Individual Details

Valentine Read/Real, born 1847. Enlisted in the Confederate Missouri State Guard, 1861, Company B. 4th Regt. Served 6 months under Capt Zimmerman; discharged 26 Dec 1861, New Madrid. Also on Enrollment list Jul 1865 of Madison Co for Company C, Missouri Militia. Description: 5 ft. 7 in. Black hair, dark, fair complexion, Single, a farmer. Based on Valentine's birth as Dec 1847, these would both appear to be his records.

The 1876 State Census enumerated Valentine Reed as age 21-45. Martha 18-21. They were next to James Wood and wife Ally. Ally was Alla Jones, aunt to Valentine's mother, Elizabeth. James & Ally raised Martha who may have been James' granddaughter.

3 Oct 1877 Valentine Reed and wife Martha L. Reed sold to James E. Reed [Valentine's younger brother] the SE 1/4 of Section 17, Twp 32, Range 5, containing 160 acres, for $300. Liberty Twp. [This land would have been located near that of their father's.]

1880 Madison Co Census:
Valentine Reed, age 33 [b. 1847], MO. Martha L. age 31, [b. 1859], MO. John age 2, [b. 1878] in AR. Thomas J. Jordan, age 10 also living with them.

10 Mar 1883. Democrat-Standard Newspaper, p.6.
A Murder - In which a young man kills his father-in-law. Full particulars.
In the southern part of this county, Monday, was one of those family broils, which resulted in the death of old man Woods.
It seems that Woods and his wife had parted about one year ago, and that she went to live with Reed, her son-in-law. There had been existing since that time between Reed and the old man, hard feelings, which culminated in the death of Woods.
Monday morning Woods went to Reed's and hid out behind the meat house. The dog discovered him there and gave the alarm. When Woods' wife went out to see what was the cause of the disturbance, and finding that it was her husband, rushed for the house. He folowed and went into the house behind her with a double barreled shot gun in his hands, both barrels cocked, and remarked to Reed that he had him now. Whereupon, Reed's wife seized Woods' gun, Reed secured his gun in the meantime, which Woods caught, but finally released, and tried to secure his own gun from the woman's clutches. While he was thus engaged Reed shot him in the right side, killing him instantly. Thus ended a family feud. Reed was brought to town Tuesday.
[The paper had the relationships slightly wrong. James Wood had raised Martha, but he wasn't her father - he was either her grandfather or an adopted father. There follows more details concerning Alla Jones. Martha doesn't seem to be any blood kin to Ally, but possibly a granddaughter of James Woods that was raised by James & Ally as their daughter.]

Alla Jones was a younger sister to the Rev. Richard Jones; therefore an aunt to Elizabeth Jones Reed, mother of Valentine. Alla Jones was born about 1811 or so in Kentucky - the censuses aren't clear at all about her age but this is about right considering where she fits in her family. She married Usel Meeker in 1827 in Sangamon Co, Illinois. After Usel Meeker died, Alla married James Wood on 20 Jul 1858 in St. Francois Co.

Here is the census history which is important to try and understand the relationships.

1830 Census, Sangamon Co IL, p.152, Line 16:
Usel Meeker: 1m age 20-30 and 1f age 15-20 [Alla would have been about age 19)
Usel was enumerated immediately following Elisabeth Jones.
[We've never figured out why Elisabeth Giles Jones was enumerated without Clayborn in this census. Certainly he was living - perhaps he was away. But the family members fit the profile of their family and Clayborn isn't found elsewhere in 1830.]

1840 Census, Madison Co MO. 1 male under 5; 1 male 26-45. 1 female 20-30.
[this would seem to be son John Meeker, born about 1838, Usel, and Alla - no daughters in this household]

1850 Census. Union Twp, Ste. Genevieve Co MO; p.247. Usel Meeker, age 35, farmer born in Ohio. Alle age 29 born KY and John age 12, born IL. Also in the household was John Hughes age 20, Laborer, born in TN.

In 1858, Alla/Ally married James Wood.

1860 In Concord, Washington Co MO. p.44, Dwelling 271
James Wood, age 45, b. Penn. Occupation is Collier
Ally age 44, b. KY
Elizabeth Smith age 27, b. MO
James Smith, 8, b. MO
Mary Smith, 5, b. MO
Martha Smith, 1, b. MO
Samuel Bull, age 30, Collier, b. Ohio
Oliver Hale, agee 2, Collier, b. Missouri
Hiram Wilson, age 22, Collier, b. Ohio
[This seems to be Martha Smith, born 1858, who married Valentine Reed. Elizabeth Smith would seem to be a young widow with children. James & Ally were both a few years older than this census would indicate, based on other records. Ally didn't have a daughter when Elizabeth was born about 1833. So she would seem to be a married daughter of James' Woods. That makes Martha his granddaughter.]

1870 Census. Concord Twp, Washington Co MO p.2, Dwelling 9
James Wood, age 58, b. NY Farmer
Alley, age 55, b. KY
Martha Smith, age 11, b. MO
Wm Reaves, age 8, b. MO

The 1876 State Census for Madison Co states that Ally was born about 1810 in Kentucky; James was the same age, born in New York.

1880 Census, Liberty Twp, Madison Co MO p.81, Dwelling 21
Ally was listed as age 70, b. KY as were both parents.
James appears to be "90" in 1880 census - but the 9 could be a weird 7 written in haste. Born New York, father born in Pennsylvania, mother born Maryland.

Ally Wood wrote her will on 22 Feb 1892, leaving all her personal affects to Valentine Reed and Martha L. Reed. Her will was filed for Probate on 31 Jul 1897, Recorded in Book 2, p.282, Madison Co MO.

1900 Census, Madison Co MO, Liberty Twp
Val Reed, 53, b. Dec 1846, MO. father b. KY; mother b. Illinois
Martha L. Reed, 41, b. Feb 1857. Married 26 years. 8 children, 6 living.
Wm T. Reed, 19, b. Apr 1881
Richard M., 14, b. Jan 1886
Noah B., 11, b. Dec 1888
Manda M., age 7, b. Jan 1893
Oscar, age 5, b. Jan 1895.

Birth	Dec 1847	Missouri
Marriage	14 Aug 1875	Madison County, Missouri - Martha L. Smith
Death	Aft 1900

Spouse	Martha L. Smith (1858 - 1944)
Child	John Reed (1878 - )
Child	[Son] Reed (1880 - 1880)
Child	William Thomas Reed (1881 - 1944)
Child	Richard Monroe Reed (1886 - 1968)
Child	Noah Reed (1888 - 1918)
Child	Manda M. Reed (1893 - )
Child	Oscar Reed (1895 - 1974)

Father	John Reed (1813 - 1900)
Mother	Elizabeth Jones (1824 - 1865)
Sibling	William R. Reed (1843 - )
Sibling	Susan R. Reed (1845 - 1877)
Sibling	Mary Jane "Polly" Reed (1848 - 1874)
Sibling	Rev. James Ellis Reed (1849 - 1930)
Sibling	Noah Reed (1850 - )
Sibling	John Penn Reed (1852 - 1909)
Sibling	Malinda Caroline Reed (1853 - 1901)
Sibling	Thomas F. Reed (1855 - 1887)
Sibling	Alice Reed (1856 - )
Sibling	Harriet Elizabeth Reed (1856 - 1935)
Sibling	Martha M. Reed (1861 - 1935)