Col. Seth Reed and Hannah [Unk]

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Husband Col. Seth Reed ^{1 2}

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           Born: Abt 1744
     Christened: 
           Died: 19 Mar 1797 3
         Buried:  - Erie Cemetery, Erie, Erie Co, PA

       Marriage: 

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Wife Hannah [Unk] ³

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           Born: Abt 1747
     Christened: 
           Died: 8 Dec 1821 3
         Buried: 

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Children

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1 M Charles John Reed ¹

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           Born: 
     Christened: 
           Died: 1830 3
         Buried: 

         Spouse: Rachel Miller (      -1851) 3
           Marr: 27 Dec 1797 - Erie, Erie Co, PA 3

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2 M Manning Reed ¹

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           Born: 
     Christened: 
           Died: 
         Buried: 

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3 M Rufus S. Reed ³

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           Born: 11 Oct 1775 - Uxbridge, Worcester Co, MA 3
     Christened: 
           Died: 1 Jun 1846 3
         Buried: 

         Spouse: Dolly Oaks (      -1798) 3
           Marr: 1798 3

         Spouse: Agnes Irvine (      -      ) 3
           Marr: 1801 3

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4 M George W. Reed ^{2 3}

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           Born: 
     Christened: 
           Died: 1847 - Waterford, Erie Co, PA 3
         Buried: 

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General Notes: Husband - Col. Seth Reed

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Col. Seth Reed, the founder of the family fortune,
He was a physician at Uxbridge, Massachusetts. When the Revolution broke out, he was given command of a regiment, and fought at Bunker Hill. At what date he removed is not known, but he next appears in Ontario County, New York, where he became possessed of a tract of land eighteen miles in extent by a trade with the Indians. Becoming impressed in some way with the favorable location of the new town of Erie, and believing that it would grow to be an important place, he sold out his Ontario County estate, and, with his wife and sons-Charles John and Manning-left for the frontier. At Buffalo he fell in with James Talmadge, who had fitted out a sail boat to run between that place and Erie, with whom a contract was made to bring the party and the few goods they had along to their destination. They reached the harbor of Erie on the evening of the last day of June or first day of July, 1795, and camped on the peninsula for fear of the Indians. Thos. Rees and a company of State militia under the command of Capt. John Grubb, with some friendly Indians, were quartered upon the Garrison ground. On seeing the fire in Mr. Reed's camp they were greatly alarmed, thinking a hostile band had landed there preliminary to an attack. Sentinels were kept on watch all night, and the troops were ordered to be ready at any moment to meet the expected foe. In the morning a boat, with men well armed, carrying a flag of truce, and accompanied by a canoe-load of friendly Indians, was sent over to the peninsula to ascertain the cause of alarm. On landing, which they did with extreme caution, they were surprised to find a white man and his family, who were, if possible, worse scared than themselves. Mutual explanations ensued, and both parties were agreeably disappointed to find that those they had mistaken for foes were in reality friends. Soon after his arrival Col. Reed proceeded to the erection of a place of shelter for his family. This, the first building on the site of Erie, was a one-story log cabin, covered with bark, and located at the mouth of Mill Creek. It had no floor, and strips of bark were used for carpets. Col. Reed concluded to open a public house, and labeled his cabin the "Presque Isle Hotel." Martin Strong, who visited Erie about this time, says the house was provided "with plenty of good refreshment for all itinerants that chose to call." In Sept., Col. Reed's sons-Rufus S. and George-came on by way of Pittsburgh, with Mrs. Thos. Rees and Mrs. J. Fairbanks. The Colonel remained at the mouth of Mill Creek until the ensuing season, when, after putting up another and better building, which he placed in charge of Rufus, he moved to a farm that he had located on the flats of Walnut Creek, on the present site of Kearsarge. Here he remained, in a rough cabin, until his death on the 19th of March, 1797, at the age of fifty-three. His house was about forty rods west of the Waterford road, in the rear of Capt. Zimmerly's brick residence. The body of Col. Reed was buried on the farm at Walnut Creek, there being no regular place of interment in the county. The remains were removed three times-first to the United Presbyterian graveyard, at the corner of 8th and Peach streets; second, to the Episcopal graveyard, and lastly, to the family lot in the Erie Cemetery.

1 —, History of Erie County, Pennsylvania (Chicago, IL: Warner, Beers & Co., 1884), Pg 941.

2 —, Nelson's Biographical Dictionary and Historical Reference Book of Erie County, Pennsylvania (Erie, PA: S. B. Nelson, Publisher, 1896), Pg 584.

3 —, History of Erie County, Pennsylvania (Chicago, IL: Warner, Beers & Co., 1884), Pg 942.