Lucy Hayes, Allen Parish, Louisiana
Submitted by Chas Alcock
************************************************
Copyright. All rights reserved.
http://usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm
http://usgwarchives.net/la/lafiles.htm
************************************************
Lucy Hayes 1792 - 1880
Lucy Hayes, the fourth daughter of Bosman Hayes Sr and Jane "Guiny" Foreman,
was born about 1792 and raised on the west bank of Bayou Plaquemine Brulee in
St Landry Parish, La., near the present town of Branch, Louisiana. She was a
grandchild of two of the pioneer Southwest Louisiana settlers, William Hayes
and Edwardo Foreman, both deeply religious men. Grandfather Hayes was a
Lutheran and Grandfather Foreman was a Calvinist.
Grandparents William and Sarah Celeste Bosman Hayes lived across the bayou.
The prairie land around Plaquermine Brulee became to be known as Prairie Hayes,
named after Lucy's father, Bosman Hayes Sr., who ran cattle on the open range
there.
On February 15, 1809 she married James D Reeves, the son of Edmond and Sarah
(Doyel/Dial) Reeves of Lafayette, Louisiana. James was born about 1790 up in
Tennessee as Edmond and "Sally" were migrating from North Carolina, finally
settling in Southwest Louisiana.
Lucy and James set up house just up the Bayou from her folks and by mid 1810 a
son was born and recorded in the census. This son must have died in infancy. By
1820 daughters Zilia Ann and Frances and sons Christropher Columbus and William
Green were born. In 1820 the family was not in the St Landry census, probably
living in Lafayette. Ellen and Isaac Monte were born in 1822 and 1823.
James D prospered in a number of ventures. He had dealings with Jim Bowie and
perhaps even Jean Lafitte. New settlers were arriving in southwest Louisiana
daily and land speculation was the place to make money. The land on the bayous
both north and south of Opelousas was in large demand. James D and Jim Bowie
were two of the biggest and best at promoting these land deals. One deal on
Bayou Boeuf north of Opelousas landed Bowie and Reeves in Court against each
other, not a good position for either.
James D and his brother John also owned large tracts of land in and around
Lafayette. One tract involved 226 acres around the present Four Corners area of
Lafayette. Both brothers passed away around 1826 and this tract was part of the
successions.
Lucy was a 34-year-old widow with six children and her cattle. Her father Bosman
had just passed away and probably some of his cattle were a major portion of her
inheritance.
In 1828 Lucy married David D "Black Dave" Simmons of Western St Landry Parish, a
widower who had been previously married to Mary Cole. Dave and Mary had lived on
Bayou Plaquemine Brulee near James and Lucy when both couples were starting out.
Dave and Mary had ten children.
In 1833, Sarah Ann Simmons was born to Lucy and Dave, giving a total of sixteen
children in the household. Large families were a blessing to farmers and cattlemen.
Dave and Lucy prospered. In 1840 ten children were still living at home.
Zilia Ann Reeves had married Stephen Simmons, one of Dave's cousins, and they had
moved to Texas, settling in Harris County.
The fates of Ellen and Frances Reeves are unknown. Many have Ellen marrying John
Hagar, a New York farmer, who settled north of Lake Charles. However, 1850 census
data proves that Ellen Reeves Hagar was the daughter of Isham Reeves and Nancy Ann
Bilbo. To further confuse folks, we also had a black Ellen Reeves in the area,
born in 1830, who married Andrew Botley.
Christropher Reeves married Amelia Simmons and they homesteaded three miles
southwest of Oberlin, La. One of their sons, Christopher, moved to Texas. Another,
Dallas, moved across the Calcasieu River. The town of Reeves is named after his
family.
William Green Reeves married step sister Rachel Simmons in 1838 in Harris County,
Texas, perhaps an elopement. The couple eventually returned home before the 1850
census. They later moved back to Texas, establishing a large Reeves family presence
in the Trinity River area of east Texas.
Isaac Monte Reeves married Louise A Cole, the daughter of Jacob Stampley Cole
Senior and Denise Fruge', and they settled about four miles west of Oberlin. (See
Louise's obit in the Obituary section.)
Lucy and Dave's only child together, Sarah Ann Simmons, married Abner Cole, son
of William "Grandpa Billy" Cole and his first wife Ellinor Noland,in 1850. There
is a biography of Abner in "Cole Foot Print".
Lucy is in the 1850 census as Lucy Rives, Widow, Age 58, living between two of her
sons, William Green and Christropher C. Dave had passed away between 1840 and 1850.
In the 1860 census Lucy was living in Hickory Flat between son Isaac Monte Reeves
and daughter Sarah Ann Simmons Cole. Son Christopher's widow, Amelia, had married
William Teal and they were living on the other side of Sarah Ann and Abner Cole.
Grandsons Livingston and Menton were staying with grandmother Lucy. She was listed
as a farmer, Age 67, with a comfortable estate. This era was undoubtedly her granny
years, as she saw her Reeves and Simmons children marry and begin their families.
In 1870, Lucy was living in the home of son-in-law Abner Cole and daughter Sarah in
Hickory Flat. The 1870 censustaker was probably interviewing Sarah, who stated that
her mother's name was Lucy Simmons, Age 77.
In 1880, the censustaker for the Hickory Flat area was David Reid Jr., the future
Sheriff of Calcasieu Parish. On 4 June 1880, he was in the home of Hickory Flat's
new postmaster, Abner Cole. He first recorded Lucy as Lucy Simmons, mother-in-law,
Age 87. Her name was then marked through and a note stated she was dead. We do not
know the exact day of her death.
We do know that Abner Cole had lost his father, Grandpa Billy, just two weeks
before the census visit and now his wife, Sarah, had lost her mother. Two southwest
Louisiana pioneers lost in Hickory Flat, probably within a month.
__________________
Gen. Notes:
Four Corners is the intersection of US 90(Cameron St.) and LA 182(Carencro Hwy)
just northwest of downtown Lafayette. Years ago, directions to places in Lafayette
and the surrounding area were given from this point.
We do not know the reason for Black Dave's nickname. Tradition has it that, since
there were two David Simmons in the area, the nicknames Big Dave and Black Dave
were used to distinguish between them.
The birthplace of the last children of Black Dave and Mary were recorded as
Western St Landry Parish, probably the Prairie Soileau/Bayou DuBonne area on the
eastern edge of the present Allen Parish and far west Evangeline Parish.
Southwest Louisiana has three major Reeves families: descendants of George and
Mary Ann Ryan Reeves, descendants of Isham and Nancy Ann Bilbo Reeves and
descendants of Edmond and Sarah Dial Reeves. Our Reeves mentioned above are
descendants of Edmond and Sarah.