The Death of Issac Reed

Headstone of Isaac Reed 1814-1837

This is the story of my 4th great-granduncle’s death. Whether it is true or not I cannot say. I have transcribed directly from the history of the Reed Family 1776-1938¹

-TJS

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“Isaac Reed was killed by an Indian in 1837 in Panola County. When they went to that county the Indians were friendly, but the United States Government had them moved to a reservation.² They rebelled, and they gave a lot of trouble. They would go back and murder people and steal horses. They would slip up to the house in the night and hide. When the man would come out, they would shoot him down and murder the family. If a woman went out first, they would not shoot her; they knew there was a man in the house with a gun. Then the women got to going first to see if there was an Indian in sight. The women seemed to have been as brave as the men.

The Indians got so bad the people forted up several families together. It seems all the Reed connections except Isaac and John Morris were away from home. Every evening, they would go around to each house to see if everything was all right. One evening they went to a house as it was growing dark. They could see some men in the yard. Isaac called to them. He told them if they did not answer he would shoot. He had his gun ready. Just at that time the Indian shot he fell. Morris ran and left him and reported that he was dead. Of course, there was great excitement. Some hours later they heard someone holler. Morris and the women thought it was an Indian trying to get someone out so they could shoot him. There was a negro man there. He said, "It’s Mas Isaac and I’m goin’ to get him." He went and carried Isaac to the house. He had crawled nearly a mile. He died the next day. A day or so later they found a dead Indian in a gully, covered with brush, near where Isaac was shot.

1. Reed, James. History of the Reed Family, 1776-1938. With additions by Virgil P. Lee. Salt Lake City, Utah: Filmed by the Genealogical Society of Utah, 1982. Manuscript/Manuscript on Film. 1 microfilm reel; 35 mm.

2. This appears to be a reference to the Cherokee. In the 1800's the Cherokee Indians, from their original home in the western Alleghenies, migrated to East Texas. They settled principally in Cherokee County, but some wandered into Panola and Rusk Counties. In 1837 Mexican agents encouraged the Cherokee to violence toward the settlers. The Cherokees were able to enlist the Caddoes as Allies and together they made attacks on many unprotected settlements.