Re: Reeves/Rieves - Meaning of name
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In reply to:
Reeves/Rieves - Meaning of name
Dorothy Hallarn Mercy 11/18/01
If you look in the dictionary, the old English term "reeve" referred to a person of high rank representing the crown; also sheriff.If you recall Chaucer's Cantebury Tales written in 1387, there was one called the Reeve Tale, and he was a blacksmith, if I'm not mistaken.Some of us get bent out of shape about the derivation of the name; Rieves, Rives, Reaves, etc.More than likely, those of us who spell our names Reeve, Reeves, or Reaves were derived from the original "reeve", whether of high rank or a blacksmith.No guarantee; however, because census takers, will makers, etc., wrote down names as they sounded, not necessarily as they were origninally spelled.A lot of my ancestors were illiterate.They wouldn't have known how to spell their name if their life depended upon it.So, names change over time, making life difficult of us who are trying to track them down. Eh?
More Replies:
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Re: Reeves/Rieves - Meaning of name
Clyde Reeves 5/14/03
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Re: Reeves/Rieves - Meaning of name
Dorothy Hallarn Mercy 12/09/01