Father: Thomas REED (-)
Mother: Mary FLETCHER (-)
Richard is believed to be a brother to Elizabeth Reed by Richard's
great-granddaughter, Mary (McDermott) Ryan. Mary recalls that
they knew various descendents of Elizabeth Reed and Pat Lawlor
as cousins through this Reed family, including some Farrells,
the Fitzgeralds, McGarry's, and others. Mary writes, ``Grandma
(Anna Reed Beitenman) always called the Lawlers and McGarrys her
cousins.'' They would have been first cousins if Elizabeth and Richard
Reed were brother and sister.
It seems unlikely that
these relationships a couple generations down would have been remembered
if Richard and Elizabeth were anything but brother and sister.
Mary recalls visiting Alban Fitzgerald (and his wife Bess) in Cedar Rapids
when Mary went to school at Mt. Mercy College.
Alban was the son of Margaret Alice Lawler Fitzgerald, who was
a daughter of Elizabeth Reed Lawler.
Mary and her husband Joe Ryan wound up farming the same farm that
Richard Reed originally farmed in Clinton County. Thus, they
have the title abstract for the land. It shows that
Richard acquired the farm from a Thomas Reed, who Mary always
supposed was Richard's father, but after looking things over,
she now thinks it was from the younger Thomas Reed.
Here's some of what that abstract contains:
Sept. 1850. US to Thos. Reed.
1854. to Richard Reed from Thos. Reed.
Mar 1868. Richard Reed dies, named are his widow Catherine and
children Katy, 16, Wm., 14, Edward 12, Agnes, 10, Anna Maria, 4,
and Elizabeth, 1.
1892, Lizzie, Wm., and Ed deceased. Susan Reed (widow of Edward)
of Westchester Co., NY deeded land to Anna Beitenman for $1425.
1913, Anna Beitenman petitioned to be appointed guardian for sister Agnes,
an inmate of Insane Dept. of Mercy Hospital, Davenport.
1936. Frances Maher and Helen Mohr deeded their interest in
the farm to Anna Beitenman for $500 and assumption of $3800 mortgage.
1940 Anna Beitenman granted absolute ownership.
Oct. 1949, sold to Joseph and Mary Ryan for $12000.
1965. Sold to Gerald Gisel for $48000.
Richard's tombstone reads, ``Richard Reed, native of County Kilkenny,
Ireland, died March 7, 1868, aged 53 years, May his soul rest in
peace.'' If Richard was born in Co. Kilkenny, that throws
some doubt on the theory that he was of the same family as
Elizabeth (Reed) Lawlor and Thomas Reed who were from Co. Queens.
Census: 1870 De Witt Twp, Clinton Co.,Iowa, p. 203B (his widow and children)
Census: 1880 De Witt Twp, Clinton Co.,Iowa, (his widow and two children)
Census: 1900 De Witt Twp, Clinton Co.,Iowa, (his widow and daughters Agnes and Anna)
