. The family originated in Wales, and its history can be traced back through its various branches for more than one thousand years. The original Welsh name was Rhys, meaning: a twist, or change. The spelling was first modified to Rys, then, in England to Rees, again to Reece, and finally to its present orthography, Reese. In Wales the records of the family date back to about the year 875. For some three or four hundred years following this, or until Wales lost its independence, members of the family were princes of that country. Space forbids a complete chronology of the genealogy of the family, but after numerous generations, one Lord Rys, who married Lady Elspeth, daughter of Rhys Ap Tudor, became the progenitor of the English branch of the family. Immediately following this period we find Sir David Ap Rees, a descendant of Lord Rys, who was the father of the Reverend David Ap Rees, a Presbyterian minister, at Southwark, England. In the year 1700 the family of Rees emigrated to America, and at about this time the final "e" was added to the name, changing the spelling to Reese. As stated above, there were several brothers and two sisters who first came to the New World. They landed first at New Castle, Del. Rev. David Reese, of which branch of the family James Simpson Reese is a descendant, and his two daughters, Ruth, and Esther, settled in Pennsylvania, while David, his son emigrated to North Carolina. It will be recalled by students of history that the early settlers of North Carolina were a people of extremely independent character, who, upon every possible occasion demonstrated their excessive love of liberty. Indeed, as early as 1770, a number of these liberty loving pioneers were in practical rebellion against the British government, and in 1775, one year prior to the promulgation of our Declaration of Independence, a number of these independent North Carolinians assembled at Charlotte, and on May 20, 1775, signed the instrument recorded in history as the "Mecklenberg Declaration of Independence." One of the signers of that Declaration was David Reese, a son of the first David. This David was a man of marked distinction. Five of his sons were soldiers in the War of the Revolution. He was married in 1737 to Susan Polk, a granddaughter of Robert Polk, of Maryland. The Polk family are of Scotch-Irish descent, the original name having been Pollock, and their name, like the Reese name, has undergone changes which has resulted in the distinguished historical name of Polk. In the Cromwellian period these Pollocks were prominent Presbyterians in England. In 1689 Robert Pollock, the founder of the family in America, settled on the eastern shore of Maryland, where his name was promptly changed to Polk. Among his descendants were Charles Polk, Governor of Delaware, Trusten Polk, Governor of Missouri, and United States Senator, Col. Thomas Polk, of Revolutionary fame, and James Knox Polk, President of the United States. Reverting to David Reese, the signer of the "Mecklenberg Declaration;" he was the father of a family of ten children, the eldest of whom was James Polk, born in 1739, and the youngest, Ruth Elizabeth, born in 1760. George Reese, son of David was the seventh child and the fourth son. He was born March 11, 1752, in Mecklenburg county, N. C. He married Anna Story, of Sumter, S. C. on January 20, 1785. His wife was a member of the distinguished Story family, which has given to the country, Chief Justice Story, of the United States Supreme Court, Julian Story, the artist, and William W. Story, sculptor and author. The family was of French Huguenot origin. George Reese and Anna (Story) Reese were the parents of eleven children. The seventh child was Thomas Sidney Reese, born August 12, 1799. Thomas Sidney Reese married Susan McGregor on March 8, 1827, and ten children were born to the union. Their fourth child, who was also the fourth son, was George, born April, 2, 1834, died January 14, 1906, who was married to Anna Pickens Simpson, of Pensacola, Fla. He lived in Alabama, was a gallant soldier in the Confederate Army, and following the Civil War moved to Florida, where he spent the last thirty-five years of his life. He was a strong, manly, earnest, good citizen-an elder in the Presbyterian Church, and during the latter years of his life was a Brigadier-General of one of the divisions of the Florida Division of Confederate Veterans. Thomas Sidney Reese, grandfather of James Simpson Reese, and a grandson of the old Mecklenburg signer, was sent to Philadelphia in his youth to be trained as a merchant. The calling selected for him by his parents proved distasteful to him, and he set out to travel, going down the Ohio and Mississippi rivers, he landed at Vicksburg, and after a serious and prolonged illness there, he traveled on horseback through the country to Pendleton, S. C, where his family lived. An ardent supporter of John C. Calhoun, he willingly gave six sons to the Confederate Army, one of whom fell in battle. In the early days of Alabama, several of his brothers having settled in that State, he too emigrated there, and spent the remainder of his life in the State. He was an accomplished gentleman of the old school, polished in manners and of high courage. For many years he was an elder in the Presbyterian Church. Greatly respected and beloved by his neighbors, he died in Lowndes county, Ala., in 1863. The early educational advantages of James Simpson Reese were meager, as were those of a large majority of the youth of the South during the period immediately following the great Civil War. However, he secured a common school education such as was afforded by the schools then in existence in Pensacola, and in 1881, he joined the ranks of the youthful breadwinners of that period, in an humble capacity in the First National Bank of Pensacola. This position he resigned, however, to enter the Agricultural and Mechanical College at Auburn, Ala. In 1885, before finishing the course at Auburn, he returned to Pensacola and accepted employment with a firm engaged in the exportation of lumber and timber. Shortly afterward he was again offered a position with the First National Bank, which being more to his taste than the timber and lumber business, he accepted. His close attention to business soon earned for him a deserved promotion, and he continued to merit recognition from the officers and directors of the bank until he reached the position of assistant cashier. In this capacity he remained in the employ of the First National Bank for a number of years, resigning in March, 1904, to accept the presidency of The Peoples Bank of Pensacola, which he organized under the banking laws of Florida. Under his direction the Peoples Bank grew rapidly, and enjoyed an enviable reputation in the community. During the early part of 1908, its capital was doubled, and the institution was converted into a national bank. In the varied and busy activities of Pensacola, James Simpson Reese is an influential factor, and his judgment is implicitly relied upon by all who know him. He is a close student of economic questions, and believes that the interests of the State and nation would be promoted if every citizen devoted more thought to these questions. He is a Democrat in politics, a member of the Presbyterian Church and a Free and Accepted Mason of high degree, being a Knight Templar and a member of the Mystic Shrine. In the social life of Pensacola, Mr. Reese's position is the best. He is a member of the Osceola and Pensacola Country clubs, the two leading social organizations in Pensacola. He is, however, very domestic in his habits and tastes, preferring to spend his leisure at his home, in the society of his most interesting family. Mr. Reese was married January 4, 1894 to Laura Lemanda Wright, a daughter of George W. and M. Emma Wright, of Pensacola. To the union four children have been born, of whom three survive, as follows: Valarie, George Wright and Jamie Reese. His home, situated in the heart of the best residence section of Pensacola, is in every sense of the term, a home-one of those genuinely hospitable homes of the Southland which it is a pleasure to visit. Additional Comments: Extracted from: FLORIDA EDITION MAKERS OF AMERICA AN HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL WORK BY AN ABLE CORPS OF WRITERS VOL. III. Published under the patronage of The Florida Historical Society, Jacksonville, Florida ADVISORY BOARD: HON. W. D. BLOXHAM COL. FRANK HARRIS HON. R. W. DAVIS SEN. H. H. McCREARY HON. F. P. FLEMING W. F. STOVALL C. A. CHOATE, SECRETARY 1909 A. B. CALDWELL ATLANTA, GA. COPYRIGHT 1909 B. F. JOHNSON Photo: http://www.usgwarchives.net/fl/escambia/photos/bios/reese64gbs.jpg File at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/fl/escambia/bios/reese64gbs.txt This file has been created by a form at http://www.genrecords.org/flfiles/ File size: 11.3 Kb