My Genealogy Hound

Joseph L. Rea was born in McLean County, Ill., in 1851, and is a son of Thomas and Elizabeth (Ramsey) Rea, natives of Bedford County, Penn., and born in 1813 and 1822, respectively. The grandfather, Thomas Rea, came to the United States from Scotland about 1772, and located in Bedford County, Penn. Thomas Rea, Jr., lived in that county until 1848, and then moved to McLean County, Ill. In 1869 he went to Houston County, Tenn., and his death occurred in Gibson County, of that State, in 1880. He served in the latter part of the Civil War, on the Union side, and for a living followed farming in connection with blacksmithing. William Ramsey, our subject’s maternal grandfather, came to the United States from Ireland, previous to the Revolutionary War. Mrs. Rea died in 1876, and was the mother of five children: Lemuel R., of Van Buren; William, of Humboldt, Tenn.; Thomas L., of California; Nannie and Joseph L. The latter was educated at Urbana, Ill., and after leaving school clerked in a general store. In 1869 he opened a dry goods store in Humboldt, Tenn., sold goods for twelve years, and in 1882 came to Van Buren, being employed by the Adams Express Company, and afterward by the Pacific Railroad and Southern Companies. He is now one of the young substantial business men of the place. In 1877 he married Miss Emma Hudson, daughter of William Hudson, of Humboldt, Tenn. Mrs. Rea was born in Alabama, and has one child, named Josie. She is a devout member of the Methodist Episcopal Church, and a lady of fine character. In politics Mr. Rea is independent. He is a member of the Masonic fraternity, of the Royal Arch degree, the A. O. U. W. and a K. of H.