My Genealogy Hound

James M. Rea is a native of Lawrence County, Tenn., born February 20, 1836 and is the son of William and Mary (Gibson) Rea. The father was born in North Carolina, but left that State with his widowed mother and her large family of children, and settled in Wilson County, Tenn. Here William Rea was married to Miss Gibson, who bore him twelve children three now living: Elizabeth John and James M. Those deceased were named Margarett B., Annie K., Jane, Nancy E., Mary S., George, William T., Washington S. and Andrew J. The paternal grandparents of James Rea were both born in Ireland and shortly after their marriage immigrated to this country, where the grandfather enlisted in the Revolutionary War. His grandfather and grandmother Gibson were both natives of South Carolina, but afterward settled in Tennessee. James M. Rea subject of this sketch, moved to Lawrence County, Mo., about 1854, and first settled on the farm where he now lives. The country was very thinly settled at that time with a few scattering settlements, where to-day stands the fine city of Aurora. The country, at that time, from Aurora to Spring River, was open timber, and heavy timber in the country was confined to the streams January 1, 1857, Mr. Rea married Miss Mary E. Burrow, daughter of Joshua and Martha Burrow, both natives of Tennessee. This marriage resulted in the birth of eight children, five now living: William J., Marion W., Martha E., Luther and Mary D. Those deceased were Nora Bell and infant twins, who died unnamed. During the late war he enlisted in Company G, Sixteenth Missouri Infantry, Confederate States Amy, and served nearly three years and was in only two battles of importance, Helena, Ark., and Pleasant Hill, La., but was at Jenkins’ Ferry fight. He was neither wounded nor captured, and was paroled at Shreveport, La. He is the owner of 160 acres of land, 120 under cultivation. Mrs. Rea is a member of the Presbyterian Church.