The Reaves family were prosperous planters and businessmen originally from Wayne County, N.C., who lived from around 1837 in Hardeman County, Tenn. Edmund Reaves moved to Tennessee with many of his neighbors from North Carolina. He had a plantation with land valued at $29,000 and 42 slaves in 1860, and he ran a small store in Middleton, Tenn. His son, John Rufus Reaves, also ran a store; founded and edited a newspaper, "The Hardeman Free Press"; served in several civic offices including the Tennessee State Senate; worked for the Cumberland Telephone and Telegraph of Bolivar, Tenn.; and was a member of fraternal organizations, including the Freemasons and the Ku Klux Klan. John Rufus Reaves's three children were Ina Emma Campbell Reaves Stroupe, Stella-Dora (Teddie) Reaves Kearney, and Edmund Hugh Reaves. Edmund H. Reaves worked in telephone offices for most of his life, finally settling in Rocky Mount, N.C., where he was the district manager for the Carolina Telephone office. Edmund H. Reaves married Emily Mae Moore and had one daughter, Margaret Elizabeth Reaves McGregor Coleman.
From the description of Reaves family papers, 1834-1942,1996. WorldCat record id: 37799451
